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Mechanical and electrostatic experiments with dust particles collected in the inner coma of comet 67P by COSIMA onboard Rosetta
Altobelli, Nicolas; Haerendel, Gerhard; Langevin, Yves +30 more
The in situ cometary dust particle instrument COSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser) onboard ESA's Rosetta mission has collected about 31 000 dust particles in the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko since August 2014. The particles are identified by optical microscope imaging and analysed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spec…
Comets as a possible source of nanodust in the Solar System cloud and in planetary debris discs
Mann, Ingrid
Comets, comet-like objects and their fragments are the most plausible source for the dust in both the inner heliosphere and planetary debris discs around other stars. The smallest size of dust particles in debris discs is not known and recent observational results suggest that the size distribution of the dust extends down to sizes of a few nanome…
Setting the scene: what did we know before Rosetta?
Meech, K. J.
This paper provides an overview of our state of knowledge about comets prior to the Rosetta mission encounter. Starting with the historical perspective, this paper discusses the development of comet science up to the modern era of space exploration. The extent to which comets are tracers of solar system formation processes or preserve pristine int…
Cometary science after Rosetta
Knight, Matthew M.; Jones, Geraint H.; Fitzsimmons, Alan +1 more
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission ended operations on 30 September 2016 having spent over 2 years in close proximity to its target comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Shortly before this, in summer 2016, a discussion meeting was held to examine how the results of the mission could be framed in terms of cometary and solar system science in …
On the attempts to measure water (and other volatiles) directly at the surface of a comet
Sheridan, S.; Wright, I. P.; Barber, S. J. +2 more
The Ptolemy instrument on the Philae lander (of the Rosetta space mission) was able to make measurements of the major volatiles, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, directly at the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. We give some background to the mission and highlight those instruments that have already given insights into the noti…