The Heliocentric-Dependence of Activity of Comet 67P: Spitzer and Rosetta

Details The Heliocentric-Dependence of Activity of Comet 67P: Spitzer and Rosetta The Heliocentric-Dependence of Activity of Comet 67P: Spitzer and Rosetta

May 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006sptz.prop30589w&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #30589

Computer Science

Scientific paper

We propose an in-depth study of the activity profile along the orbit of JFC comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) using Spitzer MIPS+IRAC imaging and IRS spectroscopy observations. 67P is the main target of ESA's ROSETTA mission that is already on its way to the comet and will arrive in Spring 2014. Our observations will address - for the first time - several open issues on the distant activity and the dust content of this comet that, besides their relevance for cometary science, will illuminate mission critical properties of this comet as well as it will complement the global understanding of the object as a JFC studied by an in-depth spacecraft exploration. To date, no measurements of 67P have been made inbound from aphelion, i.e. pre-perihelion, at 5.5 AU > r_h > 2.7 AU, the distance range that is most interesting for ROSETTA since it includes the approach, rendezvous and early exploration phase of the comet by the spacecraft and the distance (~3 AU) when the ROSETTA lander will be dropped onto the nucleus. Mission critical key topics we will address are: determination of the dust production rates; assessment of the gas production rates through calculation of the minimum grain size lifted off the nucleus; search for the ``neckline'' feature seen in previous apparitions; measure the occurence of outbursts; and by using our thermal dust models, determine the grain size distribution, and at ~3 AU constrain mineralogy after the start of water production.

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