Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Nov 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991a%26a...251l..19p&link_type=abstract
Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 251, no. 2, Nov. 1991, p. L19-L22.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
1
Cometary Atmospheres, Cosmic Dust, Fragmentation, Giotto Mission, Halley'S Comet, Hypervelocity Impact, Comet Nuclei, Doppler Effect, Metal Ions, Molecular Gases, Particle Collisions, Spacecraft Shielding
Scientific paper
During its flight through Comet Halley's atmosphere the European spacecraft Giotto had to overcome a great number of high-energy impacts of gas molecules and dust grains. To protect the spacecraft it was equipped with a dual sheet bumper shield. Only heavy dust grains with masses of 10 exp -9 kg or greater could have penetrated the outer shield. Within the innermost region of the cometary coma the impacting dust generated an unstable atmosphere of secondary particles (mainly Al(+)-ions) in front of the spacecraft. When the arriving particles entered this artificial atmosphere numerous collisions reduced their mass below the critical value for penetrating the shield. Only far from the encounter, namely at much more than 1000 km distance to the cometary nucleus, the atmosphere around the spacecraft was so tenuous that large dust grains could perforate the outer shield.
Hoell Josef
Porsche Herbert
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