EPOXI at comet Hartley 2.

EPOXI: Comet 103P/Hartley 2 observations from a worldwide campaign

Deep Interior: High-resolution Volumetric Radar Imaging of a Comet Nucleus

The next stage of comet exploration: The reconnaissance stage of the exploration of cometary nuclei, the most primitive of easily accessible solar system bodies, is in full swing with successful missions to comets Halley, Borrelly, Wild 2 and Tempel 1, and missions in progress (EPOXI and Rosetta) to Hartley 2 and Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This reconnaissance has so far yielded the discovery of an ...

Telescope Observations of the Nucleus of Comet 103 P / Hartley 2

We have used the Spitzer Space Telescope InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) 22-μm peakup array to observe thermal emission from the nucleus and trail of comet 103P/Hartley 2, the target of NASA’s Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI). The comet was observed on UT 2008 August 12 and 13, while 5.5 AU from the Sun. We obtained two 200 frame sets of photometric imaging over a 2.7 hr period. To within ...

Infrared spectral observations of comet 103 P / Hartley 2 by ISOPHOT ?

Spectral observations in the 2.5–12 μm range of comet 103P/Hartley 2 were performed on 1 Jan. 1998 by the ISOPHOT instrument, on board the Infrared Space Observatory. The obtained spectrum evidences intense bands at 2.66 and 4.26 μm, attributable to H2O and CO2, respectively. The derived molecular production rates are Q(H2O) = (3.1 ± 0.2) × 1028 molec. s−1 and Q(CO2) = (2.5 ± 0.3) × 1027 molec....

The detection, localization, and dynamics of large icy particles surrounding Comet 103P/Hartley 2

The Deep Impact Spacecraft flew past Comet 103P/Hartley 2 on November 4th, 2010. Images revealed the comet to be enveloped in a field of debris composed of fine grained dust, ice, and hundreds of discrete millimeter to decimeter sized particles. In this work, a selection of the brightest particles are identified and photogrammetrically located in 3D space to examine their positions and dynamics...