DISC - the dust impact sensor and counter on-board Comet Interceptor: Characterization of the dust coma of a dynamically new comet

Della Corte, V., Ferretti, S., Piccirillo, A.M., Zakharov, V., Di Paolo, F., Rotundi, A., Ammannito, E., Amoroso, M., Bertini, I., Di Donato, P., and others. (2023) DISC - the dust impact sensor and counter on-board Comet Interceptor: Characterization of the dust coma of a dynamically new comet. Advances in Space Research, 71 (8). pp. 3457-3467. ISSN 0273-1177. (doi:10.1016/j.asr.2023.01.049) (KAR id:106688)

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2023.01.049

Abstract

The Comet Interceptor space mission, selected by ESA in June 2019 as the first F-Class mission, will study a dynamically new comet or an interstellar object by a unique multi-point 'snapshot' measurement. The mission design will allow to complement previous single spacecraft's fly-by cometary observations. The Dust Impact Sensor and Counter (DISC), devoted to the dust coma characterization, is part of the payload selected for Comet Interceptor. It will be mounted on-board two of the three spacecraft, as part of the Dust-Fields -Plasma (DFP) suite, dedicated to understand further: 1) dust in the coma; 2) magnetic field; 3) plasma and energetic neutral atoms. DISC architecture originates from the Impact Sensor subsystems, part of the Grain Impact Analyzer and Dust Accumulator (GIADA) that successfully flew on-board the ESA/Rosetta spacecraft. DISC main scientific objectives are: 1) to define the dust mass distribution for particles in the mass range 10-15 -10-8 kg ejected from the cometary nucleus; 2) to count dust particles with mass > 10-15 kg; 3) to constrain dust particle density/structure. In this paper, we describe DISC design, aims, methods, feasibility and performances evaluations, carried out by real and simulated dust impacts and by retrieving the number of particles, and their corresponding momentum, using the Comet Interceptor's Engineering Dust Coma Model.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1016/j.asr.2023.01.049
Uncontrolled keywords:	comets: dust instrument: dust detector: hypervelocity impacts
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy > QB651 Planets, Minor
Divisions:	Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Funders:	European Research Council (https://ror.org/0472cxd90)
Depositing User:	Mark Burchell
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2024 08:59 UTC
Last Modified:	26 Jul 2024 20:46 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/106688 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Wozniakiewicz, P.J..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1441-4883
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Burchell, M.J..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2680-8943
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Alesbrook, L.A..

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