The composition and plasma signature of a large dust impact on the Giotto spacecraft

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA01013· OSTI ID:5153949

Goldstein, R; Goldstein, B E ^[1]; Balsiger, H ^[2]; Coates, A J ^[3]; Curdt, W; Keller, H U ^[4]; Neubauer, F M ^[5]; Perry, C ^[6]; Zarnecki, J ^[7]

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1. California Inst. of Tech., Pasedena (United States)
2. Univ. Bern (Switzerland)
3. Univ. College of London (England)
4. Max-Planck-Inst. fur Aeronomie, Katlenburg-Lindau (Germany)
5. Univ. zu Koln (Germany)
6. Univ. of Kent, Canterbury (England) Rutherford Appleton Lab., Chilton (England)
7. Univ. of Kent, Canterbury (England)

At about 14,800 km from the comet Halley nucleus, on the inbound leg, at least six of the sensors onboard the Giotto spacecraft observed an unusual, brief ({approximately}3 to 500 ms) event: The ion mass spectrometer data show a brief flow of energetic (up to several hundred electron volts) plasma consisting of protons, water group, and heavier ions. The Johnstone plasma analyzer data show a short burst of plasma, while the dust impact detector system data show an impact event in four of its detectors The magnetometer signature of the event shows two brief dips in the field. The sudden change in the spacecraft attitude and spin rate observed by the camera at that same time has been interpreted as the result of a large ({ge} 5 mg) dust particle impact on the front bumper shield of the spacecraft. In addition, at about the same time the spacecraft star-tracker suffered damage. Here the authors give the first report combining direct measurements of the composition and dynamics of a dust impact plasma cloud, the dust particle mass and the location of the impact on the spacecraft. Analysis of the data indicate that the impacting particle was water or ice-bearing, possibly loosely compacted, and was composed of one or more of: carbon, nitrogen, and silicon.

• OSTI ID: 5153949
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 96:A8; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
HALLEY COMET
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
CARBON
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
DATA ANALYSIS
DYNAMICS
IMAGES
MASS SPECTROMETERS
MORPHOLOGY
NITROGEN
PLASMA
SILICON
SPACE VEHICLES
COMETS
DUSTS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MECHANICS
NONMETALS
SEMIMETALS
SPECTROMETERS
VEHICLES
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena