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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

On the detectability of icy grains in the comae of comets

While there is no direct evidence for the presence of icy grains in cometary comae, they are assumed in order to explain observed phenomena. The evaporation of icy grains over the distance scale of the visible cometary coma sets specific limits on their temperature. Unless the grains are pure water ice, maximum icy grain halo size will be limited to a few hundred km at heliocentric distances not greater than about 2.5 AU. While it is unlikely that the 1.5- or 2.0-micron ice band could be detected in the scattering by icy grains, detection of the 3.0-micron ice band may be possible in comets displaying a coma at large heliocentric distances.

Hanner, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Ultraviolet spectroscopy of comae

Vacuum ultraviolet observations from sounding rockets and satellite observatories of the gaseous comae of several recent comets are reviewed. The earliest of these led to discovery of the hydrogen envelope extending for millions of km from the nucleus. Subsequent observations of H I Lyman alpha, the OH (0,0) band and the oxygen resonance triplet have provided strong evidence for the water-ice model of the cometary nucleus. Several new species were discovered in the coma, including C, C(+), CO, S and CS. High-resolution spectroscopy and the spatial variation of the observed emissions provide means to elucidate the production and excitation mechanisms of these species. The similarity of the spectra of the half-dozen comets observed to date argues for a common, homogeneous composition (with the exception of dust and CO) of the cometary ice and a minimal effect on the neutral species due to molecular collisions in the inner coma.

Feldman, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Photochemical processes in the inner coma

Models for the inner-coma chemistry of comets are reviewed. The physics relevant to the coma's chemistry is summarized, and the interaction of solar radiation with the coma is described, along with photolytic and chemical processes. The formation and destruction of several observed species are traced through a chemical reaction network, and model results are compared with observations. The species considered include CN, C2, C3, NH2, CH, CO, CO(+), OH, H2O, HCO, C2H4, and C2H3. The models most consistent with observations are shown to indicate that only trace amounts (2% in all) of molecules bearing CN, C2, C3, and NH2 can be present in the nucleus of a comet.

Huebner, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Comet coma sample return via Giotto II

A comet coma sample return is possible with a low-cost flyby mission. Collecting coma materials and returning them to earth can be accomplished in a free-return trajectory. Intact capture of coma dust, preserving the cometary dust mineralogy, is possible at low encounter speeds. Samples from a known cometary source can then be compared with the wealth of information on meteorites and interplanetary dust. Sample return via Giotto II is a unique, low-cost NASA/ESA cooperative opportunity. With ESA providing the Giotto spacecraft and payload and NASA the sample return capability, first-class science can be accomplished at a very low cost for both NASA and ESA. This paper focuses on the sample return aspects, including sample return objectives, sample collection techniques, experimental work to verify collection concepts, and some of the characteristics of the cometary targets for sample return.

Tsou, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Dust counter and mass analyser (DUCMA) measurements of comet Halley's coma from Vega spacecraft

Measurements of dust particles in comet Halley's coma from Vega spacecraft made with instruments using a new principle of dust detection and having a high time resolution over a large range of dust fluxes and masses are reported. The dust coma, whether quiescent (as seen by Vega 2) or containing a major jet structure, (as seen by Vega 1) displays large, short-term variations throughout which are at times quasi-periodic. The integral mass spectra increase in intensity to the lowest masses measured, and the flux levels lie approximately in the ranges estimated previously from ground-based observations. The coma is highly dynamical on all spatial and temporal scales, suggesting a complex structure of localized regions of dust emission from the nucleus.

Simpson, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Coma-Compensated Telescope With Vertex Chopping

New design for chopped-infrared astronomical telescope reduces coma to increase image quality. Coma introduced by tilting cancelled by shaping of secondary mirror to introduce equal but opposite amount of coma independent of tilt angle. Because of this measure, telescope performance on axis remains limited mainly by diffraction.

Macfarlane, Malcolm J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The atomic carbon distribution in the coma of Comet Halley

The radial distribution of CO, OI, Ci, and CII emissions in the coma of comet Halley were measured by a long-slit far ultraviolet spectrograph aboard a sounding rocket on 26 Feb. and 13 Mar. 1986. While the CO profiles strongly suggest that CO is vaporized directly from the nucleus, the observed carbon distribution is not consistent with a radial outflow model of CO, suggesting an additional source of atomic carbon in the inner coma. Based on the in situ plasma measurements from the Vega and Giotto spacecraft, it is possible that this additional source of carbon could be the recombination of ionized CO in the inner coma.

Woods, T. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Evidence for methane and ammonia in the coma of comet P/Halley

Methane and ammonia abundances in the coma of Halley are derived from Giotto ion mass spectrometer data using an Eulerian model of chemical and physical processes inside the contact surface to simulate Giotto high-intensity spectrometer ion mass spectral data for mass-to-charge ratios (m/q) from 15 to 19. The ratio m/q = 19/18 as a function of distance from the nucleus is not reproduced by a model for a pure water coma. It is necessary to include the presence of NH3, and uniquely NH3, in coma gases in order to explain the data. A ratio of production rates Q(NH3)/Q(H2O) = 0.01 = 0.02 results in model values approximating the Giotto data. Methane is identified as the most probable source of the distinct peak at m/q = 15. The observations are fit best with Q(CH4)/Q(Q2O) = 0.02. The chemical composition of the comet nucleus implied by these production rate ratios is unlike that of the outer planets. On the other hand, there are also significant differences from observations of gas phase interstellar material.

Allen, M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The dust distribution within the inner coma of comet P/Halley 1982i - Encounter by Giotto's impact detectors

Analyses are presented of Giotto's Dust Impact Detection System experiment measurements of dust grains incident on the Giotto dust shield along its trajectory through the coma of comet P/Halley on March 13 and 14, 1986. Ground-based CCD imagery of the inner coma dust continuum at the time of the encounter are used to derive the area of grains intercepted by Giotto. Data obtained at large masses show clear evidence of a decrease in the mass distribution index at these masses within the coma; it is shown that such a value of the mass index can furnish sufficient mass for consistency with an observed deceleration.

Mcdonnell, J. A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Monte Carlo particle-trajectory models for neutral cometary gases. I - Models and equations. II - The spatial morphology of the Lyman-alpha coma

The mathematical derivations of various methods employed in the Monte Carlo particle-trajectory model (MCPTM) are presented, and the application of the MCPTM to the calculation of the photochemical heating of the inner coma through the partial thermalization of cometary hydrogen atoms produced by the photodissociation of water is discussed. This model is then used to explain the observed morphology of the spatially extended Ly-alpha comas of comets. The rocket and Skylab images of the Ly-alpha coma of Comet Kohoutek are examined.

Combi, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Measurements of the gas temperature and iron abundance distribution in the Coma Cluster

The medium energy X-ray detectors onboard the EXOSAT Observatory have been used to determine the gas temperature at several positions in the Coma Cluster of galaxies. Evidence is found at greater than 95 percent confidence for a higher temperature in the center of the cluster than in a position approximately 45 arcmin off-center. No difference in iron abundance is observed between the center and off-center regions and the equilibrium model for the distribution of elements in the Coma Cluster of Abramopoulos, Chanan, and Ku can be rejected with greater than 99.5 percent confidence, in favor of a model with more uniform composition. A phenomenological model is presented of the Coma Cluster, which is consistent with the data presented here, as well as the imaging data from the Einstein Observatory and the Tenma X-ray spectrum. The model has a central isothermal region of temperature about 9 keV extending to about 25 arcmin (about 1 Mpc). Beyond this radius the temperature falls as a polytrope with index about 1.6.

Hughes, John P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Spatial structure in the color of the dust coma of Comet P/Halley

Significant spatial variations are noted in the color of the dust in Comet Halley's dust coma, out to 156,000 km from the optocenter, in the present March 1-6, 1986 narrowband CCD images. In particular, the envelope of intermediate-mass particles formed around the nucleus by solar radiation pressure is redder than the rest of the dust coma, and a strong jet noted in the March 1 images is redder than both the dust envelope and the remainder of the dust coma. A wavelength-dependence model of the Comet Halley dust's color is developed on the basis of Mie theory.

Hoban, Susan↗
NASA NTRS1989

The outflow speed of the coma of Halley's comet

Data concerning the outflow speed of the coma of Comet Halley are studied in relation to a generalization of the coupled pure-gas-dynamic/Monte Carlo model of Combi and Smyth (1988) to include the dusty-gas dynamics of the inner coma. Measurements made by the Giotto neutral-gas spectrometer, IR water observations from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, and Doppler radio line profiles of HCN and OH are used to examine the radial dependence of the outflow speed, the asymmetry in the outflow speed, and the overall heliocentric distance dependence of the Doppler profiles, respectively. The results suggest that the model makes it possible to understand the gross long-term behavior and radial structure of the dynamics of the cometary coma.

Combi, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Is the Coma cluster binary dominated?

It is investigated whether the model of an expanding cluster dominated by a massive binary galaxy, first suggested by Valtonen and Byrd (1979), is consistent with optical data on the surface density and velocity dispersion of the Coma cluster. The evolution of this model is simulated for a wide variety of initial conditions. It is found that galaxy counts in the model can be made to agree with observation, but that the observed velocity dispersion profile cannot be reproduced. A number of other arguments suggest that the central galaxies in Coma cannot be as massive as required by the model. This model is not a viable representation of the Coma cluster.

The, Lih Sin↗
NASA NTRS1990

Radical formation in the coma from photodissociation of ice grains

Long ago visual observations of comets suggested that there are jets in comets but it has only been recently that A'Hearn et al. have proven that some of these jets are due to emission from the CN radical. Recent studies in the lab have shown that CN radicals can be ejected directly into the gas phase from the photolysis of frozen vapors if the parent molecular has been excited to repulsive excited state. This later observation suggests that the jets that have been observed may be due to photodissociation of icy grains in the coma. A theory of radical formation from icy grains is presented. It is shown that direct formation of free radicals in the coma is an effective way to produce radicals from icy grains in the coma. The model predicts that icy grains could produce from 6 to 800,000 OH radicals/s per grain depending upon whether the radius of the grain is 0.3 to 100 micron.

Jackson, William M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The fabrication of toroidal and coma-corrected toroidal diffraction gratings from spherical master gratings using elastically-deformable substrates - A progress report

A technique has been developed which permits toroidal, and coma-corrected toroidal, diffraction gratings to be replicated from spherical master gratings by the use of elastically-deformable substrates. Toroidal gratings correct for astigmatism and, thus, make it possible to construct stigmatic spectrometers that employ a single reflective diffraction grating. These spectrometers are particularly useful for the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range, where reflection coefficients are low, since the single optical surface provides for dispersion, focusing, and astigmatism correction. The fabrication procedures for the pure toroidal, and coma-corrected toroidal, gratings are described, and initial test results are presented. The use of the toroidal gratings in a high-resolution sounding-rocket EUV spectroheliometer, and in both the coronal diagnostics spectrometer and the ultraviolet coronagraph spectrometer on the ESA/NASA solar and heliospheric observatory mission, is described briefly, and the use of this technique for the fabrication of a coma-corrected toroidal grating for the prime Rowland spectrograph of the FUSE/Lyman mission is briefly discussed.

Huber, Martin C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Observation of the Coma cluster of galaxies with ROSAT during the all-sky survey

The Coma cluster of galaxies was observed with the position sensitive proportional counter (PSPC) during the ROSAT all sky survey. We find evidence for substructure in this cluster. Diffuse X-ray emission is detected from the regions of the NGC 4839 and 4911 subgroups at 6 percent and 1 percent of the total cluster emission respectively. There may be emission associated with the NGC 4874 and 4889 subgroups as well. The NGC 4839 group appears to be in the process of merging with the cluster. These X-ray data show that at least some of the groups previously found in projection are in fact physical objects possessing potential wells deep enough to trap their own X-ray gas. Because of the unlimited field of view of the all sky survey and the low background of the PSPC, we were able to measure the azimuthally averaged surface brightness of Coma out to approximately 100 arcmin, twice as far as was previously possible. Given the validity of our mass models, these new X-ray data imply that within 5/h(50) Mpc the binding mass of the Coma cluster is 1.8 +/- 0.6 x 10 exp 15/h(50) solar mass, and the fraction of cluster mass contained in hot gas is 0.30 +/- 0.14h(50) exp -3/2. Furthermore, the binding mass is more centrally concentrated than is the X-ray gas.

Briel, U. G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comet coma sample return instrument

The sample collection technology and instrument concept for the Sample of Comet Coma Earth Return Mission (SOCCER) are described. The scientific goals of this Flyby Sample Return are to return to coma dust and volatile samples from a known comet source, which will permit accurate elemental and isotopic measurements for thousands of individual solid particles and volatiles, detailed analysis of the dust structure, morphology, and mineralogy of the intact samples, and identification of the biogenic elements or compounds in the solid and volatile samples. Having these intact samples, morphologic, petrographic, and phase structural features can be determined. Information on dust particle size, shape, and density can be ascertained by analyzing penetration holes and tracks in the capture medium. Time and spatial data of dust capture will provide understanding of the flux dynamics of the coma and the jets. Additional information will include the identification of cosmic ray tracks in the cometary grains, which can provide a particle's process history and perhaps even the age of the comet. The measurements will be made with the same equipment used for studying micrometeorites for decades past; hence, the results can be directly compared without extrapolation or modification. The data will provide a powerful and direct technique for comparing the cometary samples with all known types of meteorites and interplanetary dust. This sample collection system will provide the first sample return from a specifically identified primitive body and will allow, for the first time, a direct method of matching meteoritic materials captured on Earth with known parent bodies.

Albee, A. L.↗