Dr. Katherine Shirley (she/her)

Abstract:

Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA's F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum ΔV capability of 600 ms-1. Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes - B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 - that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission's science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.

Abstract:

A laboratory study was performed using the Visible Oxford Space Environment Goniometer in which the broadband (350–1250 nm) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the Winchcombe meteorite was measured, across a range of viewing angles—reflectance: 0°–70°, in steps of 5°; incidence: 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°; and azimuthal: 0°, 90°, and 180°. The BRDF dataset was fitted using the Hapke BRDF model to (1) provide a method of comparison to other meteorites and asteroids, and (2) to produce Hapke parameter values that can be used to extrapolate the BRDF to all angles. The study deduced the following Hapke parameters for Winchcombe: w = 0.152 ± 0.030, b = 0.633 ± 0.064, and hS = 0.016 ± 0.008, demonstrating that it has a similar w value to Tagish Lake (0.157 ± 0.020) and a similar b value to Orgueil (0.671 ± 0.090). Importantly, the surface profile of the sample was characterized using an Alicona 3D® instrument, allowing two of the free parameters within the Hapke model φ and (Formula presented.), which represent porosity and surface roughness, respectively, to be constrained as φ = 0.649 ± 0.023 and (Formula presented.) = 16.113° (at 500 μm size scale). This work serves as part of the characterization process for Winchcombe and provides a reference photometry dataset for current and future asteroid missions.

Abstract:

Direct links between carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies in the solar system are rare. The Winchcombe meteorite is the most accurately recorded carbonaceous chondrite fall. Its pre-atmospheric orbit and cosmic-ray exposure age confirm that it arrived on Earth shortly after ejection from a primitive asteroid. Recovered only hours after falling, the composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is largely unmodified by the terrestrial environment. It contains abundant hydrated silicates formed during fluid-rock reactions, and carbon- and nitrogen-bearing organic matter including soluble protein amino acids. The near-pristine hydrogen isotopic composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is comparable to the terrestrial hydrosphere, providing further evidence that volatile-rich carbonaceous asteroids played an important role in the origin of Earth’s water.