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The challenges of deep impact autonomous navigation
Author(s) -
Kubitschek Daniel G.,
Mastrodemos Nickolaos,
Werner Robert A.,
Synnott Stephen P.,
Bhaskaran Shyam,
Riedel Joseph E.,
Kennedy Brian M.,
George W.,
Vaughan Andrew T.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of field robotics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.152
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4967
pISSN - 1556-4959
DOI - 10.1002/rob.20177
Subject(s) - impact crater , spacecraft , comet , context (archaeology) , ejecta , trajectory , asteroid , remote sensing , event (particle physics) , computer science , aerospace engineering , astrobiology , geology , environmental science , physics , astronomy , engineering , astrophysics , paleontology , supernova
On July 4, 2005 at 05:44:34 UTC the Impactor spacecraft (s/c) impacted comet 9P/Tempel 1 with a relative speed of more than 10 km/s. The Flyby s/c captured the impact event, using both the medium resolution imager and the high resolution imager, and tracked the impact site for the entire observing period following impact. The objective of the Impactor s/c was to impact in an illuminated area viewable from the Flyby s/c and telemeter high‐resolution context images of the impact site prior to impact. The Flyby s/c had two primary objectives: (1) capture the impact event in order to observe the ejecta plume expansion dynamics and (2) track the impact site for at least 800 s to observe the crater formation and capture high‐resolution images of the fully developed crater. All of these objectives were met by estimating the trajectory of each spacecraft relative to 9P/Tempel 1 using the autonomous navigation system, precise attitude information from the attitude determination and control subsystem, and allowing each spacecraft to independently select the same impact site. This paper describes the challenges of targeting and tracking comet 9P/Tempel 1. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.