Deep Impact Observations by OSIRIS Onboard the Rosetta Spacecraft

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 310; no. 5746; pp. 281 - 283
• Main Authors: Keller, Horst Uwe, Jorda, Laurent, Kůppers, Michael, Gutierrez, Pedro J, Hviid, Stubbe F, Knollenberg, Jörg, Lara, Luisa-Maria, Sierks, Holger, Barbieri, Cesare, Lamy, Philippe, Rickman, Hans, Rodrigo, Rafael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 14.10.2005; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Astronomical research; Astronomy; Astrophysics; Cometary comas; Comets; Company business management; Cosmic Dust; Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics; Gas clouds; Impact craters; Meteoroids; Molecules; Observations; Organic Chemicals - analysis; Physics; Pixels; Plumes; Radiation; Remote sensing systems; Sciences of the Universe; Spacecraft; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Spectrum Analysis; Treaties; Water
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1119020

The OSIRIS cameras (optical, spectroscopic, and infrared remote imaging system) onboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft observed comet 9P/Tempel 1 for 17 days continuously around the time of NASA's Deep Impact mission. The cyanide-to-water production ratio was slightly enhanced in the impact cloud, compared with that of normal comet activity. Dust particles were flowing outward in the coma at >160 meters per second, accelerated by the gas. The slope of the brightness increase showed a dip about 200 seconds after the impact. Dust Af[rho] values before and long after the impact confirm the slight decrease of cometary activity. The dust-to-water mass ratio was much larger than 1.