The cryo-penetrator: An approach to exploration of icy bodies in the solar system

Boynton, W. V.; Reinert, R.

doi:10.1016/0094-5765(94)00169-m

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Penetrator probes, which reach sub-surface layers of a planetary body by burying themselves in a high speed impact, rather than a gentle landing and then drilling, have been proposed for some time (Lorenz 2011). Although typically suggested as a solution for larger bodies such as the Moon or icy moons of the outer planets Gowen et al 2011), where gravity makes soft-landing far more challenging, they were studied in detail for comets as part of the NASA-led Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission, which was cancelled in the early 1990s (Swenson et al 1987;Boynton and Reinert 1995). Penetrator probes rely on sufficiently robust instrumentation that can survive the sudden deceleration as the probe hits the ground, typically at ∼100 m s −1 , but can reveal physical structure of the surface by measuring this deceleration.…”

Section: Sub-surface Penetratorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past and Future Comet Missions

Snodgrass¹,

Feaga²,

Jones³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We review the history of spacecraft encounters with comets, concentrating on those that took place in the recent past, since the publication of the Comets II book. This includes the flyby missions Stardust and Deep Impact, and their respective extended missions, the Rosetta rendezvous mission, and serendipitous encounters. While results from all of these missions can be found throughout this book, this chapter focuses on the questions that motivated each mission, the technologies that were required to answer these questions, and where each mission opened new areas to investigate. There remain a large number of questions that will require future technologies and space missions to answer; we also describe planned next steps and routes forward that may be pursued by missions that have yet to be selected, and eventually lead to cryogenic sample return of nucleus ices for laboratory study.

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Section: Sub-surface Penetratorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past and Future Comet Missions

Snodgrass¹,

Feaga²,

Jones³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) mission featured a comet penetrator, but the mission was cancelled in 1992, although see Boynton and Reinert (1995). The Mars-96 mission included two large penetrators (Surkov and Kremnev, 1998) but was lost in a launch failure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Penetration tests on the DS-2 Mars microprobes: penetration depth and impact accelerometry

Lorenz

Moersch

Stone

et al. 2000

Planetary and Space Science

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We describe the results of three separate sets of impact tests conducted during the development of the DS-2 Mars Microprobe mission. As well as indicating the promise of penetration to H0.5 m depth on Mars, these tests show the utility of accelerometer data in determining the penetration depth, the hardness of the surface material and the existence of layers, and the presence of coarse-grained material. Various lessons learned in instrumentation and operation, airgun testing and target characterization, and penetrator design for reliable separation, are discussed. 7

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Demonstration of comet sample collection by penetrator

2006

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We describe laboratory tests to investigate and demonstrate the acquisition and encapsulation of a subsurface sample from a comet analogue using a coring penetrator. The penetrator imbeds itself in the target, coring out a sample during the impact itself. Mechanisms seal the sample in a canister and the canister is spring-ejected from the rear of the penetrator where it can be retrieved in free-flight by a mother spacecraft, which thus need not perform a landing. We describe the penetrator vehicle, sample preparation and testing technique using the large airgun at the University of Arizona, and the performance results which indicate the technique is an attractive option for comet nucleus sample return.

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The cryo-penetrator: An approach to exploration of icy bodies in the solar system

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Past and Future Comet Missions

Past and Future Comet Missions

Penetration tests on the DS-2 Mars microprobes: penetration depth and impact accelerometry

Demonstration of comet sample collection by penetrator

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