Space Mining and Its Regulation by Ram S. Jakhu Joseph N. Pelton & Yaw Otu Mankata Nyampong

Author:Ram S. Jakhu, Joseph N. Pelton & Yaw Otu Mankata Nyampong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

ESA’s Deep Space Missions: Giotto, Rosetta, and PLATO

Europe’s first deep space mission, Giotto, was launched in July 1985 to study Comet P/Halley. In addition to visiting its target comet, Giotto visited Comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup. Officially, the Giotto mission was terminated on July 23, 1992. In Comet P/Halley, the mission discovered hydrogen ions, water (which accounted for about 80 % by volume of all of the material thrown out by the comet), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, hydrocarbons, iron, sodium, two major classes of dust particles (one dominated by the light “CHON” elements—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and the other rich in mineral-forming elements—sodium, magnesium, silicon, iron and calcium), and a layer of organic (carbon-rich) material covering the comet’s surface.16

The subsequent deep space Rosetta mission was launched in March 2004, to “rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko” and to “study the nucleus of the comet and its environment … and land a probe on its surface.” This Philae lander was the first direct contact with a comet (see Fig. 8.3). The Rosetta-Philae mission was able to discover that water vapor from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is significantly different from the water vapor found on Earth. The other findings were that the dust particles were released first when the comet was “fluffy” and that the asteroid contained a lot of sodium but no ice.17

Fig. 8.3Philae lander of the Rosetta mission (Graphic courtesy of ESA.)

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