Preparing for the 2061 return of Halley's comet -- A rendezvous mission with an innovative imaging system
Cesare Barbieri, Alessandro Beolchi, Ivano Bertini, Vania Da Deppo, Elena Fantino, Roberto Flores, Claudio Pernechele, Chiara Pozzi

TL;DR
This paper proposes a detailed plan for a 2061 rendezvous mission to Comet 1P/Halley, featuring an innovative imaging system and trajectory design to maximize scientific return before water sublimation begins.
Contribution
It introduces a feasible trajectory and a novel wide-field imaging system for in situ study of Halley's comet during its 2061 return.
Findings
Trajectory can reach the comet before water sublimation begins
Innovative imaging system captures surface and ejected material details
Mission can be launched before 2040 to ensure scientific success
Abstract
The return of Comet 1P/Halley will promote a wide interest for ground and space observations of a celestial body of outstanding scientific and cultural interest. In addition to remote observations, space will open the possibility of in situ science similarly to the passage of 1986. In this paper, we first discuss the scientific motivations for a rendezvous mission, capable to overcome the limitations of the flyby missions that took place at that time. In the second part, we describe an example of a rendezvous trajectory that can be carried out with existing power and propulsion technologies. The transfer is made possible by the gravitational assistance of a giant planet. The resulting mission will be capable to reach the comet beyond the distance of Saturn, when the sublimation of super-volatile species will be ongoing, and well before the onset of the sublimation of water (4 AU). After…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstro and Planetary Science · Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies · Planetary Science and Exploration
