Sensor system for comet approach and landing

Roberto Bonsignori; Luca Maresi

doi:10.1117/12.45624

1 July 1991 Sensor system for comet approach and landing

Roberto Bonsignori, Luca Maresi

Proceedings Volume 1478, Sensors and Sensor Systems for Guidance and Navigation; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.45624
Event: Orlando '91, 1991, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

This paper describes the overall configuration and performance of a comet approach and landing system (CALS), a space-borne sensor package for navigation toward a low-gravity celestial body in an interplanetary environment. The sensor system is aimed at satisfying the requirements of the Rosetta/CNSR (comet nucleus sample return) mission, whose objective is to land on a cometary surface and to retrieve samples that will be analyzed on the ground after Earth re-entry. Several constraints at the mission and spacecraft level make the configuration of a suitable sensor package a quite complex problem. The baseline system includes the following sensors, all mounted on a high-precision gimballed platform: (1) high-resolution camera, for detection of the comet at large distance and mapping at medium/short distance for ground-assisted landing site selection; (2) wide-angle camera with data processing equipment (star and target tracker), able to track simultaneously the irregular comet image and the surrounding stars for autonomous navigation; (3) laser topographic mapper for autonomous topography-assisted navigation in the final descent phase; (4) multitask radar altimeter for the on-board measurement of range, attitude, 3-axis velocity and surface roughness, with a microwave sounder section for the determination of subsurface structure and composition.

Citation Download Citation

Roberto Bonsignori and Luca Maresi "Sensor system for comet approach and landing", Proc. SPIE 1478, Sensors and Sensor Systems for Guidance and Navigation, (1 July 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.45624

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