The Impact Sensor (IS) is a subsystem of the GIADA experiment onboard the Rosetta space mission and is aimed at measuring the momentum of cometary grains in the range from 3.10-11 to 3.10-5 N.s. This sensing device is formed by an aluminium plate equipped with five piezoelectric elements, which are mounted below each corner and its center. Tests have been performed on a laboratory model of the IS, fully representative of the flight unit, to demonstrate that the performances are compatible with the design specifications and to address the dependence of the output signal on some of the most relevant parameters of impacting grains, i.e. shape, composition, momentum and position of the impact. The results reported in the present paper summarize the capabilities of such an impact momentum detector. © 2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Physical aspect of an ”impact sensor” for the detection of cometary dust momentum onboard the ”Rosetta” space mission
DELLA CORTE, VINCENZO;PALUMBO, Pasquale
2002-01-01
Abstract
The Impact Sensor (IS) is a subsystem of the GIADA experiment onboard the Rosetta space mission and is aimed at measuring the momentum of cometary grains in the range from 3.10-11 to 3.10-5 N.s. This sensing device is formed by an aluminium plate equipped with five piezoelectric elements, which are mounted below each corner and its center. Tests have been performed on a laboratory model of the IS, fully representative of the flight unit, to demonstrate that the performances are compatible with the design specifications and to address the dependence of the output signal on some of the most relevant parameters of impacting grains, i.e. shape, composition, momentum and position of the impact. The results reported in the present paper summarize the capabilities of such an impact momentum detector. © 2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
