// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Comet
A cosmic snowball of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun, developing a glowing coma and a long tail when it gets close to the Sun.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A comet is a celestial body composed of ice, dust, and rocky particles, originating from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud, that develops a visible coma and tail when heated by the Sun's radiation and solar wind.
BACKGROUND
The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Dirty snowball
- icy body
- tailed star
USAGE NOTE
Comets provide clues about the early solar system's composition and the delivery of water to Earth.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Comet.
A leading space agency that develops and operates numerous missions and research programs dedicated to understanding comets, their composition, origins, and potential impacts. NASA has led missions like Deep Impact and Stardust, and collaborates on others, advancing spacecraft and instrument technologies for comet exploration.
ESA famously led the Rosetta mission, which rendezvoused with and landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, providing unprecedented data. ESA continues to analyze Rosetta data and develops technology for deep space exploration and robotic landers for future small body missions.
While renowned for its asteroid sample return missions (Hayabusa), JAXA also conducts broader planetary science research that includes comets, contributing to our understanding of early solar system bodies and developing technologies for future deep space missions.
Germany's national research center for aeronautics and space. DLR played a crucial role in ESA's Rosetta mission, developing and operating instruments like the Philae lander and contributing significantly to comet science.
A leading research institute focusing on the Sun and inner solar system. MPS was instrumental in the Rosetta mission, providing key scientific instruments and conducting extensive research on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
A non-profit applied research and development organization that participates in numerous NASA missions and planetary science projects, developing instruments and conducting research related to comets and the early solar system.
Engages in scientific research and educational outreach related to the origins of life and planetary systems. This includes studying comets as potential carriers of organic molecules and water, and developing methodologies for astronomical observations.
Researchers within its Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science have been deeply involved in comet research, notably leading aspects of NASA's Deep Impact mission to Comet Tempel 1 and continuing to study comet dynamics and composition through advanced instrumentation and modeling.