Science goals and objectives comet tempel 1 was visited by the deep impact (DI) spacecraft in 2005 and the stardust next (SDN) mission in 2011. Observations obtained by these spacecraft revealed a…

This federal contract award, valued at $763,971.98, was granted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) to characterize and quantify the physical properties of the smooth terrain features observed on Comet Tempel 1. The award supports research to explore potential formation mechanisms for these features, which resemble glaciers on Earth, using images from the Deep Impact (DI) and Stardust Next (SDN) spacecraft missions. This effort is relevant to NASA's Discovery Data Analysis Program, as Tempel 1 was visited by two Discovery mission spacecraft. The award does not have a set-aside designation. UMD, a prominent U.S. state research university, frequently conducts scientific research and engineering services for various federal agencies, including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation, through contracts and grants.

Science goals and objectives comet tempel 1 was visited by the deep impact (DI) spacecraft in 2005 and the stardust next (SDN) mission in 2011. Observations obtained by these spacecraft revealed a number of areas with very smooth terrain, the largest of which is ~1 KM long and ~200 m across. These smooth regions are located in gravitational low areas and have striations that suggest they are flows of some kind. The leading edge of the large flow has a steep scarp with a height of ~20 m, suggesting that they contain a massive amount of material. Comparing the DI images to the SDN images from an orbit later reveals evidence for the erosion of the leading edge, indicating that the flows still contain volatiles that sublimate away over time. These smooth patches, which clearly represent young terrain that has recently been resurfaced, are not seen on other cometary nuclei (at least not on the same scale). Thus, tempel 1 is exhibiting an evolutionary mechanism that is not seen on other comets. Methodology we intend to use the DI and stardust next images to characterize and quantify the physical properties of the flows. These properties will then be used as constraints for theoretical models that will explore potential formation mechanisms. Because the flows look remarkably like glaciers on earth, we will approach our analysis in the same manner that is used for glaciologic studies, though the techniques will need to be modified to address the flow characteristics in the microgravity environment. Relevance to the discovery data analysis program comet tempel 1 was visited on two occasions by discovery mission spacecraft (deep impact and stardust next), and we will make use of the images from both of these missions for our analyses. The two encounters provide a comparative dataset, with complementary viewpoints and erosional changes from one orbit to another. Higher order products: maps of the source regions of the activity