A method to invert MUPUS temperature recordings for the subsurface temperature field of P/Wirtanen

Citation

Hagermann A & Spohn T (1999) A method to invert MUPUS temperature recordings for the subsurface temperature field of P/Wirtanen. Advances in Space Research, 23 (7), pp. 1333-1336. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0273-1177%2899%2900046-0

Abstract
The thermal sensors on the penetrator of the MUPUS experiment package selected for the ESA Rosetta mission will enable us to determine the near-surface energy balance of the nucleus of comet P/Wirtanen by measuring the subsurface temperature profile and the thermal conductivity of the near-surface layers. Model calculations suggest that the penetrator itself will perturb the ambient temperature field such that the temperature profile will be smoothed if the thermal diffusivity of the nucleus is significantly smaller than that of the penetrator tube. It is possible, however, to calculate the undisturbed temperature profile from the data using a method based on a solution of the transient inverse heat conduction problem. Our model calculations show that a satisfactory estimate of the undisturbed temperature field can be obtained in comparatively little computing time by calculating the temperature distribution in the model volume from temperature histories at discrete points representing the penetrator temperature sensors. © 1999 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Journal
Advances in Space Research: Volume 23, Issue 7