ICE / ISEE-3, First comet encounter September 1985 Options

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Any weblinks where we can learn something about the where-abouts of ICE/ISEE ( International Comet Explorer / International Sun Earth Explorer ) as the craft was expected to return to Earth in 2014?

[robspace54]

From the document below, which is a very long Word document. 37 pages and over 10 Mbytes in all.

highorbits.jhuapl.edu/aplmisns.doc


"Three delta-V maneuvers totaling 42 m/sec were performed in 1985 to target ICE to fly through the tail axis of Comet Giacobini Zinner about 8000 km from the nucleus. More details of the highly successful encounter are given elsewhere.

In 2014, ICE will pass near the Earth, and an in-plane delta-V of 1.5 m/sec and an out-of-plane delta-V of 39 m/sec were performed on February 27 and April 7, 1986, respectively, to target a lunar swingby on August 10, 2014.

That swingby plus some small maneuvers could capture ICE back into an Earth orbit, perhaps even returning it to a libration-point orbit14. ISEE-3/ICE may be known to most for its comet “first”, but in astronautics it is most famous for pioneering the use of both libration-point and double-lunar-swingby orbits."


Rob

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Indeed the multiple lunar flybys (5 in total in 1983) were needed to establish the transfer trajectory towards comet Giacobini-Zinner. (closest approach 7800 kilometers on 11th September 1985)
The spacecraft even flew 0.2 AU on the Sunward side of comet Halley on 28th March 1986.
Funny note: NASA has donated the spacecraft to the National Air & Space Museum if it could be captured/recovered during the Earth flyby in the year 2014

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

6 years to go before it comes close to Earth again

[elakdawalla]

PhilCo or anybody else who has a collection of old journals: do any of you have the an issue of the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences from 2001, vol. 49, no. 1? I'm looking for an article "The flight of ISEE-3/ICE: Origins, mission history, and a legacy," specifically, figure 29...

--Emily

[ElkGroveDan]

PhilCo or anybody else who has a collection of old journals: do any of you have the an issue of the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences from 2001, vol. 49, no. 1? I'm looking for an article "The flight of ISEE-3/ICE: Origins, mission history, and a legacy," specifically, figure 29...

There are some ICEE orbital graphics here Emily (page 12 onward) if that's what you are looking for
http://www.ieec.fcr.es/libpoint/papers/dunham.pdf

[robspace54]

Here is a photo of ISEE-3 plus a diagram from the depths of the Internet. And for comparison a picture of ISEE-1.

Rob

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[stevesliva]

There are some ICEE orbital graphics here Emily (page 12 onward) if that's what you are looking for
http://www.ieec.fcr.es/libpoint/papers/dunham.pdf

Figure 4 was very informative!

[robspace54]

This link is to a Time magazine article from long ago on ISEE-3 / ICE - first comet encounter by humans:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,959946,00.html

Interesting reading!

Rob

[jgoldader]

Hello,

I'm starting a scratchbuild of ISEE-3/ICE in 1/24 scale. The images & other info posted here were a great start.

According to the press kit, the spacecraft sounds to be mostly hollow and open at the bottom side, with the exception of a cone-shaped structure that extends down from the instrument shelf (visible in top or oblique photos & drawings) to connect to the launch vehicle payload adapter. I'm visualizing something like the Pioneer Venus orbiter, where you could see all the way in from underneath.

Does anybody have a picture of the underside of ISEE-3/ICE to confirm this?

Thanks very much!
Jeff

[robspace54]

Jeff this is Rob (Yahoo - Space Modeler member). I'll see what I have at home, if the Internet is up there. We lost our modem over the weekend and it was to be repaired today. Have you checked the Files on the S-M website? There is a photo of ICE on the spin balance table that shows part of the lower structure.

Part 2 - I found this diagram of the gamma ray detector which is mounted on the aft end. The diagram shows no protruding structure. That kind of structure would block the -Z axis antenna. The diagram is from a data set report found on the internet.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[jgoldader]

Jeff this is Rob (Yahoo - Space Modeler member). I'll see what I have at home, if the Internet is up there. We lost our modem over the weekend and it was to be repaired today. Have you checked the Files on the S-M website? There is a photo of ICE on the spin balance table that shows part of the lower structure.

Part 2 - I found this diagram of the gamma ray detector which is mounted on the aft end. The diagram shows no protruding structure. That kind of structure would block the -Z axis antenna. The diagram is from a data set report found on the internet.

Rob,

Thanks very much for the diagram! I hadn't run into that one, and all of a sudden, this model got a lot easier! I do have the photo of ICE on the spin table, and between the two views, can make a reasonable go at the underside.

Also, I've sent a note to the ICE contact listed at NSSDC, in case he can provide any more information.

Shameless endorsement: For anyone reading this who has interest in modeling real spacecraft, the best resource I've found online is the Yahoo! space-modelers interest group Rob mentioned. Even if you don't care about modeling, thousands of imagses and drawings are in the archives--a lot of history is being preserved there.

Jeff

[robspace54]

Here is the ISEE 3 (ICE) S-band antenna - 4 inch diameter x 30 inches long

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[djellison]

So - time warp for a thread time but...

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakda.../2008/1673.html

In that awesome article, Emily mentioned that it would need to be reactivated in 2012 for a 2014 recapture.

Any news on that? I've heard nothing.

[tedstryk]

So - time warp for a thread time but...

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakda.../2008/1673.html

In that awesome article, Emily mentioned that it would need to be reactivated in 2012 for a 2014 recapture.

Any news on that? I've heard nothing.

I've done a lot of searching on this and come up dry.