Measuring the mass of a main belt comet: Proteus mission

To accurately estimate the mass of a comet, is a challenging task, given the complexity of its dynamical environment, and particularly so while close to perihelion, where the coma emissions are stronger. This study describes an operational approach for simultaneous orbit determination and mass estimation of a cometary target, using detailed dynamical models and combining measurements from multiple instruments. The testbed for the proposed approach is represented by the Proteus mission towards the main belt comets 288P and 238P-Read, for which formal uncertainties for the mass and other parameters of interest are estimated though a covariance analysis. It will be shown that the required relative accuracy of 10% in mass estimation can be achieved for both cometary targets under realistic operational conditions.