Re: Was it ever planned to be operating this close to the Sun?
Where was the ice again? I don't see any ice, there is no evidence that there is ice. They assume that there is ice due to hydroxyl ions that may or may not be formed by sublimation. In fact every piece of evidence about comets suggest that there is no ice on them at all. The best sample we found from comets was metamorphic silicate minerals, no ice, hence why the ice harpoons didn't work.