Search Publications
The lower dayside ionosphere of Mars from 14 years of MaRS radio science observations
Tellmann, Silvia; Pätzold, Martin; González-Galindo, Francisco +5 more
This work uses a subset of "quiet" MaRS ionospheric dayside observations (MaRSquiet, 2004-2017) and a 1-D photochemical model (IonA-2) to investigate the potential formation processes of the excess electron densities merged with the base of the main ionosphere (Mm). 42% of the investigated MaRS observations contain identified Mm, which …
Carbon photochemical escape rates from the modern Mars atmosphere
Yelle, Roger V.; Lillis, Robert J.; Lo, Daniel Y. +1 more
We provide a comprehensive update of photochemical escape rates of atomic carbon from the present-day Martian atmosphere using a one-dimensional photochemical model and a Monte Carlo escape model. The photochemical model incorporates new results relevant to carbon photochemistry at Mars, including new cross sections for photodissociation of CO
Sinuous ridges in Chukhung crater, Tempe Terra, Mars: Implications for fluvial, glacial, and glaciofluvial activity
Conway, Susan J.; Balme, Matthew R.; Lewis, Stephen R. +6 more
We present a geomorphic map of Chukhung crater (38.47°N, 72.42°W) in central Tempe Terra, Mars. Chukhung crater formed ~3.6-2.1 Ga, between the early Hesperian and early Amazonian periods of Mars' geologic history. It hosts dendritic networks of crater wall valleys, broad crater floor valleys, mid- to late-Amazonian-aged debris-covered glaciers, m…
Potential vorticity structure of Titan's polar vortices from Cassini CIRS observations
Nixon, Conor A.; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Teanby, Nicholas A. +4 more
The Cassini mission has provided the best opportunity to date to extensively study the seasonal variation in Titan's atmosphere, with observations spanning almost half a Titan year (Ls = 293 - 93 °). An important feature in the Titan middle-atmosphere is the formation of a polar vortex. Observations have shown that an initially well-dev…
Morphological comparison of blocks in chaos terrains on Pluto, Europa, and Mars
Skjetne, Helle L.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Hynek, Brian M. +12 more
Chaotic terrains are characterized by disruption of preexisting surfaces into irregularly arranged mountain blocks with a "chaotic" appearance. Several models for chaos formation have been proposed, but the formation and evolution of this enigmatic terrain type has not yet been fully constrained. We provide extensive mapping of the individual bloc…
High precision meteor observations with the Canadian automated meteor observatory: Data reduction pipeline and application to meteoroid mechanical strength measurements
Weryk, Robert J.; Stober, Gunter; Vida, Denis +3 more
Context. The mirror tracking system of the Canadian Automated Meteor Observatory (CAMO) can track meteors in real time, providing an effective angular resolution of 1 arc second and a temporal resolution of 100 frames per second. Aims. We describe the upgraded hardware and give details of the data calibration and reduction pipeline. We investigate…
Estimation of surface temperatures on Mercury in preparation of the MERTIS experiment onboard BepiColombo
Hiesinger, Harald; Helbert, Jörn; Bauch, Karin E. +1 more
The Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) is part of the payload on the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo Mission, launched in October 2018. The spectrometer is designed to map surface composition, identify rock-forming minerals, map surface mineralogy, and study surface temperature variations. The surface of Mercury undergoes lar…
A global investigation of wrinkle ridge formation events; Implications towards the thermal evolution of Mars
Ruj, Trishit; Kawai, Kenji
Wrinkle ridges (WR) are well-established paleo-stress indicators providing information on the compressional history and thermal evolution of Mars. Therefore, constraining their timing of formation on a global scale could yield better insight into the tectonic history, evolution of the mantle, and the paleoclimate of the planet. Here, we have updat…
Photometry of Kuiper belt object (486958) Arrokoth from New Horizons LORRI
Buratti, Bonnie J.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Stern, S. Alan +12 more
On January 1st 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the classical Kuiper belt object (486958) Arrokoth (provisionally designated 2014 MU69), possibly the most primitive object ever explored by a spacecraft. The I/F of Arrokoth is analyzed and fit with a photometric function that is a linear combination of the Lommel-Seeliger (lunar) and Lambe…
Martian cloud climatology and life cycle extracted from Mars Express OMEGA spectral images
Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Langevin, Yves; Gondet, Brigitte +7 more
A Martian water-ice cloud climatology has been extracted from OMEGA data covering 7 Martian years (MY 26-32) on the dayside. We derived two products, the Reversed Ice Cloud Index (ICIR) and the Percentage of Cloudy Pixels (PCP), indicating the mean cloud thickness and nebulosity over a regular grid (1° longitude × 1° latitude × 1° Ls × 1 h Local T…