Search Publications
Viking observation of water vapor on Mars: Revision from up-to-date spectroscopy and atmospheric models
Montmessin, F.; Korablev, O.; Fedorova, A. A. +1 more
A reanalysis of the Mars Atmospheric Water Detector (MAWD, Viking 1 and 2 Orbiters) Planetary Data System (PDS) data set (Jakosky, B.M., Farmer, C.B. [1982]. J. Geophys. Res. 87 (B4), 2999-3019) is presented taking into account a new spectroscopic database and improved atmospheric model assumptions. Starting from HITRAN 2004 edition and later (Rot…
Minerals mapping of the lunar surface with Clementine UVVIS/NIR data based on spectra unmixing method and Hapke model
Wang, Zhenchao; Yan, Bokun; Gan, Fuping +1 more
The distribution of minerals on the lunar surface is information which could contribute to studying lunar origin and evolution. In this paper, the distribution of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, olivine, ilmenite, and plagioclase on the lunar surface has been mapped based on Hapke radiative transfer model and linear unmixing of spectra with Clementi…
Changes in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (1979-2006) and Oval BA (2000-2006)
Marcus, Philip S.; Shetty, Sushil
We analyze velocity fields of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and Oval BA that were previously extracted from Cassini, Galileo, and Hubble Space Telescope images (Asay-Davis, X.S., Marcus, P.S., Wong, M., de Pater, I. [2009]. Icarus 203, 164-188). Our analyses use reduced-parameter models in which the GRS, Oval BA, and surrounding zonal (east-west) flows…
The effect of internal inhomogeneity on the activity of comet nuclei - Application to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Rosenberg, Eric D.; Prialnik, Dina
We present thermal evolution calculations of inhomogeneous asymmetric initial configurations of a spherical model of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, using a fully 3-dimensional numerical code. The initial composition is amorphous H 2O ice and dust, in a "layered-pile" configuration, where layers differing in ice/dust ratio and thermal …
UVIS observations of the FUV OI and CO 4P Venus dayglow during the Cassini flyby
Hubert, B.; Gladstone, G. R.; Shematovich, V. I. +4 more
We analyze FUV spatially-resolved dayglow spectra obtained at 0.37 nm resolution by the UVIS instrument during the Cassini flyby of Venus. We use a least-squares fit method to determine the brightness of the OI emissions at 130.4 and OI 135.6 nm, and of the bands of the CO fourth positive system which are dominated by fluorescence scattering. We c…
Structure of the Earth’s circumsolar dust ring
Reach, William T.
Interplanetary dust particles from comets and asteroids pervade the Solar System and become temporarily trapped into orbital resonances with Earth, leading to a circumsolar dust ring. Using the unique vantage point of the Spitzer Space Telescope from its Earth-trailing solar orbit, we have measured for the first time the azimuthal structure of the…
Mid-infrared spectra of the shocked Murchison CM chondrite: Comparison with astronomical observations of dust in debris disks
Koike, C.; Mann, I.; Morlok, A. +2 more
We present laboratory mid-infrared transmission/absorption spectra obtained from matrix of the hydrated Murchison CM meteorite experimentally shocked at peak pressures of 10-49 GPa, and compare them to astronomical observations of circumstellar dust in different stages of the formation of planetary systems. The laboratory spectra of the Murchison …
Latitudinal variations in Titan’s methane and haze from Cassini VIMS observations
Sotin, Christophe; Baines, Kevin H.; Buratti, Bonnie J. +9 more
We analyze observations taken with Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), to determine the current methane and haze latitudinal distribution between 60°S and 40°N. The methane variation was measured primarily from its absorption band at 0.61 µm, which is optically thin enough to be sensitive to the methane abundance at 20…
Comparison study of magnetic flux ropes in the ionospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan
Russell, C. T.; Wei, H. Y.; Dougherty, M. K. +1 more
Magnetic flux ropes are created in the ionosphere of Venus and Mars during the interaction of the solar wind with their ionospheres and also at Titan during the interaction of the Saturnian magnetospheric plasma flow with Titan's ionosphere. The flux ropes at Venus and Mars were extensively studied from Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Mars Global Survey…
Penetrometry of granular and moist planetary surface materials: Application to the Huygens landing site on Titan
Zarnecki, John C.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Leese, Mark R. +8 more
The Huygens probe landed on the then unknown surface of Titan in January 2005. A small, protruding penetrometer, part of the Surface Science Package (SSP), was pushed into the surface material measuring the mechanical resistance of the ground as the probe impacted the landing site. We present laboratory penetrometry into room temperature surface a…