Search Publications
The surface composition of Iapetus: Mapping results from Cassini VIMS
Nicholson, Philip D.; Baines, Kevin H.; Buratti, Bonnie J. +11 more
Cassini VIMS has obtained spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy data on numerous satellites of Saturn. A very close fly-by of Iapetus on September 10, 2007 provided the best data on the spectral signature and spatial extent of dark material on Iapetus. This Cassini Rev 49 Iapetus fly-by provided spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy data of th…
Planetary surface dating from crater size-frequency distribution measurements: Spatial randomness and clustering
Platz, T.; Michael, G. G.; Kneissl, T. +1 more
We describe a quantitative procedure to measure the degree of clustering in an observed crater population relative to a series of randomly distributed populations. We split the population by according to crater size to be able to identify clustering at different scales, and find that a clustering analysis based on the mean 2nd-closest neighbour di…
Sulfur chemistry in the middle atmosphere of Venus
Belyaev, Denis A.; Zhang, Xi; Yung, Yuk L. +2 more
Venus Express measurements of the vertical profiles of SO and SO 2 in the middle atmosphere of Venus provide an opportunity to revisit the sulfur chemistry above the middle cloud tops (∼58 km). A one dimensional photochemistry-diffusion model is used to simulate the behavior of the whole chemical system including oxygen-, hydrogen-, chl…
A photochemical model for the Venus atmosphere at 47-112 km
Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A.
The model is intended to respond to the recent findings in the Venus atmosphere from the Venus Express and ground-based submillimeter and infrared observations. It extends down to 47 km for comparison with the kinetic model for the lower atmosphere (Krasnopolsky, V.A. [2007]. Icarus 191, 25-37) and to use its results as the boundary conditions. Th…
Titan global climate model: A new 3-dimensional version of the IPSL Titan GCM
Charnay, Benjamin; Lebonnois, Sébastien; Rannou, Pascal +1 more
We have developed a new 3-dimensional climate model for Titan’s atmosphere, using the physics of the IPSL Titan 2-dimensional climate model with the current version of the LMDZ General Circulation Model dynamical core. Microphysics and photochemistry are still computed as zonal averages. This GCM covers altitudes from surface to 500 km altitude, w…
Saturn's icy satellites and rings investigated by Cassini-VIMS: III - Radial compositional variability
Brown, R. H.; Baines, K. H.; Buratti, B. J. +16 more
In the last few years Cassini-VIMS, the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, returned to us a comprehensive view of the Saturn's icy satellites and rings. After having analyzed the satellites' spectral properties (Filacchione, G., Capaccioni, F., McCord, T.B., Coradini, A., Cerroni, P., Bellucci, G., Tosi, F., D'Aversa, E., Formisano, V., Br…
An analysis of open-basin lake deposits on Mars: Evidence for the nature of associated lacustrine deposits and post-lacustrine modification processes
Mustard, John F.; Goudge, Timothy A.; Head, James W. +1 more
A large number of candidate open-basin lakes (low-lying regions with both inlet valleys and an outlet valley) have been identified and mapped on Mars and are fed by valley network systems that were active near the Noachian-Hesperian boundary. The nature of processes that modified the open-basin lake interiors subsequent to lacustrine activity, and…
Morphology of the cloud tops as observed by the Venus Express Monitoring Camera
Crisp, David; Almeida, Miguel; Esposito, Larry W. +14 more
Since the discovery of ultraviolet markings on Venus, their observations have been a powerful tool to study the morphology, motions and dynamical state at the cloud top level. Here we present the results of investigation of the cloud top morphology performed by the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) during more than 3 years of the Venus Express mission…
The origin and timing of fluvial activity at Eberswalde crater, Mars
Mangold, N.; Quantin, C.; Hauber, E. +6 more
The fan deposit in Eberswalde crater has been interpreted as strong evidence for sustained liquid water on early Mars with a paleolake formed during the Noachian period (>3.7 Gy). This location became a key region for understanding the Mars paleo-environment. Eberswalde crater is located 50 km north of the rim of the 150 km diameter crater Hold…
Vertical profiling of SO 2 and SO above Venus' clouds by SPICAV/SOIR solar occultations
Montmessin, Franck; Belyaev, Denis A.; Fedorova, Anna A. +6 more
New measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and monoxide (SO) in the atmosphere of Venus by SPICAV/SOIR instrument onboard Venus Express orbiter provide ample statistics to study the behavior of these gases above Venus' clouds. The instrument (a set of three spectrometers) is capable to sound atmospheric structure above the clouds in seve…