Search Publications
Geologic and Thermal Characterization of Oxia Planum Using Mars Odyssey THEMIS Data
Rogers, A. D.; Gary-Bicas, C. E.
Oxia Planum will be the landing site for the European Space Agency ExoMars 2022 "Rosalind Franklin" mission to conduct astrobiological and geological experiments investigating the region's past. Previous orbital short wave infrared (SWIR, 1.0-2.6 µm) spectroscopic studies reported widespread phyllosilicate detections in the region suggesting…
Tectonic Deformation and Volatile Loss in the Formation of Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars
Kling, Corbin L.; Byrne, Paul K.; Wegmann, Karl W. +1 more
Noctis Labyrinthus is a little-studied and structurally complex area situated between the Tharsis Rise and Valles Marineris on Mars. Noctis Labyrinthus is dissected by normal faults that form horst and graben, pit craters situated inside the graben, and large troughs that cross-cut both graben and pit craters. Mass wasting, periglacial, and some e…
Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Carbon Monoxide (CO) in the Martian Atmosphere From PFS/MEX Observations
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Daerden, Frank; Neary, Lori +7 more
A subset of more than 100,000 nadir measurements covering more than 7 Martian years (MY 26-MY 33) recorded in the thermal part of the Short Wavelength Channel (SWC) from the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) on board Mars Express is exploited to investigate the global distribution and the seasonal cycle of carbon monoxide (CO) on Mars. The retr…
Vertical Distribution of Aerosols and Hazes Over Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Its Surroundings in 2016 From HST/WFC3 Imaging
Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Sánchez-Lavega, Agustín.; Anguiano-Arteaga, Asier +2 more
In this work, we have analyzed images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) in December 2016, with a spectral coverage from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. We have obtained the spectral reflectivity of the GRS and its surroundings, with particular emphasis on selected, dynamically interesting regions. A spec…
Gravity Wave Packets in the Venusian Atmosphere Observed by Radio Occultation Experiments: Comparison With Saturation Theory
Tellmann, Silvia; Pätzold, Martin; Mori, Ryota +3 more
The characteristics of gravity wave packets in the Venusian atmosphere were studied using high-vertical-resolution temperature profiles obtained by ESA's Venus Express and JAXA's Akatsuki radio occultation experiments with radio holographic methods. Localized disturbances were detected by applying a wavelet transform to the temperature profiles. T…
Constraints on Emission Source Locations of Methane Detected by Mars Science Laboratory
Newman, C. E.; Richardson, M. I.; Viúdez-Moreiras, D.
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected both methane spikes and variable background methane abundance in recent years in Gale Crater, Mars. While methane spikes have been attributed to a hypothetical local or regional source emission, the background measurements acquired during…
Modeling the Hydrodynamics, Sediment Transport, and Valley Incision of Outlet-Forming Floods From Martian Crater Lakes
Goudge, Timothy A.; Fassett, Caleb I.
Open-basin lakes that have outlets, formed where the stored water breached the basin-confining topography (e.g., crater rims), have been recognized on Mars for decades. However, the mechanics involved in formation of these outlets has not been studied in detail. Here, we study this outlet formation process through a series of numerical experiments…
The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Nighttime Ozone and Sulfur Dioxide in the Venus Mesosphere as Deduced From SPICAV UV Stellar Occultations
Montmessin, F.; Korablev, O.; Bertaux, J. -L. +5 more
The nighttime ozone and sulfur dioxide distributions were analyzed using the entire Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus (SPICAV) UV/Venus Express stellar occultation data set. After the discovery of an ozone layer at 100 km in the mesosphere reported by Montmessin, Bertaux, et al. (2011,
Does Phobos Reflect Solar Wind Protons? Mars Express Special Flyby Operations With and Without the Presence of Phobos
Barabash, Stas; Holmström, Mats; Futaana, Yoshifumi +1 more
We characterize the solar wind proton reflection (backscattering) from Phobos using a series of Mars Express operations. The plasma data obtained during the Phobos flyby of Mars Express in January 2016 showed a non-solar wind signal possibly reflected from the Phobos surface. Similar signatures were previously reported during an earlier Phobos fly…
Geological History of Southeastern Gorgonum Chaos, Mars: A Story of Water and Wind
Hauber, Ernst; Adeli, Solmaz; Haack, David
Gorgonum Chaos is part of the Eridania paleolake in Terra Sirenum and displays a number of prominent light-toned morphological features that bear a record of the regional climatic conditions throughout most of Martian history. Based on an intergrated analysis of orbital data, we mapped a 1,500 km2 area in the southeast of Gorgonum Chaos…