Search Publications
Martian CO2 Ice Observation at High Spectral Resolution With ExoMars/TGO NOMAD
Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F.; Thomas, I. R. +14 more
The Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument suite aboard ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft is mainly conceived for the study of minor atmospheric species, but it also offers the opportunity to investigate surface composition and aerosols properties. We investigate the information content of the Limb, Nadir, and Occultation (…
Partially-Saturated Brines Within Basal Ice or Sediments Can Explain the Bright Basal Reflections in the South Polar Layered Deposits
Lauro, S. E.; Pettinelli, E.; Orosei, R. +5 more
Strong radar reflections have been previously mapped at the base of the Martian South Polar Layered Deposits. Here, we analyze laboratory measurements of dry and briny samples to determine the cause of this radar return. We find that liquid vein networks consisting of brines at the grain boundaries of ice crystals can greatly enhance the electrica…
Gravity Waves in Titan's Atmosphere: A Comparison Between Linearized Wave Model Calculations and HASI Observations
Cui, Jun; Huang, Jianping; Hao, Yongqiang +3 more
The Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) detected wavelike temperature fluctuations from 500 to 1,000 km on Titan. However, these fluctuation structures have not been satisfactorily reproduced by any theoretical model to date. In this study, we construct a full-wave model to simulate the observed gravity wave structure. The model includ…
High Resolution Map of Water in the Martian Regolith Observed by FREND Neutron Telescope Onboard ExoMars TGO
Mitrofanov, I. G.; Golovin, D. V.; Litvak, M. L. +4 more
Studies of water content in the Martian subsurface by means of neutron spectroscopy is a well-known technique, very sensitive to water abundance. The FREND instrument onboard the ExoMars TGO is the latest experiment of that kind. Its major characteristic and advantage compared to the predecessors is its capability of high spatial resolution measur…
Determining Emplacement Conditions and Vent Locations for Channelized Lava Flows Southwest of Arsia Mons
Flynn, I. T. W.; Crown, D. A.; Ramsey, M. S.
The lava flow field southwest of Arsia Mons, Mars has complex volcanic geomorphology. Overlapping flows make observations of their total lengths and identification of their source vents impossible. Application of flow emplacement models, which rely upon physical parameters such as flow length, using only the exposed flow may produce inaccurate est…
Winds From the Visible (513 nm) Images Obtained by the Venus Monitoring Camera Onboard Venus Express
Ignatiev, N. I.; Zasova, L. V.; Titov, D. V. +4 more
We present more than 250,000 wind vectors derived from the visible (513 nm) images captured by the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) onboard ESA's Venus Express orbiter in the Southern hemisphere from 01 July 2007 to 29 January 2013. From comparison to the wind velocity derived from tracking of the descent probes, these measurements correspond to 60 ±…
The Mars Oxygen Visible Dayglow: A Martian Year of NOMAD/UVIS Observations
Aoki, S.; Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F. +12 more
The Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer Ultraviolet (UVIS UV) and Visible Spectrometer channel of the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery spectrometer aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has made limb observations of the Martian dayglow during more than a Martian year. Two pointing modes have been applied: (a) In the inertial mode, the spec…
A Morphometric Investigation of Large-Scale Crustal Shortening on Mars
Byrne, P. K.; Atkins, R. M.; Bohnenstiehl, D. R. +1 more
Mars' surface exhibits abundant topographic expressions of large thrust fault-related folds that have been attributed to global planetary contraction. Morphometric analyses of such structures provide insight into their growth history. With global THEMIS imagery and HRSC-MOLA topographic data, 49 thrusts with lengths between 35 and 544 km were mapp…
Regional Geology of the Hypanis Valles System, Mars
Bell, James F.; Dobrea, Eldar Noe; Adler, Jacob B. +2 more
We present a geomorphic map of the Hypanis Valles watershed and a geomorphic map of the Hypanis deposit region at its terminus. We mapped these two regions at different scales: 1:2,000,000 for the catchment map (−5° to 10°N and 300°-315°E) and 1:500,000 for the Hypanis deposit map (10°-13.0°N and 313°-316.5°E). Our mapping provides new morphologic…
Thermophysical and Compositional Properties of Paleobedforms on Mars
Chojnacki, Matthew; Fenton, Lori K.; Piqueux, Sylvain +4 more
Bedforms on Earth and Mars are often preserved in the rock record in the form of sedimentary rock with distinct cross-bedding. On rare occasions, the full-surface geometry of a bedform can be preserved through burial and lithification. These features, known as paleobedforms, are found in a variety of geographic locations on Mars. Evidence in the m…