Search Publications
Automatic detection of impact craters on Mars using a modified adaboosting method
Jin, Shuanggen; Zhang, Tengyu
The accurate recognition of impact craters is important to analyze and understand the relative dating of Martian surface. Since manually identifying small craters in a deluge of high-resolution Martian images is a tremendous task, a robust automatic detection algorithm of the crater is needed, but subject to lots of uncertainties and low successfu…
Plasma convection in the nightside magnetosphere of Saturn determined from energetic ion anisotropies
Krimigis, S. M.; Mitchell, D. G.; Carbary, J. F. +1 more
The Cassini Ion and Neutral Camera measures intensities of hydrogen and oxygen ions and neutral atoms in the Saturnian magnetosphere and beyond. We use the measured intensity spectrum and anisotropy of energetic hydrogen and oxygen ions to detect, qualify, and quantify plasma convection. We find that the plasma azimuthal convection speed relative …
Phobos and Deimos cartography
Oberst, J.; Wählisch, M.; Willner, K. +7 more
This paper presents an overview of developments in the cartography of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos from the early satellite images to recent maps based on data from past and on-going Mars missions, especially Viking and Mars Express. We describe in detail the definition and use of special projections for these irregular-shaped bodies. New c…
Single minerals, carbon- and ice-coated single minerals for calibration of GIADA onboard ROSETTA to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Della Corte, Vincenzo; Ferrari, Marco; Rotundi, Alessandra +1 more
In preparation of the rendezvous of the European Space Agency Rosetta spacecraft with short period Jupiter Family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko we undertook the selection and characterization of mineral grains to serve as analogs of dust from the comet. Specifically, these dust analogs are used to calibrate the performance of the onboard Grain I…
On the shape and motion of the Earth's bow shock
Meziane, K.; Hamza, A. M.; Alrefay, T. Y.
Multipoint-measurements by the magnetic field Cluster-FGM (Flux Gate Magnetometer) are used to determine the local shock normal, and in turn allow the study of shock location shape and the velocity of the Earth's bow shock. The shock crossings cover orbits in which the spacecraft separation is of the order of ~600 km or less. A data selection of 1…
A model of the spatial and size distribution of Enceladus' dust plume
Kriegel, Hendrik; Motschmann, Uwe; Schmidt, Jürgen +5 more
The structure of Enceladus' south polar plume of charged dust is studied by simulations of the dust grain dynamics. The model considers the Lorentz force and charging of the grains by the plasma environment within the plume. Simulated dust plumes are investigated by applying 10 selected sets of dust parameters that include variations of the grain …
The Phobos information system
Oberst, J.; Karachevtseva, I. P.; Zubarev, A. E. +7 more
We have developed a Geo-information system (GIS) for Phobos, based on data from the Mars Express and Viking Orbiter missions, which includes orthoimages, global maps, terrain- and gravity field models, all referenced to the Phobos coordinate system. The data are conveniently stored in the ArcGIS software system, which provides an environment for m…
Carbon dioxide opacity of the Venus' atmosphere
Piccioni, Giuseppe; Adriani, Alberto; Grassi, Davide +2 more
Venus' atmosphere consists of about 95% of carbon dioxide, which accounts for most of the absorption of the radiation emitted by its hot surface. The large densities and high temperatures of Venus' atmosphere make the absorption much more complex than for low density atmospheres such as Earth or Mars. Available experimental data are at present ins…
The ages of pedestal craters on Mars: Evidence for a late-Amazonian extended period of episodic emplacement of decameters-thick mid-latitude ice deposits
Head, James W.; Kadish, Seth J.
There is significant geomorphologic evidence for the past presence of longitudinally widespread, latitudinally zoned deposits composed of ice-rich material at the northern and southern mid latitudes on Mars (lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill, concentric crater fill, pedestal craters, etc.). Among these features, pedestal craters (Pd) are …
Possible observation of charged nanodust from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: An analysis for the ROSETTA mission
Szego, K.; Bebesi, Z.; Juhasz, A.
Nanodust particles are ubiquitous in the solar system; we may expect that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the target of the upcoming ROSETTA mission, is also a source of nanodust, that is dust particles of nanometer size. Due to their small size and mass, the dust detectors cannot observe them directly neither on the orbiter nor on the Philae lan…