Search Publications
Measurements of the helium 584 Å airglow during the Cassini flyby of Venus
Esposito, L. W.; Gérard, J. -C.; Hubert, B. +2 more
The helium resonance line at 584 Å has been observed with the UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) Extreme Ultraviolet channel during the flyby of Venus by Cassini at a period of high solar activity. The brightness was measured along the disk from the morning terminator up to the bright limb near local noon. The mean disk intensity was ∼320 R, …
Specular refection at a non-stationary shock: A simple model
Lucek, E. A.; Mazelle, C.; Wilber, M. +4 more
Analytic treatments of a particle encountering a collisionless shock have commonly been based on the assumption that the shock surface is quasi-planar with length scales larger than the particle gyroradius. Within this framework, the particle distribution function width is supposed to be conserved in any shock reflection process. It is well known,…
Mars reconnaissance lander: Vehicle and mission design
Ambrosi, R. M.; Bridges, J. C.; Bannister, N. P. +7 more
There is enormous potential for more mobile planetary surface science. This is especially true in the case of Mars because the ability to cross challenge terrain, access areas of higher elevation, visit diverse geological features and perform long traverses of up to 200 km supports the search for past water and life. Vehicles capable of a ballisti…
Mapping and analysis of a chain of channeled basins in the eastern rim region of Hellas basin, Mars
Korteniemi, J.; Kostama, V. -P.; Raitala, J. +2 more
The study is a detailed look on one of the several fluvial systems located on the eastern rim region of the Hellas basin on Mars. We analyzed the morphologic and morphometric characteristics of an extensive channel system, which extends for over 650 km from 35.8°S, 106.4°E in Hesperia Planum to Reull Vallis at 39.5°S, 98.1°E, and has a drainage ar…
Use of multi-point analysis and modelling to address cross-scale coupling in space plasmas: Lessons from Cluster
Dunlop, M. W.; Chapman, S.; Shen, C. +10 more
The properties of plasmas (in space) are fundamentally governed by both 'cross-scale' coupling and comparative temporal behaviour operating over the micro-, meso-, and (MHD-) fluid regimes: for example, under conditions of turbulence, during magnetic reconnection and in shocks and other plasma boundaries. These themes map to a number of related an…
Effects of density, temperature and velocity gradients on inertial Alfven wave in cusp region
Agarwal, P.; Varma, P.; Tiwari, M. S.
The kinetic approach is used to evaluate the dispersion relation and growth/damping rate of inertial Alfven wave (IAW) with density, temperature and velocity gradients in an inhomogeneous plasma. The effects of gradient terms are studied for both the regions k⊥ρi<1 and k⊥ρi>1, where k⊥ i…
AC magnetic field measurements onboard Cross-Scale: Scientific objectives and instrument design
Sahraoui, Fouad; Dudok de Wit, Thierry; Kretzschmar, Matthieu +4 more
The ACB search-coil magnetometer for Cross-Scale will measure three components of the AC magnetic field up to 4 kHz, and one component up to 100 kHz. Turbulent and coherent magnetic field fluctuations in that frequency range play an important role in the acceleration, scattering, and thermalisation of particles. ACB will, together with the other i…
Lava tubes and basaltic caves as astrobiological targets on Earth and Mars: A review
Léveillé, Richard J.; Datta, Saugata
Lava tubes and basaltic caves are common features in volcanic terrains on Earth. Lava tubes and cave-like features have also been identified on Mars based on orbital imagery and remote-sensing data. Caves are unique environments where both secondary mineral precipitation and microbial growth are enhanced by stable physico-chemical conditions. Thus…
Titan's highly dynamic magnetic environment: A systematic survey of Cassini magnetometer observations from flybys TA-T62
Dougherty, Michele K.; Saur, Joachim; Kriegel, Hendrik +5 more
We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetic field near Titan during Cassini encounters TA-T62 (October 2004-October 2009). Cassini magnetometer (MAG) data show that the moon's magnetic environment is strongly affected by its proximity to Saturn's warped and highly dynamic magnetodisk. In the nightside sector of Saturn's magnetosphere, the m…
In-flight calibration of the Cassini imaging science sub-system cameras
McEwen, Alfred; Porco, Carolyn; West, Robert +10 more
We describe in-flight calibration of the Cassini Imaging Science Sub-system narrow- and wide-angle cameras using data from 2004 to 2009. We report on the photometric performance of the cameras including the use of polarization filters, point spread functions over a dynamic range greater than 10 7, gain and loss of hot pixels, changes in…