Search Publications
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…
Transterminator ion flow in the Martian ionosphere
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +4 more
The upper ionospheres of Mars and Venus are permeated by the magnetic fields induced by the solar wind. It is a long-standing question whether these fields can put the dense ionospheric plasma into motion. If so, the transterminator flow of the upper ionosphere could explain a significant part of the ion escape from the planets atmospheres. But it…
Abundances of Jupiter's trace hydrocarbons from Voyager and Cassini
Zhang, X.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N. A. +5 more
The flybys of Jupiter by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, and over two decades later by Cassini in 2000, have provided us with unique datasets from two different epochs, allowing the investigation of seasonal change in the atmosphere. In this paper we model zonal averages of thermal infrared spectra from the two instruments, Voyager 1 IRIS and Cass…
Ismenius Cavus, Mars: A deep paleolake with phyllosilicate deposits
Mangold, N.; Le Mouélic, S.; Poulet, F. +2 more
Ismenius Cavus is a basin where several fluvial valleys converge. Three depositional fan deltas are observed at the valleys outlets at similar elevations. These fans suggest long-term fluvial activity accompanied by a lake inside the basin. The elevational difference between the delta plains and the deepest part of the basin floor implies that thi…
Saturn's magnetospheric interaction with Titan as defined by Cassini encounters T9 and T18: New results
Coates, A. J.; Johnson, R. E.; Wahlund, J. -E. +8 more
We present new results of Cassini's T9 flyby with complementary observations from T18. Based on Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS) and Cassini magnetometer (MAG), compositional evidence shows the upstream flow for both T9 and T18 appears composed of light ions (H + and H 2+), with external pressures ∼30 times lower…
The sunlit lunar atmosphere: A comprehensive study by CHACE on the Moon Impact Probe of Chandrayaan-1
Sridharan, R.; Ahmed, S. M.; Pratim Das, Tirtha +4 more
The altitudinal/latitudinal profile of the lunar atmospheric composition on the sunlit side was unraveled for the first time by the Chandra's Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) on the Moon Impact Probe, a standalone micro-satellite that impacted at the lunar south pole, as a part of the first Indian mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1. Systematic…
The analytic properties of the flapping current sheets in the earth magnetotail
Petrukovich, A. A.; Liu, Z. X.; Rong, Z. J. +2 more
The current sheet in Earth's magnetotail often flaps, and the flapping waves could be induced propagating towards the dawn and dusk flanks, which could make the current sheet dynamic. To explore the dynamic characteristics of current sheet associated with the flapping motion holistically and provide reasonable physical interpretations, detailed di…
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at Mercury: An assessment
Korth, H.; Blomberg, L. G.; Slavin, J. A. +2 more
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is believed to be an important means for the transfer of energy, plasma, and momentum from the solar wind into planetary magnetospheres, with in situ measurements reported from Earth, Saturn, and Venus. During the first MESSENGER flyby of Mercury, three periodic rotations were observed in the magnetic field data po…