Search Publications
New perspectives on Titan's upper atmosphere from a reanalysis of the Voyager 1 UVS solar occultations
Strobel, Darrell F.; Vervack, Ronald J.; Sandel, Bill R.
We have reanalyzed the Voyager 1 UVS solar occultations by Titan to expand upon previous analyses and to resolve inconsistencies that have been noted in the scientific literature. To do so, we have developed a detailed model of the UVS detector and improved both the data reduction methods and retrieval techniques. In comparison to the values previ…
Large impact features on middle-sized icy satellites
Schenk, Paul M.; McKinnon, William B.; Moore, Jeffrey M. +2 more
All of the large impact features of the middle-sized icy satellites of Saturn and Uranus that were clearly observed by the Voyager spacecraft are described. New image mosaics and stereo-and-photoclinometrically-derived digital elevation models are presented. Landforms related to large impact features, such as secondary craters and possible antipod…
Chemical composition of Titan's haze: Are PAHs present?
McKay, Christopher P.; Toon, Owen B.; Trainer, Melissa G. +4 more
Previous laboratory studies of haze aerosols analogous to those in Titan's atmosphere have shown evidence of the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). If present, PAHs may provide a mechanism for both particle formation and nitrogen incorporation. We have conducted new experiments simulating Titan haze production using an Aerosol M…
A stratospheric balloon experiment to test the Huygens atmospheric structure instrument (HASI)
Patel, M. R.; Fulchignoni, M.; Hathi, B. +15 more
We developed a series of balloon experiments parachuting a 1:1 scale mock-up of the Huygens probe from an altitude just over 30 km to simulate at planetary scale the final part of the descent of the probe through Titan's lower atmosphere. The terrestrial atmosphere represents a natural laboratory where most of the physical parameters meet quite we…
An estimate of the D/H ratio in Jupiter and Saturn's regular icy satellites - Implications for the Titan Huygens mission
Mousis, O.
The solar nebula model described by Dubrulle (\cite{Dubrulle1993}) and Drouart et al. (\cite{Drouart1999}) is used to predict the D/H ratio in H2O ice of both Jovian and Saturnian regular satellite systems. These calculations take into account recent scenarios of formation of Jupiter and Saturn's large regular icy satellites developed f…
Shumann resonances and electromagnetic transparence in the atmosphere of Titan
Molina-Cuberos, G. J.; Eichelberger, H. U.; Schwingenschuh, K. +6 more
Among the multiple questions that the CASSINI/HUYGENS mission tries to answer is the likelihood of electric discharges in Titan's atmosphere. The instruments ``Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument'' and ``Radio and Plasma Wave Science'' will probe the electromagnetic emissions during the Huygens descent and Cassini flybys, respectively. Althou…
Simulating Titan’s tropospheric circulation with the Portable University Model of the Atmosphere
Keller, H. U.; Grieger, B.; Rodin, A. V. +4 more
The Portable University Model of the Atmosphere (PUMA) is a general circulation model of intermediate complexity. In the model setup used herein, the dynamics is driven by restoration to a prescribed temperature field. Given an observed three-dimensional field of restoration temperatures, the feedback of aerosol distribution to the radiation schem…
Simulation and analysis of the revised Huygens probe entry and descent trajectory and radio link modelling
Lebreton, J. -P.; Kazeminejad, B.; Pérez-Ayúcar, M. +7 more
The Cassini spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in 2004 carrying the Huygens probe. The beginning of the Cassini tour at Saturn has been redesigned to achieve a different relative orbiter/probe geometry in order to compensate for the probe relay receiver design flaw that was discovered during tests in February 2000. This paper presents a numerical si…
The Cassini-Huygens flyby of Jupiter
Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Matson, Dennis L.; Spilker, Linda J. +2 more
The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft flew by Jupiter on December 30, 2000. The instruments aboard the spacecraft started making scientific observations three months earlier. Joint, collaborative observations were carried out with the teams of other spacecraft, notably Galileo, and with Earth-based observers. An operational overview of the flyby is prese…
Huygens/HASI 2002 balloon test campaign: Probe trajectory and atmospheric vertical profiles reconstruction
Fulchignoni, M.; Colombatti, G.; Ferri, F. +2 more
In the framework of the activities going on in preparation for the mission of the Huygens probe in Titan's atmosphere (January 2005), the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) team scheduled and performed several balloon campaigns to test the HASI sensors' performance in flight conditions in the Earth's atmosphere. In particular, pressur…