Search Publications
Applications of a new set of methane line parameters to the modeling of Titan’s spectrum in the 1.58 µm window
Drossart, Pierre; Bézard, Bruno; Lellouch, Emmanuel +11 more
In this paper we apply a recently released set of methane line parameters (Wang et al., 2011) to the modeling of Titan spectra in the 1.58 µm window at both low and high spectral resolution. We first compare the methane absorption based on this new set of methane data to that calculated from the methane absorption coefficients derived in sit…
Analytic theory of Titan's Schumann resonance: Constraints on ionospheric conductivity and buried water ocean
Sotin, Christophe; Karkoschka, Erich; Berthelier, Jean-Jacques +6 more
This study presents an approximate model for the atypical Schumann resonance in Titan's atmosphere that accounts for the observations of electromagnetic waves and the measurements of atmospheric conductivity performed with the Huygens Atmospheric Structure and Permittivity, Wave and Altimetry (HASI-PWA) instrumentation during the descent of the Hu…
Titan's Bulk Composition Constrained by Cassini-Huygens: Implication for Internal Outgassing
Hersant, F.; Tobie, G.; Gautier, D.
In the present report, by using a series of data gathered by the Cassini-Huygens mission, we constrain the bulk content of Titan's interior for various gas species (CH4, CO2, CO, NH3, H2S, Ar, Ne, Xe), and we show that most of the gas compounds (except H2S and Xe) initially incorporated within…
Possible tropical lakes on Titan from observations of dark terrain
Tomasko, Martin G.; Brown, Robert H.; Griffith, Caitlin A. +5 more
Titan has clouds, rain and lakes--like Earth--but composed of methane rather than water. Unlike Earth, most of the condensable methane (the equivalent of 5 m depth globally averaged) lies in the atmosphere. Liquid detected on the surface (about 2 m deep) has been found by radar images only poleward of 50° latitude, while dune fields pervade the tr…
Hydrogen and methane in Titan's atmosphere: chemistry, diffusion, escape, and the Hunten limiting flux principle (This article is part of a Special Issue that honours the work of Dr. Donald M. Hunten FRSC who passed away in December 2010 after a very illustrious career)
Strobel, Darrell F.
One of Professor Donald M. Hunten's lasting contributions to the field of planetary atmospheres was the principle of the (Hunten) limiting flux, where the escape of light species is limited by the rate at which they can diffuse through the atmosphere. While his limiting flux expression has been well tested for hydrogen's escape from the Earth's at…
The surface energy balance at the Huygens landing site and the moist surface conditions on Titan
McKay, Christopher P.; Williams, Kaj E.; Persson, Fredrik
The Huygens Probe provided a wealth of data concerning the atmosphere of Titan. It also provided tantalizing evidence of a small amount of surface liquid. We have developed a detailed surface energy balance for the Probe landing site. We find that the daily averaged non-radiative fluxes at the surface are 0.7 W m-2, much larger than the…
Bouncing on Titan: Motion of the Huygens probe in the seconds after landing
Karkoschka, Erich; Schröder, Stefan E.; Lorenz, Ralph D.
While landing on Titan, several instruments onboard Huygens acquired measurements that indicate the probe did not immediately come to rest. Detailed knowledge of the probe's motion can provide insight into the nature of Titan's surface. Combining accelerometer data from the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) and the Surface Science Pa…
The reflectivity spectrum and opposition effect of Titan's surface observed by Huygens' DISR spectrometers
Karkoschka, Erich; Schröder, Stefan E.; Tomasko, Martin G. +1 more
We determined Titan's reflectivity spectrum near the Huygens' landing site from observations taken with the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer below 500 m altitude, in particular the downward-looking photometer and spectrometers. We distinguish signal coming from illumination by sunlight and the lamp onboard Huygens based on their different spectr…
A model for the vertical sound speed and absorption profiles in Titan's atmosphere based on Cassini-Huygens data
Petculescu, Andi; Achi, Peter
Measurements of thermodynamic quantities in Titan's atmosphere during the descent of Huygens in 2005 are used to predict the vertical profiles for the speed and intrinsic attenuation (or absorption) of sound. The calculations are done using one author's previous model modified to accommodate non-ideal equations of state. The vertical temperature p…
The Huygens surface science package (SSP): Flight performance review and lessons learned
Lorenz, R. D.; Leese, M. R.; Hathi, B. +1 more
The Surface Science Package (SSP) was one of six instruments flown onboard the Huygens probe to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, in the framework of the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission (Matson et al., 2002). The SSP operated throughout the probe's descent and after landing on Titan on 14th January 2005. This paper reviews scientific results…