Solar system

Abstract:

An analysis of currently available ammonia (NH3) visible-to-near-infrared gas absorption data was recently undertaken by Irwin et al. (2018) to help interpret Very Large Telescope (VLT) MUSE observations of Jupiter from 0.48–0.93 µm, made in support of the NASA/Juno mission. Since this analysis a newly revised set of ammonia line data, covering the previously poorly constrained range 0.5–0.833 µm, has been released by the ExoMol project, “C2018” (Coles et al., 2018), which demonstrates significant advantages over previously available data sets, and provides for the first time complete line data for the previously poorly constrained 5520- and 6475-Å bands of NH3. In this paper we compare spectra calculated using the ExoMol–C2018 data set (Coles et al., 2018) with spectra calculated from previous sources to demonstrate its advantages. We conclude that at the present time the ExoMol–C2018 dataset provides the most reliable ammonia absorption source for analysing low- to medium-resolution spectra of Jupiter in the visible/near-IR spectral range, but note that the data are less able to model high-resolution spectra owing to small, but significant inaccuracies in the line wavenumber estimates. This work is of significance not only for solar system planetary physics, but for future proposed observations of Jupiter-like planets orbiting other stars, such as with NASA’s planned Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).

Abstract:

AbstractThe OSIRIS‐REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission is the third mission in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s New Frontiers Program and is the first U.S. mission to return samples from an asteroid to Earth. The most important decision ahead of the OSIRIS‐REx team is the selection of a prime sample‐site on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu. Mission success hinges on identifying a site that is safe and has regolith that can readily be ingested by the spacecraft's sampling mechanism. To inform this mission‐critical decision, the surface of Bennu is mapped using the OSIRIS‐REx Camera Suite and the images are used to develop several foundational data products. Acquiring the necessary inputs to these data products requires observational strategies that are defined specifically to overcome the challenges associated with mapping a small irregular body. We present these strategies in the context of assessing candidate sample sites at Bennu according to a framework of decisions regarding the relative safety, sampleability, and scientific value across the asteroid's surface. To create data products that aid these assessments, we describe the best practices developed by the OSIRIS‐REx team for image‐based mapping of irregular small bodies. We emphasize the importance of using 3‐D shape models and the ability to work in body‐fixed rectangular coordinates when dealing with planetary surfaces that cannot be uniquely addressed by body‐fixed latitude and longitude.

Abstract:

As a new volume in the Space Science Series, Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn brings together nearly eighty of the world’s top experts writing more than twenty chapters to set the foundation for what we currently understand, while ...