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Cometary science. The organic-rich surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as seen by VIRTIS/Rosetta.

Science (New York, N.Y.) 347:6220 (2015) aaa0628

Authors:

F Capaccioni, A Coradini, G Filacchione, S Erard, G Arnold, P Drossart, MC De Sanctis, D Bockelee-Morvan, MT Capria, F Tosi, C Leyrat, B Schmitt, E Quirico, P Cerroni, V Mennella, A Raponi, M Ciarniello, T McCord, L Moroz, E Palomba, E Ammannito, MA Barucci, G Bellucci, J Benkhoff, JP Bibring, A Blanco, M Blecka, R Carlson, U Carsenty, L Colangeli, M Combes, M Combi, J Crovisier, T Encrenaz, C Federico, U Fink, S Fonti, WH Ip, P Irwin, R Jaumann, E Kuehrt, Y Langevin, G Magni, S Mottola, V Orofino, P Palumbo, G Piccioni, U Schade, F Taylor, D Tiphene, GP Tozzi, P Beck, N Biver, L Bonal, J-Ph Combe, D Despan, E Flamini, S Fornasier, A Frigeri, D Grassi, M Gudipati, A Longobardo, K Markus, F Merlin, R Orosei, G Rinaldi, K Stephan, M Cartacci, A Cicchetti, S Giuppi, Y Hello, F Henry, S Jacquinod, R Noschese, G Peter, R Politi, JM Reess, A Semery

Abstract:

The VIRTIS (Visible, Infrared and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer) instrument on board the Rosetta spacecraft has provided evidence of carbon-bearing compounds on the nucleus of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The very low reflectance of the nucleus (normal albedo of 0.060 ± 0.003 at 0.55 micrometers), the spectral slopes in visible and infrared ranges (5 to 25 and 1.5 to 5% kÅ(-1)), and the broad absorption feature in the 2.9-to-3.6-micrometer range present across the entire illuminated surface are compatible with opaque minerals associated with nonvolatile organic macromolecular materials: a complex mixture of various types of carbon-hydrogen and/or oxygen-hydrogen chemical groups, with little contribution of nitrogen-hydrogen groups. In active areas, the changes in spectral slope and absorption feature width may suggest small amounts of water-ice. However, no ice-rich patches are observed, indicating a generally dehydrated nature for the surface currently illuminated by the Sun.
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Titan's Complex Atmospheric Chemistry Revealed by ALMA

REVOLUTION IN ASTRONOMY WITH ALMA: THE THIRD YEAR 499 (2015) 303-+

Authors:

MA Cordiner, CA Nixon, MY Palmer, SB Charnley, J Serigano, MJ Mumma, SN Milam, NA Teanby, PGJ Irwin, Z Kisiel, AJ Remijan, Y-J Kuan, Y-L Chuang, DC Lis
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Scientific rationale for Saturn׳s in situ exploration

Planetary and Space Science Elsevier 104 (2014) 29-47

Authors:

O Mousis, LN Fletcher, J-P Lebreton, P Wurz, T Cavalié, A Coustenis, R Courtin, D Gautier, R Helled, PGJ Irwin, AD Morse, N Nettelmann, B Marty, P Rousselot, O Venot, DH Atkinson, JH Waite, KR Reh, AA Simon, S Atreya, N André, M Blanc, IA Daglis, G Fischer, WD Geppert, T Guillot, MM Hedman, R Hueso, E Lellouch, JI Lunine, CD Murray, J O׳Donoghue, M Rengel, A Sánchez-Lavega, F-X Schmider, A Spiga, T Spilker, J-M Petit, MS Tiscareno, M Ali-Dib, K Altwegg, SJ Bolton, A Bouquet, C Briois, T Fouchet, S Guerlet, T Kostiuk, D Lebleu, R Moreno, GS Orton, J Poncy
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The science case for an orbital mission to Uranus: Exploring the origins and evolution of ice giant planets

Planetary and Space Science Elsevier 104 (2014) 122-140

Authors:

CS Arridge, N Achilleos, J Agarwal, CB Agnor, R Ambrosi, N André, SV Badman, K Baines, D Banfield, M Barthélémy, MM Bisi, J Blum, T Bocanegra-Bahamon, B Bonfond, C Bracken, P Brandt, C Briand, C Briois, S Brooks, J Castillo-Rogez, T Cavalié, B Christophe, AJ Coates, G Collinson, JF Cooper, M Costa-Sitja, R Courtin, IA Daglis, I de Pater, M Desai, D Dirkx, MK Dougherty, RW Ebert, G Filacchione, LN Fletcher, J Fortney, I Gerth, D Grassi, D Grodent, E Grün, J Gustin, M Hedman, R Helled, P Henri, S Hess, JK Hillier, MH Hofstadter, R Holme, M Horanyi, G Hospodarsky, S Hsu, P Irwin, CM Jackman, O Karatekin, S Kempf, E Khalisi, K Konstantinidis, H Krüger, WS Kurth, C Labrianidis, V Lainey, LL Lamy, M Laneuville, D Lucchesi, A Luntzer, J MacArthur, A Maier, A Masters, S McKenna-Lawlor, H Melin, A Milillo, G Moragas-Klostermeyer, A Morschhauser, JI Moses, O Mousis, N Nettelmann, FM Neubauer, T Nordheim, B Noyelles, GS Orton, M Owens, R Peron, C Plainaki, F Postberg, N Rambaux, K Retherford, S Reynaud, E Roussos, CT Russell, AM Rymer, R Sallantin, A Sánchez-Lavega, O Santolik, J Saur, KM Sayanagi, P Schenk, J Schubert, N Sergis, EC Sittler, A Smith, F Spahn, R Srama, T Stallard, V Sterken, Z Sternovsky, M Tiscareno, G Tobie, F Tosi, M Trieloff, D Turrini, EP Turtle, S Vinatier, R Wilson, P Zarka
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ALMA MEASUREMENTS OF THE HNC AND HC3N DISTRIBUTIONS IN TITAN'S ATMOSPHERE

The Astrophysical Journal Letters American Astronomical Society 795:2 (2014) l30

Authors:

MA Cordiner, CA Nixon, NA Teanby, PGJ Irwin, J Serigano, SB Charnley, SN Milam, MJ Mumma, DC Lis, G Villanueva, L Paganini, Y-J Kuan, AJ Remijan
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