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Some of the Current Missions Around the Solar System

Explore the current missions around Earth and in the solar system, including Mars exploration, Cassini mission to Saturn, and more.

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Some of the Current Missions Around the Solar System

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  1. Some of the Current Missions Around the Solar System

  2. Close to Home • More than 9000 satellites are currently orbiting Earth! • Provide telecommunications and remote sensing data of the Earth and its atmosphere.

  3. Traveling in outer space is hard!

  4. Add on the successful 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Phoenix Rover, and ESA’s 2003 Mars Express missions.

  5. European Space Agency • Inter-governmental agency carrying out a number of missions. • Budget $3.8 billion; relative to $16 billion for NASA. • Increasing collaborative efforts with NASA. • Big Current Missions: Mars Express, Venus Express, Chandryaan-1 and Rosetta. • Future Projects: ExoMars, Bepi-Colombo, and KEO

  6. NASA Mission Classes: • Flagship – large class, ~$3 billion, launch once a decade, institution-led • Galileo was the last, currently we have Cassini. Currently, the next ones will be an outer planets mission and the Mars Sample Return. • New Frontiers – mid-class, $750 million, launch every few years, PI-led • Juno (Jupiter), New Horizons (Pluto) • Discovery – small class, ~$400 million, roughly annual launch, PI-led • NEAR, MESSENGER, DAWN, Deep Impact, Genesis,

  7. Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn • Launched in 1997, arrived on July 1, 2004. • $3 billion, 6 ton orbiter and probe (Huygens) sent to study Saturn, the rings, and moons. • Will complete 74 orbits of Saturn and 44 close fly-bys of satellites. • Instruments onboard include: imagers, radar, and field and particle detectors.

  8. Cassini Instruments • Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) • Temperature measurements • Imaging Science Subsystem (or ISS) consists of a wide-angle camera and a narrow-angle camera. • Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) • Built and operated by LASP • Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) • Cassini Radar has detected ethane lakes on Titan • Plus numerous plasma/magnetics/dust detectors.

  9. Planetary Spectroscopy • A Michelson Interferometer is often employed to sample radiance from planetary surfaces. • Interference patterns result from the split and phase-shifted light. • The emission spectrum of the light source can then be obtained from a Fourier transformation of the interference signal. • Results in high-precision characterization of EM radiation.

  10. So far, Cassini has: • taken the highest-resolution images ever of the planet and rings • discovered new moons • discovered giant storms in the atmosphere • discovered methane lakes on the moon Titan’s surface • detected geysers erupting on the moon Enceladus

  11. Huygens Probe • Supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA) • Descended onto the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon (Jan. 13, 2005). • During these 3 hours it measured the atmosphere and took pictures of the surface. • Landed near a putative lake shoreline

  12. Stardust • A mission to Comet Wild 2 to image the nucleus, collect cometary and interstellar dust, and return the samples to Earth. • Launched 1999, returned 2006 • Best views ever of a comet. • First samples returned from a comet • New organic molecules discovered and some high-temp minerals

  13. Mars Missions • There are currently 5 spacecraft operating at Mars. • Mars Global Surveyor – arrived in 1997 (recently lost) • Global imaging, topography, and chemical composition of the surface. • Mars Odyssey – arrived 2001 • Discovered huge regions of ground ice and “takes the temperature of Mars” • Mars Express (ESA) – arrived start of 2004 • High-resolution stereo imaging, subsurface radar • Released a lander (Beagle II), which failed. • 2 Mars Exploration Rovers – arrived Jan 2004 • Have proven a wet history for the planet. • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter • Started mapping in 2006 with the highest resolution cameras and spectrometers. • Mars Phoenix Lander (May-Nov 2008) • Sampled north polar terrains; dug to ground ice.

  14. Mars Global Surveyor (1997-2006) First orbiter around Mars since Viking (mid-1970’s) Recently lost after 10 years of successful operations. discovery of recent water-carved gullies Global topography (elevation)

  15. Science Package

  16. 1997 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) • Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) • 300 m profiling resolution with < 1 m vertical resolution • over 550,000,000 shots with returns. • Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) • 1.5 to 12 m/pixel resolution • more than 120,000 released images • Thermal Emission Spectrometer • Near-Infrared broadband spectrometer • rock, ice, and atmosphere compositions

  17. How MOLA Works Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (ND:YAG) laser wavelength = 1064 nm Pulse duration = 7.5 ns Mapping orbit: Pulse energy = 40 mJ 75 m footprint 300 m footprint-to-footprint spacing vertical precision ~ 30 cm

  18. Pre-MGS Global Topography

  19. MGS Topography

  20. Comparison of Viking and MGS data Viking image and previously mapped valley networks MGS data and newly recognized VN

  21. Mars Odyssey (2001-) Near-surface ice deposits Surface IR radiance map

  22. Thermal Emission Imaging Spectrometer (THEMIS) • A multi-spectal imaging sub-systems: • 10-band thermal infrared imager • 5-band visible imager

  23. Gamma Ray Spectrometer • Incoming cosmic rays excite neutrons • High energy neutrons collide with atoms, releasing gamma rays for specific elements • Neutrons are slowed by collision with H to epi-thermal (intermediate) and thermal (low) energies • We can measure all of these from orbit and obtain chemical composition • Requires long sample time (years). (Mars GRS Science Team)

  24. Gamma Ray Spectrometer Elemental Maps

  25. Europe goes to Mars – Mars Express (2003-) • Major Instruments: • High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) (~20 m/pix) • Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) • Visible and Infrared Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer (OMEGA) • Sub-Surface Sounding Radar Altimeter (MARSIS) • Also included the Beagle II lander (unsuccessful)

  26. Mars Express HRSC images Oblique view of Kasei Valles Oblique view of Olympus Mons summit caldera

  27. Best evidence yet for recent (current?) glaciation

  28. Marsis – (Sub-surface Sounding Radar Altimeter) • deep sounding radar • 40 m booms • recent results include imaging the base of the north polar cap and possible detection of a subsurface impact basin

  29. Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs)

  30. 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Mission INSTRUMENTS: • Pancam • => local geology • Mini-TES and APXS • => mineral composition • Microscopic Imager • => fine-scale texture of grains, rocks, and soils • Mössbauer Spectrometer • => Iron mineralogy and oxide states Designed to last 90 days in the harsh martian environment. Both have survived over 2000!

  31. Meridiani Landing Site Gusev Landing Site An Elevation Map of Mars

  32. First landing site: GUSEV CRATER This crater once held a lake. Elevation data around landing site

  33. An unpleasant welcome…

  34. The Meridiani landing site was chosen for a unique mineral occurrence Meridiani Planum

  35. Martian “Blueberries” – the source of hematite Microscopic image of soil (~5 cm across)

  36. APXS chemistry of soil and rocks

  37. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Arrived March 10, 2006

  38. HiRISE Results:

  39. polar layered terrains at 25 cm resolution

  40. SHAllow RADar (SHARAD)

  41. 2008 Phoenix Lander Launched 8/07, landed 4/25/08 (1) Can the Martian arctic support life? (2) What is the history of water at the landing site? (3) How is the Martian climate affected by polar dynamics? ground ice near N pole

  42. Mars Science Laboratory • GOAL: Explore and quantitatively assess a local region on Mars’ surface as a potential habitat for life, past or present. • Launch in 2011, land 2012 • Planned to last 3 years, drive at least 20 km • A sophisticated geological, chemical and astrobiological field rover • Onboard instruments include stereo cameras, a hand lens, XRD/XRF, mass spectrometer for isotopic analysis, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and more!

  43. Messenger: A Mission to MercuryMErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, Geochemistry, and Ranging • Successfully launched in 2004 • Several flybys already and then orbit insertion in 2011. • Houses imagers, a laser altimeter, spectrometers, and magnetometers. • CU/LASP plays an important role in the mission.

  44. MESSENGER Payload • Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS): Wide-angle and narrow-angle imagers. Global maps at 2 km/pix (color) and 250 m/pix (monochrome). Color = 11 filters from 415 nm to 1020 nm. • Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS): It will be used to map the relative abundances of different elements and will help to determine if there is ice at Mercury's poles. • Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA): This instrument contains a laser that will send light to the planet's surface and a sensor that will gather the light after it has been reflected from the surface. • Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS): This spectrometer is sensitive to light from the infrared to the ultraviolet and will measure the abundances of atmospheric gases, as well as detect minerals on the surface. • UltraViolet-Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) and a Visible-InfraRed Spectrograph (VIRS).

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