| 1. |
- Rodriguez, Sébastien, et al.
(författare)
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Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan's atmosphere, geology and habitability : titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 54:2-3, s. 911-973
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.
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| 2. |
- Sulaiman, Ali H., et al.
(författare)
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Enceladus and Titan : emerging worlds of the Solar System
- 2022
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Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 54:2-3, s. 849-876
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some of the major discoveries of the recent Cassini-Huygens mission have put Titan and Enceladus firmly on the Solar System map. The mission has revolutionised our view of Solar System satellites, arguably matching their scientific importance with that of their host planet. While Cassini-Huygens has made big surprises in revealing Titan's organically rich environment and Enceladus' cryovolcanism, the mission's success naturally leads us to further probe these findings. We advocate the acknowledgement of Titan and Enceladus science as highly relevant to ESA's long-term roadmap, as logical follow-on to Cassini-Huygens. In this White Paper, we will outline important science questions regarding these satellites and identify the science themes we recommend ESA cover during the Voyage 2050 planning cycle. Addressing these science themes would make major advancements to the present knowledge we have about the Solar System, its formation, evolution, and likelihood that other habitable environments exist outside the Earth's biosphere.
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| 3. |
- Tosi, F., et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of the Surfaces and Near-Surface Atmospheres of Ganymede, Europa and Callisto by JUICE
- 2024
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 220:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the state of the art on the study of surfaces and tenuous atmospheres of the icy Galilean satellites Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, from past and ongoing space exploration conducted with several spacecraft to recent telescopic observations, and we show how the ESA JUICE mission plans to explore these surfaces and atmospheres in detail with its scientific payload. The surface geology of the moons is the main evidence of their evolution and reflects the internal heating provided by tidal interactions. Surface composition is the result of endogenous and exogenous processes, with the former providing valuable information about the potential composition of shallow subsurface liquid pockets, possibly connected to deeper oceans. Finally, the icy Galilean moons have tenuous atmospheres that arise from charged particle sputtering affecting their surfaces. In the case of Europa, plumes of water vapour have also been reported, whose phenomenology at present is poorly understood and requires future close exploration. In the three main sections of the article, we discuss these topics, highlighting the key scientific objectives and investigations to be achieved by JUICE. Based on a recent predicted trajectory, we also show potential coverage maps and other examples of reference measurements. The scientific discussion and observation planning presented here are the outcome of the JUICE Working Group 2 (WG2): “Surfaces and Near-surface Exospheres of the Satellites, dust and rings”.
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