1. Martian atmosphere as observed by VIRTIS-M on Rosetta spacecraft
- Author
-
Sergio Fonti, Angioletta Coradini, Yves Langevin, G. P. Tozzi, Gianrico Filacchione, Michael R. Combi, Dominique Bockelée-Morvan, Didier Tiphene, Stefano Mottola, Bernard Schmitt, J. Crovisier, M. A. Barucci, Gianfranco Magni, Giovanna Rinaldi, Armando Blanco, Eleonora Ammannito, Vincenzo Orofino, Costanzo Federico, Pierre Drossart, Pasquale Palumbo, Ralf Jaumann, Luigi Colangeli, Wing-Huen Ip, Giancarlo Bellucci, Priscilla Cerroni, M. T. Capria, Vittorio Formisano, Giuseppe Piccioni, J. P. Bibring, Fredric W. Taylor, T. Encrenaz, Pgj Irwin, Uwe Fink, Gabriele Arnold, Paulina Wolkenberg, R. W. Carlson, G. Neukum, Davide Grassi, Johannes Benkhoff, M. Combes, Fabrizio Capaccioni, Stéphane Erard, Heike Rauer, T. B. McCord, Vito Mennella, Federico Tosi, E. Kuehrt, M. C. De Sanctis, Uri Carsenty, Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (IFSI), National Research Council of Italy | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica - Roma (IASF-Roma), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Lecce, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL), INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte (INAF-OAC), Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science Department, University of Michigan (AOSS), Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia (UNIPG), Department of Planetary Sciences, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona (LPL), Graduate Institute of Astronomy, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Bear Fight Center, Space Science Institute, Winthrop, Dipartimento di Scienze Applicate, Università Parthenope di Napoli, Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble (LPG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (INAF-OAA)
- Subjects
MESH: Rosetta mission ,Atmospheric Science ,Daytime ,Opacity ,martian atmosphere ,virtis ,rosetta ,Solar zenith angle ,Soil Science ,Aquatic Science ,Oceanography ,Atmospheric sciences ,Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Instruments and techniques ,Atmosphere ,Geochemistry and Petrology ,MESH: CO2 ,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Atmospheres (0343 ,Radiometric calibration ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Water Science and Technology ,Ecology ,Spectrometer ,Paleontology ,Forestry ,Mars Exploration Program ,Atmosphere of Mars ,Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Remote sensing ,1060) ,Geophysics ,Space and Planetary Science ,MESH: temperature profile ,Environmental science ,MESH: Mars atmosphere ,MESH: 67P/Churyumov‐Gerasimenko ,[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] - Abstract
International audience; The Rosetta spacecraft accomplished a flyby of Mars on its way to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 25 February 2007. In this paper we describe the measurements obtained by the M channel of the Visual and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS-M) and the first scientific results derived from their analysis. The broad spectral coverage of the VIRTIS-M in the IR permitted the study of various phenomena occurring in the Martian atmosphere; observations were further exploited to achieve accurate absolute radiometric calibration. Nighttime data from the VIRTIS-M constrain the air temperature profile in the lower atmosphere (5-30 km), using variations in CO2 opacity at 4.3 mum. A comparison of this data with the global circulation model (GCM) by Forget et al. (1999) shows a trend of slightly higher air temperature in the VIRTIS-M retrievals; this is accompanied by the presence of moderate decreases (˜5 K) in large sections of the equatorial region. This is potentially related to the occurrence of water ice clouds. Daytime data from the VIRTIS-M reveal CO2 non-local thermodynamic equilibrium emission in the high atmosphere. A mapping of emission intensity confirms its strict dependence on solar zenith angle. Additionally, devoted limb observations allowed the retrieval of vertical emission intensity profiles, indicating a peak around 105 km in southern tropical regions. Ozone content can be effectively monitored by the emission of O2 (a1Deltag) at 1.27 mum. Retrieved emission intensity shows that polar regions are particularly rich in ozone. Aerosol scattering was observed in the 1-2.5 mum region above the night region above the night disk, suggesting the occurrence of very high noctilucent clouds.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF