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112 results on '"S Le Mouélic"'

2. Going With the Flow: Sedimentary Evolution of the Jezero Western Fan, Mars

Author

S Gupta, K Stack Morgan, N Mangold, L R W Ives, S Gwizd, R M E Williams, N Randazzo, A J Williams, P Russell, B H N Horgan, K L Siebach, M M Tice, J Hurowitz, R Barnes, C Tate, J I Núñez, S Sholes, L C Kah, M E Minitti, G Dromart, J F Bell, III, J Maki, G Paar, A Annex, B P Weiss, O Beyssac, J Frydenvang, M Nachon, R Kronyak, V Sun, A J Jones, D L Shuster, J I Simon, M P Lamb, J P Grotzinger, S Le Mouélic, O Gasnault, R C Wiens, S Maurice, and K A Farley

Subjects
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration
Abstract

Sedimentary fans developed at the mouths of Martian valleys have been interpreted as the deposits of sustained surface water flow on early Mars building either fluvial fan systems or deltas into standing bodies of water. Whilst much insight has been gleaned from orbital observations, it is only possible to constrain the character, relative timing and persistence of ancient aqueous activity on Mars through detailed on-the-ground interrogation of sedimentary successions built during fan growth. A prominent sedimentary fan deposit at the western margin of Jezero crater – the Western fan – has been interpreted from orbital data/observations to be a river delta that prograded into an ancient lake basin during the Late Noachian-Early Hesperian epochs on Mars (~3.6-3.8 Ga). The Western fan deposit forms a point-sourced depositional system developed at the mouth of Neretva Vallis, a valley system that is incised across the crater rim and has an extensive extra-crater catchment draining over diverse ancient geological units in Nili Planum. The mechanism of crater rim breaching remains unconstrained. Between 2022 and 2023, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover explored the Western fan, with the objective of characterizing its paleoenvironmental context and collecting a diverse suite of sedimentary rock samples for return to Earth via the Mars Sample Return mission. Perseverance has now completed her traverse across the Western fan having commenced in the distal downstream sectors exposed at the erosional front of the fan and then crossing across its upper exposed surface toward the fan apex region near the mouth of Neretva Vallis. This transect provides a unique window into a Martian sediment routing system at a time when climate conditions permitted the flow of surface water. In this contribution, we review the overall sedimentary architecture of the fan and develop a model for its evolution based on detailed mapping of lithofacies changes across the fan. A first-order synoptic overview is presented.

Published
2024

3. Past Variations of Water Level of Jezero Paleolake

Author

N Mangold, G Caravaca, S Gupta, R M E Williams, O Gasnault, S Le Mouélic, E Dehouck, G Dromart, A Annex, J Hurowitz, L R W Ives, L C Kah, N Randazzo, J I Simon, K Stack, M M Tice, J F Bell, III, A Cousin, S Maurice, and R C Wiens

Subjects
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration
Abstract

The western fan of Jezero crater displays features interpreted as fluvial and deltaic sedimentary rocks from orbital data. Images obtained using the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) and the Mastcam-Z camera provide in-situ observations of Jezero crater’s western fan in various locations along the Perseverance traverse. In the last two years, the rover analyzed the fan front from a distance using these imaging tools and at close range using its entire payload. Then, in 2023, the Perseverance rover explored the top of the western Jezero sedimentary fan. Here we show that fluvial topsets and deltaic foresets dominate sedimentary rocks. Determining the boundary between fluvial and prodelta deposits enables us to draw the evolution of the lake level through time.

Published
2024

4. Updated Radiative Transfer Model for Titan in the Near-infrared Wavelength Range: Validation against Huygens Atmospheric and Surface Measurements and Application to the Cassini/VIMS Observations of the Dragonfly Landing Area

Author

M. Es-sayeh, S. Rodriguez, M. Coutelier, P. Rannou, B. Bézard, L. Maltagliati, T. Cornet, B. Grieger, E. Karkoschka, S. Le Mouélic, A. Le Gall, C. Neish, S. MacKenzie, A. Solomonidou, C. Sotin, and A. Coustenis

Subjects
Titan, Radiative transfer, Near infrared astronomy, Planetary atmospheres, Planetary surfaces, Astronomy, QB1-991
Abstract

We present an analysis of Titan data acquired by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) at the landing site of the Dragonfly mission, using a new version of our radiative transfer model for Titan, with significant updates for the spectroscopic parameters of atmospheric gases and photochemical aerosols. Our updated radiative transfer model is validated against the in situ spectroscopic measurements of the Huygens probe during its descent and once landed. We confirm that aerosols with a fractal dimension of 2.3–2.4 provide the best fit to the observations. We apply our radiative transfer model to four VIMS data cubes over the Selk crater region including the Dragonfly landing and exploration areas, further validating our model by producing consistent aerosol population and surface albedo maps. These infrared albedo maps, further corrected from the photometry, enable us to study the Selk crater region in terms of surface composition, landscape formation, and evolution. Our results suggest that the Selk crater is in an intermediate state of degradation and that the mountainous terrains of the area (including the crater rim and ejecta) are likely to be dominated by fine grains of tholin-like sediment. This organic sediment would be transported to the lowlands (crater floor and surrounding plains), possibly with water ice particles, by rivers, and further deposited and processed to form the sand particles that feed the neighboring dune fields. These results provide information for the operational and scientific preparation of the Dragonfly mission, paving the way for future exploration of Titan’s surface composition and geology.

Published
2023
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6. An Examination of Soil Crusts on the Floor of Jezero Crater, Mars

Author

E.M. Hausrath, C.T. Adcock, A. Bechtold, P. Beck, K. Benison, A. Brown, E.L. Cardarelli, N.A. Carman, B. Chide, J. Christian, B.C. Clark, E. Cloutis, A. Cousin, O. Forni, T.S.J. Gabriel, O. Gasnault, M. Golombek, F. Gómez, M.H. Hecht, T.L.J. Henley, J. Huidobro, J. Johnson, M. W. M. Jones, P. Kelemen, A. Knight, J.A. Lasue, S. Le Mouélic, J.M. Madariaga, J. Maki, L. Mandon, G. Martinez, J. Martínez‐Frías, T.H. McConnochie, P‐Y. Meslin, M‐P. Zorzano, H. Newsom, G. Paar, N. Randazzo, C. Royer, S. Siljeström, M.E. Schmidt, S. Schröder, Mark A Sephton, R. Sullivan, N. Turenne, A. Udry, S. VanBommel, A. Vaughan, R.C. Wiens, N. Williams, null the SuperCam team, and null the Regolith working group

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Published
2023
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7. Geomorphological Map of the Soi Crater Region on Titan

Author

A. M. Schoenfeld, A. Solomonidou, M. J. Malaska, R. M. C. Lopes, S. P. D. Birch, S. Le Mouélic, M. Florence, T. Verlander, S. D. Wall, and C. Elachi

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Published
2023
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8. Chemical variations in Yellowknife Bay formation sedimentary rocks analyzed by ChemCam on board the Curiosity rover on Mars

Author

N. Mangold, O. Forni, G. Dromart, K. Stack, R. C. Wiens, O. Gasnault, D. Y. Sumner, M. Nachon, P.‐Y. Meslin, R. B. Anderson, B. Barraclough, J. F. Bell, G. Berger, D. L. Blaney, J. C. Bridges, F. Calef, B. Clark, S. M. Clegg, A. Cousin, L. Edgar, K. Edgett, B. Ehlmann, C. Fabre, M. Fisk, J. Grotzinger, S. Gupta, K. E. Herkenhoff, J. Hurowitz, J. R. Johnson, L. C. Kah, N. Lanza, J. Lasue, S. Le Mouélic, R. Léveillé, E. Lewin, M. Malin, S. McLennan, S. Maurice, N. Melikechi, A. Mezzacappa, R. Milliken, H. Newsom, A. Ollila, S. K. Rowland, V. Sautter, M. Schmidt, S. Schröder, C. d'Uston, D. Vaniman, and R. Williams

Published
2015
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9. A Komatiite Succession as an analog for the Olivine Bearing Rocks at Jezero

Author

A., Brown, R.C., Wiens, S., Maurice, K., Uckert, M., Tice, D. Flannery R.G., Deen, A.H., Treiman, K. L., Siebach, L.W., Beegle, W.J., Abbey, J.F., Bell, L.E., Mayhew, J.I., Simon, O., Beyssac, P.A., Willis, R., Bhartia, R.J., Smith, T., Fouchet, C., Quantin-Nataf., Pinet, P.C., L., Mandon, S. Le, Mouélic, A., Udry, B., Horgan, F., Calef, E., Cloutis, N., Turenne, C., Royer, M.-P., Zorzano, E., Ravanis, S., Fagents, A., Fairen, S., Gupta, V., Sautter, Y., Liu, M., Schmidt, K., Hickman-Lewis, Tennessee State University, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG), University of Texas at Austin [Austin], Rice University [Houston], NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Cornell University [New York], Imperial College London, Brock University [Canada], The Natural History Museum [London] (NHM), and pinet, patrick

Subjects
[SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [SDU.ASTR.EP] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, planetary surface, mars, mineralogy, petrology
Abstract

International audience

Published
2022

10. In situ recording of Mars soundscape

Author

S, Maurice, B, Chide, N, Murdoch, R D, Lorenz, D, Mimoun, R C, Wiens, A, Stott, X, Jacob, T, Bertrand, F, Montmessin, N L, Lanza, C, Alvarez-Llamas, S M, Angel, M, Aung, J, Balaram, O, Beyssac, A, Cousin, G, Delory, O, Forni, T, Fouchet, O, Gasnault, H, Grip, M, Hecht, J, Hoffman, J, Laserna, J, Lasue, J, Maki, J, McClean, P-Y, Meslin, S, Le Mouélic, A, Munguira, C E, Newman, J A, Rodríguez Manfredi, J, Moros, A, Ollila, P, Pilleri, S, Schröder, M, de la Torre Juárez, T, Tzanetos, K M, Stack, K, Farley, K, Williford, and P, Willis

Abstract

Before the Perseverance rover landing, the acoustic environment of Mars was unknown. Models predicted that: (1) atmospheric turbulence changes at centimetre scales or smaller at the point where molecular viscosity converts kinetic energy into heat

Published
2021

11. Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars

Author

C. Quantin-Nataf, Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Adrian J. Brown, Tanja Bosak, Scott M. McLennan, David L. Shuster, Kenneth H. Williford, R. A. Yingst, Kenneth A. Farley, Benjamin P. Weiss, James F. Bell, Sylvestre Maurice, Amy J. Williams, Linda C. Kah, S. F. Sholes, Gilles Dromart, Vivian Z. Sun, Justin I. Simon, S. Holm-Alwmark, Jorge I. Nunez, Olivier Gasnault, Sunetra Gupta, Ann Ollila, Melissa S. Rice, Allan H. Treiman, K. M. Stack, John P. Grotzinger, N. Mangold, J. Martinez-Frias, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Roger C. Wiens, J. W. Rice, Olivier Beyssac, P. Pilleri, Fred Calef, Briony Horgan, J. D. Tarnas, Nathan R. Williams, S. Le Mouélic, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), and Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Delta, Hydrology Geomorphology fluvial 1625, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, 01 natural sciences, Jezero crater, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, Margin (machine learning), 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, CORINTH, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, ARCHITECTURE, Multidisciplinary, Flood myth, ORIGIN, Mars Exploration Program, SCIENCE, Sedimentology, 13. Climate action, RIFT, Sedimentary rock, Geology
Abstract

Perseverance images of a delta on Mars The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, in February 2021. Earlier orbital images showed that the crater contains an ancient river delta that was deposited by water flowing into a lake billions of years ago. Mangold et al . analyzed rover images taken shortly after landing that show distant cliff faces at the edge of the delta. The exposed stratigraphy and sizes of boulders allowed them to determine the past lake level and water discharge rates. An initially steady flow transitioned into intermittent floods as the planet dried out. This history of the delta’s geology provides context for the rest of the mission and improves our understanding of Mars’ ancient climate. —KTS

Published
2021
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12. Alternating wet and dry depositional environments recorded in the stratigraphy of Mount Sharp at Gale crater, Mars

Author

Bethany L. Ehlmann, Ryan B. Anderson, William Rapin, J. L. Dickson, D. M. Rubin, Sylvestre Maurice, Gilles Dromart, Lauren A. Edgar, Valerie Fox, Roger C. Wiens, Olivier Gasnault, K. E. Herkenhoff, N. Mangold, S. Le Mouélic, L. Le Deit, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), University of California, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), U.S Geological Survey, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and University of California (UC)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Geochemistry, Gale crater, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Mount, Sedimentary depositional environment, Stratigraphy, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The Curiosity rover is exploring Hesperian-aged stratigraphy in Gale crater, Mars, where a transition from clay-bearing units to a layered sulfate-bearing unit has been interpreted to represent a major environmental transition of unknown character. We present the first description of key facies in the sulfate-bearing unit, recently observed in the distance by the rover, and propose a model for changes in depositional environments. Our results indicate a transition from lacustrine mudstones into thick aeolian deposits, topped by a major deflation surface, above which strata show architectures likely diagnostic of a subaqueous environment. This model offers a reference example of a depositional sequence for layered sulfate-bearing strata, which have been identified from orbit in other locations globally. It differs from the idea of a monotonic Hesperian climate change into long-term aridity on Mars and instead implies a period characterized by multiple transitions between sustained drier and wetter climates.

Published
2021
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13. The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the Mars 2020 Rover: Science Objectives and Mast-Unit Description

Author

I. Torre-Fdez, V. Gharakanian, E. Cordoba, Jérôme Parisot, R. Perez, Amaury Fau, Peter Willis, Ruth A. Anderson, Pablo Sobron, K. W. Wong, A. Debus, Julien Mekki, Noureddine Melikechi, K. Mathieu, S. Gauffre, M. Toplis, Jesús Martínez-Frías, Alexandre Cadu, Francois Poulet, B. Quertier, Horton E. Newsom, H. Seran, C. Quantin-Nataf, W. D’anna, Jens Frydenvang, Frédéric Chapron, Pierre Beck, Jean-François Mariscal, B. Chide, Y. André, Y. Michel, G. Orttner, N. Toulemont, A. Dufour, Briana Lucero, Olivier Gilard, Marion Bonafous, D. Pheav, Q.-M. Lee, D. Standarovsky, Franck Montmessin, R. Gonzalez, S. Le Mouélic, Cedric Virmontois, L. Roucayrol, I. Gontijo, M. Deleuze, L. Parès, L. Oudda, Y. Micheau, F. Manni, Bruno Dubois, Bruno Bousquet, G. de los Santos, D. M. Delapp, Guillermo Lopez-Reyes, L. Picot, Clément Royer, E. Clave, Richard Leveille, Erwin Dehouck, Gaetan Lacombe, J. Javier Laserna, Olivier Beyssac, P. Romano, Y. Daydou, Scott M. McLennan, John Michel, V. Sridhar, Driss Kouach, Gabriel Pont, M. Dupieux, Michel Gauthier, Jean-Michel Reess, J. Moros, J.-C. Dameury, T. Fouchet, Ann Ollila, Sophie Jacquinod, P. Y. Meslin, M. Egan, Juan Manuel Madariaga, Karim Benzerara, G. Hervet, Gilles Montagnac, Woodward W. Fischer, Olivier Gasnault, T. Nelson, Stanley M. Angel, Lauren DeFlores, Violaine Sautter, Marco Veneranda, C. Leyrat, Olivier Humeau, Y. Morizet, Jose Antonio Manrique, M. Sodki, P. Pilleri, C. Velasco, Naomi Murdoch, M. J. Schoppers, S. A. Storms, Sylvestre Maurice, Benigno Sandoval, Cedric Pilorget, N. Striebig, S. Robinson, V. Mousset, David Mimoun, Morten Madsen, M. Heim, A. Doressoundiram, Christophe Montaron, Eric Lewin, Patrick Pinet, C. Donny, Susanne Schröder, Agnès Cousin, Sadok Abbaki, John P. Grotzinger, Claude Collin, Xavier Jacob, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Cécile Fabre, K. McCabe, C. Legett, J. P. Berthias, Shiv K. Sharma, Timothy H. McConnochie, A. Sournac, Ralph D. Lorenz, M. Viso, Yann Parot, N. Mangold, W. Rapin, Jérémie Lasue, Gorka Arana, Joan Ervin, E. Le Comte, N. Nguyen Tuong, P. Cais, Olivier Forni, D. Rambaud, T. Battault, D. Venhaus, Anupam K. Misra, K. Clark, M. Tatat, Laurent Lapauw, P. Bernardi, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Nina Lanza, Sylvain Bernard, Soren N. Madsen, Kepa Castro, M. Boutillier, Raymond Newell, D. Granena, Y. Hello, Fernando Rull, M. Ruellan, R. Mathon, Edward A. Cloutis, Gilles Dromart, L. Le Deit, Rafik Hassen-Khodja, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Universidad de Valladolid [Valladolid] (UVa), Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), US Geological Survey [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), University of South Carolina [Columbia], Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne] (UPV/EHU), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), University of Winnipeg, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France, University of Hawai‘i [Mānoa] (UHM), GeoRessources, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Institut de mécanique des fluides de Toulouse (IMFT), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université de Toulouse (UT), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), PLANETO - LATMOS, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universidad de Málaga [Málaga] = University of Málaga [Málaga], Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR219-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Gustave Eiffel-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System, Stony Brook University [SUNY] (SBU), State University of New York (SUNY), University of Massachusetts [Lowell] (UMass Lowell), University of Massachusetts System (UMASS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], 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), In­sti­tut für Op­ti­sche Sen­sor­sys­te­me, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), SETI Institute, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées

Subjects
Rocks, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Computer science, [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph], Mars, Context (language use), Perseverance, Imaging on Mars, Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, 01 natural sciences, SuperCam Instrument, Unit (housing), Mast (sailing), Jezero crater, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, imaging on Mars, Microphone on Mars, 0103 physical sciences, Calibration, Rover, [PHYS.COND]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat], infrared spectroscopy, Raman, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Infrared spectroscopy, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [SPI.ACOU]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Acoustics [physics.class-ph], M2020, LIBS, Payload, Suite, Mars2020, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Mars Exploration Program, microphone on Mars, Planetary science, SuperCam, Space and Planetary Science, Raman spectroscopy, Systems engineering, [PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci], Mars 2020 PERSEVERANCE rover
Abstract

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2-7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam's science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data. In France was provided by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Human resources were provided in part by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and universities. Funding was provided in the US by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Some funding of data analyses at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was provided by laboratory-directed research and development funds.

Published
2021
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14. Deposition and erosion of a Light-Toned Yardang-forming unit of Mt Sharp, Gale crater, Mars

Author

Horton E. Newsom, C. Quantin-Nataf, Jérémie Lasue, L. A. Scuderi, Sylvestre Maurice, S. Le Mouélic, William Rapin, Patrick Pinet, Olivier Gasnault, N. Mangold, L. Le Deit, Roger C. Wiens, Gilles Dromart, D. M. Rubin, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Santa Cruz], University of California [Santa Cruz] (UC Santa Cruz), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UCSC), University of California-University of California, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Stratigraphy, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Context (language use), 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Yardang, Paleontology, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Eolian, [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Stack (geology), Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, Mars Climate, Gale Crater, Geophysics, Erg (landform), 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, ChemCam, [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Hesperian, Aeolian processes, Geology
Abstract

International audience; Gale crater is a large impact crater with a ca 5 km thick sequence of stratified rocks in it, expressed today as a central eroded mound (i.e., Aeolis Mons informally named Mt. Sharp). A goal of the current Mars Science Laboratory mission in Gale crater is to investigate the processes that deposited, lithified, and eroded this fill. The Light-Toned Yardang Unit (LTYu) unit, the subject of the present research, is one of the geological units of Mt Sharp. Our specific purpose here is to refine and interpret the imaging documentation of the morphologic and stratal components of the LTYu, at large outcrop scale. In combination with established orbital images, we use the Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) of ChemCam, a remote sensing instrument currently operated onboard Curiosity rover, which provides several types of context imaging. RMI capabilities now include “Long Distance” acquisitions of targets several kilometers away. In these new acquisitions, substantial differences are visible in LTYu yardang attitudes from lowest to uppermost elevations allowing tentative subdivision of the LTYu into subunits. Bedding geometries in the lower LTYu are consistent with eolian dune foresets which collectively prograde towards an average N134° direction. Based on stratal architectures, the LTYu is viewed as an amalgamated stack of at least two, and possibly four, ancient erg systems bounded by large deflationary “supersurfaces”. Observations point to a multistory generation of yardangs interpreted to have been successively buried during the stratigraphic building of Mt Sharp. We conclude that the successive sequences of eolian deposition-erosion recorded by the LTYu have been generated by cyclic changes from semi-arid to arid conditions, coupled in climatic cycles, including wind regime change. The regional unconformity that tops the Lower mound formation of Mt Sharp, and the subsequent emplacement of the LTYu, collectively express a clear tendency toward sustained arid environments for this region of Mars around the Early – Late Hesperian transition. Given the large time scale involved (i.e., a few tens of million years as a minimum), we consider it likely that the local evidence for increased aridity in the Mt Sharp stratigraphy is a manifestation of climate change affecting the whole planet.

Published
2021
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16. Geochemical and spectral characterization of an altered Antarctic dolerite: Implications for recent weathering on Mars

Author

G. Bonello, Pierre-Etienne Mathé, R. Roy, S. Le Mouélic, Pierre Rochette, P.-Y. Meslin, Vincent Chevrier, Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Arkansas [Fayetteville], Orano Canada Inc, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement (CEREGE), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), LED’s CHAT - Digital Art for Interior Design and Communication, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), and ANR-16-CE31-0012,MARS-PRIME,Environnement Primitif de Mars(2016)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, chemistry.chemical_element, Mineralogy, Maghemite, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Weathering, Pyroxene, Mars Exploration Program, Manganese, engineering.material, 01 natural sciences, Regolith, Spectral line, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, 0103 physical sciences, engineering, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Dissolution, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

We present new mineralogical, chemical and spectral analysis of an alteration profile on the Ferrar dolerite (Dry Valley, Antarctica), complementing a previous study (Chevrier et al., 2006a). The whole profile is about 5 ​cm long and subdivided into three different layers: a brown surface rind inferior to 1 ​mm in thickness, followed by a brownish-grey discoloration zone from 1 to 5 ​mm depth and finally a dark fresh core. Mineralogical (X-Ray Diffraction), chemical (EDAX, LIBS), and spectral (FTIR) measurements indicate the formation of iron (oxy)-hydroxides (maghemite) in the very top millimeter of the alteration profile, resulting from the destabilization of ferromagnesian minerals (pyroxene). This zone also exhibits strong hydration features as evidenced by LIBS hydrogen signal and the 2.80 ​μm water band in reflectance spectra. Below this alteration zone (around 5-mm-deep), spectral measurements indicate a discolored zone characterized by an enrichment in pyroxene (1.00 and 2.00 ​μm bands), possibly due to the dissolution of the glass component in the matrix. However, despite these spectral changes, the overall chemistry and mineralogy of the sample remains largely unaffected. This suggests that recent cold and dry weathering on the surface of Mars may spectrally modify surfaces of basaltic rocks, by forming iron (and manganese) (oxy)-hydroxides, but essentially in the very uppermost millimeter and that the underlying mineralogy should remain intact.

Published
2020
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17. 3-D digital outcrop model for analysis of brittle deformation and lithological mapping (Lorette cave, Belgium)

Author

Olivier Kaufmann, Sara Vandycke, Yves Quinif, S. Le Mouélic, Thierry Camelbeeck, Antoine Triantafyllou, François Civet, Arnaud Watlet, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Cave survey, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Bedding, Outcrop, Geology, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Tectonics, Photogrammetry, Cave, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Bed, Structural geology, Petrology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Acquiring and building Digital Outcrop Models (DOM) becomes an essential approach in geosciences. This study highlights the strong potential of Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry for full-3D mapping of inaccessible outcrops, combining pictures captured from field and from unmanned aerial vehicle-embedded digital cameras. We present a workflow for (i) acquiring and reconstructing a DOM of a geometrically complex natural cave site using digital photogrammetry in a lowlight environment, (ii) georeferencing the 3D model in underground environments, (iii) identifying and characterizing the geometry of inaccessible geological structures and their tectonic kinematics (e.g., faults, joints, sedimentary bedding planes, slickenlines) for structural geology purposes. We illustrate our method by modelling a challenging case study: the main chamber of the Lorette cave (Rochefort Cave Laboratory, Belgium). First, we produced a high resolution, highly realistic model made of 395 million points cloud. This allowed to draw a detailed lithostratigraphic log of the exposed sedimentary pile, alternating decimetric carbonate mudstones with minor centimetric clay-rich layers. Secondly, we extract the orientation of brittle structures from the cave DOM which consist of joints, calcite-filled veins, fault planes with observable slickenlines and their kinematic indicators. Calcitic veins consist of tension gashes structures. Two subsets of tension gashes are distinguished based on their orientation (WNW-striking with low- vs subhorizontal dips) and morphology (planar vs en-echelon sigmoidal veins). Two faults subsets are identified: (i) a first one comprises south-dipping fault planes with mean strike-dip of N069-S42 and consist of bedding surface slip; (ii) a second one which corresponds to neoformed north-dipping faults (mean strike-dip: N279-N60). We recognize and characterize tectonic markers on fault planes directly from the high-resolution DOM (slickenlines and asymmetrical microscarps) pointing to a reverse shearing movement for all investigated faults. Based on their geometrical relations and fault-slip data, paleostress reconstruction points to a NW-SE to NNW-SSE subhorizontal compressive regime. This one is interpreted as the record of early phases of Variscan tectonics during the fold-to-fault progression. This research paper also highlights future possibilities for rapid semi-automatic interpretation of such 3D dataset for structural geology purposes as well as advances in technology and perspectives in terms of risk assessments and mitigation.

Published
2019
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18. Titan Stratospheric Haze Bands Observed in Cassini VIMS as Tracers of Meridional Circulation

Author

N. W. Kutsop, A. G. Hayes, P. M. Corlies, S. Le Mouélic, J. I. Lunine, C. A. Nixon, P. Rannou, S. Rodriguez, M. T. Roman, C. Sotin, and T. Tokano

Subjects
Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Astronomy and Astrophysics
Abstract

We analyzed Cassini data to derive the nature and evolution of circumglobal annuli observed in the stratosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The annuli were observed between 2004 and 2017 in data acquired by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on board the Cassini spacecraft. We observed a north polar annulus, an equatorial annulus, and several secondary annuli. Pre-Cassini telescopic observations by the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck reported an atmospheric feature consistent with the presence of a south polar annulus between 1999 and 2001, although this feature was not observed by Cassini. Relative to the atmosphere near the annuli, they appear dark at 300–500 nm and bright in methane absorption channels such as the ones at 900 and 1150 nm. The stratosphere seems to rotate around the north pole. Alternatively, it seems to rotate about a point offset from solid-body rotation axis by a few degrees; this point in turn rotates around the solid-body rotation axis.

Published
2022
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19. Martian aeolian activity at the Bagnold Dunes, Gale Crater: The view from the surface and orbit

Author

F. Ayoub, William Rapin, Simone Silvestro, Mathieu G.A. Lapotre, S. Le Mouélic, Claire E. Newman, J. Van Beek, Nathan T. Bridges, Sara Navarro, Olivier Gasnault, Ryan C. Sullivan, and Ryan C. Ewing

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Planetary surface, Mars Exploration Program, Atmospheric model, Slip (materials science), 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Grain flow, Aeolian processes, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geomorphology, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The first in situ investigation of an active dune field on another planetary surface occurred in 2015-2016 when the MSL Curiosity rover investigated the Bagnold Dunes on Mars. HIRISE images show clear seasonal variations that are in good agreement with atmospheric model predictions of intra-annual sand flux and migration directions that together indicate that the campaign occurred during a period of low wind activity. Curiosity surface images show that limited changes nevertheless occurred, with movement of large grains, particularly on freshly exposed surfaces, two occurrences of secondary grain flow on the slip face of Namib Dune, and a slump on a freshly exposed surface of a large ripple. These changes are seen at sol-to-sol time scales. Grains on a rippled sand deposit and unconsolidated dump piles show limited movement of large grains over a few hours during which mean friction speeds are estimated at 0.3 - 0.4 m s-1. Overall, the correlation between changes and peak REMS winds is moderate, with high wind events associated with changes in some cases, but not in others, suggesting that other factors are also at work. The distribution of REMS 1 Hz wind speeds show a tail up to the 20 m s-1, showing that even higher speed winds occur. Non-aeolian triggering mechanisms are also possible. The low activity period at the dunes documented by Curiosity provides clues to processes that dominated in the Martian past under conditions of lower obliquity.

Published
2017
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20. The potassic sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater, Mars, as seen by ChemCam on boardCuriosity

Author

Horton E. Newsom, Jérémie Lasue, K. M. Stack, Diana L. Blaney, Dawn Y. Sumner, Martin R. Fisk, William Rapin, S. Le Mouélic, Valerie Payre, Gilles Dromart, Scott M. McLennan, P. Y. Meslin, Allan H. Treiman, Olivier Gasnault, Ryan B. Anderson, Nina Lanza, Cécile Fabre, N. Mangold, Olivier Forni, Melissa S. Rice, S. Maurice, John P. Grotzinger, Susanne Schröder, Sanjeev Gupta, Violaine Sautter, Agnès Cousin, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, L. Le Deit, and Marion Nachon

Subjects
Basalt, Martian, Olivine, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Outcrop, Geochemistry, Crust, Mars Exploration Program, engineering.material, 01 natural sciences, On board, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), engineering, Sedimentary rock, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Key Points: • Mean K2O abundance in sedimentary rocks >5 times higher than that of the average Martian crust • Presence of alkali feldspars and K-phyllosilicates in basaltic sedimentary rocks along the traverse • The K-bearing minerals likely have a detrital origin

Published
2016
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22. Photometrically-corrected global infrared mosaics of Enceladus: New implications for its spectral diversity and geological activity

Author

Gabriel Tobie, Marion Massé, Sebastien Rodriguez, S. Le Mouélic, R. Robidel, Christophe Sotin, Benoît Seignovert, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), and Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Infrared, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], FOS: Physical sciences, Terrain, 01 natural sciences, Enceladus, Image processing, 0103 physical sciences, VIMS, Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Image resolution, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Remote sensing, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Spectrometer, Northern Hemisphere, Hyperspectral imaging, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Seafloor spreading, Spectrophotometry, Space and Planetary Science, Cassini, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Geology, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

Between 2004 and 2017, spectral observations have been gathered by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on-board Cassini (Brown et al., 2004) during 23 Enceladus close encounters, in addition to more distant surveys. The objective of the present study is to produce a global hyperspectral mosaic of the complete VIMS data set of Enceladus in order to highlight spectral variations among the different geological units. This requires the selection of the best observations in terms of spatial resolution and illumination conditions. We have carried out a detailed investigation of the photometric behavior at several key wavelengths (1.35, 1.5, 1.65, 1.8, 2.0, 2.25, 2.55 and 3.6 ${\mu}$m), characteristics of the infrared spectra of water ice. We propose a new photometric function, based on the model of Shkuratov et al. (2011). When combined, corrected mosaics at different wavelengths reveal heterogeneous areas, in particular in the terrains surrounding the Tiger Stripes on the South Pole and in the northern hemisphere around 30{\deg}N, 90{\deg}W. Those areas appear mainly correlated to tectonized units, indicating an endogenous origin, potentially driven by seafloor hotspots., Comment: Erratum: Fix south polar grid longitudes in Figures 9 and 11

Published
2020
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23. The Cassini VIMS archive of Titan: From browse products to global infrared color maps

Author

Jason W. Barnes, S. Le Mouélic, Jason M. Soderblom, Benoît Seignovert, Sebastien Rodriguez, Roger N. Clark, Philip D. Nicholson, Robert H. Brown, Thomas Cornet, B. J. Buratti, Jérémie Lasue, V. Pasek, Kevin H. Baines, Christophe Sotin, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physics [Moscow,USA], University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Department of Astronomy [Ithaca], Cornell University [New York], Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Microenvironment, Cell Differentiation, Immunology and Cancer (MICMAC), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Structure Fédérative de Recherche en Biologie et Santé de Rennes ( Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique ), Laboratoire SITI [CHU Rennes], Etablissement français du sang [Rennes] (EFS Bretagne)-CHU Pontchaillou [Rennes], Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information (CEA-LETI), Direction de Recherche Technologique (CEA) (DRT (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Universität Bern- University of Bern [Bern], Partenaires INRAE, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Structure Fédérative de Recherche en Biologie et Santé de Rennes ( Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique ), DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), US Geological Survey [Denver], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Brightness, Haze, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Multispectral image, FOS: Physical sciences, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, law, 0103 physical sciences, Radiative transfer, Imaging science, Radar, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Remote sensing, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Spectrometer, Pixel, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Geology, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

International audience; We have analyzed the complete Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) data archive of Titan. Our objective is to build global surface cartographic products, by combining all the data gathered during the 127 targeted flybys of Titan into synthetic global maps interpolated on a grid at 32 pixels per degree (∼1.4 km/pixel at the equator), in seven infrared spectral atmospheric windows. Multispectral summary images have been computed for each single VIMS cube in order to rapidly identify their scientific content and assess their quality. These summary images are made available to the community on a public website (vims.univ-nantes.fr). The global mapping work faced several challenges due to the strong absorbing and scattering effects of the atmosphere coupled to the changing observing conditions linked to the orbital tour of the Cassini mission. We determined a surface photometric function which accounts for variations in incidence, emergence and phase angles, and which is able to mitigate brightness variations linked to the viewing geometry of the flybys. The atmospheric contribution has been reduced using the subtraction of the methane absorption band wings, considered as proxies for atmospheric haze scattering. We present a new global three color composite map of band ratios (red: 1.59/1.27 µm; green: 2.03/1.27 µm; blue: 1.27/1.08 µm), which has also been empirically corrected from an airmass (the solar photon path length through the atmosphere) dependence. This map provides a detailed global color view of Titan's surface partially corrected from the atmosphere and gives a global insight of the spectral variability, with the equatorial dunes fields appearing in brownish tones, and several occurrences of bluish tones localized in areas such as Sinlap, Menvra and Selk craters. This kind of spectral map can serve as a basis for further regional studies and comparisons with radiative transfer outputs, such as surface albedos, and other additional data sets acquired by the Cassini Radar (RADAR) and Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) instruments.

Published
2019
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24. Martian Eolian Dust Probed by ChemCam

Author

María Paz Zorzano, Erwin Dehouck, Gilles Berger, William Rapin, S. Le Mouélic, Olivier Gasnault, Jeffrey R. Johnson, P.-Y. Meslin, Horton E. Newsom, Olivier Forni, Javier Martin-Torres, Ann Ollila, Jérémie Lasue, N. Mangold, Nina Lanza, Claude d’Uston, Ruth A. Anderson, Agnes Cousin, Violaine Sautter, Morten Madsen, Cécile Fabre, Noureddine Melikechi, B. C. Clark, Diana L. Blaney, Walter Goetz, Sylvestre Maurice, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, S. Schroeder, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements (CESR), Laboratoire Kastler Brossel (LKB (Jussieu)), Fédération de recherche du Département de physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure - ENS Paris (FRDPENS), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR), Delaware State University (DSU), Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Fédération de recherche du Département de physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure - ENS Paris (FRDPENS), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Rock cycle, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, Mineralogy, Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, 01 natural sciences, Atmosphere, Geophysics, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], ChemCam, 13. Climate action, Planet, 0103 physical sciences, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental science, Aeolian processes, dust, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Chemical composition, Volatiles, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; The ubiquitous eolian dust on Mars plays important roles in the current sedimentary and atmospheric processes of the planet. The ChemCam instrument retrieves a consistent eolian dust composition at the submillimeter scale from every first laser shot on Mars targets. Its composition presents significant differences with the Aeolis Palus soils and the Bagnold dunes as it contains lower CaO and higher SiO2. The dust FeO and TiO2 contents are also higher, probably associated with nanophase oxide components. The dust spectra show the presence of volatile elements (S and Cl), and the hydrogen content is similar to Bagnold sands but lower than Aeolis Palus soils. Consequently, the dust may be a contributor to the amorphous component of soils, but differences in composition indicate that the two materials are not equivalent. Plain Language Summary Eolian dust on Mars is very fine dust that covers the entire surface of the planet, gives it its typical red hue, and is mobilized by wind. It plays a significant role in the current rock cycle of the planet and for the temperature of the atmosphere. ChemCam uses a series of pulsed laser shots to analyze the chemical composition of target materials. Each first laser shot by ChemCam gives the composition of the deposited dust. These measurements have been constant over the duration of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. The dust is homogeneous at the millimeter scale (approximately the size of the ChemCam analysis spot). Compared to local soils and sands at Gale crater, the dust contains higher levels of iron and titanium, associated with volatile elements like hydrogen, sulfur, and chlorine. We infer from this difference that the dust does not entirely originate locally and may be part of a separate global cycle.

Published
2018
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25. Observational evidence for active dust storms on Titan at equinox

Author

Clément Narteau, Roger N. Clark, Benjamin Charnay, T. Appéré, S. Courrech du Pont, Jason M. Soderblom, Thomas Cornet, B. J. Buratti, J. Bow, G. Vixie, Jasper F. Kok, Jason W. Barnes, Ralf Jaumann, Philip D. Nicholson, Mathieu Hirtzig, Pascal Rannou, S. Le Mouélic, Olivier Bourgeois, Jani Radebaugh, L. Maltagliati, Ralph D. Lorenz, Kevin H. Baines, Sebastien Rodriguez, Robert H. Brown, Christophe Sotin, Antoine Lucas, S. Rafkin, Caitlin A. Griffith, Katrin Stephan, Athena Coustenis, Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Corvallis] (CEOAS), Oregon State University (OSU), Christ University, Bangalore, India, Department of Space Studies [Boulder], Southwest Research Institute [Boulder] (SwRI), University of Arizona, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), 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)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Geological Sciences [BYU], Brigham Young University (BYU), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), Department of Planetary Sciences [Tucson], University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC (UMR_7057)), Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Faculty of Sciences [Lebanese University], Lebanese University [Beirut] (LU), John Innes Centre [Norwich], Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), 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), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information (CEA-LETI), Direction de Recherche Technologique (CEA) (DRT (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de physique moléculaire optique et hertzienne (CPMOH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lebanese University [Beirut], Laboratoire d'Electronique et des Technologies de l'Information (CEA-LETI), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Direction de Recherche Technologique (CEA) (DRT (CEA)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC)

Subjects
Haze, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph], Equator, Equinox, 01 natural sciences, Methane, Astrobiology, chemistry.chemical_compound, symbols.namesake, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, dust storm, 0103 physical sciences, Radiative transfer, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences, [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology, [MATH]Mathematics [math], [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces, environment, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [PHYS]Physics [physics], Storm, Planetengeologie, chemistry, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], symbols, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Aeolian processes, Cassini, Titan, Titan (rocket family)
Abstract

Saturn’s moon Titan has a dense nitrogen-rich atmosphere, with methane as its primary volatile. Titan’s atmosphere experiences an active chemistry that produces a haze of organic aerosols that settle to the surface and a dynamic climate in which hydrocarbons are cycled between clouds, rain and seas. Titan displays particularly energetic meteorology at equinox in equatorial regions, including sporadic and large methane storms. In 2009 and 2010, near Titan’s northern spring equinox, the Cassini spacecraft observed three distinctive and short-lived spectral brightenings close to the equator. Here, we show from analyses of Cassini spectral data, radiative transfer modelling and atmospheric simulations that the brightenings originate in the atmosphere and are consistent with formation from dust storms composed of micrometre-sized solid organic particles mobilized from underlying dune fields. Although the Huygens lander found evidence that dust can be kicked up locally from Titan’s surface, our findings suggest that dust can be suspended in Titan’s atmosphere at much larger spatial scale. Mobilization of dust and injection into the atmosphere would require dry conditions and unusually strong near-surface winds (about five times more than estimated ambient winds). Such strong winds are expected to occur in downbursts during rare equinoctial methane storms—consistent with the timing of the observed brightenings. Our findings imply that Titan—like Earth and Mars—has an active dust cycle, which suggests that Titan’s dune fields are actively evolving by aeolian processes. Saturn’s moon Titan may have an active dust cycle in equatorial regions driven by storm winds, Cassini observations consistent with dust suspension in Titan’s atmosphere suggest.

Published
2018
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26. Mapping polar atmospheric features on Titan with VIMS: from the dissipation of the northern cloud to the onset of a southern polar vortex

Author

Robert H. Brown, Thomas Cornet, Jason W. Barnes, S. Le Mouélic, Sebastien Rodriguez, Pascal Rannou, Batiste Rousseau, P. D. Nicholson, Roger N. Clark, B. J. Buratti, Benoît Seignovert, Christophe Sotin, R. Robidel, Kevin H. Baines, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), Alcatel-Thalès III-V lab (III-V Lab), THALES-ALCATEL, Department of Physics [Moscow,USA], University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Astronomy [Ithaca], and Cornell University [New York]

Subjects
Haze, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, FOS: Physical sciences, Equinox, 01 natural sciences, symbols.namesake, Polar vortex, 0103 physical sciences, Atmosphere of Titan, [MATH]Mathematics [math], 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [PHYS]Physics [physics], Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Spectral signature, Spectrometer, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Climatology, symbols, Polar, Titan (rocket family), [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Geology, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

We have analyzed the complete archive of the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) data in order to monitor and analyze the evolution of the clouds and haze coverage at both poles of Titan during the entire Cassini mission. Our objective is to give a cartographic synopsis from a VIMS perspective, to provide a global view of the seasonal evolution of Titan's atmosphere over the poles. We leave the detailed comparison with the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) data sets to further studies. We have computed global hyperspectral mosaics for each of the 127 targeted flybys of Titan to produce synthetic color maps emphasizing the main atmospheric features. The north pole appears fully covered by a huge cloud as soon as the first observations in 2004 and up to the equinox in 2009 (Le Mou\'elic et al. 2012). The northern skies then became progressively clearer, after the circulation turnover in 2009, revealing the underlying lakes and seas to the optical instruments up to 2017. The reverse situation is observed over the south pole, which was mostly clear of such a high obscuring cloud during the first years of the mission, but started to develop a polar cloud in 2012. This feature grew up month after month until the end of the mission in 2017, with a poleward latitudinal extent of 75$^\circ$S in 2013 up to 58$^\circ$S in April 2017. Thanks to the spectral capabilities of VIMS, we have detected HCN spectral signatures over the north pole in almost all flybys between 2004 and 2008. These HCN signatures started then to show up over the south pole in almost all flybys between 2012 and 2017, so perfectly matching the timing and spatial extent of the northern and southern polar atmospheric features.

Published
2018
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27. Desiccation cracks provide evidence of lake drying on Mars, Sutton Island member, Murray formation, Gale Crater

Author

P.-Y. Meslin, S. Le Mouélic, Juergen Schieber, Erwin Dehouck, Bernard Hallet, Horton E. Newsom, Nathaniel Stein, Ralf Gellert, Kirsten L. Siebach, Christopher H. House, Christopher M. Fedo, Jens Frydenvang, Agnes Cousin, Jeff A. Berger, Valerie Payre, Roger C. Wiens, N. Mangold, Sanjeev Gupta, Michelle E. Minitti, John P. Grotzinger, Olivier Forni, Lucy M. Thompson, Dawn Y. Sumner, Ashwin R. Vasavada, K. M. Stack, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Department of Geological Sciences [Bloomington], Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System-Indiana University System, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), Department of Earth and Space Sciences [Seattle], University of Washington [Seattle], Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE), Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), Department of Physics and Materials Science & Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Department of Physics [Guelph], University of Guelph, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Université de Lorraine (UL), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)

Subjects
Geochemistry & Geophysics, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, 04 Earth Sciences, Climate change, Gale crater, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, 15. Life on land, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Paleontology, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Facies, Subaerial, Aeolian processes, Climate model, Desiccation, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover data are used to describe the morphology of desiccation cracks observed in ancient lacustrine strata at Gale crater, Mars, and to interpret their paleoenvironmental setting. The desiccation cracks indicate subaerial exposure of lacustrine facies in the Sutton Island member of the Murray formation. In association with ripple cross-stratification and possible eolian cross-bedding, these facies indicate a transition from longer-lived perennial lakes recorded by older strata to younger lakes characterized by intermittent exposure. The transition from perennial to episodically exposed lacustrine environments provides evidence for local to regional climate change that can help constrain Mars climate models.

Published
2018
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28. Observation of > 5 wt % zinc at the Kimberley outcrop, Gale crater, Mars

Author

Sylvestre Maurice, N. Mangold, Jérémie Lasue, L. Le Deit, Olivier Forni, S. Le Mouélic, William Rapin, Valerie Payre, Agnès Cousin, Roger C. Wiens, Marion Nachon, Samuel M. Clegg, Jeff A. Berger, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Cécile Fabre, Walter Goetz, Olivier Gasnault, K. M. Stack, Diana L. Blaney, Nina Lanza, and Dawn Y. Sumner

Subjects
Supergene (geology), 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Hypogene, chemistry.chemical_element, Mineralogy, Mars Exploration Program, Zinc, engineering.material, 01 natural sciences, Geophysics, Sphalerite, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Sauconite, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), engineering, Siliciclastic, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, Gossan, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Zinc-enriched targets have been detected at the Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars, using the Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) instrument. The Zn content is analyzed with a univariate calibration based on the 481.2 nm emission line. The limit of quantification for ZnO is 3 wt % (at 95% confidence level) and 1 wt % (at 68% confidence level). The limit of detection is shown to be around 0.5 wt %. As of sol 950, 12 targets on Mars present high ZnO content ranging from 1.0 wt % to 8.4 wt % (Yarrada, sol 628). Those Zn-enriched targets are almost entirely located at the Dillinger member of the Kimberley formation, where high Mn and alkali contents were also detected, probably in different phases. Zn enrichment does not depend on the textures of the rocks (coarse-grained sandstones, pebbly conglomerates, and resistant fins). The lack of sulfur enhancement suggests that Zn is not present in the sphalerite phase. Zn appears somewhat correlated with Na2O and the ChemCam hydration index, suggesting that it could be in an amorphous clay phase (such as sauconite). On Earth, such an enrichment would be consistent with a supergene alteration of a sphalerite gossan cap in a primary siliciclastic bedrock or a possible hypogene nonsulfide zinc deposition where Zn, Fe, Mn would have been transported in a reduced sulfur-poor fluid and precipitated rapidly in the form of oxides.

Published
2016
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29. Titan's Meteorology Over the Cassini Mission: Evidence for Extensive Subsurface Methane Reservoirs

Author

Paul Corlies, M. Roy, Jason Perry, Elizabeth P. Turtle, Jonathan I. Lunine, J. Barbara, Alfred S. McEwen, Juan M. Lora, T. L. Ray, Sebastien Rodriguez, Christophe Sotin, Sean Faulk, Robert A. West, A. D. Del Genio, J. Kelland, Shannon MacKenzie, S. Le Mouélic, J. Pitesky, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), University of Arizona, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles] (EPSS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Department of Astronomy [Ithaca], Cornell University [New York], Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), Department of Physics [Moscow,USA], University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut des Sciences du Mouvement Etienne Jules Marey (ISM), and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)

Subjects
[PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph], 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Meteorology, 01 natural sciences, Methane, symbols.namesake, chemistry.chemical_compound, Geophysics, chemistry, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 13. Climate action, 0103 physical sciences, symbols, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental science, Titan (rocket family), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; Cassini observations of Titan's weather patterns over >13 years, almost half a Saturnian year, provide insight into seasonal circulation patterns and the methane cycle. The Imaging Science Subsystem and the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer documented cloud locations, characteristics, morphologies, and behavior. Clouds were generally more prevalent in the summer hemisphere, but there were surprises in locations and timing of activity: Southern clouds were common at midlatitudes, northern clouds initially appeared much sooner than model predictions, and north polar summer convective systems did not appear before the mission ended. Differences from expectations constrain atmospheric circulation models, revealing factors that best match observations, including the roles of surface and subsurface reservoirs. The preference for clouds at mid-northern latitudes rather than near the pole is consistent with models that include widespread polar near-surface methane reservoirs in addition to the lakes and seas, suggesting a broader subsurface methane table is accessible to the atmosphere.

Published
2018
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30. The Spectral Nature of Titan's Major Geomorphological Units: Constraints on Surface Composition

Author

Bernard Schmitt, S. D. Wall, S. Philippe, Emmanuel Bratsolis, Christophe Sotin, S. Le Mouélic, Olivier Witasse, A. Solomonidou, Katrin Stephan, Rosaly M. C. Lopes, Charles Elachi, A. Le Gall, Jani Radebaugh, E. Villanueva, A. Anthony Bloom, M. Hirtzig, Robert H. Brown, Athena Coustenis, Kenneth J. Lawrence, Christos Matsoukas, Nicolas Altobelli, M. A. Janssen, Michael Malaska, Pierre Drossart, Sebastien Rodriguez, Jérémy F. Brossier, Ashley Schoenfeld, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), European Space Agency (ESA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fondation La main à la pâte, Department of Physics [Athens], National and Kapodistrian University of Athens = University of Athens (NKUA | UoA), Department of Geological Sciences [BYU], Brigham Young University (BYU), DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), IMPEC - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Research and Scientific Support Department, ESTEC (RSSD), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), European Space Agency (ESA)-European Space Agency (ESA), Royal Institute of Technology [Stockholm] (KTH ), Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles] (EPSS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), PLANETO - LATMOS, Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA)-Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-IPG PARIS-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)

Subjects
Synthetic aperture radar, Haze, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Spectral response, Atmospheric sciences, Titan geology, 01 natural sciences, Latitude, symbols.namesake, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Radiative transfer, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [PHYS]Physics [physics], saturnian satellites, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, radiative transfer, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], symbols, Evolution theories, Water ice, spectral behavior, geomorphological units, Titan composition, Titan (rocket family), [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Geology
Abstract

We investigate Titan's low‐latitude and midlatitude surface using spectro‐imaging near‐infrared data from Cassini/Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. We use a radiative transfer code to first evaluate atmospheric contributions and then extract the haze and the surface albedo values of major geomorphological units identified in Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar data, which exhibit quite similar spectral response to the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data. We have identified three main categories of albedo values and spectral shapes, indicating significant differences in the composition among the various areas. We compare with linear mixtures of three components (water ice, tholin‐like, and a dark material) at different grain sizes. Due to the limited spectral information available, we use a simplified model, with which we find that each albedo category of regions of interest can be approximately fitted with simulations composed essentially by one of the three surface candidates. Our fits of the data are overall successful, except in some cases at 0.94, 2.03, and 2.79 μm, indicative of the limitations of our simplistic compositional model and the need for additional components to reproduce Titan's complex surface. Our results show a latitudinal dependence of Titan's surface composition, with water ice being the major constituent at latitudes beyond 30°N and 30°S, while Titan's equatorial region appears to be dominated partly by a tholin‐like or by a very dark unknown material. The albedo differences and similarities among the various geomorphological units give insights on the geological processes affecting Titan's surface and, by implication, its interior. We discuss our results in terms of origin and evolution theories.

Published
2018
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31. Transparency of 2 {\mu}m window of Titan's atmosphere

Author

S. Le Mouélic, Pascal Rannou, Luca Maltagliati, Benoît Seignovert, M. Rey, Christophe Sotin, Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 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), and Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG)

Subjects
Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Opacity, Infrared, Atmospheric model, 01 natural sciences, Occultation, symbols.namesake, Optics, 0103 physical sciences, [CHIM]Chemical Sciences, [MATH]Mathematics [math], 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, [PHYS]Physics [physics], Spectral signature, [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Spectrometer, business.industry, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Wavelength, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Space and Planetary Science, symbols, business, Titan (rocket family), Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

Titan's atmosphere is optically thick and hides the surface and the lower layers from the view at almost all wavelengths. However, because gaseous absorptions are spectrally selective, some narrow spectral intervals are relatively transparent and allow to probe the surface. To use these intervals (called windows) a good knowledge of atmospheric absorption is necessary. Once gas spectroscopic linelists are well established, the absorption inside windows depends on the way the far wings of the methane absorption lines are cut-off. We know that the intensity in all the windows can be explained with the same cut-off parameters, except for the window at 2 μ m. This discrepancy is generally treated with a workaround which consists in using a different cut-off description for this specific window. This window is relatively transparent and surface may have specific spectral signatures that could be detected. Thus, a good knowledge of atmosphere opacities is essential and our scope is to better understand what causes the difference between the 2 μ m window and the other windows. In this work, we used scattered light at the limb and transmissions in occultation observed with VIMS (Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) onboard Cassini, around the 2 μ m window. Data shows an absorption feature that participates to the shape of this window. Our atmospheric model fits well the VIMS data at 2 μm with the same cut-off than for the other windows, provided an additional absorption is introduced in the middle of the window around ≃ 2.065 μ m. It explains well the discrepency between the cut-off used at 2 μm, and we show that a gas with a fairly constant mixing ratio, possibly ethane, may be the cause of this absorption. Finally, we studied the impact of this absorption on the retrieval of the surface reflectivity and found that it is significant.

Published
2017
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32. Calcium sulfate veins characterized by ChemCam/Curiosity at Gale crater, Mars

Author

William Rapin, P. Y. Meslin, Dawn Y. Sumner, Ryan B. Anderson, John Bridges, Olivier Forni, Susanne Schröder, Marion Nachon, Richard Leveille, M. D. Dyar, S. Le Mouélic, Linda C. Kah, Sylvestre Maurice, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Agnes Cousin, Melissa S. Rice, James F. Bell, Ann Ollila, S. W. Squyres, Scott M. McLennan, K. Stack, Dorothy Z. Oehler, Danika Wellington, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Olivier Gasnault, John P. Grotzinger, Eric Lewin, Jeffrey R. Johnson, David T. Vaniman, Diana L. Blaney, Jérémie Lasue, N. Mangold, B. C. Clark, Gilles Dromart, and Cécile Fabre

Subjects
Anhydrite, Gypsum, Fracture (mineralogy), Mineralogy, Fluvial, engineering.material, Cementation (geology), chemistry.chemical_compound, Geophysics, Bassanite, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), engineering, Sedimentary rock, Lithification, Geology
Abstract

The Curiosity rover has analyzed abundant light-toned fracture-fill material within the Yellowknife Bay sedimentary deposits. The ChemCam instrument, coupled with Mastcam and ChemCam/Remote Micro Imager images, was able to demonstrate that these fracture fills consist of calcium sulfate veins, many of which appear to be hydrated at a level expected for gypsum and bassanite. Anhydrite is locally present and is found in a location characterized by a nodular texture. An intricate assemblage of veins crosses the sediments, which were likely formed by precipitation from fluids circulating through fractures. The presence of veins throughout the entire similar to 5 m thick Yellowknife Bay sediments suggests that this process occurred well after sedimentation and cementation/lithification of those sediments. The sulfur-rich fluids may have originated in previously precipitated sulfate-rich layers, either before the deposition of the Sheepbed mudstones or from unrelated units such as the sulfates at the base of Mount Sharp. The occurrence of these veins after the episodes of deposition of fluvial sediments at the surface suggests persistent aqueous activity in relatively nonacidic conditions.

Published
2014
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33. Chemistry and texture of the rocks at Rocknest, Gale Crater: Evidence for sedimentary origin and diagenetic alteration

Author

Olivier Forni, Martin R. Fisk, S. Schroder, Penelope L. King, K. M. Stack, Diana L. Blaney, Ann Ollila, Agnes Cousin, Nathan T. Bridges, Lauren A. Edgar, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Linda C. Kah, P. Y. Meslin, B. C. Clark, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Horton E. Newsom, N. Mangold, Dawn Y. Sumner, Scott K. Rowland, Olivier Gasnault, Gilles Berger, John Bridges, Walter Goetz, Nina Lanza, M. D. Dyar, S. Le Mouélic, R. L. Tokar, Morten Madsen, Sylvestre Maurice, Mariek E. Schmidt, and Ryan B. Anderson

Subjects
Mineralogy, Martian soil, Diagenesis, Igneous rock, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Rocknest, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Sedimentary rock, Layering, Lithification, Geology, Rock microstructure
Abstract

A suite of eight rocks analyzed by the Curiosity Rover while it was stopped at the Rocknest sand ripple shows the greatest chemical divergence of any potentially sedimentary rocks analyzed in the early part of the mission. Relative to average Martian soil and to the stratigraphically lower units encountered as part of the Yellowknife Bay formation, these rocks are significantly depleted in MgO, with a mean of 1.3 wt %, and high in Fe, averaging over 20 wt % FeO_T, with values between 15 and 26 wt % FeO_T. The variable iron and low magnesium and rock texture make it unlikely that these are igneous rocks. Rock surface textures range from rough to smooth, can be pitted or grooved, and show various degrees of wind erosion. Some rocks display poorly defined layering while others seem to show possible fractures. Narrow vertical voids are present in Rocknest 3, one of the rocks showing the strongest layering. Rocks in the vicinity of Rocknest may have undergone some diagenesis similar to other rocks in the Yellowknife Bay Formation as indicated by the presence of soluble calcium phases. The most reasonable scenario is that fine-grained sediments, potentially a mixture of feldspar-rich rocks from Bradbury Rise and normal Martian soil, were lithified together by an iron-rich cement.

Published
2014
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34. Terrain physical properties derived from orbital data and the first 360 sols of Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover observations in Gale Crater

Author

Matthew Heverly, R. V. Morris, John A. Grant, Fred Calef, Juergen Schieber, F. Thuillier, Olivier Gasnault, S. Le Mouélic, J. Vizcaino, Ashwin R. Vasavada, K. A. Iagnemma, P. Bellutta, Victoria E. Hamilton, John P. Grotzinger, Roger C. Wiens, Raymond E. Arvidson, Nilton O. Renno, Nathaniel Stein, Abigail A. Fraeman, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Nina Lanza, Horton E. Newsom, David M. Rubin, R. S. Sletten, James B. Garvin, N. Mangold, D. W. Ming, and Manish Mehta

Subjects
geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Bedrock, Drilling, Weathering, Mars Exploration Program, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Clastic rock, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Alluvium, Ejecta, Lithification, Geomorphology, Geology
Abstract

Physical properties of terrains encountered by the Curiosity rover during the first 360 sols of operations have been inferred from analysis of the scour zones produced by Sky Crane Landing System engine plumes, wheel touch down dynamics, pits produced by Chemical Camera (ChemCam) laser shots, rover wheel traverses over rocks, the extent of sinkage into soils, and the magnitude and sign of rover‐based slippage during drives. Results have been integrated with morphologic, mineralogic, and thermophysical properties derived from orbital data, and Curiosity‐based measurements, to understand the nature and origin of physical properties of traversed terrains. The hummocky plains (HP) landing site and traverse locations consist of moderately to well‐consolidated bedrock of alluvial origin variably covered by slightly cohesive, hard‐packed basaltic sand and dust, with both embedded and surface‐strewn rock clasts. Rock clasts have been added through local bedrock weathering and impact ejecta emplacement and form a pavement‐like surface in which only small clasts (

Published
2014
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35. Igneous mineralogy at Bradbury Rise: The first ChemCam campaign at Gale crater

Author

Roger C. Wiens, Ruth A. Anderson, Gilles Berger, S. Le Mouélic, Olivier Forni, Ann Ollila, B. C. Clark, Michael J. Toplis, N. Mangold, John Bridges, V. Sautter, D. Dyar, Eric Lewin, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Agnes Cousin, Patrick Pinet, Jérémie Lasue, P.-Y. Meslin, Sylvestre Maurice, Olivier Gasnault, David Baratoux, Mariek E. Schmidt, and Cécile Fabre

Subjects
Basalt, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Andesine, Lithology, Geochemistry, Mineralogy, engineering.material, Feldspar, 01 natural sciences, Porphyritic, Igneous rock, Anorthosite, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, visual_art, Pumice, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), visual_art.visual_art_medium, engineering, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Textural and compositional analyses using Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) remote microimager and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) have been performed on five float rocks and coarse gravels along the first 100 m of the Curiosity traverse at Bradbury Rise. ChemCam, the first LIBS instrument sent to another planet, offers the opportunity to assess mineralogic diversity at grain-size scales (~ 100 µm) and, from this, lithologic diversity. Depth profiling indicates that targets are relatively free of surface coatings. One type of igneous rock is volcanic and includes both aphanitic (Coronation) and porphyritic (Mara) samples. The porphyritic sample shows dark grains that are likely pyroxene megacrysts in a fine-grained mesostasis containing andesine needles. Both types have magnesium-poor basaltic compositions and in this respect are similar to the evolved Jake Matijevic rock analyzed further along the Curiosity traverse both with Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer and ChemCam instruments. The second rock type encountered is a coarse-grained intrusive rock (Thor Lake) showing equigranular texture with millimeter size crystals of feldspars and Fe-Ti oxides. Such a rock is not unique at Gale as the surrounding coarse gravels (such as Beaulieu) and the conglomerate Link are dominated by feldspathic (andesine-bytownite) clasts. Finally, alkali feldspar compositions associated with a silica polymorph have been analyzed in fractured filling material of Preble rock and in Stark, a putative pumice or an impact melt. These observations document magmatic diversity at Gale and describe the first fragments of feldspar-rich lithologies (possibly an anorthosite) that may be ancient crust transported from the crater rim and now forming float rocks, coarse gravel, or conglomerate clasts.

Published
2014
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36. Characteristics of pebble- and cobble-sized clasts along the Curiosity rover traverse from Bradbury Landing to Rocknest

Author

Penelope L. King, Violaine Sautter, S. Le Mouélic, James B. Garvin, A. Koefoed, Marisa C. Palucis, Nicolas Mangold, Roger C. Wiens, Victoria E. Hamilton, Horton E. Newsom, Robert G. Deen, J. K. Jensen, Nathan T. Bridges, Jack D. Farmer, Morten Madsen, V. Hipkin, John Bridges, R. A. Yingst, Linda C. Kah, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Walter Goetz, E. McCartney, S. Maurice, Oleg Pariser, Olivier Gasnault, and Jesús Martínez-Frías

Subjects
education.field_of_study, Cobble, Population, Geochemistry, Porphyritic, Geophysics, Bradbury Landing, Impact crater, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Rocknest, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Pebble, education, Ejecta, Geomorphology, Geology
Abstract

[1] We have assessed the characteristics of clasts along Curiosity's traverse to shed light on the processes important in the genesis, modification, and transportation of surface materials. Pebble- to cobble-sized clasts at Bradbury Landing, and subsequently along Curiosity's traverse to Yellowknife Bay, reflect a mixing of two end-member transport mechanisms. The general clast population likely represents material deposited via impact processes, including meteorite fragments, ejecta from distant craters, and impactites consisting of shocked and shock-melted materials from within Gale Crater, which resulted predominantly in larger, angular clasts. A subset of rounded pebble-sized clasts has likely been modified by intermittent alluvial or fluvial processes. The morphology of this rounded clast population indicates that water was a more important transporting agent here than at other Mars sites that have been studied in situ. Finally, we identified populations of basalt clasts and porphyritic clasts of undetermined composition by their morphologic and textural characteristics; basalts are confirmed by geochemical data provided by ChemCam.

Published
2013
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37. Fluidized-sediment pipes in Gale crater, Mars, and possible Earth analogs

Author

J. Martinez-Frias, David M. Rubin, W. Rapin, Nicolas Mangold, Juergen Schieber, Horton E. Newsom, John P. Grotzinger, Alberto G. Fairén, Olivier Gasnault, S. Le Mouélic, Roger C. Wiens, Guy Gelfenbaum, Walter Goetz, Jens Frydenvang, Dorothy Z. Oehler, California Institute of Technology, NASA Astrobiology Institute (US), European Research Council, Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC)-Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Department of Geological Sciences [Bloomington], Indiana University [Bloomington], Indiana University System-Indiana University System, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), The University of Chicago Medicine [Chicago], Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), and Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques

Subjects
Dike, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Water on Mars, Geochemistry, Sediment, Fluvial, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, 01 natural sciences, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, Erosion, Sedimentary rock, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geomorphology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Since landing in Gale crater, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has traversed fluvial, lacustrine, and eolian sedimentary rocks that were deposited within the crater ∼3.6 to 3.2 b.y. ago. Here we describe structures interpreted to be pipes formed by vertical movement of fluidized sediment. Like many pipes on Earth, those in Gale crater are more resistant to erosion than the host rock; they form near other pipes, dikes, or deformed sediment; and some contain internal concentric or eccentric layering. These structures provide new evidence of the importance of subsurface aqueous processes in shaping the near-surface geology of Mars. GeoRef Subject Colorado Plateau United States cylindrical structures sedimentary structures sediments, This work could not have been completed without the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) engineering, management, and operations teams, supported by the NASA Mars Exploration Program. Support for Rubin, Goetz, and Oehler was provided by the NASA MSL Participating Scientist Program. Fairén was supported by the Project icyMARS, European Research Council Starting grant 307496.

Published
2017
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38. Titan’s surface spectra at the Huygens landing site and Shangri-La

Author

S. Le Mouélic, Alberto Adriani, Pascal Rannou, C. Sotin, Emiliano D'Aversa, Robert H. Brown, Maria Luisa Moriconi, P. Lavvas, Daniel Toledo, Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), CNR Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Fisica dell'Atmosfera del CNR (IFA), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de physique moléculaire optique et hertzienne (CPMOH), and Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Haze, Spectral signature, Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Mineralogy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Reflectivity, Spectral line, Astrobiology, Photometry (optics), Wavelength, symbols.namesake, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, Soil water, symbols, Titan (rocket family), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Titan is an icy satellite of Saturn with a dense atmosphere and covered by a global photochemical organic haze. Ground based observations and the Huygens descent probe allowed to retrieve the main spectral signature of the water ice ( Griffith et al., 2003 , Coustenis et al., 2005 ) at the surface, possibly covered by a layer of sedimented organic material (Tomasko, M.G. et al. [2005]. Nature 438(7069), 765–778). However, the spectrum of the surface is not yet understood. In this study, we find that the surface reflectivity at the Huygens Landing Site (HLS) is well modeled by a layer of water ice grains overlaid by a moist layer of weakly compacted photochemical aggregated aerosols. Moist soils have spectra shifted toward short wavelengths relatively to spectra of dry soils. Cassini observations of Shangri-La region from orbit also show a very dark surface with a reflectivity peak shifted toward short wavelengths in respect to the reflectivity peak of bright surfaces, revealing a dichotomy between terrains based to their spectra in visible.

Published
2016
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39. Temporal variations of Titan’s surface with Cassini/VIMS

Author

Rosaly M. C. Lopes, S. Le Mouélic, Robert H. Brown, Katrin Stephan, Mathieu Hirtzig, Athena Coustenis, Pierre Drossart, Kenneth J. Lawrence, Sebastien Rodriguez, A. Solomonidou, Ralf Jaumann, Emmanuel Bratsolis, Christophe Sotin, European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), European Space Agency (ESA), 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), DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Traitement et Communication de l'Information (LTCI), Télécom ParisTech-Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] (IMT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de physique moléculaire optique et hertzienne (CPMOH), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), and Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Brightness, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Meteorology, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], surface Radiative transfer Spectroscopy Satellites, Equator, Patera, surfaces, Atmospheric sciences, 01 natural sciences, symbols.namesake, 0103 physical sciences, Radiative transfer, VIMS, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Ground truth, biology, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Cassini Titan, biology.organism_classification, Wavelength, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Homogeneous, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], symbols, Cassini, Titan (rocket family), Titan, Geology
Abstract

International audience; We analyze Cassini VIMS data of several areas on Titan's surface looking for variations with time. Three of these locations are near the equator (10-30°S), namely Hotei Regio, Tui Regio and Sotra Patera; in some cases changes in brightness and/or in appearance were reported therein. We also investigate a portion of the undifferentiated plains, areas relatively homogeneous and dark in radar observations, located near 20-25°N. This is a follow-up on a previous paper in which we had inferred surface albedos for some distinct regions of interest (RoIs) identified within the Hotei, Tui and Sotra areas through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and radiative transfer (RT) modeling (Solomonidou [2014]. J. Geophys. Res. 119, 1729-1747). We apply the same methods here to a larger dataset looking for variations of the surface albedo with time and using the Huygens landing site as the 'ground truth' for calibration purposes. As expected, the undifferentiated plains remain unchanged from January 2010 to June 2012. Our analysis of Hotei Regio data from March 2005 to March 2009 also does not show any significant surface albedo variations within uncertainties. We note however that our RT retrievals are not optimal in this case because of the use of a plane-parallel code and the unfavorable geometry of the associated datasets. Conversely, Tui Regio and Sotra Patera show surface albedo fluctuations with time with pronounced trends for darkening and for brightening respectively. The Tui Regio spectrum exhibits a surface albedo decrease from March 2005 to February 2009, at 0.94, 1.08, 2.03, and 5 lm wavelengths, while the spectrum shape remains the same over that time. On the contrary, the Sotra Patera area became at least two times brighter within a year (April 2005-February 2006), at 1.58 lm, 2.03 lm, and 5 lm. We also retrieved surface albedo spectra for three reference regions surrounding Hotei, Tui and Sotra and for three additional regions we use as 'test cases' that correspond to dune fields. During the time periods explored here we find that, as expected and contrary to Tui Regio and Sotra Patera, the test cases did not show any significant changes in surface albedo. We therefore suggest that temporal variations of surface albedo exist for some areas on Titan, but that their origin may differ from one region to the other. They could be due to diverse, past and/or ongoing formation processes (endogenic and/or exogenic, possibly cryovolcanic), as discussed here.

Published
2016
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40. Near-infrared spectra of liquid/solid acetylene under Titan relevant conditions and implications for Cassini/VIMS detections

Author

F. C. Wasiak, S. Singh, J. Ph. Combe, S. Le Mouélic, E. Le Menn, T. B. McCord, Vincent Chevrier, Thomas Cornet, L. A. Roe, Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory, CANMET, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Arkansas [Fayetteville], and Bear Fight Institute

Subjects
Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Infrared, Near-infrared spectroscopy, Analytical chemistry, Infrared spectroscopy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Astrobiology, chemistry.chemical_compound, symbols.namesake, Acetylene, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Absorption band, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, symbols, Spectral resolution, Titan (rocket family), Spectroscopy, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Acetylene is thought to be abundant on Titan according to most photochemical models. While detected in the atmosphere, its likely presence at the surface still lacks physical evidence. It is thought that solid acetylene could be a major component of Titan’s lakes shorelines and dry lakebed, detected as the 5 μm-bright deposits with the Cassini/VIMS instrument. Acetylene could also be present under its liquid form as dissolved solids in Titan’s methane–ethane lakes, as emphasized by thermodynamics studies. This paper is devoted to the near-infrared spectroscopy study of acetylene under solid and liquid phases between 1 and 2.2 μm, synthesized in a Titan simulation chamber that is able to reproduce extreme temperature conditions. From experiments, we observed a ∼10% albedo increase between liquid acetylene at 193–188 K and solid acetylene at 93 K. Using the NIR spectroscopy technique we successfully calculated the reflectivity ratio of solid/liquid acetylene as 1.13. The second difference we observed between liquid and solid acetylene is a shift in the major absorption band detected at 1.54 μm, the shift of ∼0.01 μm occurring toward higher wavelength. In order to assess the detectability of acetylene on Titan using the Cassini/VIMS instrument, we adapted our spectra to the VIMS spectral resolution. The spectral band at 1.55 μm and a negative slope at 2.0 μm falls in the Cassini/VIMS atmospheric windows over several VIMS infrared spectels, thus Cassini/VIMS should be able to detect acetylene.

Published
2016
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41. A newly discovered impact crater in Titan's Senkyo: Cassini VIMS observations and comparison with other impact features

Author

Philip D. Nicholson, Jason W. Barnes, Roger N. Clark, Christophe Sotin, Robert H. Brown, S. Le Mouélic, Jason M. Soderblom, K. J. Lawrence, Kevin H. Baines, and Bonnie J. Buratti

Subjects
symbols.namesake, Impact crater, Space and Planetary Science, symbols, Ejecta blanket, Fluvial, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mass wasting, Titan (rocket family), Geomorphology, Geology, Astrobiology, Plume
Abstract

Senkyo is an equatorial plain on Titan filled with dunes and surrounded by hummocky plateaus. During the Titan targeted flyby T61 on August 25, 2009, the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft observed a circular feature, centered at 5.4° N and 341°W, that superimposes the dune fields and a bright plateau. This circular feature, which has been named Paxsi by the International Astronomical Union, is 120±10 km in diameter (measured from the outer edge of the crater rim) and exhibits a central bright area that can be interpreted as the central peak or pit of an impact crater. Although there are only a handful of certain impact craters on Titan, there are two other craters that are of similar size to this newly discovered feature and that have been studied by VIMS: Sinlap ( Le Mouelic et al., 2008 ) and Selk ( Soderblom et al., 2010 ). Sinlap is associated with a large downwind, fan-like feature that may have been formed from an impact plume that rapidly expanded and deposited icy particles onto the surface. Although much of the surrounding region is covered with dunes, the plume region is devoid of dunes. The formation process of Selk also appears to have removed (or covered up) dunes from parts of the adjacent dune-filled terrain. The circular feature on Senkyo is quite different: there is no evidence of an ejecta blanket and the crater itself appears to be infilled with dune material. The rim of the crater appears to be eroded by fluvial processes; at one point the rim is breached. The rim is unusually narrow, which may be due to mass wasting on its inside and subsequent infill by dunes. Based on these observations, we interpret this newly discovered feature to be a more eroded crater than both Sinlap and Selk. Paxsi may have formed during a period when Titan was warmer and more ductile than it is currently.

Published
2012
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42. TandEM: Titan and Enceladus mission

Author

J. E. Blamont, Tobias Owen, Michael Küppers, Xenophon Moussas, Robert H. Brown, Nicole Schmitz, Sascha Kempf, C. Menor Salvan, T. W. Haltigin, Olivier Grasset, Roger V. Yelle, Wayne H. Pollard, Daniel Gautier, Paul R. Mahaffy, Joe Pitman, Iannis Dandouras, Daphne Stam, John C. Zarnecki, Bruno Sicardy, Georges Durry, Jesús Martínez-Frías, Norbert Krupp, S. Le Mouélic, Matthias Grott, Sébastien Lebonnois, T. Krimigis, Elizabeth P. Turtle, Alain Herique, Linda Spilker, Ralph D. Lorenz, Maria Teresa Capria, M. Combes, John F. Cooper, O. Mousis, Joachim Saur, Wlodek Kofman, J. Bouman, M. Paetzold, Hojatollah Vali, C. Dunford, Sushil K. Atreya, Eric Chassefière, I. de Pater, T. B. McCord, Bruno Bézard, Gabriel Tobie, Catherine D. Neish, M. Ruiz Bermejo, Sergei Pogrebenko, Kim Reh, Athena Coustenis, Ralf Jaumann, Angioletta Coradini, Leonid I. Gurvits, Andrew J. Coates, Tibor S. Balint, H. Hussmann, E. Choi, Ioannis A. Daglis, Edward C. Sittler, Emmanuel Lellouch, Robert A. West, L. Boireau, E.F. Young, Timothy A. Livengood, Cesar Bertucci, Martin G. Tomasko, M. Fujimoto, Ingo Müller-Wodarg, Yves Bénilan, Wing-Huen Ip, Marina Galand, Darrell F. Strobel, Cyril Szopa, Pascal Rannou, D. G. Mitchell, Mark Leese, Véronique Vuitton, P. Annan, Tetsuya Tokano, Caitlin A. Griffith, Conor A. Nixon, Stephen A. Ledvina, Karoly Szego, Andrew Morse, Panayotis Lavvas, Luisa Lara, C. de Bergh, Jonathan I. Lunine, R. A. Gowen, Katrin Stephan, Jianping Li, Glenn S. Orton, Michel Blanc, Esa Kallio, Ronan Modolo, M. Hirtzig, Helmut Lammer, Nicholas Achilleos, D. Nna Mvondo, Frank Sohl, M. Nakamura, Andrew Steele, C. C. Porco, Marcello Fulchignoni, Gordon L. Bjoraker, Olga Prieto-Ballesteros, J. J. López-Moreno, Andrew Dominic Fortes, Rafael Rodrigo, Patrice Coll, Francesca Ferri, François Raulin, Tom Spilker, F. J. Crary, J. H. Waite, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Thomas E. Cravens, Kevin H. Baines, C. P. McKay, L. Richter, D. Luz, David H. Atkinson, Martin Knapmeyer, Robert E. Johnson, D. Fairbrother, F. M. Flasar, Roland Thissen, Paul N. Romani, Sebastien Rodriguez, Urs Mall, Paul M. Schenk, Franck Hersant, R. Koop, Odile Dutuit, I. Vardavas, T. Kostiuk, Ricardo Amils, Konrad Schwingenschuh, Robert V. Frampton, Fritz M. Neubauer, Jan-Erik Wahlund, L. A. Soderblom, Michele K. Dougherty, Anna Milillo, Frank T. Robb, Bernard Schmitt, Christophe Sotin, Michel Cabane, A. Selig, Bernard Marty, Yves Langevin, Rosaly M. C. Lopes, Emmanuel T. Sarris, E. De Angelis, D. Toublanc, 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), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences [Ann Arbor] (AOSS), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Space and Atmospheric Physics Group [London], Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London-Imperial College London, Centro di Ateneo di Studi e Attività Spaziali 'Giuseppe Colombo' (CISAS), Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd), Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), University College of London [London] (UCL), Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE ERIC), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Department of Physics [Athens], National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), University of Cologne, Institute for Astronomy [Honolulu], University of Hawai‘i [Mānoa] (UHM), Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA (UMR_7583)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Uppsala] (IRF), Space Science Division [San Antonio], Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements (CESR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Academy of Athens, Observatoire de Paris - Site de Paris (OP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Bombardier Aerospace, Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Sensors and Software, University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), University of Kansas [Lawrence] (KU), National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Department of Astronomy [Berkeley], University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Service d'aéronomie (SA), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 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), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [Sagamihara] (JAXA), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], FORMATION STELLAIRE 2009, Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux (L3AB), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), Institute of Astronomy [Taiwan] (IANCU), National Central University [Taiwan] (NCU), University of Virginia [Charlottesville], Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Space Research Institute of Austrian Academy of Sciences (IWF), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics [Beijing] (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS)-Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS), National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Bear Fight Center, Univers, Transport, Interfaces, Nanostructures, Atmosphère et environnement, Molécules (UMR 6213) (UTINAM), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC), Lockheed Martin Space, Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute Baltimore, University of Maryland [Baltimore], Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), School of Earth and Environmental Sciences [Pullman], Washington State University (WSU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Universita degli Studi di Padova, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens = University of Athens (NKUA | UoA), Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), IMPEC - LATMOS, University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), McGill University, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Franche-Comté (UFC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), University of Virginia, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), and Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)

Subjects
Exploration of Saturn, Solar System, Cosmic Vision, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Computer science, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], TandEM, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, Astrobiology, Enceladus, Orbiter, symbols.namesake, law, Saturnian system, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Spacecraft, Tandem, business.industry, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Landing probes, Space and Planetary Science, symbols, Titan, business, Titan (rocket family)
Abstract

著者人数：156名, Accepted: 2008-05-27, 資料番号: SA1000998000

Published
2009
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43. Evolution of Titan and implications for its hydrocarbon cycle

Author

S. Le Mouélic, Gabriel Tobie, Jonathan I. Lunine, Olivier Bourgeois, Sébastien Lebonnois, L. Le Corre, Daniel Gautier, M. Choukroun, Christophe Sotin, Olivier Grasset, M Hirtzig, 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), Pôle Planétologie du LESIA, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)

Subjects
Argon, Methane clathrate, General Mathematics, General Engineering, General Physics and Astronomy, chemistry.chemical_element, Crust, Atmospheric sciences, Nitrogen, Methane, Astrobiology, chemistry.chemical_compound, symbols.namesake, Outgassing, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, chemistry, symbols, Environmental science, [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Titan (rocket family), Stratosphere, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Abstract

Measurements of the carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios as well as the detection of 40 Ar and 36 Ar by the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) instrument on board the Huygens probe have provided key constraints on the origin and evolution of Titan's atmosphere, and indirectly on the evolution of its interior. Those data combined with models of Titan's interior can be used to determine the story of volatile outgassing since Titan's formation. In the absence of an internal source, methane, which is irreversibly photodissociated in Titan's stratosphere, should be removed entirely from the atmosphere in a time-span of a few tens of millions of years. The episodic destabilization of methane clathrate reservoir stored within Titan's crust and subsequent methane outgassing could explain the present atmospheric abundance of methane, as well as the presence of argon in the atmosphere. The idea that methane is released from the interior through eruptive processes is also supported by the observations of several cryovolcanic-like features on Titan's surface by the mapping spectrometer (VIMS) and the radar on board Cassini. Thermal instabilities within the icy crust, possibly favoured by the presence of ammonia, may explain the observed features and provide the conditions for eruption of methane and other volatiles. Episodic resurfacing events associated with thermal and compositional instabilities in the icy crust can have major consequences on the hydrocarbon budget on Titan's surface and atmosphere.

Published
2008
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44. Analysis of OMEGA/Mars Express data hyperspectral data using a Multiple-Endmember Linear Spectral Unmixing Model (MELSUM): Methodology and first results

Author

Aline Gendrin, Patrick Pinet, L. Le Deit, Yves Langevin, Jean-Pierre Bibring, Patrick Launeau, J. Ph. Combe, S. Le Mouélic, John F. Mustard, Brigitte Gondet, and Christophe Sotin

Subjects
Endmember, Olivine, Thermal Emission Spectrometer, biology, Imaging spectrometer, Mineralogy, Hyperspectral imaging, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Patera, Geophysics, Mars Exploration Program, engineering.material, biology.organism_classification, Space and Planetary Science, Martian surface, engineering, Geology
Abstract

The mineralogical composition of the Martian surface is investigated by a Multiple-Endmember Linear Spectral Unmixing Model (MELSUM) of the Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activite (OMEGA) imaging spectrometer onboard Mars Express. OMEGA has fully covered the surface of the red planet at medium to low resolution (2–4 km per pixel). Several areas have been imaged at a resolution up to 300 m per pixel. One difficulty in the data processing is to extract the mineralogical composition, since rocks are mixtures of several components. MELSUM is an algorithm that selects the best linear combination of spectra among the families of minerals available in a reference library. The best fit of the observed spectrum on each pixel is calculated by the same unmixing equation used in the classical Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA). This study shows the importance of the choice of the input library, which contains in our case 24 laboratory spectra (endmembers) of minerals that cover the diversity of the mineral families that may be found on the Martian surface. The analysis is restricted to the 1.0–2.5 μm wavelength range. Grain size variations and atmospheric scattering by aerosols induce changes in overall albedo level and continuum slopes. Synthetic flat and pure slope spectra have therefore been included in the input mineral spectral endmembers library in order to take these effects into account. The selection process for the endmembers is a systematic exploration of whole set of combinations of four components plus the straight line spectra. When negative coefficients occur, the results are discarded. This strategy is successfully tested on the terrestrial Cuprite site (Nevada, USA), for which extensive ground observations exist. It is then applied to different areas on Mars including Syrtis Major, Aram Chaos and Olympia Undae near the North Polar Cap. MELSUM on Syrtis Major reveals a region dominated by mafic minerals, with the oldest crustal regions composed of a mixing between low-calcium pyroxenes (LCPs) (orthopyroxenes (OPx)) and high-calcium pyroxenes (HCPs) (clinopyroxenes (CPx)). The Syrtis volcanic edifice appears depleted in LCP (OPx) and enriched in HCP (CPx), which is consistent with materials produced with a lower partial fusion degree at an age younger to the surrounding crust. Strong olivine signatures are found between the two calderas Nili Patera and Meroe Patera and in Nili Fossae. A strong signature of iron oxides is found within Aram Chaos, with a spatial distribution also consistent with thermal emission spectrometer (TES). Gypsum is unambiguously detected in the northern polar region, in agreement with the study of Langevin et al. [2005. Sulfates in the north polar region of Mars detected by OMEGA/Mars Express. Science 307(5715), 1584–1586]. Our results show that the linear spectral unmixing provides good first order results in a variety of mineralogical contexts, and can therefore confidently be used on a wider scale to analyze the complete archive of OMEGA data.

Published
2008
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45. Composition of conglomerates analyzed by the Curiosity rover: Implications for Gale Crater crust and sediment sources

Author

Sylvestre Maurice, Cécile Fabre, Nicolas Mangold, Martin R. Fisk, Fred Calef, William Rapin, R. Gellert, Amy J. Williams, Olivier Gasnault, Gilles Dromart, Dawn Y. Sumner, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, Rebecca M. E. Williams, P.-Y. Meslin, S. Le Mouélic, Marisa C. Palucis, Kirsten L. Siebach, Agnes Cousin, Lucy M. Thompson, K. M. Stack, Diana L. Blaney, William E. Dietrich, L. Le Deit, Ryan B. Anderson, Olivier Forni, John P. Grotzinger, A. Yingst, H. E. Newsom, Kenneth S. Edgett, Violaine Sautter, Linda C. Kah, Scott M. McLennan, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Oregon State University (OSU), Department of Physics [Guelph], University of Guelph, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Stony Brook University [SUNY] (SBU), State University of New York (SUNY), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Department of Earth and Planetary Science [UC Berkeley] (EPS), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California, Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), University of California (UC), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), and Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Earth science, Geochemistry, sedimentary rocks, Mars, Igneous textures, 01 natural sciences, Conglomerate, Geochemistry and Petrology, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Felsic, fluvial, Crust, Gale Crater, Diagenesis, Igneous rock, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Clastic rock, Sedimentary rock, Geology
Abstract

International audience; The Curiosity rover has analyzed various detrital sedimentary rocks at Gale Crater, among which fluvial and lacustrine rocks are predominant. Conglomerates correspond both to the coarsest sediments analyzed and the least modified by chemical alteration, enabling us to link their chemistry to that of source rocks on the Gale Crater rims. In this study, we report the results of six conglomerate targets analyzed by Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer and 40 analyzed by ChemCam. The bulk chemistry derived by both instruments suggests two distinct end-members for the conglomerate compositions. The first group (Darwin type) is typical of conglomerates analyzed before sol 540; it has a felsic alkali-rich composition, with a Na2O/K2O\textgreater5. The second group (Kimberley type) is typical of conglomerates analyzed between sols 540 and 670 in the vicinity of the Kimberley waypoint; it has an alkali-rich potassic composition with Na2O/K2O\textless2. The variety of chemistry and igneous textures (when identifiable) of individual clasts suggest that each conglomerate type is a mixture of multiple source rocks. Conglomerate compositions are in agreement with most of the felsic alkali-rich float rock compositions analyzed in the hummocky plains. The average composition of conglomerates can be taken as a proxy of the average igneous crust composition at Gale Crater. Differences between the composition of conglomerates and that of finer-grained detrital sediments analyzed by the rover suggest modifications by diagenetic processes (especially for Mg enrichments in fine-grained rocks), physical sorting, and mixing with finer-grained material of different composition.

Published
2016
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46. COMETARY SCIENCE. 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface properties as derived from CIVA panoramic images

Author

J-P, Bibring, Y, Langevin, J, Carter, P, Eng, B, Gondet, L, Jorda, S, Le Mouélic, S, Mottola, C, Pilorget, F, Poulet, and M, Vincendon

Abstract

The structure and composition of cometary constituents, down to their microscopic scale, are critical witnesses of the processes and ingredients that drove the formation and evolution of planetary bodies toward their present diversity. On board Rosetta's lander Philae, the Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser (CIVA) experiment took a series of images to characterize the surface materials surrounding the lander on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Images were collected twice: just after touchdown, and after Philae finally came to rest, where it acquired a full panorama. These images reveal a fractured surface with complex structure and a variety of grain scales and albedos, possibly constituting pristine cometary material.

Published
2015

47. In situ evidence for continental crust on early Mars

Author

David T. Vaniman, Edward M. Stolper, Olivier Forni, Jérémie Lasue, Nicolas Mangold, H. E. Newsom, James J. Wray, John Bridges, S. Le Mouélic, William Rapin, L. Le Deit, Sylvestre Maurice, Agnes Cousin, Cécile Fabre, P. Y. Meslin, Patrick Pinet, Olivier Gasnault, Ann Ollila, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel M. Clegg, V. Sautter, Pierre Beck, Nina Lanza, D. Dyar, Martin R. Fisk, M. Toplis, Museum Histoire Naturelle de Paris, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), GeoRessources, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Chevron Energy Technology Company, Space Research Centre [Leicester], University of Leicester, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Corvallis] (CEOAS), Oregon State University (OSU), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Albuquerque] (EPS), The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque], Mount Holyoke College, Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Georgia Institute of Technology [Atlanta], Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Dynamique terrestre et planétaire (DTP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Technologies et systèmes d'information pour les agrosystèmes (UR TSCF), Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], Institute of Meteoritics [Albuquerque] (IOM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG ), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre de recherches sur la géologie des matières premières minérales et énergétiques (CREGU)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Basalt, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Continental crust, Volcanology, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, Crust, 15. Life on land, 01 natural sciences, Diorite, Porphyritic, Igneous rock, Paleontology, Geochemistry, Meteorite, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Inner planets, 0103 physical sciences, Magmatism, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Petrology
Abstract

International audience; Understanding of the geologic evolution of Mars has been greatly improved by recent orbital(1-3), in situ(4,5) and meteorite(6-8) data, but insights into the earliest period of Martian magmatism (4.1 to 3.7 billion years ago) remain scarce(9). The landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover, Gale crater, which formed 3.61 billion years ago(10) within older terrain(11), provides a window into this earliest igneous history. Along its traverse, Curiosity has discovered light-toned rocks that contrast with basaltic samples found in younger regions(12). Here we present geochemical data and images of 22 specimens analysed by Curiosity that demonstrate that these light-toned materials are feldspar-rich magmatic rocks. The rocks belong to two distinct geochemical types: alkaline compositions containing up to 67 wt% SiO2 and 14 wt% total alkalis (Na2O + K2O) with fine-grained to porphyritic textures on the one hand, and coarser-grained textures consistent with quartz diorite and granodiorite on the other hand. Our analysis reveals unexpected magmatic diversity and the widespread presence of silica- and feldspar-rich materials in the vicinity of the landing site at Gale crater. Combined with the identification of feldspar-rich rocks elsewhere(9,13,14) and the low average density of the crust in the Martian southern hemisphere(15), we conclude that silica-rich magmatic rocks may constitute a significant fraction of ancient Martian crust and may be analogous to the earliest continental crust on Earth.

Published
2015
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48. 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface properties as derived from CIVA panoramic images

Author

Laurent Jorda, Francois Poulet, S. Le Mouélic, Stefano Mottola, Mathieu Vincendon, C. Pilorget, Brigitte Gondet, J. P. Bibring, John Carter, P. Eng, Yves Langevin, Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (IAS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), and Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Surface (mathematics), Multidisciplinary, 67P, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Panorama, [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Comet, CIVA, 01 natural sciences, Philae, Astrobiology, On board, comet, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, surface properties, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Geology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

International audience; The structure and composition of cometary constituents, down to their microscopic scale, are critical witnesses of the processes and ingredients that drove the formation and evolution of planetary bodies toward their present diversity. On board Rosetta's lander Philae, the Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser (CIVA) experiment took a series of images to characterize the surface materials surrounding the lander on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Images were collected twice: just after touchdown, and after Philae finally came to rest, where it acquired a full panorama. These images reveal a fractured surface with complex structure and a variety of grain scales and albedos, possibly constituting pristine cometary material.

Published
2015
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49. Spectral characterization of weathering products of elemental iron in a Martian atmosphere: Implications for Mars hyperspectral studies

Author

S. Le Mouélic, Daniel Borschneck, R. Roy, Pierre-Etienne Mathé, Vincent Chevrier, Pierre Rochette, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), and Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Spectral signature, Goethite, Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Analytical chemistry, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Weathering, Mars Exploration Program, Atmosphere of Mars, 01 natural sciences, Spectral line, Astrobiology, Siderite, chemistry.chemical_compound, Ferrihydrite, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, visual_art, 0103 physical sciences, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Surfaces continentales, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopic properties have been measured on elemental iron experimentally weathered in simulated Martian atmosphere and correlated to mineralogical compositions determined by X-ray diffraction. Two main features are observed in the reflectance spectra, corresponding to two deep bands located at 0.9 and 3.1 μm, respectively the iron band and the hydration band. In early weathering stages both Fe2+ and Fe3+ bands are identified. In addition, whereas the water band position does not change with time, the Fe2+ band disappears, and the Fe3+ band shifts towards longer wavelength (from 0.88 to 0.92 μm) because of transition from Fe2+ phases (siderite) to Fe3+ phases (ferrihydrite and goethite). Apart from these spectral signatures, other bands more specific of each phase are not clearly evidenced, especially for siderite. This is due to relatively low abundance of siderite (

Published
2006
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50. A systematic intercalibration tool between multiband imaging and spot spectra datasets

Author

S. Le Mouélic, S. D. Chevrel, Patrick Pinet, and Y. Daydou

Subjects
Set (abstract data type), Wavelength, Space and Planetary Science, Consistency (statistics), Computer science, Multispectral image, Degrees of freedom (statistics), Calibration, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Imaging data, Spectral line, Remote sensing
Abstract

A method has been developed to combine multiband imaging data with independent spot spectra. The method requires in input approximate spot sizes and locations within the image field, and the degrees of freedom on the spectra positioning and spot sizes. The algorithm determines the optimized solution among the overall set of possibilities. The method can be applied to both reflectance and scaled spectra. Sets of well-documented telescopic spectra have been used to produce refined calibration of Clementine UVVIS-NIR images on several lunar regions: Aristarchus, Apollo 17 and Reiner Gamma. The implementation of this methodology permits to reach a very high consistency between independent datasets of reference spectra and multispectral images, with absolute residuals less than 0.01 for each wavelength. In a broader use, it provides a systematic tool for assessing the level of maximal consistency between two independent observational datasets, taking into consideration both the instrumental and positioning uncertainties. It has immediate applications for intercalibration purposes, with the prospect of deriving an advanced determination of planetary regolith optical properties.

Published
2003
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