Titan aerosol analogues: analysis of the nonvolatile tholins

Laboratory experiments that produced tholins in a simulated Titan atmosphere were conducted. We report the first systematic analyses of these compounds using Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The findings suggest surprising simplicity and nonrandomness in the mass distribution and regularity in species clusters. The degree of unsaturation generally increased with increasing molecular weight in a predictable fashion, and nitrogen is proposed as the dominant carrier of unsaturation. In detected compounds with a general formula of C(x)H(y)N(z), the carbon to nitrogen ratio (x/z) varied only slightly within a narrow limit, and decreased with increasing molecular weights. These compounds are of potential prebiotic interest since they sediment to the surface of Titan, and would dissolve readily in transient aqueous pools that might be generated from time to time by impacts and volcanic     

Performance and early results from the stratospheric and mesospheric sounder (SAMS) on Nimbus 7

The design and performance of SAMS, an infrared limb-scanning instrument for sounding the temperature and composition of the atmosphere from 15 to 150 km altitude, are reviewed. Some examples of preliminary results on temperature and water vapour and nitrous oxide abundance versus latitude and height are presented.     

Current US remote sensing policies: opportunities and challenges

This article examines recent progress in US land remote sensing policies by reviewing the evolution of policy on commercial imaging satellites from 1992 to the present and charting developments in the Landsat programme. Key features of the new (2003) commercial remote sensing policy are described, which go far in addressing the ambiguities of the earlier (PDD-23) framework that, in practice, hampered development of a commercial industry. In the case of Landsat, problems, particularly those of assured data provision, remain. The key to solving them lies in integrating civil, military and commercial elements more coherently, rather than considering them in isolation.     

The USA and international competition in space transportation

This article discusses the crisis facing the USA in the formulation of its space transportation policy, within the context of its overall national space policy. The author examines developments in international space transportation from 1982 to 1992, and the failure of US policies to meet foreign commercial competition in space launches. Two goals have emerged from the US policy debate: to achieve assured access to space, and to reduce the costs of sending payloads to orbit. Both goals need to be faced within the context of a wider commitment by government and private industry to space investment.     

Collision Probabilities for Keplerian Orbits

We present a new derivation of the probability of collisions between spherical satellites occupying Keplerian orbits. The equations follow from the central concept of the instantaneous collision rate, an expression that describes the occurrence of collisions by using a Dirac -function. The derivation proceeds by showing how this instantaneous collision rate can be averaged over orbital mean anomaly angles and, additionally, over orbital precession angles to generate expressions appropriate for intermediate and long time scales. Collision rates averaged over mean anomalies tend to be non-zero during relatively brief collision seasons, when the peak collision probability may exceed the long-term average by several orders of magnitude. Derived precession-angle averages have a functional form similar but not identical to the collision probability expression derived using the spatial density approach of Kessler (Icarus, 48: 39–48, 1981), and the two methods have been found to yield numerical results to within 1% for all cases examined.     

The Mercury Dual Imaging System on the MESSENGER Spacecraft

The Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft will provide critical measurements tracing Mercury’s origin and evolution. MDIS consists of a monochrome narrow-angle camera (NAC) and a multispectral wide-angle camera (WAC). The NAC is a 1.5° field-of-view (FOV) off-axis reflector, coaligned with the WAC, a four-element refractor with a 10.5° FOV and 12-color filter wheel. The focal plane electronics of each camera are identical and use a 1,024×1,024 Atmel (Thomson) TH7888A charge-coupled device detector. Only one camera operates at a time, allowing them to share a common set of control electronics. The NAC and the WAC are mounted on a pivoting platform that provides a 90° field-of-regard, extending 40° sunward and 50° anti-sunward from the spacecraft +Z-axis—the boresight direction of most of MESSENGER’s instruments. Onboard data compression provides capabilities for pixel binning, remapping of 12-bit data into 8 bits, and lossless or lossy compression. MDIS will acquire four main data sets at Mercury during three flybys and the two-Mercury-solar-day nominal mission: a monochrome global image mosaic at near-zero emission angles and moderate incidence angles, a stereo-complement map at off-nadir geometry and near-identical lighting, multicolor images at low incidence angles, and targeted high-resolution images of key surface features. These data will be used to construct a global image base map, a digital terrain model, global maps of color properties, and mosaics of high-resolution image strips. Analysis of these data will provide information on Mercury’s impact history, tectonic processes, the composition and emplacement history of volcanic materials, and the thickness distribution and compositional variations of crustal materials. This paper summarizes MDIS’s science objectives and technical design, including the common payload design of the MDIS data processing units, as well as detailed results from ground and early flight calibrations and plans for Mercury image products to be generated from MDIS data.     

The Radio Frequency Subsystem and Radio Science on the MESSENGER Mission

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) Radio Frequency (RF) Telecommunications Subsystem is used to send commands to the spacecraft, transmit information on the state of the spacecraft and science-related observations, and assist in navigating the spacecraft to and in orbit about Mercury by providing precise observations of the spacecraft’s Doppler velocity and range in the line of sight to Earth. The RF signal is transmitted and received at X-band frequencies (7.2 GHz uplink, 8.4 GHz downlink) by the NASA Deep Space Network. The tracking data from MESSENGER will contribute significantly to achieving the mission’s geophysics objectives. The RF subsystem, as the radio science instrument, will help determine Mercury’s gravitational field and, in conjunction with the Mercury Laser Altimeter instrument, help determine the topography of the planet. Further analysis of the data will improve the knowledge of the planet’s orbital ephemeris and rotation state. The rotational state determination includes refined measurements of the obliquity and forced physical libration, which are necessary to characterize Mercury’s core state.     

Rapid impactor sample return (RISR) mission scenario

Due to the long lead time and great expense of traditional sample return mission plans to Mars or other astronomical bodies, there is a need for a new and innovative way to return materials, potentially at a lower cost. The Rapid Impactor Sample Return (RISR) mission is one such proposal. The general mission scenario involves a single pass of Mars, a Martian moon or an asteroid at high speeds (7 km/s), with the sample return vehicle skimming just 1 or 2 m above a high point (such as a top ridge on Olympus Mons on Mars) and releasing an impactor. The impactor strikes the ground, throwing up debris. The debris with roughly the same forward velocity will be captured by the sample return vehicle and returned to Earth. There is no delay or orbit in the vicinity of Mars or the asteroid: RISR is a one-pass mission. This paper discusses some of the details of the proposal. Calculations are presented that address the question of how much material can be recovered with this technique. There are concerns about the effect of Mars tenuous atmosphere. However, it will be noted that such issues do not occur for RISR style missions to Phobos, Deimos, or asteroids and Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Recent test results in the missile defense community (IFTs 6–8 in 2001, 2002) have scored direct hits at better than 1 m accuracy with closing velocities of 7.6 km/s, giving the belief that accuracy and sensing issues are developed to a point that the RISR mission scenario is feasible.     

Effects of simulated space radiation on immunoassay components for life-detection experiments in planetary exploration missions

Abstract The Life Marker Chip (LMC) instrument is part of the proposed payload on the ESA ExoMars rover that is scheduled for launch in 2018. The LMC will use antibody-based assays to detect molecular signatures of life in samples obtained from the shallow subsurface of Mars. For the LMC antibodies, the ability to resist inactivation due to space particle radiation (both in transit and on the surface of Mars) will therefore be a prerequisite. The proton and neutron components of the mission radiation environment are those that are expected to have the dominant effect on the operation of the LMC. Modeling of the radiation environment for a mission to Mars led to the calculation of nominal mission fluences for proton and neutron radiation. Various combinations and multiples of these values were used to demonstrate the effects of radiation on antibody activity, primarily at the radiation levels envisaged for the ExoMars mission as well as at much higher levels. Five antibodies were freeze-dried in a variety of protective molecular matrices and were exposed to various radiation conditions generated at a cyclotron facility. After exposure, the antibodies' ability to bind to their respective antigens was assessed and found to be unaffected by ExoMars mission level radiation doses. These experiments indicated that the expected radiation environment of a Mars mission does not pose a significant risk to antibodies packaged in the form anticipated for the LMC instrument. Key Words: Life-detection instruments-Planetary habitability and biosignatures-Radiation-Mars-Life in extreme environments. Astrobiology 12, 718-729.