Martian atmosphere as observed by VIRTIS-M on Rosetta spacecraft
Angioletta Coradini
(1)
,
Davide Grassi
(1)
,
Fabrizio Capaccioni
(2)
,
Gianrico Filacchione
(2)
,
Federico Tosi
(1)
,
Eleonora Ammannito
(1)
,
Maria Cristina de Sanctis
(2)
,
Vittorio Formisano
(1)
,
Paulina Wolkenberg
(1)
,
Giovanna Rinaldi
(1)
,
Gabriele Arnold
(3)
,
Maria Antonella Barucci
(4, 5)
,
Giancarlo Bellucci
(1)
,
Johann Benkhoff
(6)
,
Jean-Pierre Bibring
(7)
,
A. Blanco
(8)
,
Dominique Bockelée-Morvan
(4, 5)
,
Maria Teresa Capria
(1)
,
Robert Carlson
(9)
,
U. Carsenty
(3)
,
Priscilla Cerroni
(1)
,
Luigi Colangeli
(10)
,
Michel Combes
(4, 5)
,
M. Combi
(11)
,
Jacques Crovisier
(4, 5)
,
Pierre Drossart
(4, 5)
,
Thérèse Encrenaz
(4, 5)
,
Stéphane Erard
(4, 5)
,
C. Federico
(12)
,
Uwe Fink
(13)
,
Sergio Fonti
(8)
,
W. Ip
(14)
,
Patrick G. J. Irwin
(15)
,
Ralf Jaumann
(3)
,
Ekkehard Kuehrt
(3)
,
Yves Langevin
(7)
,
G. Magni
(2)
,
Thomas B. Mccord
(16)
,
Vito Mennella
(10)
,
Stefano Mottola
(3)
,
Gerhard Neukum
(3)
,
Vincenzo Orofino
(8)
,
Pasquale Palumbo
(17)
,
Giuseppe Piccioni
(1)
,
Heike Rauer
(3)
,
Bernard Schmitt
(18)
,
Didier Tiphene
(4, 5)
,
Frederic W. Taylor
(15)
,
Gian Paolo Tozzi
(19)
1
IFSI -
Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario
2 IASF-Roma - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica - Roma
3 DLR - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
4 Observatoire de Paris
5 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique
6 ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
7 IAS - Institut d'astrophysique spatiale
8 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Lecce
9 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
10 INAF-OAC - INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte
11 AOSS - Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science Department, University of Michigan
12 UNIPG - Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia
13 LPL - Department of Planetary Sciences, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
14 Graduate Institute of Astronomy
15 AOPP - Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford]
16 Bear Fight Center, Space Science Institute, Winthrop
17 Dipartimento di Scienze Applicate, Università Parthenope di Napoli
18 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble
19 INAF-OAA - INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
2 IASF-Roma - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica - Roma
3 DLR - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
4 Observatoire de Paris
5 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique
6 ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
7 IAS - Institut d'astrophysique spatiale
8 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Lecce
9 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
10 INAF-OAC - INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte
11 AOSS - Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science Department, University of Michigan
12 UNIPG - Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia
13 LPL - Department of Planetary Sciences, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
14 Graduate Institute of Astronomy
15 AOPP - Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford]
16 Bear Fight Center, Space Science Institute, Winthrop
17 Dipartimento di Scienze Applicate, Università Parthenope di Napoli
18 LPG - Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble
19 INAF-OAA - INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
Abstract
The Rosetta spacecraft accomplished a flyby of Mars on its way to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 25 February 2007. In this paper we describe the measurements obtained by the M channel of the Visual and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS-M) and the first scientific results derived from their analysis. The broad spectral coverage of the VIRTIS-M in the IR permitted the study of various phenomena occurring in the Martian atmosphere; observations were further exploited to achieve accurate absolute radiometric calibration. Nighttime data from the VIRTIS-M constrain the air temperature profile in the lower atmosphere (5-30 km), using variations in CO2 opacity at 4.3 mum. A comparison of this data with the global circulation model (GCM) by Forget et al. (1999) shows a trend of slightly higher air temperature in the VIRTIS-M retrievals; this is accompanied by the presence of moderate decreases (˜5 K) in large sections of the equatorial region. This is potentially related to the occurrence of water ice clouds. Daytime data from the VIRTIS-M reveal CO2 non-local thermodynamic equilibrium emission in the high atmosphere. A mapping of emission intensity confirms its strict dependence on solar zenith angle. Additionally, devoted limb observations allowed the retrieval of vertical emission intensity profiles, indicating a peak around 105 km in southern tropical regions. Ozone content can be effectively monitored by the emission of O2 (a1Deltag) at 1.27 mum. Retrieved emission intensity shows that polar regions are particularly rich in ozone. Aerosol scattering was observed in the 1-2.5 mum region above the night region above the night disk, suggesting the occurrence of very high noctilucent clouds.
Domains
Astrophysics [astro-ph]
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Journal of Geophysical Research Planets - 2010 - Coradini - Martian atmosphere as observed by VIRTIS%u2010M on Rosetta.pdf (1.21 Mo)
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