Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.4921a&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #49.21; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Entry probe missions to the outer planets are essential to constrain models of solar system formation and the origin and evolution of atmospheres, to provide a basis for comparative studies of the gas and ice giants, and to provide a valuable link to extrasolar planetary systems. It is within the deep, well-mixed atmospheres and interiors of the giant planets that material from the epoch of solar system formation can be found, providing clues to the local chemical and physical conditions existing at the time and location at which each planet formed. The giant planets therefore offer a laboratory for studying the atmospheric chemistries, dynamics, and interiors of all the planets, including Earth.
A shallow entry probe mission to Saturn carrying a Neutral Mass Spectrometer, Atmospheric Structure Instrument, and ultrastable oscillator can provide the composition, structure, and dynamics of Saturn's upper troposphere. The key measurement for a Saturn probe mission is the composition of the well-mixed atmosphere below the cloud layers, including the heavy elements C, N, O, and S, the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and their isotopes, isotope ratios 15N/14N, 13C/12C and D/H, and disequilibrium species such as PH3, AsH3, GeH4 as tracers of internal processes. A precise determination of the helium abundance is required for the formation models. Moreover, helium sedimentation could provide significant indigenous energy at Saturn, thus a measurement of the He abundance in Saturn's atmosphere and its comparison with the value at Jupiter determined by the Galileo Probe is important for understanding the process of internal heat generation in the gas giant planets. All of above species can be accessed and measured by entry probes at pressures less than 10 bars at Saturn, with the exception of oxygen whose gradient with depth can be determined from H2O.
Atkinson David H.
Atreya Sushil K.
Balint Tibor S.
Beebe Reta
Colaprete Anthony
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