Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.2735k&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #27.35; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.1297
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We report results on Titan’s ionosphere from the first two Titan radio occultations of the Cassini spacecraft which took place on March 19 and May 20, 2006. The latitudes of the occultations were 29 S on entry and 49 S on exit for the first one, and 32 S and 34 S for the second one. The Cassini radio science system is unprecedented in having three frequencies that can operate simultaneously: S-band (2.3 GHz), X-band (8.4 GHz), and Ka-band (32 GHz). In particular, Ka-band has never been used before to probe Titan’s ionosphere, and the signal-to-noise ratios at all frequencies of 42, 54, and 48 dB-Hz., respectively, have never before been achieved before. The measurements were made close to the terminator, and the observed peak electron densities varied from about 1.2 to 1.8x103 cm-3, at an altitude near 1200 km. These density values are somewhat lower than the one Voyager occultation result and the average Cassini Langmuir probe values. The possible reasons for these differences will be examined and discussed.
Anabtawi Aseel
Cravens Thomas E.
Flasar Michael F.
French Richard G.
Kliore Arvydas J.
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