SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER WINTER 2016 W Space Science Institute Newsletter THE CARINA NEBULA IMAGE CREDIT: NASA, ESA/ STSCI IN THIS ISSUE NCIL News… Big News in Astronomy Conference Highlights: Clouds Over Martian DPS, AGU and AAS Low Latitudes! By Dr. Karly Pitman, Executive Director Submitted by Dr. Todd Clancy – SSI NC While the rest of the world is Over the past two slowing down around the holidays, decades, the our scientists kick into high gear in importance of the winter months submitting grant clouds in Mars’ proposals, judging others’ proposals atmosphere has at review panels, and traveling to been established present results at national and through new More on Page 6… international conferences. This year, observations and Cassini Completes Final Close conference season kicked off with the modeling. A Enceladus Flyby! American Astronomical Society’s variety of cloud Division for Planetary Sciences forms reflects the (DPS) held Nov. 8-13, 2015 at the variety in Gaylord National Resort and saturation Figure 1. CRISM color Convention Center in National conditions (e.g. limb image of CO2 Harbor, MD. More on Page 10 atmospheric clouds – credit page 3. temperatures) and dynamical forcing ranging from local to global conditions. This range of behaviors spans narrow vertical pipes of uplift that force high altitude More on Page 2… perihelion (nearest to the Sun) cloud trails in the warm orbital phase of the Covering science news around Mars atmosphere, to the global low Boulder! latitude gird of the aphelion (farthest More on Page 5… from the Sun) cloud belt in the cold orbital phase of the Mars atmosphere. More on Page 3… Karly Pitman and Carl Wuth at AAS Picture Credit: Lynne Valencic (JHU) SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016 2 Cassini Completes Final surprising geologic activity in 2005, Frozen Fractures - During its final close Cassini made a series of discoveries flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus, Close Enceladus Flyby about the material gushing from NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view featuring the nearly parallel furrows By Preston Dyches/CICLOPS Team warm fractures near its south pole. and ridges of the feature named Scientists announced strong evidence Samarkand Sulci. Credits: NASA/JPL- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun for a regional subsurface sea in 2014, Caltech/Space Science Institute. transmitting data and images from the revising their understanding in 2015 mission's final close flyby of Saturn's to confirm that the moon hosts a active moon Enceladus. Cassini global ocean beneath its icy crust. passed Enceladus at a distance of 3,106 miles (4,999 kilometers) on The new views are available at Saturday, Dec. 19, at 9:49 a.m. PST (12:49 p.m. EST). http://www.ciclops.org/view_event/2 29 "This final Enceladus flyby elicits After revealing Enceladus' surprising feelings of both sadness and geologic activity in 2005, Cassini triumph," said Earl Maize, Cassini made a series of discoveries about project manager at JPL. "While we're the material gushing from warm sad to have the close flybys behind Ice and Atmosphere - NASA's Cassini spacecraft fractures near its south pole. us, we've placed the capstone on an paused during its final close flyby of Enceladus Scientists announced strong incredible decade of investigating one to focus on the icy moon's craggy, dimly lit limb, evidence for a regional subsurface with the planet Saturn beyond. NASA/JPL/SSI. of the most intriguing bodies in the sea in 2014, revising their solar system." understanding in 2015 to confirm that the moon hosts a global ocean Cassini will continue to monitor beneath its icy crust. activity on Enceladus from a distance, through the end of its mission in Sep. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a 2017. Future encounters will be much cooperative project of NASA, the farther away -- at closest, more than European Space Agency and the four times farther than this latest Italian Space Agency. The Jet encounter. Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of This was the 22nd Enceladus Technology in Pasadena, manages the encounter of Cassini's mission. The Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's spacecraft's discovery of geologic Science Mission Directorate, activity there, not long after arriving Washington. The Cassini orbiter and Features of the North - NASA's Cassini at Saturn, prompted changes to the spacecraft peered out over the northern its two onboard cameras were mission's flight plan to maximize the territory on Saturn's moon Enceladus, designed, developed and assembled at capturing this view of two different terrain number and quality of flybys of the JPL. The imaging team consists of types. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space icy moon. scientists from the U.S., England, Science Institute. France, and Germany. The imaging "We bid a poignant goodbye to our operations center and team leader close views of this amazing icy (Dr. C. Porco) are based at the Space world," said Linda Spilker, the Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. mission's project scientist at NASA's For more info see Jet Propulsion Laboratory in http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and Pasadena, California. "Cassini has http://www.nasa.gov/cassini. made so many breathtaking discoveries about Enceladus, yet so much more remains to be done to CASSINI ISS INSTRUMENT answer that pivotal question, 'Does OPERATIONS AT SSI this tiny ocean world harbor life?'" For more about what the SSI Cassini ISS team members are up to on a regular After revealing Enceladus' basis, and Dr. Carolyn Porco’s Captain’s Log, please check out: www.ciclops.org SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016 3 these clouds at the Mars atmospheric High Altitude CO2 Clouds limb, as observed in May 2014. Over Martian Low Latitudes In early September 2014, a By: Dr. Todd Clancy – SSI North Carolina remarkably bright set of these (Continued from Page 1) mesospheric CO2 ice clouds spanning 20oS to 10oN was simultaneously In all cases, visible (i.e., sun-lighted observed by CRISM on the limb and as opposed to polar night) Mars in color nadir (down-looking) images clouds are composed of fine H O ice 2 with the MRO MARCI particles, as water vapor is most ultraviolet/visible global camera. likely to condense under typical (non- Figure 2 presents CRISM visible-to- polar winter) Mars atmospheric near-infrared spectra of these clouds, temperatures. However, a new style which determines both the CO ice of Mars cloud associated with 2 composition and variable particle condensation of the bulk CO 2 sizes for these 50-70 km altitude atmosphere (i.e., “dry ice”) at Figure 3. Wispy mesospheric (65 km) CO2 ice clouds. equatorial high altitudes was first clouds on Mars, as imaged by MARCI on September 4, 2015 (and as observed by proposed in 1998 and subsequently CRISM in figure 2). The image color observed from a range of Mars registration is set at the altitude of these spacecraft beginning in 2004. These clouds, such that the individual RBG color images are offset for the Mars surface. mesospheric (50-100 km altitudes) Credit: Malin Space Science Systems. CO2 clouds form within extremely cold atmospheric temperature minima (-270°F) generated by upper level Amazon Smile! thermal tides and gravity waves. Want to help SSI earn extra They are perhaps the most seasonally funding while you are doing your and spatially specific of Mars clouds, 2016 shopping? Use the link but their specific saturation and below to get to AmazonSmile physical properties are only recently and select Space Science Institute becoming apparent. Figure 2. CRISM limb spectra of mesospheric CO2 as your charity of choice! As a clouds observed on September 4, 2015. The lack of result, SSI will earn an extra 0.5% Figure 1. CRISM H2O and dust spectral absorptions indicates a cloud color limb image of CO2 composition. Variations in spectral shapes from each purchase you make. CO2 clouds indicate cloud particle radii ranging from 0.7 to 1.5 μm. observed on May Credits: APL/JHU. smile.amazon.com 27, 2014; at 60 km, 10oS, 75oW. The top Figure 3 presents the MARCI image o o o of the aphelion H2O strip, spanning a 20 S-10 N, 15 E- ice cloud belt is o apparent at the 15 W region, incorporating the bottom of the CRISM field-of-view, and indicating figure. The full the extended horizontal distribution CRISM spectra of these clouds. The MARCI image (figure 3) distinguish these demonstrates the cirrus-like distinct H2O and morphology and distinct wave CO2 cloud structures that characterize the compositions. Credits: APL/JHU. dynamical forcing of these mesospheric, equatorial CO clouds. 2 Be sure to tell your family and In concert with the microphysical Since December of 2013, the CRISM friends as well…the more we earn, imaging spectrometer (visible-to-near constraints provided by the coincident CRISM spectra (figure 2), the more flexibility we have to infrared wavelengths, 0.4-4.0 μm) on continue the great work you have board the Mars Reconnaissance these unique MRO combined limb- Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft has nadir measurements of Mars all come to know and love. obtained diagnostic limb scans of mesospheric CO2 clouds supports the most diagnostic study of cloud these mesospheric CO2 clouds. Figure 1 presents a visible color image of formation to date. SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2016 4 Mars and Pluto are not so Pluto is equal to 248 Earth years. team meetings and caucuses. The Similar to Mars, Pluto’s polar ice emerging theme resonating amongst different after all. caps may be losing ice and By: Dr. Alexey Pankine – SSI California us was how exciting the year 2015 completely disappearing during was in planetary science, especially Despite huge differences between summer and reappearing again in for small worlds and fresh new winter.