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Martonchik, J. V.

Publications and source records attributed to Martonchik, J. V..

50 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Airborne spectroscopy and spacecraft radiometry of Venus in the far infrared

The first spectral observations of the Venus disk in the 110 to 270 per cm spectral range are reported, made from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory in mid-March 1979, some three months following the start of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter mission. The instrumentation and its differences from earlier flight hardware is discussed. The brightness temperature was 275 K near 110/cm, dropping to 230 K near 270/cm. Radiance calculations, using temperature and cloud structure formation from the Pioneer Venus mission and including gaseous absorption by the collision-induced dipole of CO2, yield results consistently brighter than the observations. The atmospheric environment is reviewed with regard to the FIR opacity and possible particle distribution modifications are discussed. It is concluded that the most likely possibility for supplementing the FIR opacity is a population of large particles in the upper cloud with number densities less than one particle per cu cm which has remained undetected by in situ measurements.

Aumann, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Structure and meteorology of the middle atmosphere of Venus Infrared remote sensing from the Pioneer orbiter

The results of the Pioneer Venus orbiter radiometric temperature-sounding experiment are presented with examples of each of the primary data products. The measured temperature field is used to model the dynamics of the middle atmosphere from 60 to 140 km, and the thermal and solar fluxes are used to calculate the planetary radiation budget. The data for the diurnal variation of temperature at a given height show fairly small amplitudes up to an altitude of about 95 km, above which the day to night contrast increases rapidly with height. At the equator the dependence of temperature in the stratosphere on solar longitude is dominated by a wave number 2 solar tide with an amplitude of about 10 K. The equator to pole gradients are larger than expected, and the stratosphere is typically 15 to 20 K warmer at the pole than at the equator. The most significant discovery concerning the cloud morphology is a dipole structure consisting of two clearings in the cloud at locations straddling the pole and rotating around it every 2.7 days.

Taylor, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Infrared remote sensing of the atmosphere of Venus from the Pioneer 12 Orbiter

The Pioneer 12 spacecraft, which was placed into orbit about Venus on 4 December 1978, carried a multispectral radiometer designed to investigate the structure and meteorological properties of the middle atmosphere (60 to 140 km). This paper reviews the experiment concept, the design, implementation and calibration of the hardware, and the preliminary scientific results from data obtained through 14 February 1979.

Taylor, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Temperature, cloud structure, and dynamics of Venus middle atmosphere by infrared remote sensing from Pioneer Orbiter

Further results from the Venus Orbiter radiometric temperature experiment (VORTEX) on the Pioneer Orbiter are presented. These are used to characterize the three-dimensional temperature field, the cloud structure, and the dynamics of the 60- to 130-kilometer altitude region of the Venus atmosphere. One of the new discoveries is a 'dipole' structure at high latitudes, with two hot spots rotating around the pole, surrounded by banks of cold cloud.

Taylor, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Infrared remote sounding of the middle atmosphere of Venus from the Pioneer orbiter

Orbiter infrared measurements of the Venus atmosphere in the 60to 140-kilometer region show very small diurnal temperature differences near the cloud tops, increasing somewhat at higher levels. The seasonal (that is, equator to pole) contrasts are an order of magnitude larger, and the temperatures unexpectedly increase with increasing latitude below 80 kilometers. An isothermal layer at least two scale heights in vertical extent is found near the 100-kilometer altitude, where the temperature is about 175 K. Structure is present in the cloud temperature maps on a range of spatial scales. The most striking is at high latitude, where contrasts of nearly 50 K are observed between a cold circumpolar band and the region near the pole itself.

Taylor, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Pioneer Venus infrared radiometer - Design, implementation and preliminary results

The paper discusses the Pioneer Venus infrared radiometer design and operation. Its main function is to measure the thermal emission from the atmosphere at seven pressure levels above the Venus clouds, allowing a determination of the vertical temperature structure. In addition to the temperature sounding channels, there are two channels operating in the visible and near infrared to study the structure of the upper clouds, and a far infrared channel sensitive to water vapor in and above the clouds. The instrument can operate in four modes including a calibration sequence; by utilizing the spinning action of the spacecraft and short integration times, a substantial portion of the planet can be mapped within a 90 min data taking period centered about periapsis time. Temperature profiles retrieved during the course of the mission will clarify the dynamical processes in the upper atmosphere.

Martonchik, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Analysis of spectrophotometric observations of Venus in the 3-4 micron region

Spectrophotometric data of Venus in the 3-4 micron region are analyzed in the context of current ideas concerning cloud properties. The results show that a homogeneous cloud model, using a unimodal particle size distribution compatible with the results of previous polarization studies, cannot satisfactorily explain the infrared observations. Assuming a composition of 75% H2SO4, agreement is possible if an upper layer of smaller particles is added to the homogeneous cloud. This inhomogeneous cloud structure, however, is not in agreement with the polarization results. Other models, involving bimodal particle size distributions, were also unsuccessful in explaining both sets of observations in a consistent manner.

Martonchik, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Sulfuric acid cloud interpretation of the infrared spectrum of Venus

Sulfuric acid single-cloud models are compared with the Venus spectrum in the 8-14 micron region. The results indicate that a cloud composed of a 75 percent H2SO4 solution and with a particle density of 100 per cu cm is in good agreement with observations. In addition to explaining the 11.2 micron absorption, this model also predicts an absorption feature at 16.7 microns which should be detectable if the observation is made from an aircraft.

Martonchik, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Jupiter - Observation of deuterated methane in the atmosphere.

During May 1971 a number of whole-planet spectra of Jupiter were obtained. Strongly evident in the spectrum of Jupiter are several J-manifolds in the P-branch of a band of CH3D. It is believed that this is the first observation of deuterium in any astronomical source. The spectrum of Jupiter is shown together with the spectrum of the sun, and a representation of a ratio of the spectrum of Jupiter to that of the sun.

Beer, R.↗