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Owen, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Owen, T..

At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Martian climate - An empirical test of possible gross variations

There appears to be evidence for a cyclic behavior of the Martian climate in which the surface pressure periodically reaches values compatible with the flow of water in equatorial regions on the planet. A relatively simple test of such hypotheses is pointed out. The premise on which cyclic models are based is that a substantial reservoir of volatils exist in frozen form at one or both poles. The proposed test involves a determination of the relative abundances of neon and argon isotopes. The required measurements may be made after the soft landing next February of Soviet spacecraft presently en route to the planet.

Owen, T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Production of organic molecules by proton irradiation

Preliminary experiments were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of proton irradiation for producing organic chromophores. The source of the 2 MeV protons used in the experiments was a model Van de Graaff accelerator. The gas cells used were hollow aluminum cylinders. The test results show that energetic protons can be an effective energy source for the formation of complex molecules from simple ones. With the exception of sulfide compounds none of the molecules that were identified are colored. However, coloring agents could be contained in unresolvable fractions.

Scattergood, T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Observational constraints on model atmospheres for Uranus and Neptune

We have re-examined the visible and near-IR regions of the spectra of Uranus and Neptune to provide additional data for constructing atmospheric models. We find that a true continuum exists only at wavelengths below 4700 A, that the 6420 A absorption previously attributed to hydrogen is probably caused by methane, that there is no evidence for ammonia, ethylene or ethane absorptions in our spectra, and that the abundance of methane is probably much higher than previous estimates suggest. This last finding implies that the value of H/C in the atmospheres of both planets is much less than 1/10 the solar (or Jovian) value. Clear, Rayleigh-scattering model atmospheres are not compatible with the observations, but more work is needed to establish viable alternatives.

Encrenaz, T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The isotope ratio C-12/C-13 in Comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka 1969g.

A spectrogram of Comet 1969g obtained with the 200-inch (508-cm) Hale telescope shows a well-developed emission feature at the position of the A-X(1-0) band head of C-12C-13 (4745 A). Using new laboratory data, it is possible to remove the effect of blending with NH2 lines at this wavelength. The corrected value of the intensity of the isotopic band head is used to derive the abundance ratio C-12/C-13 = 100 plus or minus 20 for the comet. The implications of this result for models of comet formation and the early solar system are discussed.

Owen, T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Effect of noble gases on an atmospheric greenhouse /Titan/.

Several models for the atmosphere of Titan have been investigated, taking into account various combinations of neon and argon. The investigation shows that the addition of large amounts of Ne and/or Ar will substantially reduce the hydrogen abundance required for a given greenhouse effect. The fact that a large amount of neon should be present if the atmosphere is a relic of the solar nebula is an especially attractive feature of the models, because it is hard to justify appropriate abundances of other enhancing agents.

Cess, R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

3 nu sub 3 band of C-12H4 at 1.1 micron.

The 3 nu sub 3 absorption band of C-12H4 has been measured using a high-resolution vacuum infrared spectrometer. A technique is described which allows an extension of the use of the absorption standards available at 4.7 microns to the photomultiplier region of the spectrum. The new measurements indicate a shift of about 0.18 per cm from the most recently published measurements of this band.

Pugh, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

An upper limit on the 4.9-micron flux from Titan.

Discussion of the limits on surface temperature (under 190 K) and reflectivity (under 0.5) corresponding to an upper limit set on the 4.9-micron flux from Titan. Special attention is given to the possibility of the presence of an opaque cloud layer or some gaseous absorber on Titan and to the subsequent implications.

Joyce, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A tentative identification of /C-13/H4 and an estimate of C-12/C-13 in the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Laboratory spectra of the 3nu(sub 3) band of (C-13)H4 at 1.1 micron were analyzed along with high-resolution image-tube spectra of Jupiter in the appropriate spectral region. Comparison of several J-multiplets in these spectra resulted in the identification of (C-13)H4 in the atmosphere of Jupiter. A Jovian C-12/C-13 isotopic abundance ratio of 110 (plus or minus 35) has been derived from the equivalent width of the R(2) multiplet measured on the two best spectrograms.

Fox, K.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The clouds of Jupiter - Observational characteristics.

Most current models for the Jovian cloud system make use of an erroneous value for the temperature of the planet evaluated at 5 microns. Recent observations at this wavelength show that the emitted radiation is strongly localized and that it exhibits temporal variations. It is not clear that meaningful temperatures can be derived from such measurements and this plus other observations discussed herein suggest that various models proposed for the clouds require reexamination.

Owen, T.↗
NASA NTRS1970

The atmosphere of Jupiter

Jupiter atmospheric composition, gas and dust cloud formation as clues to origin and evolution of solar system

Owen, T.↗