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At least 217 records · Page 12

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 16th, Houston, TX, March 11-15, 1985, Proceedings. Part 2

The present conference presents papers on the criteria, data and implications of pristine lunar glasses, lunar granulities and their precursor anorthositic norites of the early lunar crust, characterization and evidence for early formation in the megaregolith of Apollo 16 regolith breccias, and anorthosite assimilation and the origin of the Mg/Fe-related bimodality of pristine moon rocks in support of the magmasphere hypothesis. Other topics include the mineralogy of Yamato 791073 with reference to crystal fractionation of the howardite parent body, the geology and geomorphology of the Venus surface as revealed by the radar images obtained by Veneras 15 and 16, tidal dissipation in a viscoelastic planet, and cosmogenic neutron-capture-produced nuclides in stony meteorites. Also considered are the first results of hydrous alteration of amorphous silicate smokes, elemental analysis of a comet nucleus by passive gamma ray spectrometry from a penetrator, and uranium series dating of Allan Hills ice.

Ryder, G.↗

Planetary science questions for the manned exploration of Mars

A major goal of a manned Mars mission is to explore the planet and to investigate scientific questions for which the intensive study of Mars is essential. The systematic exploration of planets was outlined by the National Academy of Science. The nearest analogy to the manned Mars mission is the Apollo program and manned missions to the Moon, but the analogy is limited. The case is argued here that Mars may have to be explored far more systematically than was the pre-Apollo Moon to provide the detailed information necessary if plans are made to use any of the resources available on Mars. Viking missions provided a wealth of information, yet there are great gaps in the fundamental knowledge of essential facts such as the properties of the Martian surface materials and their interaction with the atmosphere. Building on a strong data base of precursor missions, human exploration will allow great leaps in understanding the Martian environment and geologic history and its evolutionary role in the solar system.

Blanchard, Douglas P.↗

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 17th, Houston, TX, Mar. 17-21, 1986, Proceedings. Part 2

The topics discussed in this volume include lunar endogenic rocks and processes; lunar regoliths and breccias; the terrestrial planets; shergottites; primitive materials, exposure, and atmospheres; and impacts and crater tectonics. Papers are presented on the petrology and geochemistry of alkali gabbronorites from lunar breccia 67975; the formation of Apollo 17 orange and black glass beads; mixing levels, the Apennine Front soil component, and compositional trends in the Apollo 15 soils; the meteorite component of Apollo 16 noritic impact melt breccias; and constraints on the lithospheric structure of Venus from mechanical models and tectonic surface features. Consideration is also given to a fractal interpretation of topography and geoid spectra on the earth, moon, Venus, and Mars; rare earth patterns in shergottite phosphates and residues; nuclide production by primary cosmic-ray protons; gas chromatographic instrumentation for the analysis of aerosols and gases in Titan's atmosphere; and finite-element models of non-Newtonian crater relaxation.

Ryder, Graham↗

Planetary science

The following types of experiments for a proposed Space Station Microgravity Particle Research Facility are described: (1) low velocity collisions between fragile particles; (2) low velocity collisions of ice particles; (3) plasma-dust interaction; and (4) aggregation of finely-comminuted geological materials. The required capabilities and desired hardware for the facility are detailed.

Marshall, John R.↗

Reflectance spectroscopy in planetary science: Review and strategy for the future

Reflectance spectroscopy is a remote sensing technique used to study the surfaces and atmospheres of solar system bodies. It provides first-order information on the presence and amounts of certain ions, molecules, and minerals on a surface or in an atmosphere. Reflectance spectroscopy has become one of the most important investigations conducted on most current and planned NASA Solar System Exploration Program space missions. This book reviews the field of reflectance spectroscopy, including information on the scientific technique, contributions, present conditions, and future directions and needs.

Mccord, Thomas B.↗

Nineteenth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Press abstracts

Topics addressed include: origin of the moon; mineralogy of rocks; CO2 well gases; ureilites; antarctic meteorites; Al-26 decay in a Semarkona chondrule; meteorite impacts on early earth; crystal structure and density of helium; Murchison carbonaceous chondrite composition; greenhouse effect and dinosaurs; Simud-Tiu outflow system of Mars; and lunar radar images.

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Space Shuttle to deploy Magellan planetary science mission

The objectives of Space Shuttle Mission STS-30 are described along with major flight activities, prelaunch and launch operations, trajectory sequence of events, and landing and post-landing operations. The primary objective of STS-30 is to successfully deploy the Magellan spacecraft into low earth orbit. Following deployment, Magellan will be propelled to its Venus trajectory by an Inertial Upper Stage booster. The objectives of the Magellan mission are to obtain radar images of more than 70 percent of Venus' surface, a near-global topographic map, and near-global gravity field data. Secondary STS-30 payloads include the Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA) and the Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE).

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Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 19th, Houston, TX, Mar. 14-18, 1988, Proceedings

Papers are presented on lunar highlands and lunar geology, igneous processes on the moon, and achondrites. Also considered are the geology, geochemistry, and atmosphere of Venus and Mars. Other topics include comets, cosmic dust, and primitive nebular materials. Experimental and theoretical studies on impact cratering are discussed, along with geological and geochemical studies of impact products.

Ryder, Graham↗

Global scale concentrations of volcanic activity on Venus: A summary of three 23rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference abstracts. 1: Venus volcanism: Global distribution and classification from Magellan data. 2: A major global-scale concentration of volcanic activity in the Beta-Atla-Themis region of Venus. 3: Two global concentrations of volcanism on Venus: Geologic associations and implications for global pattern of upwelling and downwelling

As part of the analysis of data from the Magellan Mission, we have compiled a global survey of the location, dimensions, and subsidiary notes of all identified volcanic features on Venus. More than 90 percent of the surface area was examined and the final catalog comprehensively identifies 1548 individual volcanic features larger than approximately 20 km in diameter. Volcanic features included are large volcanoes, intermediate volcanoes, fields of small shield volcanoes, calderas, large lava channels, and lava floods as well as unusual features first noted on Venus such as coronae, arachnoids, and novae.

Crumpler, L. S.↗

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Systematic measurements of the concentrations of cosmogen Ca-41 (half-life = 1.04 x 10(exp 5) yr) in the Apollo 15 long core 15001-15006 were performed by accelerator mass spectroscopy. Earlier measurements of cosmogenic Be-10, C-14, Al-26, Cl-36, and Mn-53 in the same core have provided confirmation and improvement of theoretical models for predicting production profiles of nuclides by cosmic ray induced spallation in the Moon and large meteorites. Unlike these nuclides, Ca-40 in the lunar surface is produced mainly by thermal neutron capture reactions on Ca-40. The maximum production of Ca-41, about 1 dpm/g Ca, was observed at a depth in the Moon of about 150 g/sq cm. For depths below about 300 g/sq cm, Ca-41 production falls off exponentially with an e-folding length of 175 g/sq cm. Neutron production in the Moon was modeled with the Los Alamos High Energy Transport Code System, and yields of nuclei produced by low-energy thermal and epithermal neutrons were calculated with the Monte Carlo N-Particle code. The new theoretical calculations using these codes are in good agreement with our measured Ca-41 concentrations as well as with Co-60 and direct neutron fluence measurements in the Moon.

K. Nishiizumi↗

MALDI for Europa Planetary Science and Exobiology

TOF MS for Europa landed science can identify small molecules of the cryosphere and complex biomolecules upwelling from a subsurface water ocean. A matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization (MALDI) testbed for cryo-ice mixtures is being developed.

Wdowiak, T. J.↗

A Grant from NASA's Office of Space Station Science, Planetary Atmosphere's Program to Boston University

In the past three years of this program we have made contributions to a variety of subjects in research on Jupiter's Atmosphere, the Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Jupiter, the abundance of CH4 in Pluto's atmosphere, and the emissivity of Pluto's Surface. We also performed work on two projects related to Titan, and an analysis of the visible spectrum of a brown dwarf. The highpoints are briefly summarized and a list of papers supported partly or wholly by this program is also provided.

Yelle, Roger V.↗

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Polar Science and Exploration

The session, "Mars Polar Science and Exploration" included the following reports: Evidence for Possible Exposed Water Ice Deposits in Martian Low Latitude Chasms and Chaos; Stability and Exchange of Subsurface Ice on Mars; Evaporation Rates for Liquid Water and Ice Under Current Martian Conditions; Seasonal Cycle of Carbon Dioxide and Atmospheric Circulation in Mars Southern Hemisphere as Observed by Neutron Spectroscopy; Imaging Polarimetry of Mars with Hubble Space Telescope in 2003 Opposition; GCM Simulations of Tropical Ice Accumulations: Implications for Cold-based Glaciers; Numerical Modeling of Glaciers in Martian Paleoclimates; Valley Glaciers on Mars: Calculation of Flow Rate and Thickness; Internal Structure of the Southern Polar Cap of Mars and Formation Implications; Sublimation at the Base of a Seasonal CO2 Slab on Mars; Impact Crater Abundance of the Martian South Polar Layered Deposits from THEMIS Visible Imaging; Recent Changes in South-Polar-Polygonal Terrain During One Martian Year: Implications for Subsurface Ice-Wedges; and An Historical Search for Unfrozen Water at the Phoenix Landing Site.

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Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Tectonism and Volcanism

The session "Mars Tectonism and Volcanism", included the following reports:Structural Attitudes of Large Scale Layering in Valles Marineris, Mars, Calculated from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter Data and Mars Orbiter Camera Imagery; Stratigraphy of Eastern Coprates Chasma, Mars; Temporal Variability in Tharsis Stress State Based on Wrinkle Ridges and Strike-Slip Faulting; State of Stress in the Martian Lithosphere; Displacement-Length Scaling of Faults on Earth, Mars, and Beyond; Topographic Analysis of Quasi-Circular Depressions Around the Utopia Basin, Mars; The Olympus Mons Aureole Deposits: New Evidence for a Flank-failure Origin; Cerberus Fossae and Elysium Planitia Lavas, Mars: Source Vents, Flow Rates, Edifice Styles and Water Interactions; and Topographic Evidence for Eruptive Style Changes and Magma Evolution of Small Plains.

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Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Special Session: Oxygen in the Solar System, I

The Special Session: Oxygen in the Solar System, I, included the following reports:Oxygen in the Solar System: Origins of Isotopic and Redox Complexity; The Origin of Oxygen Isotope Variations in the Early Solar System; Solar and Solar-Wind Oxygen Isotopes and the Genesis Mission; Solar 18O/17O and the Setting for Solar Birth; Oxygen Isotopes in Early Solar System Materials: A Perspective Based on Microbeam Analyses of Chondrules from CV Carbonaceous Chondrites; Insight into Primordial Solar System Oxygen Reservoirs from Returned Cometary Samples; Tracing Meteorites to Their Sources Through Asteroid Spectroscopy; Redox Conditions Among the Terrestrial Planets; Redox Complexity in Martian Meteorites: Implications for Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets; Implications of Sulfur Isotopes for the Evolution of Atmospheric Oxygen; Oxygen in the Outer Solar System; and On the Oxidation States of the Galilean Satellites: Implications for Internal Structures.

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Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Stardust Mission

The Stardust Mission session included the following reports:The Stardust:A Successful Encounter with the Remarkable Comet Wild 2; Stardust Imaging of Comet Wild 2: First Look; Preliminary Results from the Dust Flux Monitoring Instrument During the Encounter of Stardust Spacecraft with Wild-2 Comet; Streaming Clumps Ejection Model and the Heterogeneous Inner Coma of Comet Wild 2; Stardust: First Results from the Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer; STARDUST Sample Collection at Wild 2 and Its Preliminary Examination; Stardust Dynamic Science at Wild 2: First Look; and Preliminary Sample Analysis Plan for the Cometary and Interstellar Samples Being Returned by the Stardust Spacecraft.

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