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NASA NTRS1991

Arecibo S-band radar program

The high powered 12.6 cm wavelength radar on the 1000 ft Arecibo reflector is used for a variety of studies of solar system bodies. These include: (1) the radar mapping of the surfaces of Mercury, Venus, the moon and Mars in both senses (usually the two circulars) of received polarization; (2) high time resolution ranging measurements to Mercury and Mars to obtain height profiles and scattering parameters in the equatorial region and to test relativistic and gravitational theories; (3) measurements of the orbital parameters, scattering properties, figure and spin vectors of asteroids and comets; and (4) observations of the satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, and the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.

Campbell, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Goldstone solar system radar

Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) radar astronomers made use of the Very Large Array (VLA) at Socorro, NM, during February 1990, to receive radio echoes from the planet Venus. The transmitter was the 70 meter antenna at the Goldstone complex northwest of Barstow, CA. These observations contain new information about the roughness of Venus at cm to decimeter scales and are complementary to information being obtained by the Magellan spacecraft. Asteroid observations are also discussed.

Jurgens, Raymond F.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dynamical Model for the Zodiacal Cloud and Sporadic Meteors

The solar system is dusty, and would become dustier over time as asteroids collide and comets disintegrate, except that small debris particles in interplanetary space do not last long. They can be ejected from the solar system by Jupiter, thermally destroyed near the Sun, or physically disrupted by collisions. Also, some are swept by the Earth (and other planets), producing meteors. Here we develop a dynamical model for the solar system meteoroids and use it to explain meteor radar observations. We find that the Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) are the main source of the prominent concentrations of meteors arriving to the Earth from the helion and antihelion directions. To match the radiant and orbit distributions, as measured by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) and Advanced Meteor Orbit Radar (AMOR), our model implies that comets, and JFCs in particular, must frequently disintegrate when reaching orbits with low perihelion distance. Also, the collisional lifetimes of millimeter particles may be longer (approx. > 10(exp 5) yr at 1 AU) than postulated in the standard collisional models (approx 10(exp 4) yr at 1 AU), perhaps because these chondrule-sized meteoroids are stronger than thought before. Using observations of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) to calibrate the model, we find that the total cross section and mass of small meteoroids in the inner solar system are (1.7-3.5) 10(exp 11) sq km and approx. 4 10(exp 19) g, respectively, in a good agreement with previous studies. The mass input required to keep the Zodiacal Cloud (ZC) in a steady state is estimated to be approx. 10(exp 4)-10(exp 5) kg/s. The input is up to approx 10 times larger than found previously, mainly because particles released closer to the Sun have shorter collisional lifetimes, and need to be supplied at a faster rate. The total mass accreted by the Earth in particles between diameters D = 5 micron and 1 cm is found to be approx 15,000 tons/yr (factor of 2 uncertainty), which is a large share of the accretion flux measured by the Long Term Duration Facility (LDEF). Majority of JFC particles plunge into the upper atmosphere at <15 km/s speeds, should survive the atmospheric entry, and can produce micrometeorite falls. This could explain the compositional similarity of samples collected in the Antarctic ice and stratosphere, and those brought from comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft. Meteor radars such as CMOR and AMOR see only a fraction of the accretion flux (approx 1- 10% and approx 10-50%, respectively), because small particles impacting at low speeds produce ionization levels that are below these radars detection capabilities.

Nesvorny, David↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cartography of asteroids and comet nuclei from low resolution data

High resolution images of non-spherical objects, such as Viking images of Phobos and the anticipated Galileo images of Gaspra, lend themselves to conventional planetary cartographic procedures: control network analysis, stereophotogrammetry, image mosaicking in 2D or 3D, and airbrush mapping. There remains the problem of a suitable map projection for bodies which are extremely elongated or irregular in shape. Many bodies will soon be seen at lower resolution (5-30 pixels across the disk) in images from speckle interferometry, the Hubble Space Telescope, ground-based radar, distinct spacecraft encounters, and closer images degraded by smear. Different data with similar effective resolutions are available from stellar occultations, radar or lightcurve convex hulls, lightcurve modeling of albedo variations, and cometary jet modeling. With such low resolution, conventional methods of shape determination will be less useful or will fail altogether, leaving limb and terminator topography as the principal sources of topographic information. A method for shape determination based on limb and terminator topography was developed. It has been applied to the nucleus of Comet Halley and the jovian satellite Amalthea. The Amalthea results are described to give an example of the cartographic possibilities and problems of anticipated data sets.

Stooke, Philip J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Statistical model of meteor streams. IV - A study of radio streams from the synoptic year

The paper gives a detailed description of a search procedure for radio meteor streams and reports the detection of 275 streams in a synoptic-year sample of 19,698 radio meteors observed by the radar system of the Radio Meteor Project at Havana, Illinois. The orbital elements and related parameters of the detected streams are presented, the two parameters of the D-distribution of the streams are determined, and their mean radiants are plotted. Possible associations between the streams and possible parent objects are identified; it is found that streams may be associated with seven periodic comets, five other comets, at least nine asteroids (especially Adonis), and several fireballs. The mean space density in the streams is found to be much lower than the sporadic density, although the central density may be considerably greater than the sporadic density. It is shown that the derived absolute stream-density values are in agreement with the order of magnitude of the space densities estimated from cometary production rates for solid material of comparable particle size.

Sekanina, Z.↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2011

Topics covered include: Amperometric Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Microsensors with Easy Batch Fabrication; Two-Axis Direct Fluid Shear Stress Sensor for Aerodynamic Applications; Target Assembly to Check Boresight Alignment of Active Sensors; Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation; Evaluation of the Reflection Coefficient of Microstrip Elements for Reflectarray Antennas; Miniaturized Ka-Band Dual-Channel Radar; Continuous-Integration Laser Energy Lidar Monitor; Miniaturized Airborne Imaging Central Server System; Radiation-Tolerant, SpaceWire-Compatible Switching Fabric; Small Microprocessor for ASIC or FPGA Implementation; Source-Coupled, N-Channel, JFET-Based Digital Logic Gate Structure Using Resistive Level Shifters; High-Voltage-Input Level Translator Using Standard CMOS; Monitoring Digital Closed-Loop Feedback Systems; MASCOT - MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox; MIRO Continuum Calibration for Asteroid Mode; GOATS Image Projection Component; Coded Modulation in C and MATLAB; Low-Dead-Volume Inlet for Vacuum Chamber; Thermal Control Method for High-Current Wire Bundles by Injecting a Thermally Conductive Filler; Method for Selective Cleaning of Mold Release from Composite Honeycomb Surfaces; Infrared-Bolometer Arrays with Reflective Backshorts; Commercialization of LARC (trade mark) -SI Polyimide Technology; Novel Low-Density Ablators Containing Hyperbranched Poly(azomethine)s; Carbon Nanotubes on Titanium Substrates for Stray Light Suppression; Monolithic, High-Speed Fiber-Optic Switching Array for Lidar; Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Power System; Spectroelectrochemical Instrument Measures TOC; A Miniaturized Video System for Monitoring Drosophila Behavior; Hydrofocusing Bioreactor Produces Anti-Cancer Alkaloids; Creep Measurement Video Extensometer; Radius of Curvature Measurement of Large Optics Using Interferometry and Laser Tracker n-B-pi-p Superlattice Infrared Detector; Safe Onboard Guidance and Control Under Probabilistic Uncertainty; General Tool for Evaluating High-Contrast Coronagraphic Telescope Performance Error Budgets; Hidden Statistics of Schroedinger Equation; Optimal Padding for the Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform; Spatial Query for Planetary Data; Higher Order Mode Coupling in Feed Waveguide of a Planar Slot Array Antenna; Evolutionary Computational Methods for Identifying Emergent Behavior in Autonomous Systems; Sampling Theorem in Terms of the Bandwidth and Sampling Interval; Meteoroid/Orbital Debris Shield Engineering Development Practice and Procedure; Self-Balancing, Optical-Center-Pivot, Fast-Steering Mirror; Wireless Orbiter Hang-Angle Inclinometer System; and Internal Electrostatic Discharge Monitor - IESDM.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Coherent Laser Instrument Would Measure Range and Velocity

A proposed instrument would project a narrow laser beam that would be frequency-modulated with a pseudorandom noise (PN) code for simultaneous measurement of range and velocity along the beam. The instrument performs these functions in a low mass, power, and volume package using a novel combination of established techniques. Originally intended as a low resource- footprint guidance sensor for descent and landing of small spacecraft onto Mars or small bodies (e.g., asteroids), the basic instrument concept also lends itself well to a similar application guiding aircraft (especially, small unmanned aircraft), and to such other applications as ranging of topographical features and measuring velocities of airborne light-scattering particles as wind indicators. Several key features of the instrument s design contribute to its favorable performance and resource-consumption characteristics. A laser beam is intrinsically much narrower (for the same exit aperture telescope or antenna) than a radar beam, eliminating the need to correct for the effect of sloping terrain over the beam width, as is the case with radar. Furthermore, the use of continuous-wave (CW), erbium-doped fiber lasers with excellent spectral purity (narrow line width) permits greater velocity resolution, while reducing the laser s power requirement compared to a more typical pulsed solid-state laser. The use of CW also takes proper advantage of the increased sensitivity of coherent detection, necessary in the first place for direct measurement of velocity using the Doppler effect. However, measuring range with a CW beam requires modulation to "tag" portions of it for time-of-flight determination; typically, the modulation consists of a PN code. A novel element of the instrument s design is the use of frequency modulation (FM) to accomplish both the PN-modulation and the Doppler-bias frequency shift necessary for signed velocity measurements. This permits the use of a single low-power waveguide electrooptic phase modulator, while simultaneously mitigating the effects of speckle as a noise source in the coherent detection.

Chang, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1992

Impact craters on Venus: An overview from Magellan observations

Magellan has revealed an ensemble of impact craters on Venus that is unique in many important ways. We have compiled a database describing 842 craters on 89 percent of the planet's surface mapped through orbit 2578 (the craters range in diameter from 1.5 to 280 km). We have studied the distribution, size-frequency, morphology, and geology of these craters both in aggregate and, for some craters, in more detail. We have found the following: (1) the spatial distribution of craters is highly uniform; (2) the size-density distribution of craters with diameters greater than or equal to 35 km is consistent with a 'production' population having a surprisingly young age of about 0.5 Ga (based on the estimated population of Venus-crossing asteroids); (3) the spectrum of crater modification differs greatly from that on other planets--62 percent of all craters are pristine, only 4 percent volcanically embayed, and the remainder affected by tectonism, but none are severely and progressively depleted based on size-density distribution extrapolated from larger craters; (4) large craters have a progression of morphologies generally similar to those on other planets, but small craters are typically irregular or multiple rather than bowl shaped; (5) diffuse radar-bright or -dark features surround some craters, and about 370 similar diffuse 'splotches' with no central crater are observed whose size-density distribution is similar to that of small craters; and (6) other features unique to Venus include radar-bright or -dark parabolic arcs opening westward and extensive outflows originating in crater ejecta.

Schaber, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS2015

The 2014 KCG Meteor Outburst: Clues to a Parent Body

The Kappa Cygnid (KCG) meteor shower exhibited unusually high activity in 2014, producing ten times the typical number of meteors. The shower was detected in both radar and optical systems and meteoroids associated with the outburst spanned at least five decades in mass. In total, the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar, European Network, and NASA All Sky and Southern Ontario Meteor Network produced thousands of KCG meteor trajectories. Using these data, we have undertaken a new and improved characterization of the dynamics of this little-studied, variable meteor shower. The Cygnids have a di use radiant and a significant spread in orbital characteristics, with multiple resonances appearing to play a role in the shower dynamics. We conducted a new search for parent bodies and found that several known asteroids are orbitally similar to the KCGs. N-body simulations show that the two best parent body candidates readily transfer meteoroids to the Earth in recent centuries, but neither produces an exact match to the KCG radiant, velocity, and solar longitude. We nevertheless identify asteroid 2001 MG1 as a promising parent body candidate.

Moorhead, Althea V.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Importance of Earth as a Meteor Detector

In order to understand the complex meteoroid environment that threatens spacecraft in near Earth space, ground based observational techniques provide us with an effective option for evaluating the important parameters of flux, speed, mass, density and directionality. While no observational method (in ]situ or ground based detectors) provides bias free measurements of direct quantities, there are several benefits to using the Earth as a detector for calibrating meteoroid models that extend to the inner Solar System and beyond Earth fs orbit. The Earth constantly interacts with meteoritic particles from comets and asteroids as they evolve from their parent objects through dynamical processes. Modeling these dynamical processes with a physics ]based approach can help reveal the causes of observational features but developing those models involves constraining sequences of poorly defined parameters. These parameters must be tuned to a particular detector that offers direct or indirect measurements of mass, density, flux and speed - the quantities used in evaluating penetration risk. The following topics will be discussed: a) Consistency between ground based and in.situ measurements of flux in Earth orbit. b) Consistency between radar and electro.optical speed determinations and agreement of these with dynamical studies. c) The fact that there are six sporadic sources which cannot be determined by integrated line of sight emissivity: Observations using IRAS or COBE cannot give you all important directionality needed for risk evaluations. d) The large collecting area of the Earth s atmosphere compared to in.situ detectors gives better number statistics in the threat regime. The NASA Meteoroid Environment Office utilizes ground based radar and electro.optical measurements to calibrate the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM). As MEM is an engineering design model our main emphasis is on threat size particle, speed, flux and directionality. However, MEM has acknowledged limitations particularly with regard to source strength as a function of mass and work is proceeding with improved distributions that will rectify many of these shortcomings.

Koehler, Heather↗
NASA NTRS1986

Astrometric observations of comets and asteroids and subsequent orbital investigations

The 155-cm reflector was used for observations of comets and minor planets on 32 nights during April-October. The distribution was fairly uniform, ranging from 45 in June and September to 28 in July: on September 1 a total of 17 observations was made. A table is included which lists the 230 measurements published during the semester. These include six additional measurements going back to 1984 and the republication of a previously misidentified 1976 observation as a new discovery. Thirty-two of the observations refer to comets, 83 to numbered minor planets, and the remainder to unnumbered minor planets. Among the older-numbered minor planets observed were the Earth-approaching objects (3103) 1982 BB, (3199) 1982 RA (Nefertiti), (3361) 1982 HR and (3362) 1984 QA (Khufu), some of which were of interest for radar experiments. Unnumbered Earth-approaching objects observed were 1963 RH, 1983 RD, 1985 TB and 1986 DA, as well as the new discoveries 1986 JK, 1986 LA and 1986 PA.

Mccrosky, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The rotation period and pole orientation of asteroid 4 Vesta

In 1971 asteroid Vesta was observed in a region of the sky in which it had never been observed before. Its photometric lightcurve had two distinct maxima. Those observations have been the only strong evidence to support a rotation period of about 10 hr 41 min. Lightcurves made in 1982, when Vesta was at the same aspect as 1971, do not show two different maxima. It is concluded that there was a systematic error in the 1971 observations. At this time a definitive statement cannot be made about the true period of Vesta, although the 5 hr 20 min period does appear more plausible. Radar echoes in 1988 and 1992 should resolve the problem. The shorter rotation period was assumed and the photometric astrometry method applied. The sidereal period is 5 hr 20 min 31.68 sec (0.2225889 + or 0.0000002 days), the rotation is prograde, and the coordinates of the north pole are 103 deg longitude and + 43 deg latitude with an uncertainty of about 6 deg.

Taylor, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Solar System Test of Gravitational Theories

We are engaged in testing gravitational theory, mainly using observations of objects in the solar system and mainly on the interplanetary scale. Our goal is either to detect departures from the standard model (general relativity) - if any exist within the level of sensitivity of our data - or to place tighter bounds on such departures. For this project, we have analyzed a combination of observational data with our model of the solar system, including primarily planetary radar ranging, lunar laser ranging, and spacecraft tracking, but also including both pulsar timing and pulsar VLBI measurements. In the past year, we have included new data in the analysis, primarily tracking data from the Mars Pathfinder mission. Although these data are relatively few in number, they extend the time span of high-precision tracking on the surface of Mars from six years to over 20. As a result, the statistical standard deviation of our estimate of Mars precession rate has nearly halved, and the rest of the parameters in our solar-system model have experienced a corresponding, albeit smaller, improvement (about 20% for t,he relevant asteroid masses, 10% for the semimajor axis of Mars orbit, and smaller amounts for most other parameters). In the coming year, we plan to continue adding data to our set, as available. Ne 2 expect to use these data and improved models to obtain estimates of the gravitational- theory parameters and to publish these results.

Shapiro, Irwin I.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Collecting Comet Samples by ER-2 Aircraft: Cosmic Dust Collection During the Draconid Meteor Shower in October 2012

Many tons of dust grains, including samples of asteroids and comets, fall from space into the Earth's atmosphere each day. NASA periodically collects some of these particles from the Earth's stratosphere using sticky collectors mounted on NASA's high-flying aircraft. Sometimes, especially when the Earth experiences a known meteor shower, a special opportunity is presented to associate cosmic dust particles with a known source. NASA JSC's Cosmic Dust Collection Program has made special attempts to collect dust from particular meteor showers and asteroid families when flights can be planned well in advance. However, it has rarely been possible to make collections on very short notice. In 2012, the Draconid meteor shower presented that opportunity. The Draconid meteor shower, originating from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, has produced both outbursts and storms several times during the last century, but the 2012 event was not predicted to be much of a show. Because of these predictions, the Cosmic Dust team had not targeted a stratospheric collection effort for the Draconids, despite the fact that they have one of the slowest atmospheric entry velocities (23 km/s) of any comet shower, and thus offer significant possibilities of successful dust capture. However, radar measurements obtained by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar during the 2012 Draconids shower indicated a meteor storm did occur October 8 with a peak at 16:38 (+/-5 min) UTC for a total duration of approximately 2 hours.

Bastien, Ron↗
NASA NTRS1993

Clementine 2: a Double Asteroid Flyby and Impactor Mission

Recently JPL was asked by SDIO to analyze and develop a preliminary design for a deep-space mission to fly by two near-Earth asteroids, Eros and Toutatis. As a part of this mission, JPL was also asked to assess the feasibility of deploying a probe on approach to impact Toutatis. This mission is a candidate for SDIO's Clementine 2. SDIO's motivations were to provide further demonstrations of precision, autonomous navigation for controlling the flight paths of both a spacecraft and a probe. NASA's interest in this mission is driven by the opportunity to obtain the first close-up images and other scientific measurements from a spacecraft of two important near-Earth objects. For Toutatis this is especially important since it was observed and imaged extensively just last Dec. using Earth-based radar; Clementine 2 will provide the opportunity to corroborate the radar data and validate the ultimate potential of the radar technique. Scientifically, the probe impact at Toutatis will allow the acquisition of data pertaining to the dynamic strength of surface material and data on the properties of the regolith and on stratification below the surface, and will potentially allow the measurement of thermal diffusivity between the interior and the surface. These determinations will be accomplished by means of high-resolution imagery of the impact crater and its surroundings in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wave bands from the spacecraft flying by some 30 min. after the probe strike. In addition, if the spacecraft can be equipped with a lightweight mass spectrometer and dust analyzer, the potential also exists to measure the particle sizes and distribution and the composition of the eject a cloud. This mission is planned to be launched in Jul. 1995, with the Eros encounter on 13 Mar. 1996, and the Toutatis flyby on 4 Oct. 1996, some 440 days after launch.

Boain, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Exploring Our Solar System with CubeSats and NanoSats

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is NASA's lead center for robotic exploration of our solar system. We are known for our large, flagship missions, such as Voyager, which gave humanity its first close look at Jupiter and Saturn; and the Mars Rovers, which have excited millions worldwide with their daring landing exploits. Less familiar to those outside NASA may be our role in developing the Kepler mission, which has discovered more than 2000 planets around other stars; or the recently launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, one of many JPL Earth Science missions. A recent JPL initiative has emphasized low cost missions that use rapidly evolving technology developed for CubeSats and NanoSat s to explore our solar system. Costs are significantly lower (by one or two orders of magnitude) than for conventional JPL missions, and development time is also significantly shorter. At present 21 such CubeSat flight projects are under way at the laboratory with various partners : some in flight, some in development, some in advanced formulation. Four are planned as deep space missions. To succeed in exploring deep space CubeSat/NanoSat missions have to address several challenges: the more severe radiation environment, communications and navigation at a distance, propulsion, and packaging of instruments that can return valuable science into a compact volume/mass envelope. Instrument technologies, including cameras, magnetometers, spectrometers, radiometers, and even radars are undergoing miniaturization to fit on these smaller platforms. Other key technologies are being matured for smallsats and NanoSats in deep space, including micro -electric propulsion, compact radio (and optical) communications, and onboard data reduction. This paper will describe missions that utilize these developments including the first two deep space CubeSats (INSPIRE), planned for launch in 2017; the first pair of CubeSats to be sent to another planet (MARCO), manifested with the InSight Mars lander launch in March of 2016; a helicopter "drone" on Mars to extend the reach of future rovers; plans for a Lunar Flashlight mission to shine a light on the permanently shadowed craters of the Moon's poles; a Near Earth Asteroid CubeSat missio n; and a CubeSat constellation to demonstrate time series measurements of storm systems on Earth. From these beginnings, the potential for CubeSats and NanoSats to add to our knowledge of the solar system could easily grow exponentially. Imagine if every deep space mission carried one or more CubeSats that could operate independently (even for a brief period) on arrival at their target body. At only incremental additional cost, such spacecraft could go closer, probe deeper, and provide science measurements that we would not risk with the host spacecraft. This paper will describe examples including a NanoSat to probe the composition of Venus' atmosphere, impactors and close flybys of Europa, lunar probes, and soft landers for the moons of Mars. Low cost access to deep space also offers the potential for independent CubeSat/NanoSat missions - allowing us to characterize the population of near Earth asteroids for example, deploy a constellation around Venus, or take closer looks at the asteroid belt.

Deep Space↗
NASA NTRS1989

Impact cratering and the surface age of Venus: The Pre-Magellan controversy

The average surface age of a planet is a major indicator of the level of its geologic activity and thus of the dynamics of its interior. Radar images obtained by Venera 15/16 from the northern quarter of the Venus (lat 30 to 90 degs) reveal about 150 features that resemble impact craters, and they were so interpreted by Soviet investigators B. A. Ivanov, A. T. Basilevsky, and their colleagues. These features range in diameter from about 10 to 145 km. Their areal density is remarkably similar to the density of impact structures found on the American and European continental shields. The basic difference between the Soviet and American estimates of the average surface age of Venus's northern quarter is due to which crater-production rate is used for the Venusian environment. Cratering rates based on the lunar and terrestrial cratering records, as well as statistical calculations based on observed and predicted Venus-crossing asteroids and comets, have been used in both the Soviet and American calculations. The single largest uncertainty in estimating the actual cratering rates near Venus involves the shielding effect of the atmosphere.

Schaber, Gerald G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Missions and Instruments: Hopes and Hope Fulfilled

The titles in this section include: 1) Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera in the Extended Mission: The MOC Toolkit; 2) Mars Odyssey THEMIS-VIS Calibration; 3) Early Science Operations and Results from the ESA Mars Express Mission: Focus on Imaging and Spectral Mapping; 4) The Mars Express/NASA Project at JPL; 5) Beagle 2: Mission to Mars - Current Status; 6) The Beagle 2 Microscope; 7) Mars Environmental Chamber for Dynamic Dust Deposition and Statics Analysis; 8) Locating Targets for CRISM Based on Surface Morphology and Interpretation of THEMIS Data; 9) The Phoenix Mission to Mars; 10) First Studies of Possible Landing Sites for the Phoenix Mars Scout Mission Using the BMST; 11) The 2009 Mars Telecommunications Orbiter; 12) The Aurora Exploration Program - The ExoMars Mission; 13) Electron-induced Luminescence and X-Ray Spectrometer (ELXS) System Development; 14) Remote-Raman and Micro-Raman Studies of Solid CO2, CH4, Gas Hydrates and Ice; 15) The Compact Microimaging Spectrometer (CMIS): A New Tool for In-Situ Planetary Science; 16) Preliminary Results of a New Type of Surface Property Measurement Ideal for a Future Mars Rover Mission; 17) Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Solar Panels on Mars; 18) Sensor Web for Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of a Hydrological Environment; 19) Field Testing of an In-Situ Neutron Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration: First Results; 20) A Miniature Solid-State Spectrometer for Space Applications - Field Tests; 21) Application of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to Mars Polar Exploration: LIBS Analysis of Water Ice and Water Ice/Soil Mixtures; 22) LIBS Analysis of Geological Samples at Low Pressures: Application to Mars, the Moon, and Asteroids; 23) In-Situ 1-D and 2-D Mapping of Soil Core and Rock Samples Using the LIBS Long Spark; 24) Rocks Analysis at Stand Off Distance by LIBS in Martian Conditions; 25) Evaluation of a Compact Spectrograph/Detection System for a LIBS Instrument for In-Situ and Stand-Off Detection; 26) Analysis of Organic Compounds in Mars Analog Samples; 27) Report of the Organic Contamination Science Steering Group; 28) The Water-Wheel IR (WIR) - A Contact Survey Experiment for Water and Carbonates on Mars; 29) Mid-IR Fiber Optic Probe for In Situ Water Detection and Characterization; 30) Effects of Subsurface Sampling & Processing on Martian Simulant Containing Varying Quantities of Water; 31) The Subsurface Ice Probe (SIPR): A Low-Power Thermal Probe for the Martian Polar Layered Deposits; 32) Deploying Ground Penetrating Radar in Planetary Analog Sites to Evaluate Potential Instrument Capabilities on Future Mars Missions; 33) Evaluation of Rock Powdering Methods to Obtain Fine-grained Samples for CHEMIN, a Combined XRD/XRF Instrument; 34) Novel Sample-handling Approach for XRD Analysis with Minimal Sample Preparation; 35) A New Celestial Navigation Method for Mars Landers; 36) Mars Mineral Spectroscopy Web Site: A Resource for Remote Planetary Spectroscopy.

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