Engineering topics

Cruikshank, D. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Cruikshank, D. P..

At least 73 records · Page 4

NASA NTRS1989

Asteroid observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Infrared Telescope Facility

The ways that the asteroids can be studied with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) are examined. Spectrophotometry of asteroids and the study of asteroid surfaces, shape, spins, configuration, normal reflectance, and limb darkening of asteroids using the HST are addressed along with the detection of asteroid satellites and the discovery of small asteroids using the HST. The relation of the HST to its ground system is described, as are the spectrophotometric instruments of the HST. Imaging with the HST using the Faint Object Camera and the Wide Field and Planetary Camera is examined. Finally, the SIRTF observatory, instrumentation, and capabilities for solar system science are discussed.

Zellner, B.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Laboratory studies of irradiated nitrogen-methane mixtures - Applications to Triton

The characteristics of the near-IR spectrum of Triton is addressed in view of 0.8-2.5 micron laboratory transmission spectra obtained for methane dissolved in liquid nitrogen. It is found that, for methane concentrations greater than 3 percent of the saturation value, the collision-induced, 2.152-micron first-overtone band of molecular nitrogen is overshadowed by the methane band centered at 2.3 microns. While gamma-radiolysis of nitrogen-methane mixtures generates an unstable precipitate whose yellowish color is qualitatively similar to the yellow color of Triton, no specific absorption band in the precipitate can be unambiguously identified on Triton.

Piscitelli, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Infrared spectroscopy, imaging, and 10 micron photometry of Giclas 29-38

An NIR spectrum and several images of Giclas 29-38, a white dwarf suspected to have a brown dwarf in orbit around it, are presented. There is no absorption feature in the spectrum that is deeper than 5 percent in the wavelength range 1.95-2.45 microns, from which it is inferred that there is no feature deeper than 10 percent at 2.4 microns from any brown dwarf companion. The IR spectrum does not yield any strong constraint on whether or not the thermal emission observed from G29-38 comes from a brown dwarf or dust. The 1.6- and 2.2-micron images of G29-38 appear indistinguishable from a point source with an upper limit of 0.4 arcsec for the separation of the white dwarf and the source of the excess IR emission. This corresponds to a projected linear separation of 5.6 AU. A 2sigma limit at 10 microns of 10 mJy constrains possible alternative models for the IR excess by emission from dust grains. While the present results do not show evidence for the suspected brown dwarf companion around G29-38, the presence of such an object cannot be ruled out.

Tokunaga, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1988

IR-dust observations of Comet Tempel 2 with CRAF VIMS

Measurement strategies are now being planned for using the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) to observe the asteroid Hestia, and the nucleus, and the gas and dust in the coma of comet P/Tempel 2 as part of the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) mission. The spectral range of VIMS will cover wavelengths from 0.35 to 5.2 micrometers, with a spectral resolution of 11 nm from 0.35 to 2.4 micrometers and of 22 nm from 2.4 to 5.2 micrometers. The instantaneous field of view (IFOV) provided by the foreoptics is 0.5 milliradians, and the current design of the instrument provides for a scanning secondary mirror which will scan a swath of length 72 IFOVs. The CRAF high resolution scan platform motion will permit slewing VIMS in a direction perpendicular to the swath. This enables the building of a two dimensional image in any or all wavelength channels. Important measurements of the dust coma will include the onset of early coma activity, the mapping of gas and dust jets and correlations with active nucleus areas, observations of the dust coma from various scattering phase angles, coverage of the low wavelength portion of the thermal radiation, and the 3.4 micrometer hydrocarbon emission. A description of the VIMS instrument is presented.

Combi, Michael R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Organic matter on asteroid 130 Elektra

Infrared absorption spectra of a low-albedo water-rich asteroid appear to show a weak 3.4-micrometer carbon-hydrogen stretching mode band, which suggests the presence of hydrocarbons on asteroid 130 Elektra. The organic extract from the primitive carbonaceous chondritic Murchison meteorite shows similar spectral bands.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Albedo maps of Comets P/Giacobini-Zinner and P/Halley

Near-simultaneous infrared and visual maps of P/Giacobini-Zinner (P/G-Z) and P/Halley are combined to create maps of the spatial variation of geometric albedo. Giacobini-Zinner shows a minimum in albedo near 0.07 with an increase of a factor of 2 over 30 arcsec. The lowest albedos are offset from the nucleus in the antisunward direction, coincident with a dust tail observed in the IR. The P/Halley albedos are higher than those for P/G-Z and range from 0.2 to 0.4, but the trend of darker albedo in the antisunward direction (along the tail) is the same. The albedo distribution is attributed to large, dark, fluffy grains confined to the orbital plane close to the nucleus. The high albedo values in P/Halley may be due to enhanced flux in the visual image because of the comet's very small phase angle.

Hammel, H. B.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Thermal-infrared and visual imaging of comet Giacobini-Zinner

Thermal-infrared and visual images obtained simultaneously of comet Giacobini-Zinner on UT 1985 August 4.4 are presented. The 10.8-micron map, which spans several arc minutes with 8-arcsec resolution, is the first ground-based infrared image of a comet. Considerable spatial structure is evident in the map, including a curved dust tail consisting primarily of dust grains larger than 100 microns. The width of this large-grain tail implies that these grains depart the nucleus with velocities less than 3 m/s. The distribution of grain albedo is determined for the central 1 arcmin. It is speculated that an observed increase in the albedo by a factor of 2 with distance from the nucleus and prolonged radius vector results from the confinement to the orbital plane of large fluffy grains previously considered for GZ by others; the lower albedo of this dust could result from multiple internal scattering increasing the probability of absorption of incident light. It is estimated that dust was departing the nucleus at the rate of about 8 x 10 to the 5th g/s, comparable to that derived for many other comets.

Telesco, C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Research in planetary astronomy and operation of the 2.2-meter telescope

The turn-around in the secular change in brightness of Pluto was detected, the planet is now beginning to brighten. The spectral signature was found of an ammonia bearing compound in the surface ices of Europa. Specific Io volcanic hotspots were detected from infrared photometry of the mutual events of the Jovian satellites. The polarized emission from the volcanic hotspots on Io was discovered and the locations of those hotspots were determined. The orbit of Charon was refined from speckle observations of the Pluto-Charon system. The spectral properties of liquid nitrogen-methane mixtures with reference to the infrared spectrum of Triton were studied. Major progress was made in modeling asteroid lightcurves from a modern theory of photometric properties of the asteroid surfaces. Several additional olivine-rich asteroids from near-infrared spectrophotometry were discovered. Important photometric, spectroscopic, narrow-band imaging data on Comet P/Halley was acquired, along with Schmidt photographs of Comet P/Halley and its tail.

Hall, D. N. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Variability of Neptune

Earth based observers of Neptune found that the planet varies in brightness at various wavelengths in ways that suggest that changes occur in the planet's atmosphere on several different time-scales. Global inhomogeneities in high altitude haze distribution that are stable for several days permit measurements of the planet's rotation period (about 18 hours), but this stability sometimes breaks down, obscuring the diurnal lightcurve. In addition, there is an apparent long term variability of the brightness of Neptune in anticorrelation with the cycle of solar activity. This slow variability of low amplitude may be punctuated by outbursts of high altitude condensation of particles in the atmosphere, whose decay time is several months.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Observational tests for sulfur allotropes on Io

It has been established that, if the Io surface is primarily composed of sulfur allotropes, a change in reflectivity at certain wavelengths should be observable shortly after eclipse reappearance (ER). Four ERs were observed during July and August 1983 with a 61-cm telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and no posteclipse brightening effects in the filter bands selected for sensitivity to color changes in sulfur were found. The proposed model of the brightness change of elemental sulfur (S8) implies that this material covers less than 50 percent of the Io surface. It is concluded that no significant condensation of optically thick SO2 occurred on the Io surface during the four eclipses.

Hammel, H. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The moons of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto

Voyager 2, launched in August 1977, will fly by Uranus in January, 1986, passing within 29,000 km of that planet's innermost moon, Miranda. It will subsequently encounter Neptune in August 1989, flying within 10,000 km of its inner satellite, Triton; images made of this moon by a high resolution camera are expected to reveal surface features as small as a few hundred meters in diameter. The composition of the Uranian moons will br inferred from their near-IR reflectance spectra and mean densities. While the spacecraft will not fly by Pluto, it is expected that the lessons learned from the Voyager encounters with Neptune and Uranus will expand current understanding of Pluto and its moon, Charon.

Brown, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Colour, albedo and nucleus size of Halley's comet

Photometry of Halley's comet in the B, J, V, and K broadband filters during a time when the coma was very weak and presumed to contribute negligibly to the broadband photometry is reported. The V-J and J-K colors suggest that the color of the nucleus of Halley's comet is similar to that of the D-type asteroids, which in turn suggests that the surface of the nucleus has an albedo less than 0.1.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Temperature of comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d)

Comet 1983d was named IRAS-Araki-Alcock in honor of its codiscoverers, including the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and two amateur astronomers. It is pointed out that the apparition of Comet 1983d was the closest cometary approach to earth since the development of modern astronomy. Because of the evolution of electromagnetic detector technology, a large range of ground-based observations of this object were possible. In the present investigation, attention is given to observations and some interpretations of the spectrum of Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock in the wavelength region from 1.5 to 20 microns. In addition to the observations made with a bolometer and discrete filters, spectrophotometric observations were made of the nuclear condensation of Comet 1983d in the 1.5- to 2.6-micron wavelength region at 5 percent resolution.

Brown, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The composition and origin of the Iapetus dark material

In order to investigate the composition of the Iapetus dark material and the reasons for its peculiar distribution, telescopic observations, laboratory simulations, and photogeological studies are conducted. New telescopic spectra of superior accuracy and wavelength coverage for leading and trailing hemispheres are obtained over the range 0.3-2.6 microns. A mixing model is used to correct the leading-hemisphere spectra for the presence of polarcaps. It is shown that the spectral curve of pure Iapetus dark material is highly reddened in the visible, but gradually flattens near 2.0 microns. Structures along the bright-dark boundary, visible in Voyager 2 images, are inconsistent with an eruptive origin for the dark material; this zone is probably the region of grazing impacts of dust spiraling from Phoebe and the dark material is probably a minor component of the ice-dominated surface concentrated in the upper regolith produced by Phoebe-dust bombardment. An Iapetus-like bombardment regime may account for the hemispheric dichotomy of regolith properties on Callisto.

Bell, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Outer solar system materials - Ices and color systematics

Our program of VJHK colorimetric observations and spectrophotometry is reviewed and updated. Attention is given to the probable connections between VJHK colors and the ratios of bright ices and dark soils on many outer solar system small bodies' surfaces. VJHK color systematics may clarify ice/soil behaviors in bodies too faint for high resolution spectra. Comets appear colored by soils most closely resembling D-class Trojan asteroid soils. Our recent model of comet surface properties, involving weakly-bonded ice/soil regoliths, helps explain comet eruptive phenomena. The work suggests the importance of considering ices in the context of their intimate mixture with non-volatile soils.

Hartmann, W. K.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Physical Properties of the Satellites of Neptune

Spectrophotometric studies of Triton suggest a surface covered in part by solid methane. Nitrogen is suspected on the basis of a single spectral band, but this material, if present, must be in a condensed state. Liquid nitrogen covering part of Triton to a depth of a few tens of centimeter can satisfy the spectral data so far available. If condensed nitrogen occurs on Triton, the satellite has an atmosphere largely of N2 (pressure approximately 0.1 bar), with CH4 as a minor constituent. The reddish hue of Triton's surface may result from photochemical derivatives of the methane and nitrogen, as in the case of Titan. The radius of Triton has been determined by indirect means to be 1750 km, but there may be a large systemmatic error in this value. If the mean density is approximately 2-3 g/cubic cm. the mass derived from astrometric observations is in error. There is no information on physical properties of Nereid. A third suspected satellite was not confirmed.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Infrared observations of the eclipse of Epsilon Aurigae Direct measurement of the 500 K secondary at 5, 10, and 20 microns

Photometric data of the once-every-27 yr eclipse of the Epsilon Auriga F supergiant are reported. The data were taken on 28 nights from July 1982-May 1984 and covered the 1.25-20 microns region. The secondary object was identified at 5, 10, and 20 microns when the eclipse removed 48 percent of the F star's light. The data indicated that the secondary is a compact object surrounded by a large optically thick cloud, with a luminosity under 0.01 of the primary. The secondary's mass is, however, more than 14 solar masses.

Backman, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Nitrogen on Triton

The tentative identification of liquid nitrogen as the source of the 2.16-micron absorption band in the spectrum of Triton has suggested a surface model in which nitrogen, together with the previously identified methane, occur in some kind of chemical association. Water frost may be another surface chemistry component, and dark, photochemically-produced particles occur as a minor contaminant of the ices or liquid. Temperature is noted to be a critical factor in the surface model, because the calculated subsolar surface temperature of Triton lies near nitrogen's melting-freezing temperature. The present modeling of Triton suggests nitrogen's occurrence in the form of fine grains.

Clark, R. N.↗