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It is shown that turbulent scattering can produce a spurious value for the radio-occultation-derived scale height of a planetary atmosphere. Application to the Jovian atmosphere indicates that recent measurements obtained during the flyby of Pioneers 10 and 11 can be substantially affected if suitable large-amplitude turbulence is present. Other implications of this possibility are briefly discussed.
Data from the Mariner 10 radio occultation experiment have been utilized to determine the vertical electron density distribution in the ionosphere of Venus. The ingress measurements, which were made at latitude 1.3 deg N on the nightside of the planet, show two distinct layers. The main layer was located at 142 km altitude and had a peak density of 9000 electrons per cu cm. A secondary layer with a peak density of 7000/cu cm was detected at 124 km altitude. During egress, the ionosphere was probed at latitude 56.0 deg S on the dayside of Venus. The solar zenith angle in this region was 67.0 deg. The dayside ionosphere consisted of a main layer with a peak density of 290,000 per cu cm at 142 km altitude and several minor layers. At the top of the dayside ionosphere, the measurements showed an abrupt drop in the density from 2000 per cu cm at 335 km altitude to below the level of detectability, i.e., less than 200 per cu cm, at 360 km altitude. This abrupt density change may be the ionopause where the solar wind plasma interacts with the ionized components of the atmosphere.
On the basis of recently calculated models of the Jovian atmosphere, a value of 5.0 was derived for the H2/He mixing ratio from the Pioneer 10 infrared radiometer data. A far-infrared spectrum corresponding to the thermal profile obtained in the Pioneer S-band occultation experiment was also computed. The spectrum strongly suggests a misinterpretation of the data obtained in that experiment.
Satellite remote measurements of stratospheric aerosol and ozone profiles using the solar occultation approach were analyzed based on the known properties of the atmospheric parameters. Atmospheric refraction effects which are important in this experiment were determined analytically. Different inversion techniques were developed based on inverting simulated irradiance data. It was shown that aerosol and ozone profiles in the stratosphere can be inverted from the irradiance measurements to an accuracy of better than 10 percent.
Dual frequency radio sounding of the Martian nighttime ionosphere was carried out during the exits from behind the planet of the Mars-4 spacecraft on February 2, 1974 and the Mars-5 spacecraft on February 18, 1974. In these experiments, the spacecraft transmitter emitted two coherent monochromatic signals in decimeter and centimeter wavelength ranges. At the Earth receiving station, the reduced phase difference (or frequencies) of these signals was measured. The nighttime ionosphere of Mars measured in both cases had a peak electron density of approximately 5 X 1,000/cu cm at an altitude of 110 to 130 km. At the times of spacecraft exit, the solar zenith angles at the point of occultation were 127 deg and 106 deg, respectively. The height profiles of electron concentration were obtained assuming spherical symmetry of the Martian ionosphere.
Light curves of occultations of Europa by Io have been used to generate a crude map of albedo features on Europa. The best values currently available for the impact parameters and magnitude ratios for each event have been imposed on our model. Residuals between the observed and computed light curves are interpreted as albedo features on Europa. In order to improve the fit between the observations and the model, it became necessary to impose a general polar brightening. The effects of additional albedo features and alternate models are discussed.
Occultation geometry is analyzed with a view toward eliminating all multipath resulting from layer effects. It is assumed that the spacecraft moves behind the planet with a constant velocity perpendicular to the direction from the spacecraft to the earth, and that for radio frequencies of 1 to 2 GHz the angle of refraction of a radio ray passing through the ionosphere is so small as to be imperceptible if drawn to scale. It is shown that if a particular amount of dispersion is inserted into the process at any stage prior to signal detection, the frequency vs time curve will be converted to a frequency vs ray asymptote height curve. Because there can be only one mode from any one ray asymptote height in a layered medium, frequency must be a single-valued function of this parameter. The introduction of an appropriate dispersion will therefore eliminate all multipath insofar as it is caused by spherically symmetric planetary layers. The degree of accuracy to be provided in flight and during postflight analysis is discussed.
Spacecraft remote sensing of stratospheric aerosol and ozone vertical profiles using the solar occultation experiment has been analyzed. A computer algorithm has been developed in which a two step inversion of the simulated data can be performed. The radiometric data are first inverted into a vertical extinction profile using a linear inversion algorithm. Then the multiwavelength extinction profiles are solved with a nonlinear least square algorithm to produce aerosol and ozone vertical profiles. Examples of inversion results are shown illustrating the resolution and noise sensitivity of the inversion algorithms.
The Princeton University telescope on the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 3 was used for occultation measurements of upper-atmospheric species. The target star, Beta Cen, and observing date were selected so that the line of sight grazed earth's limb at local midnight. Observations at 2580, 2825, 2997, 3100, and 3428 A produced ozone absorption data of high statistical accuracy between 48-km and 114-km tangent altitude. Near-exponential density profiles are obtained up to 85 km. Near 100 km, a significant density excess above the extrapolated low-altitude profile is observed. Near-equatorial observations at altitudes up to approximately 75 km agree well with theoretical calculations. Ozone densities measured at 6.5 to 12.5 deg S latitude above approximately 75 km exceed the theoretical calculations and are not understood at the present time. A search for the 1188-A chlorine line in the 1187-A O2 absorption feature was carried out at tangent altitudes of 96-116 km. An upper limit of 3 ppb to the atomic chlorine mixing ratio at 106 km is found. This upper limit exceeds the expected value for atomic chlorine by a factor of approximately 2.5.
The aerosol scattering coefficient as a function of height can be recovered from a direct inversion of the single-scattering horizon radiance provided the sun is above the horizon and an independent measurement of extinction as a function of height is made. Aerosol detection is effected by means of spacecraft measurements of the horizon radiance made during periods of spacecraft twilight. A solar occultation technique which allows the twilight measurements to be made when the sun is still above the horizon greatly reduces the complexity of the inversion problem. The second part of the paper reports on the use of a coronograph aboard Skylab to photograph the horizon just before spacecraft twilight in order to monitor the aerosol component above the tropopause. The coronograph picture, centered on 26.5 degrees E longitude and 63.0 degrees S latitude, shows that the aerosol layer peaks at a height of 48 plus or minus 1 km.
Radio occultation data obtained with the Pioneer 11 spacecraft are utilized to study Jupiter's ionosphere. The ingress measurements, which were conducted by using a stable earth-based frequency reference for the tracking link, yielded ionospheric data near the morning terminator at about 79 deg south latitude. Data were also taken during egress on the evening side near 20 deg north latitude. The latter measurements were conducted in the one-way mode; i.e., an on-board crystal oscillator was employed as a frequency reference for the downlink (spacecraft-to-earth) signal. These data confirm previous results obtained with Pioneer 10 and show that Jupiter has a multilayered ionosphere extending over an altitude range of more than 3000 km. The topside scale height near 79 deg south latitude was 540 + or - 60 km. Assuming a topside electron, H(+) distribution controlled by diffusion yields a plasma temperature of 850 + or - 100 K in this region. The radio data indicate that the upper atmosphere is either warmer or more dissociated into atomic hydrogen than previously anticipated.
The basic ideas involved in the processing of occultation data are reviewed, with emphasis on sources of uncertainty. The results from the beta Scorpii event are discussed in detail, and those from Pioneers 10 and 11 in as much detail as possible at present. It is suggested that stratospheric and mesospheric temperatures are probably between 170 and 200 K. The implications of an exospheric temperature as hot as 800 K are briefly discussed.
Results are presented for an experimental study designed to measure the density of H2 near 100 km in the earth's atmosphere from occultation of a star, Gamma Vel, by the earth's atmosphere at several wavelengths near the H2 absorption line at 1108.128 A by a spectrometer on an orbiting astronomical observatory. Measurement of the O2 density between 95 and 123 km is also reported. Attention is focused on testing the predictions of a model of the distribution of hydrogen constituents, H, H2, H2O, CH4, OH, and H2O in the upper atmosphere related to a theory of hydrogen escape developed by Hunten and Strobel (1974) and by Liu and Donahue (1974). The measured H2 densities are found to be in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions, whereas the measured O2 density profile generally agrees with the models except for a wavelike structure in the range 104-114 km.
Epsilon Geminorum occultation data obtained on April 8, 1976, with the aid of a 91-cm telescope aboard the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory have provided a basis for the determination of temperature, pressure, and number density profiles of the Martian atmosphere. The results concerning the temperature profiles are compared with those of Viking 1 reported by Nier et al. (1976) and with theoretical predictions of thermally driven tides in the Martian atmosphere made by Zurek (1976).
Analysis of Mariner 10 dual-frequency radio-occultation recordings has yielded new information on the radius and atmosphere of Mercury. The ingress measurements, which were conducted near 1.1 deg north latitude and 67.4 deg east longitude on the night side of the planet, gave a value for the radius of 2439.5 + or - 1 km. Egress near 67.6 deg north latitude and 258.4 deg east longitude on the sunlit side yielded a radius of 2439.0 + or - 1 km. The atmospheric measurements showed the electron density to be less than 1000 per cu cm on both sides of the planet. From the latter result one may infer an upper limit to the dayside surface gas density of 1 million molecules per cu cm.
The ultraviolet spectrometer-telescope on Copernicus was used for stellar occultation measurements of atmospheric ozone. Two sets of observations of the target star Beta-Cen were carried out on 26 July 1975 and 13-14 June 1976 at wavelengths from 2550 A to 3100 A. After unfolding of the data, ozone density profiles near the equator within 3 hours of local midnight were obtained at altitudes from 47 to 114 km. A secondary maximum at 97 km has been observed in both sets of data. The ozone density between 47 and 75 km is a factor of 2 to 3 times as large as current models predict. At the lower boundary, about half the ozone destruction should be caused by NOx and ClOx. Above 55 km, virtually all loss is due to HOx. These results suggest an overestimate of HOx and ClOx loss processes or a serious underestimate of the Ox production rate.
High-time-resolution photoelectric measurements of the occultation of Epsilon Gem by Mars were obtained with the 36-in. telescope at Goddard Space Flight Center. Temperature profiles as a function of number density have been determined by inverting the immersion and emersion light curves on the assumption of a pure CO2 atmosphere. For number densities between 10 to the 13th and 10 to the 15th power per cu cm, the temperature varies in a wavelike fashion about a mean value near 150 K. These temperature profiles agree well with those derived from airborne observations by Elliot et al. (1977), indicating that the atmospheric features producing the excursions in the temperature profiles extend for at least 100 km along the Martian limb.
Measurements of received signal strength at S-band (13 cm) and X-band (4.8 cm) wavelengths during the radio occultation of Mariner 10 by Venus on February 5, 1974, are examined in order to study the structure and composition of the absorbing medium. The frequency excursions of the signals are determined and used to obtain the structure of the refractive index in the lower atmosphere. Profiles of excess signal attenuation due to atmospheric scattering and absorption are presented which indicate that the X-band signal experienced much more absorption and was extinguished at about 50 km, while the S-band signal penetrated to about 42 km. The optical-depth data are inverted by means of a discrete inversion method to obtain the absorption coefficient for each band as a function of height, and the resulting absorption-coefficient profiles are compared with the attenuation at vertical incidence modeled from planetary radar and passive microwave observations of Venus. The absorption coefficients at the two wavelengths are employed to estimate the liquid content and composition of the microwave-absorbing cloud particles.