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The planet Jupiter, its planetary mass and atmosphere, radio waves emitted from Jupiter, thermal radiation, internal structure of Jupiter, and the possibility of life on Jupiter are discussed. Educational study projects are included.
Pioneer 10's encounter with Jupiter is discussed along with the interplanetary space beyond the orbit of Mars. Other topics discussed include the size of Jupiter, the Galilean satellites, the magnetic field of Jupiter, radiation belts, Jupiter's weather and interior, and future exploration possibilities. Educational projects are also included.
The Pioneer 10 mission to Jupiter is described. Included are a discussion of the scientific objectives of the mission and a summary of the scientific findings related to the Asteroid Belt and Jupiter. The spacecraft and instruments are described and the effects of the Jupiter environment on their performance is discussed. The Pioneer 10 trajectory is described as well as the post-Jupiter trajectory for Pioneer 11.
From recent spectra of Jupiter, Saturn and Titan in the 6450-A band of NH3, new values of the abundance of ammonia are derived for Jupiter and Saturn. NH3 abundances of 13 plus or minus 3 m-Am on Jupiter and 2 plus or minus 1 m-Am on Saturn were found. High resolution profiles of NH3 lines on Jupiter are used to estimate a pressure of 2.1 atm at the line formation level in the Jovian atmosphere. In the case of Titan, an NH3 abundance of less than 2 m-Am was found. The implications of these results are discussed.
The Pioneer 10 mission to Jupiter is described. Included are a discussion of the scientific objectives of the mission and a summary of the scientific findings related to the Asteroid Belt and Jupiter. The spacecraft and instruments are described and the effects of the Jupiter environment on their performance is discussed. The Pioneer 10 trajectory is described as well as the post-Jupiter trajectory for Pioneer 11.
Possible reasons are discussed for the marked differences observed between the magnetospheres of earth and Jupiter, and a model of Jupiter's magnetosphere is proposed which can explain the observations of the Pioneer 10 mission. It is shown that the corotating plasma in Jupiter's plasmasphere is in the form of a flattened disk due to inertial forces and that Jupiter's magnetosphere is, in part, a rigidly rotating warped skew 'magnetodisk'. According to the proposed model, the inner part of the magnetosphere consists of a warped magnetodisk, the dipole field lines are modified by a ring current, and the equatorial plasma density increases with distance in the region beyond the synchronous orbit radius. Considerable attention is given to the effects resulting from spiraling of the magnetic-field lines, the tilt in the magnetic dipole, and the strong viscous interaction of the solar wind on the dawn side of the magnetosphere.
The physical structure of Jupiter is discussed on the basis of data obtained by Pioneers 10 and 11. It is argued that the elemental composition of Jupiter is similar to that of the sun, and it is shown that this argument is supported by measurements of the planet's density and H/He ratio. Jupiter's shape and gravitational field are described, and a model of the planet is proposed in which there are a small iron-silicate core at the center, a very thick liquid-hydrogen stratum divided into metallic (inner) and molecular (outer) layers, and a gaseous atmosphere. According to this model, the excess heat radiated by Jupiter is simply a remnant of the heat generated when the planet coalesced from the solar nebula. The appearance of the planetary disk is described together with the Jovian magnetic field, and the Great Red Spot is shown to be a cyclonic disturbance similar to a hurricane. Effects of the Galilean satellites on the magnetic field are considered.
Science goals for missions to Jupiter in the early 1980's are reviewed and a case is made for the science community to play the key role in assigning relative priorities for these goals. A reference set of measurement requirements and their priorities is established and those high priority goals that are most demanding on spacecraft and mission design are used to develop a reference mission concept. An orbiter mission is required to satisfy a majority of the measurements, and a spacecraft data handling capability as least equivalent to the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn spacecraft is the major system design driver. This reference Mission Concept is called Mariner Jupiter Orbiter. The remaining measurement requirements are reviewed in light of the potential science return of this mission, and certain options are developed to augment this science return. Two attractive options fulfill high priority objectives not achieved by the reference Mariner Jupiter Orbiter mission alone: an atmospheric entry probe, released prior to orbit insertion; and a daughter satellite dedicated to particle and fields measurements, ejected into an independent orbit about Jupiter.
Using the data obtained from the Pioneer 10 and 11 observations, a theoretical model is proposed for the bow shock and the magnetosphere of Jupiter. This indicates that the distance of the magnetopause from Jupiter on the sunlit side is 50-55 times the Jupiter radius (7 billion cm) and that the ratio of the stand-off distance to this distance is about equal to or slightly larger than unity. Hence the Mach number of the solar wind seems to be less than 1.5 at Jupiter's orbit. This result necessarily leads to a blunt body model of the Jovian magnetosphere, the tail region of which is not as extended as observed in the earth's case.
Circular-polarization observations of Jupiter are described, and the circular polarization of other planets is discussed to the extent that it aids interpretation of the Jupiter data. The evidence strongly supports the interpretation that the circular polarization arises from scattering by aerosols in a gaseous atmosphere. Accurate calculations of the circular polarization are made for multiple scattering by an atmosphere with spherical aerosols, as a function of particle size and refractive index as well as the mixing ratio of aerosols and gas. The calculations for spheres and the few available circular-polarization observations of Jupiter permit only very limited constraints to be placed on the haze and cloud properties of the atmosphere of Jupiter. However, multispectral circular-polarization observations, combined with measurements of linear polarization and intensity, would permit detailed analysis of atmospheric aerosol properties.
A selective review of studies of Jupiter's magnetosphere is presented which emphasizes theoretical questions concerning the hydromagnetic structure of the middle and outer magnetosphere. A brief overview of the Pioneer magnetospheric experiments is given, the Pioneer observations of the middle and outer magnetosphere are examined, and the characteristic signature of the middle magnetosphere is discussed. Evidence that Jupiter is a source of cosmic-ray electrons is evaluated, and three types of theoretical model of the Jovian magnetosphere are considered: earthlike convection models, quasi-steady disk models, and radial outflow models. The extent to which Jupiter and Io can supply the outer magnetosphere with plasma is also investigated along with corotation of the magnetosphere, the extent of the plasmapause, and limitations of the various models. Future theoretical and experimental studies are suggested, and some general principles for unified models of Jupiter's magnetosphere are outlined.
High-altitude (12.4 km) spectra of Jupiter recorded at the Kuiper Airborne Observatory are analyzed for the presence of CO absorption lines. A line-by-line comparison of Jupiter's spectrum with that of carbon monoxide is presented, as well as a correlation analysis that includes the influence of other gases present in Jupiter's atmosphere (CH4, NH3, H2O, PH3, and GeH4). The resulting evidence points strongly to the presence of carbon monoxide in Jupiter's atmosphere, thus strengthening Beer's evidence for it. Possible explanations for the existence and observability of Jovian CO, including convection from hotter, deeper layers or decomposition of organic molecules, are explored. A recent suggestion that the Jovian CO is restricted to stratospheric levels is not supported by the observations.
A new NASA interplanetary flight project, called Jupiter Orbiter Probe (JOP), has been recently approved by Congress. JOP involves a dual mission intended to explore the planet Jupiter and its environment with an atmospheric probe and a planetary orbiter spacecraft. The probe and orbiter vehicles are to be launched in tandem as a single spacecraft during the time from December 1981 to January 1982. The spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter at the earliest on November 14, 1984. Navigating the JOP spacecraft will be a critical task for the JOP mission. Attention is given to aspects of probe and orbiter delivery, Jupiter orbit insertion and perijove raise, the Satellite Tour, navigation development and the navigation system, the probe delivery, example orbits, velocity perturbation and correction, orbit determination characteristics, orbit determination and control profile, and the correction velocity requirements.
Infrared spectral measurements of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were obtained from 100 to 470 kaysers and, by taking Mars as a calibration source, brightness temperatures of Jupiter and Saturn were determined with approximately 5 kayser resolution. Internal luminosities were determined from the data and are reported to be approximately 8 times 10 to the minus tenth power of the sun's luminosity for Jupiter and approximately 3.6 times 10 to the minus tenth power of the sun's luminosity for Saturn. Comparison of data with spectra predicted by models suggests the need for an opacity source in addition to gaseous hydrogen and ammonia to help explain Jupiter's observed spectrum in the vicinity of 250 kaysers.
Photometric spectra of the forbidden S II emission lines at 6716 and 6731 A originating in the Jovian magnetosphere are examined. The summed apparent emission rate in the two sulfur lines is plotted against the central-meridian longitude of Jupiter in System III. It is found that the total sulfur brightness exhibited a distinct minimum when the Jovian magnetic dipole was in the plane defined by the earth-Jupiter vector and the Jovian rotational axis. The observations are shown to be qualitatively consistent with an annular emitting region at the magnetic equator with a thickness of about 1 Jupiter radius and an inner radius of 4 to 5 Jupiter radii. The observations also imply a (logarithmic) characteristic electron density of approximately 3.7 per cu cm and a (logarithmic) average column abundance of about 11.5 per sq cm for singly ionized sulfur.
Observations of the optical extreme ultraviolet spectrum of the Jupiter planetary system during the Voyager 1 encounter have revealed previously undetected physical processes of significant proportions. Bright emission lines of S(+2), S(+3), O(+2) indicating an electron temperature of 100,000 K have been identified in preliminary analyses of the Io plasma torus spectrum. Strong auroral atomic and molecular hydrogen emissions have been observed in the polar regions of Jupiter near magnetic field lines that map the torus into the atmosphere of Jupiter. The observed resonance scattering of solar hydrogen Lyman alpha by the atmosphere of Jupiter and the solar occultation experiment suggest a hot thermosphere (greater than or equal to 1000 K) with a large atomic hydrogen abundance. A stellar occultation by Ganymede indicates that its atmosphere is at most an exosphere.
During the Voyager 1 encounter with Jupiter a number of discrete signals were identified in the wideband plasma wave data with characteristics similar to whistlers generated by lightning. In this paper we show that the calculated whistler-mode travel times from Jupiter to the spacecraft are in good agreement with the measured dispersion characteristics, thereby confirming that the signals are caused by lightning on Jupiter and substantiating the Voyager 1 photographic evidence for lightning on Jupiter. A quantitative estimate of the north-south thickness of the Io plasma torus is also obtained from the measured whistler dispersion.
The spectrum of sunlight reflected by Jupiter is analyzed by comparing observations of Woodman (1979) with multiple-scattering computations. The analysis yields information on the vertical cloud structure at several latitudes and on the abundance of CH4 and NH3 in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The abundances of CH4 and NH3 suggest that all ices and rocks are overabundant on Jupiter by a factor of 2 or more, providing an important constraint on models for the formation of Jupiter from the primitive solar nebula. The pressure level of the clouds, the gaseous NH3 abundance, the mean temperature profile, and the Clausius-Clapeyron relation suggest that these clouds are predominantly ammonia crystals with the cloud bottom at 600-700 mb. A diffuse distribution of aerosols exists between 150 and 500 mb, and the spectral variation of albedo reflects a changing bulk absorption coefficient of the material composing the aerosols and is diagnostic of the aerosol composition.