Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - EnVision
T2 - taking the pulse of our twin planet
AU - Ghail, Richard C.
AU - Wilson, Colin
AU - Galand, Marina
AU - Hall, David
AU - Cochrane, Chris
AU - Mason, Philippa
AU - Helbert, Joern
AU - MontMessin, Franck
AU - Limaye, Sanjay
AU - Patel, Manish
AU - Bowles, Neil
AU - Stam, Daphne
AU - Wahlund, Jan-Erik
AU - Rocca, Fabio
AU - Waltham, David
AU - Mather, Tamsin A.
AU - Biggs, Juliet
AU - Genge, Matthew
AU - Paillou, Philippe
AU - Mitchell, Karl
AU - Wilson, Lionel
AU - Singh, Upendra N.
PY - 2012/4
Y1 - 2012/4
N2 - EnVision is an ambitious but low-risk response to ESA's call for a medium-size mission opportunity for a launch in 2022. Venus is the planet most similar to Earth in mass, bulk properties and orbital distance, but has evolved to become extremely hostile to life. EnVision's 5-year mission objectives are to determine the nature of and rate of change caused by geological and atmospheric processes, to distinguish between competing theories about its evolution and to help predict the habitability of extrasolar planets. Three instrument suites will address specific surface, atmosphere and ionosphere science goals. The Surface Science Suite consists of a 2.2 m(2) radar antenna with Interferometer, Radiometer and Altimeter operating modes, supported by a complementary IR surface emissivity mapper and an advanced accelerometer for orbit control and gravity mapping. This suite will determine topographic changes caused by volcanic, tectonic and atmospheric processes at rates as low as 1 mm a (-aEuro parts per thousand 1). The Atmosphere Science Suite consists of a Doppler LIDAR for cloud top altitude, wind speed and mesospheric structure mapping, complemented by IR and UV spectrometers and a spectrophotopolarimeter, all designed to map the dynamic features and compositions of the clouds and middle atmosphere to identify the effects of volcanic and solar processes. The Ionosphere Science Suite uses a double Langmiur probe and vector magnetometer to understand the behaviour and long-term evolution of the ionosphere and induced magnetosphere. The suite also includes an interplanetary particle analyser to determine the delivery rate of water and other components to the atmosphere.
AB - EnVision is an ambitious but low-risk response to ESA's call for a medium-size mission opportunity for a launch in 2022. Venus is the planet most similar to Earth in mass, bulk properties and orbital distance, but has evolved to become extremely hostile to life. EnVision's 5-year mission objectives are to determine the nature of and rate of change caused by geological and atmospheric processes, to distinguish between competing theories about its evolution and to help predict the habitability of extrasolar planets. Three instrument suites will address specific surface, atmosphere and ionosphere science goals. The Surface Science Suite consists of a 2.2 m(2) radar antenna with Interferometer, Radiometer and Altimeter operating modes, supported by a complementary IR surface emissivity mapper and an advanced accelerometer for orbit control and gravity mapping. This suite will determine topographic changes caused by volcanic, tectonic and atmospheric processes at rates as low as 1 mm a (-aEuro parts per thousand 1). The Atmosphere Science Suite consists of a Doppler LIDAR for cloud top altitude, wind speed and mesospheric structure mapping, complemented by IR and UV spectrometers and a spectrophotopolarimeter, all designed to map the dynamic features and compositions of the clouds and middle atmosphere to identify the effects of volcanic and solar processes. The Ionosphere Science Suite uses a double Langmiur probe and vector magnetometer to understand the behaviour and long-term evolution of the ionosphere and induced magnetosphere. The suite also includes an interplanetary particle analyser to determine the delivery rate of water and other components to the atmosphere.
KW - Venus tectonics
KW - Venus atmosphere
KW - YELLOWSTONE CALDERA
KW - DYNAMICS
KW - TECTONICS
KW - VOLCANISM
KW - THETIS-REGIO
KW - VENUS
KW - BOUNDARY
KW - Venus ionosphere
KW - InSAR
KW - LIDAR
KW - RADAR INTERFEROMETRY
KW - SUBDUCTION
KW - EVOLUTION
U2 - 10.1007/s10686-011-9244-3
DO - 10.1007/s10686-011-9244-3
M3 - Journal article
VL - 33
SP - 337
EP - 363
JO - Experimental Astronomy
JF - Experimental Astronomy
SN - 0922-6435
IS - 2-3
ER -