IASFRome_StatusReport - INAF-IASF-Roma

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IASF Roma - STATUS REPORTfor the Visiting CommitteeRef: IASF-RM-VC-001/07DATA: 19 November 2007Page: 16/134distribution); surface degradation processes and global resurfacing; volcanism styles; volcaniclandforms and products; crustal dynamics and mechanical properties of the lithospere; surfacecompositon and crustal differentiation; soil maturity and alteration processes; surfaceatmosphereinteraction processes and origin of the exosphere.These objectives will be achieved by performing : global stereo mapping and digital terrainmodel reconstruction with a spatial resolution of about 50m; global mineralogical andcompositional mapping, with a spatial resolution better than 500m and spectral resolution of7nm; local mapping at high spatial resolution (5m) with color capabilities.Venus Express, G. Piccioni, A. Cardesin, V. Cottini, O. Lanciano, A. Migliorini, R. Politi, M.ZambelliVenus Express is the second interplanetary mission of ESA after Mars Express, and has beenlaunched on November 9 2005. Since orbit insertion, which took place on April 11 2006, itstarted to observe the still mysterious (despite several space missions in the past) planet Venusregularly; currently, it has entered the extended mission period.The scientific objectives of the mission are primarily the study of the atmosphere, the surfaceand their interaction and the interaction of the planet with the surrounding deep space, inparticular with the solar wind. Most of the planned scientific objectives have been addressedand a deep analysis of the data is currently running. The international context of the mission iswide and it involves more than 10 countries in the world in Europe, United States, Russia,Japan and Australia. Our Institute is significantly involved in the mission as leader of majorinstruments like VIRTIS, PFS and an important participation on ASPERA-4. A significant part ofthe instrument operations, data archiving and validation, calibration and data analysis areplanned and executed in IASF-Rome.VIMS on Cassini, P. Cerroni, F. Capaccioni, G. FilacchioneThe Cassini-Huygens mission is an international collaboration between three space agencies,NASA ESA and ASI. The Cassini spacecraft is the first to explore the Saturn system of ringsand moons from orbit. Cassini entered orbit on Jun. 30 2004 and immediately began sendingback intriguing images and data. The European Space Agency's Huygens Probe dove intoTitan's thick atmosphere in January 2005. The sophisticated instruments on both spacecraft areproviding scientists with vital data and the best views ever of this mysterious, vast region of oursolar system. More than 250 scientists worldwide are studying the data streaming back fromSaturn on a daily basis: the study of Saturn, of its rings and of its satellites system will be crucialto gain a deeper understanding of processes governing the evolution of a planetary system. Theitalian participation to the Cassini mission is coordinated by P. Cerroni at INAF-IASF; the IASFcontributes to Cassini VIMS (Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) with 2 team members(F. Capaccioni and P. Cerroni) active together with G. Filacchione and F. Tosi in the study ofSaturn’s rings and of Saturn’s icy satellites, while R. Orosei is a team member of Cassini radar.A particularly interesting discovery made by VIMS was the geological activity exhibited by thesmall satellite Enceladus. Other major scientific themes for Cassini VIMS are the study of therings and of Titan ; the study of Titan in particular is a highlight of the joint efforts of Cassiniinstruments with IASF participation, i.e. VIMS and the radar, as the sinergy between these twoinstruments is very important to unveil the appearance of Titan’s surface, clouded by a thickatmosphere not transparent in the visible range.Planetary radar, R. OroseiThree radar experiments, partially or totally developed in Italy, are currently flying on planetarymissions.The Cassini RADAR is a facility instrument, built in collaboration between NASA and ASI, onboard Cassini, aimed at the exploration of the Saturnian system. It operates in the Ka band, and16
IASF Roma - STATUS REPORTfor the Visiting CommitteeRef: IASF-RM-VC-001/07DATA: 19 November 2007Page: 17/134has many operational modes. Its goals include the first geological reconnaissance of thesurface of Titan.MARSIS is an Italian instrument for Mars Express, the first planetary exploration mission ofESA; it is a low-frequency radar, able to penetrate under the martian surface to reveal dielectricdiscontinuities at a depth of a few km, with a vertical resolution of 150 m and a horizontalresolution of several km. Its main aim is to find and map the presence of water and ice underthe surface, as well as revealing interfaces between subsurface rocks of different densities.SHARAD is a facility instrument provided by ASI to NASA for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter(MRO). It is a low-frequency radar, able to penetrate under the martian surface and revealdielectric discontinuities at a depth of a few handred metres, with a vertical resolution of 15 mand a horizontal resolution of about 1 km. Its primary goal is to map martian subsurfacedielectric discontinuities, in order to allow interpretation in terms of presence and distribution ofdifferent materials, including solid rock, regolith, water and ice.VIR: DAWN, M.C. De Sanctis, F. Capaccioni, M.T. Capria, G. Filacchione, G. Magni,R.OroseiDawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epochby investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations :Ceres and Vesta. Each has followed a very different evolutionary path constrained by thediversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of solar system evolution.Dawn's goal is to achieve an understanding of the conditions and processes acting at the solarsystem's earliest epoch. Dawn investigates the internal structure, density and homogeneity oftwo complementary protoplanets, 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta, by measuring their mass, shape,volume and spin rate with both imagery, laser altimetry and gravity. Dawn records theprotoplanets' elemental and mineral composition to determine their thermal history andevolution and provides context for meteorites. The IASF researchers are involved in the overallmission as Co-Investigators of the mission (Dawn is a PI mission with a group of scientists thatare responsible for the mission and not only for one instrument) and in the Dawn mappingspectrometer VIR. VIR is a Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer that produces spectralimages in the 0.25-1 µm and 1-5 µm ranges.ExoMars Ma_Miss, M.C. De Sanctis, F. Capaccioni, M.T. Capria, G. Piccioni, G. Magni, R.Orosei, G. FilacchioneExoMars is the first Aurora Flagship mission to be assessed. Its aim is to further characterizethe biological environment on Mars in preparation for robotic missions and then humanexploration. This mission calls for the development of a Mars orbiter, a descent module and aMars rover. The Mars orbiter will have to be capable of reaching Mars and putting itself into orbitaround the planet. On board will be a Mars rover within a descent module. On the rover, a drillsystem is accommodated.The widely acknowledged next step within space exploration is drilling deep into the surface ofplanetary bodies. DIBS is devoted to study the first upper meters of the Mars soil by means of adrill system equipped with a small imaging spectrometer integrated in the drill. MaMiss (MarsMultispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies) is part of the drill payload. It is a miniaturizedvisible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer designed to provide imaging and spectra in therange visible-near IR.Laboratory activities, G. Piccioni, R. Politi, M. ZambelliThe laboratory in IASF is used for different aspects in support to the space applications inremote sensing and in situ. There are facilities supporting testing activity at subsystem level foroptics, electronics and thermo-mechanics in space conditions and in the typical range ofqualifications level of space applications. Moreover, the available scientific instruments, like highaccuracy absolute spectrometers, black bodies, absolute calibrated lamps, optical bench with17
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