Cassini RADAR Icy Satellite Results and Future Plans
Abstract
In July, 2008 the four year Cassini Prime Mission was completed. During the Prime Mission, 73 radar observations of icy satellites (excluding Titan) were obtained over a diverse range of sub-radar locations. These measurements constrain the satellites global albedo distributions with echoes resulting predominantly from volume scattering. Comparisons with optical and 13-cm wavelength radar albedos measured by Arecibo reveal patterns of varying ice purity and regolith maturity. This presentation will summarize our current understanding of the icy satellite radar albedo data. These data will be extended in the Cassini Solstice Mission with additional disk-integrated radar albedo measurements and with radar imaging observations during a close Enceladus flyby. The Enceladus flyby will provide high resolution radar and radiometry coverage in the south polar area. Such data will provide more information about the nature of enhanced backscattering observed in the albedo measurements and should provide more information about the nature of Enceladus’ surface structure and composition in the active south polar area. This work is supported by the NASA Cassini Program at JPL - CalTech.
- Publication:
-
AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #41
- Pub Date:
- September 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009DPS....41.3803W