Plasma IMS Composition Measurements for Europa and Ganymede

NASA and ESA are planning the joint Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) to the Jupiter system with specific emphases on Europa and Ganymede from these respective space agencies. The Japanese Space Agency is also planning an orbiter mission to explore Jupiter’s magnetosphere and the Galilean satellites. For NASA’s Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) we are developing the 3D Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) with two main goals which can also be applied to the other Galilean moons, 1) measure the plasma interaction between Europa and Jupiter’s magnetosphere and 2) infer the 4π surface composition to trace elemental and significant isotopic levels. The first goal supports the magnetometer (MAG) measurements, primarily directed at detection of Europa’s sub-surface ocean, while the second gives information about transfer of material between the Galilean moons, and between the moon surfaces and subsurface layers putatively including oceans. The measurement of the interactions for all the Galilean moons can be used to trace the in situ ion measurements of pickup ions back to either Europa’s or Ganymede’s surface from the respectively orbiting spacecraft. The IMS instrument, being developed under NASA’s Astrobiology Instrument Development Program (ASTID), would maximally achieve plasma measurement requirements for JEO and EJSM while moving forward our knowledge of Jupiter system composition and source processes to far higher levels than previously envisaged. The ASTID-supported IMS, applicable to the NASA spacecraft, is designed to operate in a high radiation environment with minor and trace ion detection capability. The latter goal is achieved by measuring pickup ions at spacecraft altitudes and using a 3D hybrid model of the interaction in order to construct 3D global model of the electric and magnetic fields around these bodies. The pickup ion trajectories can then be traced back down to the surface. In the case of Europa we also show that Europa’s ionosphere is dominated by pickup ions with 100-1000 eV temperatures and excursions to a “classical” cold ionosphere for the INMS is expected to be infrequent. As per the Particle Plasma Instrument (PPI) design for the strawman science payload of JEO, optimum science data return is assured when IMS is operated in conjunction with plasma electron and energetic ion sensors. The spatially and temporally varying orbital radiation environment of Europa also requires continuous monitoring of penetrating radiation fluxes to support PPI and other instrumental measurements.