The Comet Nucleus Tour (Contour); A NASA Discovery Mission     

Cochran  Anita  Veverka  Joseph  Bell  James  Belton  Michael  Benkhoff  Johannes  Benkhoff  Andrew  Clark  Benton  Feldman  Paul  Kissel  Jochen  Mahaffy  Paul  Malin  Michael  Murchie  Scott  Neimann  Hasso  Owen  Tobias  Robinson  Mark  Schwehm  Gerhard  Squyres  Steve  Thomas  Peter  Whipple  Fred  Yeomans  Donald 《Earth, Moon, and Planets》2000,89(1-4):289-300

In 1997, the COmet Nucleus TOUR (CONTOUR) was selected byNASA for a new start as part of the Discovery line. In this paper, we review the status of the mission, the mission timeline and the instruments to be flown. Detail is given of the science goals and how they are to be accomplished.  相似文献   

Extrasolar planets and the rotation and axisymmetric mass-loss of evolved stars     

Noam Soker 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2001,324(3):699-704

I examine the implications of the recently found extrasolar planets on the planet-induced axisymmetric mass-loss model for the formation of elliptical planetary nebulae (PNe). This model attributes the low departure from spherical mass-loss of upper asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to envelope rotation which results from deposition of orbital angular momentum of the planets. Since about half of all PNe are elliptical, i.e., have low equatorial to polar density contrast, it was predicted that about 50 per cent of all Sun-like stars have Jupiter-like planets around them, i.e., a mass about equal to that of Jupiter, M _J, or more massive. In the light of the new findings that only 5 per cent of Sun-like stars have such planets, and a newly proposed mechanism for axisymmetric mass-loss, the cool magnetic spots model, I revise this prediction. I predict that indeed ∼50 per cent of PN progenitors do have close planets around them, but the planets can have much lower masses, as low as ∼0.01 M _J, in order to spin-up the envelopes of AGB stars efficiently. To support this claim, I follow the angular momentum evolution of single stars with main-sequence mass in the range of 1.3–2.4 M_⊙ , as they evolve to the post-AGB phase. I find that single stars rotate much too slowly to possess any significant non-spherical mass-loss as they reach the upper AGB. It seems, therefore, that planets, in some cases even Earth-like planets, are sufficient to spin-up the envelope of these AGB stars for them to form elliptical PNe. The prediction that on average several such planets orbit each star, as in the Solar system, still holds.  相似文献   

Mineralogical interpretation of reflectance spectra of Eros from NEAR near‐infrared spectrometer low phase flyby     

Lucy A. Mcfadden  Dennis D. Wellnitz  Matthew Schnaubelt  Michael J. Gaffey  J. F. Bell  Noam Izenberg  Scott Murchie  Clark R. Chapman 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2001,36(12):1711-1726

Abstract— High signal‐to‐noise near‐infrared spectrometer (NIS) spectra acquired during the low phase flyby of the near‐Earth asteroid rendezvous (NEAR) mission to 433 Eros are analyzed to determine mineral chemistry and proportions of mafic silicates across the asteroid's surface at 2.68 × 5.50 km spatial resolution. Spectral band parameters are derived, and compared with those of laboratory samples of known mineral composition, grain size distribution and terrestrial, meteoritic and lunar pyroxene spectral properties. The NIS derived band parameters are consistent with ordinary chondrite meteorites. We invoke the presence of a clinopyroxene component in the spectra, which is consistent with ordinary chondrite mineralogy and/or some degree of partial melting of ordinary chondritic material. Spectra measured across the surface of Eros can reveal small but real spectral variations. Most relative spectra are uniform to within 1–2%. Some areas suggest compositional variations of a few percent. Spectral slope variations of a few percent are seen indicating a non‐uniform distribution of materials affecting the slope parameter but with no resolved absorption bands. We find no correlation of slope with viewing geometry or compositional variation. The band parameter values do not consistently indicate a specific ordinary chondrite class but Eros is definitely undifferentiated with possible compositional variations of no more than 1–2%.  相似文献   

The MESSENGER mission to Mercury: scientific objectives and implementation     

Sean C. Solomon  Ralph L. McNutt  Jr.  Robert E. Gold  Mario H. Acua  Daniel N. Baker  William V. Boynton  Clark R. Chapman  Andrew F. Cheng  George Gloeckler  James W. Head III  Stamatios M. Krimigis  William E. McClintock  Scott L. Murchie  Stanton J. Peale  Roger J. Phillips  Mark S. Robinson  James A. Slavin  David E. Smith  Robert G. Strom  Jacob I. Trombka  Maria T. Zuber 《Planetary and Space Science》2001,49(14-15)

Mercury holds answers to several critical questions regarding the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets. These questions include the origin of Mercury's anomalously high ratio of metal to silicate and its implications for planetary accretion processes, the nature of Mercury's geological evolution and interior cooling history, the mechanism of global magnetic field generation, the state of Mercury's core, and the processes controlling volatile species in Mercury's polar deposits, exosphere, and magnetosphere. The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission has been designed to fly by and orbit Mercury to address all of these key questions. After launch by a Delta 2925H-9.5, two flybys of Venus, and two flybys of Mercury, orbit insertion is accomplished at the third Mercury encounter. The instrument payload includes a dual imaging system for wide and narrow fields-of-view, monochrome and color imaging, and stereo; X-ray and combined gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers for surface chemical mapping; a magnetometer; a laser altimeter; a combined ultraviolet–visible and visible-near-infrared spectrometer to survey both exospheric species and surface mineralogy; and an energetic particle and plasma spectrometer to sample charged species in the magnetosphere. During the flybys of Mercury, regions unexplored by Mariner 10 will be seen for the first time, and new data will be gathered on Mercury's exosphere, magnetosphere, and surface composition. During the orbital phase of the mission, one Earth year in duration, MESSENGER will complete global mapping and the detailed characterization of the exosphere, magnetosphere, surface, and interior.  相似文献   

On the Rayleigh–Taylor instability of radio bubbles in galaxy clusters     

Fabio Pizzolato  Noam Soker 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,371(4):1835-1848

We consider the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the early evolution of the rarefied radio bubbles (cavities) observed in many cooling-flow clusters of galaxies. The top of a bubble becomes prone to the Rayleigh–Taylor instability as the bubble rises through the intracluster medium (ICM). We show that while the jet is powering the inflation, the deceleration of the bubble–ICM interface is able to reverse the Rayleigh–Taylor instability criterion. In addition, the inflation introduces a drag effect which increases substantially the instability growth time. The combined action of these two effects considerably delays the onset of the instability. Later on, when the magnitude of the deceleration drops or the jet fades, the Rayleigh–Taylor and the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities set in and eventually disrupt the bubble. We conclude that the initial deceleration and drag, albeit unable to prevent the disruption of a bubble, may significantly lengthen its lifetime, removing the need to invoke stabilizing magnetic fields.  相似文献   

Violent stellar merger model for transient events     

Noam Soker  Romuald Tylenda 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2006,373(2):733-738

We derive the constraints on the mass ratio for a binary system to merge in a violent process. We find that the secondary-to-primary stellar mass ratio should be  0.003 ≲ ( M ₂/ M ₁) ≲ 0.15  . A more massive secondary star will keep the primary stellar envelope in synchronized rotation with the orbital motion until merger occurs. This implies a very small relative velocity between the secondary star and the primary stellar envelope at the moment of merger, and therefore very weak shock waves, and low-flash luminosity. A too low-mass secondary will release small amount of energy, and will expel small amount of mass, which is unable to form an inflated envelope. It can, however, produce a quite luminous but short flash when colliding with a low-mass main-sequence star.
Violent and luminous mergers, which we term mergebursts, can be observed as V838 Monocerotis-type events, where a star undergoes a fast brightening lasting days to months, with a peak luminosity of up to  ∼10⁶ L_⊙  followed by a slow decline at very low effective temperatures.  相似文献   

A temporal-contextual analysis of urban dynamics using location-based data     

A. Yair Grinberger  Noam Shoval 《International journal of geographical information science》2015,29(11):1969-1987

The dynamics of urban activities in Jerusalem were studied by analyzing a large-scale semantically rich movement dataset. The semantic enrichment process was based on coupling movement trajectories sampled by GPS loggers with contextual data derived from trajectory-based digital activity dairies. Although the utility of such procedures in generating trajectory-specific semantic data was noted before, their application stays limited. In this paper, we promote the utilization of these procedures by demonstrating that they are not only feasible but also important for mobility studies. We discuss the characteristics of the semantic enrichment process and the manner by which it was applied within the large-scale analysis of urban dynamics. This application uncovered a time- and context-dependent array of centers in Jerusalem, resulting in a semantically rich characterization of urban dynamics. Such characterization provides otherwise unobtainable insights crucial for urban analysis. Wider implications for movement studies may be derived, as this application demonstrates how diary-based enrichment approaches hold the potential to advance bridging the semantic gap in mobility research.  相似文献   

Eminescu impact structure: Insight into the transition from complex crater to peak-ring basin on Mercury     

Samuel C. Schon  James W. Head  David M.H. Baker  Carolyn M. Ernst  Louise M. Prockter  Scott L. Murchie  Sean C. Solomon 《Planetary and Space Science》2011,59(15):1949-1959

Peak-ring basins represent an impact-crater morphology that is transitional between complex craters with central peaks and large multi-ring basins. Therefore, they can provide insight into the scale dependence of the impact process. Here the transition with increasing crater diameter from complex craters to peak-ring basins on Mercury is assessed through a detailed analysis of Eminescu, a geologically recent and well-preserved peak-ring basin. Eminescu has a diameter (∼125 km) close to the minimum for such crater forms and is thus representative of the transition. Impact crater size-frequency distributions and faint rays indicate that Eminescu is Kuiperian in age, geologically younger than most other basins on Mercury. Geologic mapping of basin interior units indicates a distinction between smooth plains and peak-ring units. Our mapping and crater retention ages favor plains formation by impact melt rather than post-impact volcanism, but a volcanic origin for the plains cannot be excluded if the time interval between basin formation and volcanic emplacement was less than the uncertainty in relative ages. The high-albedo peak ring of Eminescu is composed of bright crater-floor deposits (BCFDs, a distinct crustal unit seen elsewhere on Mercury) exposed by the impact. We use our observations to assess predictions of peak-ring formation models. We interpret the characteristics of Eminescu as consistent with basin formation models in which a melt cavity forms during the impact formation of craters at the transition to peak ring morphologies. We suggest that the smooth plains were emplaced via impact melt expulsion from the central melt cavity during uplift of a peak ring composed of BCFD-type material. In this scenario the ringed cluster of peaks resulted from the early development of the melt cavity, which modified the central uplift zone.  相似文献   

Characterization of hydrated silicate-bearing outcrops in Tyrrhena Terra,Mars: Implications to the alteration history of Mars     

D. Loizeau  J. Carter  S. Bouley  N. Mangold  F. Poulet  J.-P. Bibring  F. Costard  Y. Langevin  B. Gondet  S.L. Murchie 《Icarus》2012,219(1):476-497

The Tyrrhena Terra region of Mars is studied with the imaging spectrometers OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité) onboard Mars Express and CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Infrared Spectrometer for Mars) onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, through the observation of tens of craters that impacted into this part of the martian highlands. The 175 detections of hydrated silicates are reported, mainly associated with ejecta blankets, crater walls and rims, and central up-lifts. Sizes of craters where hydrated silicates are detected are highly variable, diameters range from less than 1 km to 42 km. We report the presence of zeolites and phyllosilicates like prehnite, Mg-chlorite, Mg-rich smectites and mixed-layer chlorites–smectites and chlorite–vermiculite from comparison of hyperspectral infrared observations with laboratory spectra. These minerals are associated with fresh craters post-dating any aqueous activity. They likely represent ancient hydrated terrains excavated by the crater-forming impacts, and hence reveal the composition of the altered Noachian crust, although crater-related hydrothermal activity may have played a minor role for the largest craters (>20 km in diameter). Most detected minerals formed over relatively high temperatures (100–300 °C), likely due to aqueous alteration of the Noachian crust by regional low grade metamorphism from the Noachian thermal gradient and/or by extended hydrothermal systems associated with Noachian volcanism and ancient large impact craters. This is in contrast with some other phyllosilicate-bearing regions like Mawrth Vallis where smectites, kaolinites and hydrated silica were mainly identified, pointing to a predominance of surface/shallow sub-surface alteration; and where excavation by impacts played only a minor role. Smooth plains containing hydrated silicates are observed at the boundary between the Noachian altered crust, dissected by fluvial valleys, and the Hesperian unaltered volcanic plains. These plains may correspond to alluvial deposition of eroded material. The highlands of Tyrrhena Terra are therefore particularly well suited for investigating the diversity of hydrated minerals in ancient martian terrains.  相似文献   

3D post‐stack interval velocity analysis with effective use of datuming     

Moshe Reshef  Noam Lipzer  Raanan Dafni  Evgeny Landa 《Geophysical Prospecting》2012,60(1):18-28

Interval velocity analysis using post‐stack data has always been a desire, mainly for 3D data sets. In this study we present a method that uses the unique characteristics of migrated diffractions to enable interval velocity analysis from three‐dimensional zero‐offset time data. The idea is to perform a standard three‐dimensional prestack depth migration on stack cubes and generate three‐dimensional common image gathers that show great sensitivity to velocity errors. An efficient ‘top‐down’ scheme for updating the velocity is used to build the model. The effectiveness of the method is related to the incorporation of wave equation based post‐stack datuming in the model building process. The proposed method relies on the ability to identify diffractions along redatumed zero‐offset data and to analyse their flatness in the migrated local angle domain. The method can be considered as an additional tool for a complete, prestack depth migration based interval velocity analysis.  相似文献