SOFIA - Planetary Science

Panel membership & areas of expertise

Panel organization & activities so far

Summary / overview of science topics

Science Vision review, July 17, 2008

OUTLINE:

Writing status & schedule for remaining work

Planetary Science -- SOFIA Science Vision Panel Members

Jeff Cuzzi (lead), ARC: planetary rings and moons; planet formation

Dana Backman (deputy), SOFIA: planet formation; the Kuiper belt[answering SOFIA observation feasibility questions for the panel]

(1) Athena Coustenis, Obs. de Paris: Titan; outer s.s. atmospheric chemistry

(2) Dale Cruikshank, ARC & Josh Emery, SETI Institute:“primitive bodies”: asteroids, Centaurs, Kuiper Belt Objects

(3) Mike Mumma, GSFC: comets; planetary atmospheres

(4) Bob Haberle, ARC & Jeff Hollingsworth, ARC: Terrestrial planet atmospheres

(5) Glenn Orton, JPL: Jovian planet atmospheres

(6) Mark Marley, ARC & Jonathan Fortney, ARC: extrasolar planets

(7) Joan Najita, NOAO & John Carr, NRL: protoplanetary disks

Ted Dunham, Lowell Observatory (HIPO P.I.): “red-team” reviewer

Planetary Science Panel -- events so far

May 20: kickoff teleconference, full panel

June 6: presentation to first Science Vision review

DECISION to focus further work in sub-panels

June 27: “primitive bodies” sub-panel brainstorming telecon

July 9: comets sub-panel brainstorming telecon

July 16: panel lead Jeff Cuzzi in hospital for elective surgery;expects to be out of action for ~ 1 week

SOFIA -- Special Planetary Capabilities

SOFIA can:

* Image the Jovian planets and their moons- at wavelengths of their peak continuum emission- at wavelengths of organic molecular lines

* Observe regions closer to the Sun than Earth’s orbit- Where comets are most active- Venus and Mercury

* Go anywhere on Earth to reach occultation shadowsof solar system objects

* Monitor targets for significant fractions of outer solar system orbit periods

Planetary Science -- Overarching Themes

1) How did the solar system form?(includes cosmological context)

2) How does our solar system compare with other planetary systems?

3) What are the locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances in the solar system?

Planetary Science -- Candidate Investigations

Giant planets and their moons

* water abundances, H/He ratio, D/H ratio, isotopic abundances, organics[how did the solar system form?][locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

* thermal properties (spatial and temporal variations, tidal heating)[how did the solar system form?][locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Planetary Science -- Candidate Investigations, cont’

Protoplanetary disks and debris disks

* chemistry in Terrestrial zones[how does our solar system compare with other planetary systems?]

* long-term spatially-resolved monitoring of cold debris disk features(unique capability for inferring Jovian planets in multi-hundred year orbits)[how does our solar system compare with other planetary systems?]

Extrasolar planets

* transit photometry in and out of methane (and other) molecular bands* spectroscopic follow-up to Kepler discoveries[how does our solar system compare with other planetary systems?]

epsilon Eridani debris disk (Kuiper Belt analog)

<= Size ofNeptune’sOrbit

Planetary Science -- Candidate Investigations, cont’

Primitive Bodies: asteroids, Centaurs, KBOs, comets

* occultations (sizes & densities, atmospheres, companions)[how did the solar system form?]

* spectroscopy (water, volatiles, organics, minerals, crystallinity, D/H)[how did the solar system form?][locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

Planetary Science -- Candidate Investigations, cont’

Inner solar system:

* Lunar permafrost (support for LCROSS mission)[locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

* Mercury’s transient sodium & potassium “atmosphere”(whole-disk complement to close-up measurements by MESSENGER probe)[how did the solar system form?]

* Venus’s deuterium abundance, evidence for a vanished ocean[locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

Titan atmosphere composition (incl. versus time)[locations, origins, and histories of biogenic substances?]

Mars atmosphere evolution, dynamics, biomarkers?

* water cycle …?* biogenic methane ? (large-scale spatial variations)[locations, origins and histories of biogenic substances?]

Planetary Science -- Comet sub-panel brainstorming

* (Some) comets now known to be extremely heterogeneous, incorporating solid matter from all over the solar nebula -- what were the transport mechanisms? Was gas transported like particles?

* Important molecules ~ only available to SOFIA:e.g. H2O, HDO, CO2, CH4, SO2, CS2

* Comet Wildt 2: next perihelion in spring 2010(particles collected by Stardust are now in Earth labs)

* Comet Hartley 2: next perihelion in fall 2010(to be visited by Deep Impact “bus”)

* Comet “Chur-Ger”: next perihelion in fall 2015(to be orbited by Rosetta probe)

Planetary Science -- “Primitive” sub-panel brainstorming

* Asteroid parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (containing complex organics and water) are unknown -- diagnostic reflection spectroscopy bands are in the obscured IR

Planetary Science Panel -- some results, some questions

* Idea for census of small KBOs by observing near-IR occultations: eliminated as not optimum for SOFIA

* SOFIA does not compete in sensitivity with “warm” Spitzer at 3.6 & 4.5 microns (may be obvious, but panel members wanted to be sure)

* We have asked ARC theorist Rich Friedmann to evaluate detectability of H2O in LCROSS plume by GREAT spectrometer using latest information

* Comet and asteroid composition investigations mostly need the EXES mid-IR spectrometer --can development of that instrument be pushed up to support comet apparitions in 2010?

Planetary Science Panel -- status & remaining work

* Text has been drafted already by Primitive Bodies and Comet sub-panels after respective teleconferences

* Brainstorming teleconferences with other sub-panels during remainder of July, into early August

* Sub-panels finish writing draft sections by August 15; combined and edited by Cuzzi and Backman into 0th draft

* Presentation of 0th draft document August 22 to Ted Dunham for quick-turn-around “red-team” review

* Complete 1st draft document by August 29

* Presentation of draft to planetary scientists for comment at SOFIA workshop during DPS conference, October 10-15