The science case for an orbital mission to Uranus: Exploring the origins and evolution of ice giant planets
The science case for an orbital mission to Uranus: Exploring the origins and evolution of ice giant planets
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.pss.2014.08.009
复制
发表时间：
2014-12-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Zarkat, P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Arridge, C. S.;Achilleos, N.;Zarkat, P.
巨行星帮助塑造了我们今天在太阳系中看到的条件，它们占太阳行星系统质量的99%以上。它们可以被细分为冰巨人（天王星和海王星）和气体巨人（木星和土星），它们在一些基本方面彼此不同。特别是天王星，对我们理解行星的形成和演化是最具挑战性的，因为它的大体积，低自发光度，高度不对称的内部场和令人困惑的内部结构。天王星也有一个丰富的行星系统，包括一个内部天然卫星系统和复杂的环系统，五个主要的天然冰卫星，一个具有不同动力学历史的不规则卫星系统，以及一个高度不对称的磁层。旅行者2号是唯一一艘探索过天王星的航天器，于1986年飞越过天王星，目前没有计划对这个神秘的系统执行任何使命。然而，前往天王星系的使命将为太阳系的起源和演化打开一扇新的窗口，并将提供关于我们太阳系中各种物理化学过程的关键信息。这些对于理解系外行星系统有着明确的意义。在本文中，我们描述了科学的情况下，轨道使命天王星与大气进入探测器采样的组成和大气物理在天王星的大气。这样的轨道器和稻草人科学有效载荷的特点进行了描述，我们讨论了这样的使命的技术挑战。本文基于欧洲航天局2013年为其大型使命计划征集科学主题的一份白色文件。(C)2014由Elsevier Ltd.出版
Giant planets helped to shape the conditions we see in the Solar System today and they account for more than 99% of the mass of the Sun's planetary system. They can be subdivided into the Ice Giants (Uranus and Neptune) and the Gas Giants (Jupiter and Saturn), which differ from each other in a number of fundamental ways. Uranus, in particular is the most challenging to our understanding of planetary formation and evolution, with its large obliquity, low self-luminosity, highly asymmetrical internal field, and puzzling internal structure. Uranus also has a rich planetary system consisting of a system of inner natural satellites and complex ring system, five major natural icy satellites, a system of irregular moons with varied dynamical histories, and a highly asymmetrical magnetosphere. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have explored Uranus, with a flyby in 1986, and no mission is currently planned to this enigmatic system. However, a mission to the uranian system would open a new window on the origin and evolution of the Solar System and would provide crucial information on a wide variety of physicochemical processes in our Solar System. These have clear implications for understanding exoplanetary systems. In this paper we describe the science case for an orbital mission to Uranus with an atmospheric entry probe to sample the composition and atmospheric physics in Uranus' atmosphere. The characteristics of such an orbiter and a strawman scientific payload are described and we discuss the technical challenges for such a mission. This paper is based on a white paper submitted to the European Space Agency's call for science themes for its large-class mission programme in 2013. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.