Geological Society of America

T178 Friends of Hoth: Episode II—Icy Bodies of the Solar System (Posters)

Monday, 23 October 2017
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Halls 4EF

UNDERSTANDING REGOLITH PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ATMOSPHERELESS SOLAR SYSTEM BODIES USING REMOTE SENSING PHOTOPOLARIMETRIC OBSERVATIONS: PLANETARY SURFACE ANALOGS

Paper number: T178-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

Robert M. Nelson
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA
Robert M. Nelson
Planetary Sciences Institute, Pasadena, CA
Christina Vides
California Polytechnic Institute/Pomona, Pomona, CA
Christina Vides
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA
John Quiñones
California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
John Quiñones
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA
Mark Boryta Presenting Author
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA
Bruce W. Hapke
University of Pittsburg, Pittsburg, PA
Kenneth S. Manatt
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Yuriy Shkuratov
Karazin University, Karkiv
Vladimir Psarev
Karazin University, Karkiv
Kurt Vandervoort
California Polytechnic Institute/Pomona, Pomona, CA
Desiree Kroner
University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Adaeze Nebedum
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA

Abstract

We studied the polarization and reflective properties of a suite of analogs for regolith material of high-albedo atmosphereless solar system bodies (ASSB) of the outer solar system. The angular scattering properties of thirteen well-sorted size fractions of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) powders were measured in the laboratory with a goniometric photopolarimeter (GPP) of unique design.

Our results provide insight in support of efforts to understand the unusual reflectance and negative polarization behavior observed near small phase angles that has been reported over several decades on highly reflective outer solar system ASSBs such as the asteroids 44 Nysa, 64 Angelina (Harris et al., 1989) and the Galilean satellites Io, Europa and Ganymede (Rosenbush et al., 1997; Mishchenko et al., 2006).

Our measurements are consistent with the hypothesis that the surfaces of these ASSBs effectively scatter electromagnetic radiation as if they were extremely fine-grained with void space ≥~95%, and grain sizes of the order ≤ λ_vis.

Our results constrain efforts to deploy surface landers on high ASSBs such as Europa. A spacecraft landing on Europa’s surface would require wheel or footpads that would protect it from settling deeply into the surface.

Refs: Harris et al., 1989. Icarus 81, 365–374; Mishchenko et al., 2006. Applied Optics, 45, 4459-4463; Rosenbush et al, 1997, Astrophys. J. 487, 402–414.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 49, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2017AM-300858

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