Comparative Planetology with an Earth Perspective: Proceedings of the First International Conference held in Pasadena, California, June 6–8, 1994

216 Pages·1995·11.116 MB·English

by  William M. Kaula (auth.), Moustafa T. Chahine, Michael F. A’Hearn, Jürgen Rahe, Pamela Solomon, Neil L. Nickle (eds.)

COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY
WITH AN EARTH PERSPECTIVE
First International Conference on
Comparative Planetology
with an Earth Perspective
June 6-8, 1994
The Pasadena Hilton Hotel
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Sponsored by
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Solar System Exploration Division
Hosted by
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Office of Space Science and Instruments
California Institute of Technology
CONFERENCE CHAIRS LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Dr. Moustafa T. Chahine, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mr. NeilL. Nickle, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Michael F. A'Hearn, University of Maryland Ms. Patricia B. McLane, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Jeffrey B. Plescia, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
SCIENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Dr. Ellen R. Stofan, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Raymond E. Arvidson, Washington University
Dr. Alexander T. Basilevsky, Vemadsky Institute TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Dr. Reta Beebe, University of New Mexico Pamela Solomon, Goddard Space Flight Center
Dr. Thfrese Encrenaz, Observatoire de Paris
Dr. Christopher McKay, NASA Ames Research Center
Dr. Ronald S. Saunders, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Heinrich Wanke, Max-Planck lnstitut ft1r Chemic
Dr. Maria T. Zuber, Goddard Space Flight Center
Comparative Planetology
with an
Earth Perspective
Proceedings of the First International Conference
held in Pasadena, California, June 6-8, 1994
Edited by
MOUSTAFA T. CHAHINE
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
MICHAEL F. A'HEARN
University ofM aryland, College Park, MD
and
JURGENRAHE
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Technical Editors
Pamela Solomon, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD
NeilL. Nickle, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Reprinted from Earth, Moon, and Planets
Volume 67, Nos. 1-3, 1994/1995
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-90-481-4636-9 ISBN 978-94-017-1092-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-1092-3
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1995
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1995
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
EARTH, MOON, AND PLANETS I Vol. 67 Nos. 1-3 199411995
COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY WITH AN EARTH PERSPECTIVE
Edited by M. T. CHAHINE, M. F. A. 'HEARN and J. RAHE
Foreword vii
Introduction ix-x
WILLIAM M. KAULAI Fonnation of the Terrestrial Planets 1-11
RONALD GREELEY I Geology of Terrestrial Planets with Dynamic
Atmospheres 13-29
S. W. BOUGHER, D. M. HUNTEN and R. G. ROBLE I C02 Cooling in
Terrestrial Planet Thennospheres 31-33
JOHN E. BRANDENBURG I Constraints on the Martian Cratering Rate
Based on the SNC Meteorites and Implications for Mars Climatic
History 35-45
A. T. BASILEVSKY I Factors Controlling Volcanism and Tectonism in
Solar System Solid Bodies 47-49
G. WUCHTERL I Giant Planet Fonnation: A Comparative View of Gas-
Accretion 51-65
NOBUYA TAJIMA and YOSHITSUGU NAKAGAWA I Giant Planet
Fonnation: Dynamical Stability of a Massive Envelope 67-69
S. K. ATREYA, S. G. EDGINGTON, D. GAUTIER and T. C. OWEN I
Origin of the Major Planet Atmospheres: Clues from Trace Species 71-75
T. ENCRENAZ I The Chemical Atmospheric Composition of the Giant
Planets 77-87
THOMAS R. SPILKER I NH3, H2S, and the Radio Brightness Temperature
Spectra of the Giant Planets 89-94
A. COUSTENIS I Titan's Atmosphere and Surface: Parallels and Differences
with the Primitive Earth 95-100
J. S. KARGEL I Cryovolcanism on the Icy Satellites 101-113
D. MOHLMANN I Fonnation of Satellite and Ring Systems: Comparative
Aspects 115-129
L. L. HOOD I Frozen Fields 131-142
E. H. LEVY I Planetary Dynamos 143-160
MICHAEL SCHUlZ I Planetary Magnetospheres 161-173
L. J. ZANETII, T. A. POTEMRA, and B. J. ANDERSON I Boundary
Determinations from Low Frequency Magnetic Field Measurements 175-178
JEFFREY N. CUZZI I Evolution of Planetary Ringmoon Systems 179-208
T.V. RUZMAIKINA I Thermal History of Planetary Materials in the Solar
Nebula 209-215
S. I. IPATOV I Migration of Bodies in the Accumulation of Planets 217-219
List of Participants 221-223
The 'Kluwer' LaTeX Style File: Instructions for Authors 225-226
Author Index 227
Volume Contents 229-230
FOREWORD
The systematic study of the planets has experienced a slow but steady
progress from the efforts of a single individual (Galileo Galilei, 1564-1642) to
nations that individually and collectively create whole agencies and complex
infrastructures devoted to the exploration and understanding of our solar
system. This quest for knowledge continues in earnest today as we attempt
to understand Earth's unique place among its closest neighbors. Known
diversities emphasize fractionation processes that may have occurred in the
nebula during early solar system formation, and the vastly different
evolutionary paths taken by the planets and their satellites. The discovery of
similarities and differences among the planets has given rise to a discipline of
"Comparative Planetology." Here terrestrial properties and giant planet
atmospheres are viewed and probed, surface geologies are related to
atmospheres and oceans, interior structures are envisioned, magnetic fields
mapped, and bizarre differences in satellites and ring systems continue to
enlighten, amaze and confound the detectives of planetary science.
A science organizing committee with international participation was formed to
develop a conference program to address the basic issues and the fundamental
processes that are common among the planets. The goals of the meeting were
twofold: first the production of a reference source on comparative planetology
for academia, and second, the provision of an impetus for NASA to begin a
program devoted to this emerging science discipline.
The conference program accommodated seventeen invited papers and nineteen
poster presentations. These proceedings represent a starting point in building
reference resources for those who strive to untangle the mysteries contained in
this complex corner of the universe that is home to humankind.
DR. WESLEY T. HUNTRESS, JR.
Associate Administrator for Space Science
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Earth, Moon, and Planets 67: vii, 1995.
© 1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY WITH AN EARTH
PERSPECTIVE
INTRODUCTION
M. T. CHAIDNE
M. F. A'HEARN
J. H. RAHE
How the solar system was formed and how it evolved are intriguing questions
basic to planetary science. Current thinking suggests that the sun and the
planets were formed simultaneously through a chain of related processes.
Observational data show many differences as well as similarities in the various
elements of the solar system, and this implies that our planets are individual
systems governed by a set of basic physical and chemical principles.
However, can such principles and processes be identified and explained, and
which of these processes are sufficiently general to encompass more than one
planetary system? To answer these questions we must learn how physical laws
work across the entire solar system and identify those common processes that
led to the present state of the individual planets. This is the goal of
comparative planetology - the topic of this volume.
The study of comparative planetology directly supports the goals of the
NASA planetary exploration program. These goals strive to understand the
origin of the solar system and the evolution of its planets, including Earth, and
to describe the condition leading to the origin of life, and how life can modify
planetary environments. At this time, the various planetary exploration
missions have observed all the major planets of the solar system except for
Pluto. The cumulative observational evidence suggests that the individual
planets formed under conditions associated with the formation of the sun,
which implies that they are linked by the same thread of basic physical and
chemical principles.
However, the solar system has evolved considerably since its formation
through numerous processes, such as the internal heating resulting from
radioactive decay and bombardment by comets and asteroids. Thus, the
original and the present state of the solar system are intrinsically linked.
Progress toward understanding these links involves synthesis of knowledge
both as a function of time (back to the origin) and space (among the planets).
Today we base our knowledge on theories and hypotheses and on
observations derived from over thirty years of space-based observations of the
planets, and from ground-based observations extending over many centuries.
Ultimately, prediction of future evolution is a definite goal. More recently a
detailed in-depth examination of Earth as a planet has added to our
knowledge of planetary systems, thereby making Earth a suitable reference
planet for comparative planetary studies.
Earth, Moon, and Planets 67: ix-x, 1995.
© 1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
X
The use of Earth data is not only convenient, it is also expedient because our
current concern about the impact of human activities on our climate has
profound implications to humankind. In the next few years a large amount
of global data will be obtained from the International Earth Observing System
(EOS) to be flown by the US, European, and Japanese space agencies to study
the Earth and to predict its variability. The debate over "global change" on
Earth addresses basic issues regarding the ways in which planets recycle their
atmospheres and the dynamic processes which establish equilibrium between
the surface of a planet and its atmosphere. Accordingly, it is likely that ~
will attain a better understanding of other planets such as Venus and Mars
by studying them from an Earth perspective first, and then iterating the results
to achieve a common consensus.
The International Conference on Comparative Planetology endeavored to
follow the framework described in this introduction. The papers presented at
the conference and the ensuing discussions were clearly interdisciplinary, as
indicated by the group of topics covered:
1. Terrestrial atmospheres: composition and evolution
2. Giant planet atmospheres: circulation and chemical composition
3. Surface geology: physical and chemical interactions of surfaces with
atmospheres and oceans
4. Interior structure: giant planets versus terrestrial planets versus Triton
and Pluto
5. Magnetic fields: dynamos versus frozen fields and magneto spheres
6. Satellites and ring systems: formation and evolution
7. Formation: giant planets versus terrestrial planets versus Triton and
Pluto
The only component of the conference that is not included in these
proceedings is the concluding panel discussion. Regrettably, the diversity in
presentation materials did not lend itself to a formal presentation here.