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In-Situ Chemical and Isotopic Measurements of the Atmosphere of Jupiter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

P.R. Mahaffy ,
S.K. Atreya ,
H.B. Niemann  and
T.C. Owen
P.R. Mahaffy
Affiliation:
Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, MD 20771USA
S.K. Atreya
Affiliation:
University of Michigan Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109USA
H.B. Niemann
Affiliation:
Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, MD 20771USA
T.C. Owen
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822USA

Abstract

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Insights into both the detailed composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere and unexpected local meteorological phenomena were revealed by in-situ measurements from the Galileo Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer taken on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the neutral atmospheric composition from a pressure of 0.5 bar to approximately 21 bar revealed the mixing ratios of the major species helium and hydrogen as well as numerous minor constituents including methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. This instrument measured the isotope ratios 3He/4He, D/H, and 13C/12C as well as the isotopes of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. A summary is given of progress that has been made in refining preliminary estimates of the abundances of condensable volatiles and noble gases as a result of an ongoing laboratory study using a nearly identical engineering unit. The depletion of simple condensable species to depths well below their expected condensation levels is explained by a local downdraft in the region of the probe entry. The mass spectrometer data suggests that different species may recover at different depths and this may be due to lateral mixing of Jovian air.

Type
III. Special Scientific Sessions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 11 , Issue 2: Highlights of Astronomy. As presented at the XXIIIrd General Assembly of the IAU (Part B), 1997 , 1998 , pp. 1057 - 1064
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1998

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