Close Cassini flybys of Saturn's ring moons Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora, and Epimetheus

Saturn’s main ring system is associated with a set of small moons that are either embedded within it, or interact with the rings to alter their shape and composition. Five close flybys of the moons Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora, and Epimetheus were performed between December 2016 and April 2017 during the Ring-grazing Orbits of the Cassini mission. Data on the moons’ morphology, structure, particle environment, and composition were returned, along with images in the ultraviolet and thermal infrared. The optical properties of the moons’ surfaces are determined by two competing processes: contamination by a red material formed in Saturn’s main ring system, and by accretion of bright icy particles or water vapor from volcanic plumes originating on the planet’s moon Enceladus

Instrument concept of a single channel dust trajectory detector

Charged dust particles in space can be detected by in situ sensors using charge induction. Such trajectory sensors are normally based on many grid or wire electrodes connected to individual charge sensitive amplifiers. In this article we describe a new approach to measure the trajectory of a charged dust particle by a single charge sensitive amplifier. The signal shape is used to calculate particle speed, mass and trajectory. The detector employs two half-circular grid electrodes, and the electrodes are connected to the differential input stage of an amplifier. Simulations using the Coulomb 9.0 software package were performed in order to determine the expected signal shapes depending on the particle parameters (entry location and incident angles). The simulated charge signals show, that the chosen measurement concept is an efficient method for low-power and low-mass dust trajectory sensors. (C) 2017 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Close Cassini flybys of Saturn’s ring moons Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora, and Epimetheus

Saturn’s main ring system is associated with a set of small moons that are either embedded within it, or interact with the rings to alter their shape and composition. Five close flybys of the moons Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora, and Epimetheus were performed between December 2016 and April 2017 during the Ring-grazing Orbits of the Cassini mission. Data on the moons’ morphology, structure, particle environment, and composition were returned, along with images in the ultraviolet and thermal infrared. The optical properties of the moons’ surfaces are determined by two competing processes: contamination by a red material formed in Saturn’s main ring system, and by accretion of bright icy particles or water vapor from volcanic plumes originating on the planet’s moon Enceladus