Atmospheric Science Questions for a Uranian Probe
The Ice Giants represent a unique and relatively poorly characterized class of planets that have been largely unexplored since the brief Voyager 2 flyby in the late 1980’s.
Uranus is particularly enigmatic, due to its extreme axial tilt, offset magnetic field, apparent low heat budget, mysteriously cool stratosphere and warm thermosphere, as well as a lack of well-defined, long-lived storm systems and distinct atmospheric features.
All these characteristics make Uranus a scientifically intriguing target, particularly for missions able to complete in situ measurements. The 2023-2032 Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology prioritized a flagship orbiter and probe to explore Uranus with the intent to “…transform our knowledge of Ice Giants in general and the Uranian system in particular” (National Academies of Sciences and Medicine, 2022).
In support of this recommendation, we present community-supported science questions, key measurements, and a suggested instrument suite that focuses on the exploration and characterization of the Uranian atmosphere by an in situ probe. The scope of these science questions encompasses the origin, evolution, and current processes that shape the Uranian atmosphere, and in turn the Uranian system overall.
Addressing these questions will inform vital new insights about Uranus, Ice Giants and Gas Giants in general, the large population of Neptune-sized exoplanets, and the Solar System as a whole.
Emma K. Dahl, Naomi Rowe-Gurney, Glenn S. Orton, Shawn R. Brueshaber, Richard G. Cosentino, Csaba Palotai, Ramanakumar Sankar, Kunio M. Sayanagi
Comments: 36 pages, 0 figures, to be published in special issue of Space Science Reviews
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Cite as: arXiv:2401.08900 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2401.08900v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2401.08900
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Submission history
From: Emma Dahl
[v1] Wed, 17 Jan 2024 00:55:34 UTC (63 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.08900
Astrobiology
