Abstract

Whitepaper #232 submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. Topics: other planetary bodies: Venus, minor bodies, comets, outer plane[...]; other science themes: Interaction of planetary magnetospheres [...]; ground- and space-based telescopes

Highlights

  • Introduction and Motivation The National AcademyCommittee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS) made a recommendation to study a large/medium-class dedicated space telescope for planetary science, going beyond the Discovery-class dedicated planetary space telescope endorsed in Visions and Voyages[0]

  • [1] Are Venus and Titan volcanically active today? The telescope could search for activity on Titan and Venus, where the question of active volcanism has been debated for years[3], spectroscopically seeking anomalies in surface emissivity (Fig. 1A)[4] and H2O concentration in the near-infrared (NIR)[5], while imaging in the UV to observe potential bright spots in the clouds[6]

  • [2] What drives variability in volcanic and cryovolcanic activity? Periodicities of activity revealed by such a telescope may determine forces driving Europa’s putative plumes (Fig. 1B)[7]: tidal stresses as on Enceladus vs. sporadic filling of reservoirs as on Earth and presumably Io

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Summary

Introduction

Introduction and Motivation The National AcademyCommittee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS) made a recommendation to study a large/medium-class dedicated space telescope for planetary science, going beyond the Discovery-class dedicated planetary space telescope endorsed in Visions and Voyages[0]. The telescope could search for activity on Titan and Venus, where the question of active volcanism has been debated for years[3], spectroscopically seeking anomalies in surface emissivity (Fig. 1A)[4] and H2O concentration in the near-infrared (NIR)[5], while imaging in the UV to observe potential bright spots in the clouds[6].

Results
Conclusion

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