HR: 17:05h
AN: P44A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: The Cassini VIMS Titan Photometric Control Network: Relevance to Understanding Titan's Surface and Atmosphere
AU: * Nelson, R M
EM: robert.m.nelson@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Brown, R H
EM: rhb@lpl.arizona.edu
AF: U. Ariz., University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 United States
AU: Hapke, B W
EM: hapke@pitt.edu
AF: U. Pitt., Univesrity of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 United States
AU: Smythe, W D
EM: william.d.smythe@j[pl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Kamp, L
EM: lucak.kamp@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Boryta, M
EM: mark.boryta@mtsac.edu
AF: Mt. SAC Coll., Dept of Geo., Walnut, CA 95106 United States
AU: Baines, K H
EM: kevin.h.baines@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Bellucci, G
EM: giancarlo.bellucci@ifsi.rm.cnr.it
AF: Ins. Astrophys. Spaz., Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome, 12345 Italy
AU: Bibring, J
EM: bibring@ias.fr
AF: U. Paris Sud-Orsay, Paris Sud-Orsay, Paris, 12345 France
AU: Buratti, B J
EM: bonnie.j.buratti@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Capaccioni, F
EM: capaccio@rm.iasf.cnr.it
AF: Ins. Astrophys. Spaz., Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome, 12345 Italy
AU: Cerroni, P
EM: priscio@rm.iasf.cnr.it
AF: Ins. Astrophys. Spaz., Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome, 12345 Italy
AU: Clark, R
EM: rclark@usgs.gov
AF: USGS, USGS, Denver, CO 80225 United States
AU: Coradint, A
EM: coradini@rm.iasf.cnr.it
AF: Ins. Astrophys. Spaz., Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome, 12345 Italy
AU: Cruikshank, D P
EM: dcruikshank@mail.arc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Ames, NASA Ames, Mt. View, CA 94035 United States
AU: Drossart, P
EM: Pierre.Drossart@obspm.fr
AF: Obs.de Paris-Meudon, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Meudon, 12345 France
AU: Formisano, V
EM: formisan@nike.ifsi.rm.cnr.it
AF: Ins. Astrophys. Spaz., Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome, 12345 Italy
AU: Jaumann, R
EM: ralf.jaumann@dlr.de
AF: Ins.for Plant. Exp., Institute for Planetary Exploration, DLR, Berlin, 12345 Germany
AU: Langevin, Y
EM: angevin@ias.fr
AF: U. Paris Sud-Orsay, Paris Sud-Orsay, Paris, 12345 France
AU: Matson, D L
EM: dennis.l.maton@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: JPL, JPL, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: McCord, T
EM: mccordtb@aol.com
AF: U. Washington, U. Washongton, Seattle, WA 94061
AU: Menella, V
EM: mennella@na.astro.it
AF: Oss. Ast.di Capodimonte, Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Napoli, 12345 Italy
AU: Nicholson, P
EM: nicholson@astro.cornell.edu
AF: Cornell U., Cronell Unviersity, Ithaca, NY 14853 United States
AU: Sicardy, B
EM: bruno.sicardy@obspm.fr
AF: Obs.de Paris-Meudon, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Meudon, 12345 France
AU: Sotin, C
EM: sotin@chimie.univ-nantes.fr
AF: U. Nantes, University of Nantes, Nantes, 12345 France
AB: The Cassini Saturn orbiter has completed six close flybys of Titan since July 2004. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on the spacecraft is able to image Titan's surface at discrete wavelength bands in the spectral range 0.4-5.2 microns where methane, the principal absorbing gas in the atmosphere, is transparent. Using data from the first five Titan flybys we established a preliminary network of 48 photometric control points on Titan's surface which we have used to make preliminary inferences about the normal reflectance of Titan's surface units. These control points are divided evenly into about four overall reflectance classes which span the maximum and minimum of the observed surface reflectance (Nelson et al, 2005). We have increased the size of this network as previously unseen regions of the surface are observed at each successive flyby. Our objective is to observe each control point repeatedly at each flyby at different incident, emission and phase angle. This network will provide a basis on which the photometric function of the surface can be studied in conjunction with the scattering properties of Titan's atmospheric haze. We have also used this network to search for changes in the reflectance of the surface units that may not be related to angular scattering properties but to surface or atmospheric activity. We have already identified clearly at least one regional change in reflectance, spectrum and size which may be related to cloud activity or to surface changes that have occurred from one Titan flyby to another This work performed at JPL under contract with NASA Nelson et al, 2005, submitted to Planetary and Space Science
DE: 6005 Atmospheres (1060)
DE: 6055 Surfaces
DE: 6063 Volcanism (5480, 8450)
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
DE: 6281 Titan
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005