Cassini's First Distant and Close Encounters With Titan: Initial Analysis From CAPS

HR: 1340h
AN: P53A-1451 [Abstracts]
TI: Cassini's First Distant and Close Encounters With Titan: Initial Analysis From CAPS
AU: * Coates, A J
EM: ajc@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT United Kingdom
AU: Rymer, A M
EM: amr@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT United Kingdom
AU: Hill, T W
EM: hill@rice.edu
AF: Rice University, Physics and Astronomy Department MS 108, Houston, TX 77251-1892 United States
AU: Young, D T
EM: dyoung@swri.edu
AF: Southwest Research Institute, Division of Space Science and Engineering 6220 Culebra Road P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 United States
AU: Crary, F J
EM: fcrary@swri.edu
AF: Southwest Research Institute, Division of Space Science and Engineering 6220 Culebra Road P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 United States
AU: Gosling, J T
EM: jgosling@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space and Atmospheric Science Group NIS-1 (505) 667-2701, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Sittler, E C
EM: Edward.C.Sittler@nasa.gov
AF: Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692 (ECS), 910 (REH), Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Svenes, K R
EM: ksv@ffi.no
AF: Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Division for Electronics P.O. Box 25, Kjeller, N-2027 Norway
AU: Szego, K
EM: szego@rmki.kfki.hu
AF: KFKI - RMKI, KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, P. O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525 Hungary
AU: Vilppola, J
EM: jari.vilppola@oulu.fi
AF: University of Oulu, Department of Physical Sciences Linnanmaa University of Oulu, Oulu, FIN-90014 Finland
AU: Steinberg, J
EM: jsteinberg@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space and Atmospheric Science Group NIS-1 (505) 667-2701, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Andre, N
EM: Nicolas.Andre@cesr.fr
AF: Observatoire Midi-PyrenＦs, 14, Avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, 31400 France
AU: Hartle, R E
EM: Richard.E.Hartle@nasa.gov
AF: Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692 (ECS), 910 (REH), Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Bolton, S
EM: Scott.J.Bolton@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 230-205 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: Cassini performed a distant Titan flyby (T0) at ~330,000 km on 2 July 2004, and a much closer flyby at ~1200 km (TA) is anticipated on 26 October 2004. We present an initial analysis of CAPS data during the two flybys. For the T0 flyby, some of the data are consistent with the passage of the spacecraft near Titan's magnetic flux tube. We examine the evidence and conditions which may have caused this to occur. For the TA encounter, assuming that Titan is in Saturn's magnetosphere at the time, the spacecraft should provide close wake and ionospheric sampling in addition to more distant signs of the interaction. If Titan is in the magnetosheath, a more cometary interaction will occur with a quite different geometry. We present aspects of the first results, in particular concentrating on the structure of the interaction region and on the input of energy into Titan's atmosphere via electron heating.
DE: 7807 Charged particle motion and acceleration
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
DE: 2459 Planetary ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026, 6027, 6028)
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030)
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting