HR: 10:50h
AN: P42A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: The Structure of the Venus Neutral Atmosphere from the Radio Science Experiment VeRa on Venus Express
AU: * Tellmann, S A
EM: tellmann@geo.uni-koeln.de
AF: Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Abteilung Planetenforschung, Universität zu Köln, Aachenener Str. 209, Cologne, 50931, Germany
AU: Häusler, B
EM: Bernd.Haeusler@unibw-muenchen.de
AF: Institut für Raumfahrttechnik, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Werner- Heisenberg-Weg 39, Neubiberg, 85577, Germany
AU: Pätzold, M
EM: paetzold@geo.uni-koeln.de
AF: Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Abteilung Planetenforschung, Universität zu Köln, Aachenener Str. 209, Cologne, 50931, Germany
AU: Bird, M K
EM: mbird@astro.uni-bonn.de
AF: Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, Bonn, 53121, Germany
AU: Tyler, G L
EM: len.tyler@stanford.edu
AF: Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
AB: The Venus Express Radio Science Experiment VeRa is sounding the Venus neutral atmosphere and ionosphere using the spacecraft radio subsystem in the oneway radio link mode. An Ultrastable Oscillator (USO) provides a high quality onboard frequency reference source for the derivation of electron density profiles in the ionosphere and profiles of pressure, temperature and neutral number density of the neutral atmosphere. The measurement configuration allows an altitude resolution of only a few hundred metres from the cloud deck at about 40 km to approximately 100 km. Three occultation seasons could be covered in the first two years of the Venus Express mission resulting in a data set of about 140 profiles of the neutral atmosphere. The polar orbit of Venus Express provides the opportunity to study the atmosphere at all planetocentric latitudes under varying illumination conditions. Special attention will be given to day-night variations of the thermal structure and the temperature distribution at high polar latitudes on both hemispheres ("cold collar region") and signal absorption effects caused by the H2SO4 vapour.
DE: 0343 Planetary atmospheres (5210, 5405, 5704)
DE: 0350 Pressure, density, and temperature
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting