HR: 15:20h
AN: SA33C-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Observations of Solar Wind Interactions with Earth, Mars and Venus with Cluster, MEX and VEX
AU: * Winningham, J D
EM: dwinningham@swri.edu
AF: Southwest Research Institute, PO Box 28510, San Antonio, tx t8228-0510, United States
AU: Frahm, R A
EM: rfrahm@swri.edu
AF: Southwest Research Institute, PO Box 28510, San Antonio, tx t8228-0510, United States
AB: Clearly one of the most important controlling factors influencing the interaction of the solar wind with planetary ionospheres is the presence of a planetary magnetic field. We will present results using data from the ESA Cluster, Mars Express, and Venus Express missions. These missions provide data from Earth with its fully developed dynamo driven magnetic field, from Mars with its remnant field, and from Venus with no field. We will examine data from the electron sensors on these missions. Just internal to the dusk boundary between the shocked, sheath electron populations at each planet one observes heated electrons. For Mars and Venus the transits from the solar wind and into the planetary environment are strikingly similar. For all three planets the heated electron spectra just inside the planetary boundary are very similar. We will examine the possible mechanisms for this heating process. Clearly it does not have to involve any form of merging, reconnection, etc., since it occurs for unmagnetized Venus.
DE: 5435 Ionospheres (2459)
DE: 5440 Magnetic fields and magnetism
DE: 5443 Magnetospheres (2756)
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly