Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons
The outer solar system beyond Saturn remains unexplored by dedicated orbital missions. With a launch window opening in 2029, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission has been prioritized as a NASA Flagship mission for the next decade (2023–2032) to comprehensively study Uranus and its major moons—...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Planetary Science Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ada7ef |
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| author | Valerio Filice Gael Cascioli Sébastien Le Maistre Rose-Marie Baland Antony Trinh Erwan Mazarico Sander Goossens |
| author_facet | Valerio Filice Gael Cascioli Sébastien Le Maistre Rose-Marie Baland Antony Trinh Erwan Mazarico Sander Goossens |
| author_sort | Valerio Filice |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The outer solar system beyond Saturn remains unexplored by dedicated orbital missions. With a launch window opening in 2029, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission has been prioritized as a NASA Flagship mission for the next decade (2023–2032) to comprehensively study Uranus and its major moons—Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon. We define and apply novel mission design principles centered on scientific objectives to UOP's gravity science (GS) experiment. Using a combination of Bayesian and Precise Orbit Determination inversions, it is possible to determine mission requirements ensuring the achievement of scientific goals. Our methodology involves building measurement-to-interior parameter maps via extensive Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations, linking geodetic measurements’ precisions to uncertainties in key interior parameters of the Uranian moons. We show how this mapping approach allows for the rapid evaluation of the ability of a GS experiment design to constrain interior parameters. We conduct a covariance analysis of two orbital tours, multiple measurement strategies, and inversion settings. The tested cases enable the satisfactory determination of Ariel's ice shell thickness (to about 16%), as well as its rock-to-ice mass ratio (≈28%). None of the solutions were able to constrain its ocean thickness. This reverse approach allows for the rapid and scientifically informed adjustment of mission design, thereby demonstrating its potential applicability to other planetary science experiments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a728a4e36fe4bf4928b5d0293eb2df7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Planetary Science Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a728a4e36fe4bf4928b5d0293eb2df72025-02-07T07:47:18ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382025-01-01624110.3847/PSJ/ada7efInformed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian MoonsValerio Filice0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8009-1018Gael Cascioli1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9070-7947Sébastien Le Maistre2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9524-9479Rose-Marie Baland3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5907-0033Antony Trinh4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6732-4104Erwan Mazarico5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3456-427XSander Goossens6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7707-1128Earth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain , Place Louis Pasteur 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Reference Systems and Planetology , Royal Observatory of Belgium, 3 Avenue Circulaire, 1180 Uccle, BelgiumUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Planetary Geology , Geophysics, and Geochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain , Place Louis Pasteur 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Reference Systems and Planetology , Royal Observatory of Belgium, 3 Avenue Circulaire, 1180 Uccle, BelgiumReference Systems and Planetology , Royal Observatory of Belgium, 3 Avenue Circulaire, 1180 Uccle, BelgiumReference Systems and Planetology , Royal Observatory of Belgium, 3 Avenue Circulaire, 1180 Uccle, BelgiumPlanetary Geology , Geophysics, and Geochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAPlanetary Geology , Geophysics, and Geochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAThe outer solar system beyond Saturn remains unexplored by dedicated orbital missions. With a launch window opening in 2029, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission has been prioritized as a NASA Flagship mission for the next decade (2023–2032) to comprehensively study Uranus and its major moons—Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon. We define and apply novel mission design principles centered on scientific objectives to UOP's gravity science (GS) experiment. Using a combination of Bayesian and Precise Orbit Determination inversions, it is possible to determine mission requirements ensuring the achievement of scientific goals. Our methodology involves building measurement-to-interior parameter maps via extensive Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations, linking geodetic measurements’ precisions to uncertainties in key interior parameters of the Uranian moons. We show how this mapping approach allows for the rapid evaluation of the ability of a GS experiment design to constrain interior parameters. We conduct a covariance analysis of two orbital tours, multiple measurement strategies, and inversion settings. The tested cases enable the satisfactory determination of Ariel's ice shell thickness (to about 16%), as well as its rock-to-ice mass ratio (≈28%). None of the solutions were able to constrain its ocean thickness. This reverse approach allows for the rapid and scientifically informed adjustment of mission design, thereby demonstrating its potential applicability to other planetary science experiments.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ada7efRemote sensingDeep space probesUranian satellitesPlanetary interiorMarkov chain Monte CarloGravitational fields |
| spellingShingle | Valerio Filice Gael Cascioli Sébastien Le Maistre Rose-Marie Baland Antony Trinh Erwan Mazarico Sander Goossens Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons The Planetary Science Journal Remote sensing Deep space probes Uranian satellites Planetary interior Markov chain Monte Carlo Gravitational fields |
| title | Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons |
| title_full | Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons |
| title_fullStr | Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons |
| title_short | Informed Design of a Gravity Science Experiment for the Future Geophysical Investigation of the Uranian Moons |
| title_sort | informed design of a gravity science experiment for the future geophysical investigation of the uranian moons |
| topic | Remote sensing Deep space probes Uranian satellites Planetary interior Markov chain Monte Carlo Gravitational fields |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ada7ef |
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