175 citations · 568 across the 16 of their papers we have counts for
16 papers
Constraining Thermal Emission of Pluto's Haze From Infrared Rotational Lightcurves
Linfeng Wan, Xi Zhang, Jason D. Hofgartner
The rotational lightcurves of the Pluto-Charon system were previously believed to be solely attributed to their surfaces. However, a proposed scenario of haze cooling \citep{2017Na…
The Properties and Origins of Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth's Large Mounds
S. A. Stern, O. L. White, Wm. Grundy +10
We report on a study of the mounds that dominate the appearance of Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) (486958) Arrokoth's larger lobe, named Wenu. We compare the geological context of these…
Hypotheses for Triton's Plumes: New Analyses and Future Remote Sensing Tests
Jason D. Hofgartner, Samuel P. D. Birch, Julie Castillo +14
At least two active plumes were observed on Neptune's moon Triton during the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989. Models for Triton's plumes have previously been grouped into five hypotheses,…
Some New Results and Perspectives Regarding the Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth's Remarkable, Bright Neck
S. Alan Stern, Brian Keeney, Kelsi Singer +4
One of the most striking and curious features of the small Kuiper Belt Object (KB), Arrokoth, explored by New Horizons, is the bright, annular neck it exhibits at the junction betw…
Modeling transmission windows in Titan's lower troposphere: Implications for infrared spectrometers aboard future aerial and surface missions
Paul Corlies, George D. McDonald, Alexander G. Hayes +10
From orbit, the visibility of Titan's surface is limited to a handful of narrow spectral windows in the near-infrared (near-IR), primarily from the absorption of methane gas. This…
The Science Case for a Titan Flagship-class Orbiter with Probes
Conor A. Nixon, James Abshire, Andrew Ashton +36
We outline a flagship-class mission concept focused on studying Titan as a global system, with particular emphasis on the polar regions. Investigating Titan from the unique standpo…
Initial results from the New Horizons exploration of 2014 MU69, a small Kuiper Belt Object
S. A. Stern, H. A. Weaver, J. R. Spencer +202
The Kuiper Belt is a distant region of the Solar System. On 1 January 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew close to (486958) 2014 MU69, a Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Object, a cla…
The Geology and Geophysics of Kuiper Belt Object (486958) Arrokoth
J. R. Spencer, S. A. Stern, J. M. Moore +75
The Cold Classical Kuiper Belt, a class of small bodies in undisturbed orbits beyond Neptune, are primitive objects preserving information about Solar System formation. The New Hor…
The Shapeshifter: a Morphing, Multi-Agent,Multi-Modal Robotic Platform for the Exploration of Titan (preprint version)
Ali-akbar Agha-mohammadi, Andrea Tagliabue, Stephanie Schneider +8
In this report for the Nasa NIAC Phase I study, we present a mission architecture and a robotic platform, the Shapeshifter, that allow multi-domain and redundant mobility on Saturn…
Photometry of Kuiper Belt Object (486958) Arrokoth from New Horizons LORRI
Jason D. Hofgartner, Bonnie J. Buratti, Susan D. Benecchi +14
On January 1st 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the classical Kuiper belt object (486958) Arrokoth (provisionally designated 2014 MU69), possibly the most primitive object…
Ongoing Resurfacing of KBO Eris by Volatile Transport in Local, Collisional, Sublimation Atmosphere Regime
Jason D. Hofgartner, Bonnie J. Buratti, Paul O. Hayne +1
Kuiper belt object (KBO) Eris is exceptionally bright with a greater visible geometric albedo than any other known KBO. Its infrared reflectance spectrum is dominated by methane, w…
Evidence for Possible Clouds in Pluto's Present Day Atmosphere
S. A. Stern, J. A. Kammer, E. L. Barth +10
Several trace constituents can reach saturation vapor pressure in Pluto's present day atmosphere. As such, we describe a search for discrete could features in Pluto's atmosphere us…
Geomorphologic Mapping of Titan's Polar Terrains: Constraining Surface Processes and Landscape Evolution
Samuel Birch, Alexander Hayes, William Dietrich +18
We present a geomorphologic map of Titan's polar terrains. The map was generated from a combination of Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Imaging Science Subsystem imaging…
THEO Concept Mission: Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean
Shannon M. MacKenzie, Tess E. Caswell, Charity M. Phillips-Lander +17
Saturn's moon Enceladus offers a unique opportunity in the search for life and habitable environments beyond Earth, a key theme of the National Research Council's 2013-2022 Decadal…
Global Albedos of Pluto and Charon from LORRI New Horizons Observations
B. J. Buratti, J. D. Hofgartner, M. D. Hicks +14
The exploration of the Pluto-Charon system by the New Horizons spacecraft represents the first opportunity to understand the distribution of albedo and other photometric properties…
The fate of ethane in Titan's hydrocarbon lakes and seas
Olivier Mousis, Jonathan I. Lunine, Alexander G. Hayes +1
Ethane is expected to be the dominant photochemical product on Titan's surface and, in the absence of a process that sequesters it from exposed surface reservoirs, a major constitu…