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F. Crary, D. Young (Southwest Research Institute), Cassini CAPS Team
In its first year orbiting Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft passed through Saturn's inner magnetosphere/E-ring region 12 times, as well as a unique passage over the main rings during orbital insertion. In addition, the spacecraft has made five close flybys of Titan and two of Enceladus. In July and August, 2005, Cassini will have three more passes through the E-ring and an additional Titan and Enceladus encounter. We present a summary of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) measurements in the vicinity of Titan and Enceladus, including profiles of composition and photoelectrons in Titan's ionosphere, the flux and energy of electrons entering Titan's atmosphere and the electron signatures associated with Enceladus. Within the E ring and over the main rings, CAPS measured the ion and electron environment, which controls the charging of dust particles and therefore the dynamics of the E-ring. We present the observed densities and temperatures within the E-ring and the implications for dust charging. For both the E ring and Saturn's satellites, CAPS measurements of ion composition reflect the composition of these solid surfaces. We show the CAPS measurements of N+ in the inner magnetosphere, and discuss the possible implication of ammonia or implanted nitrogen in the icy satellites or E ring particles.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.