Dr.
Bonnie Buratti
Senior Research Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Research Summary:
Buratti's research has centered on the nature of the
moons of the giant planets, especially Iapetus and Enceladus.
Her work includes:
- Applying radiative transfer modeling to understand
the surface structure and texture of these bodies
- Observing with large Earth-based telescopes to augment
mission observations and to study temporal changes
- Deriving surface composition through the study of
visible and infrared spectra.
She is a member of the science teams for the New Horizons
mission to Pluto, the Cassini mission currently in orbit
around Saturn, and the Moon Multispectral Mapper.
Title 1: Oddballs in Outer Space:
The Icy Moons of Saturn
Abstract 1:
During its four year tour of Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft
has provided close-up views of the many satellites of
Saturn. Each body is a geologic world in its own right,
with mysteries that speak to the fundamental questions
of the history and the present state of our Solar System.
This talk will focus on the two oddest bodies: Iapetus,
with one side as bright as snow, and the other side
as dark as coal; and Enceladus, which has huge active
geysers on its surface.
Title 2: Exploring Pluto
Abstract 2:
Going beyond the question of "Is Pluto a Planet",
this talk will give an overview of the New Horizons
Mission to Pluto and beyond. I will discuss the current
view of the icy bodies at the edge of the Solar System,
and I will speculate on what we might find when we get
there. The exciting discoveries made by New Horizons
during its flyby of Jupiter in 2007 - including giant
volcanic outbursts on Io - will be discussed.
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