Brad Dalton
Research Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Research Summary:
Icy Satellite Surface Chemistry and Composition, Cryogenic Laboratory Spectroscopy, Imaging Spectroscopy of Planetary Surfaces
Title 1:Surface Composition of Europa: Salts and Acids
Abstract 1:
Analysis of imaging spectrometer observations of Europa's surface from the Galileo spacecraft reveals evidence for hydrated salt and acid compounds. Cryogenic laboratory investigations of candidate surface materials has allowed more precise modeling of the surface composition. The most recent analyses indicate that a mixture of hydrated sulfate salts, presumably derived from an interior ocean, and sulfuric acid (which could be produced at the surface by charged particle irradiation of the salts) produces the best match thus far to the Galileo observations.
Title 2: Organic Material on Saturn's Chaotic Moon, Hyperion
Abstract 2:
Cassini observations of Hyperion, the irregular and chaotic outer moon of Saturn, indicate the presence of organic materials. Bizarre surface features correlate with high densities of what may be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, in addition to water ice, dry ice, and other compounds not yet identified. False-color illustrations and high-resolution Cassini images will be used to present theories of the formation and evolution of this unusual satellite, and to relate what it can tell us about our own origins.
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