Plasma Environment, Radiation, Structure, and Evolution of the Uranian System (PERSEUS): A Dedicated Orbiter Mission Concept to Study Space Physics at Uranus.

Cohen, Ian J; Smith, Evan J; Clark, George B; Turner, Drew L; Ellison, Donald H; Clare, Ben; Regoli, Leonardo H; Kollmann, Peter; Gallagher, Daniel T; Holtzman, G Allan; Likar, Justin J; Morizono, Takeshi; Shannon, Matthew; Vodusek, Kimberly S

Cohen, Ian J; Smith, Evan J; Clark, George B; Turner, Drew L; Ellison, Donald H; Clare, Ben; Regoli, Leonardo H; Kollmann, Peter; Gallagher, Daniel T; Holtzman, G Allan; Likar, Justin J; Morizono, Takeshi; Shannon, Matthew; Vodusek, Kimberly S.

Afiliación

Cohen IJ; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Smith EJ; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Clark GB; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Turner DL; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Ellison DH; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Clare B; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Regoli LH; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Kollmann P; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Gallagher DT; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Holtzman GA; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Likar JJ; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Morizono T; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Shannon M; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.
Vodusek KS; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA.

Space Sci Rev ; 219(8): 65, 2023.

Article en En | PubMed-not-MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37869526

RESUMEN

The Plasma Environment, Radiation, Structure, and Evolution of the Uranian System (PERSEUS) mission concept defines the feasibility and potential scope of a dedicated, standalone Heliophysics orbiter mission to study multiple space physics science objectives at Uranus. Uranus's complex and dynamic magnetosphere presents a unique laboratory to study magnetospheric physics as well as its coupling to the solar wind and the planet's atmosphere, satellites, and rings. From the planet's tilted and offset, rapidly-rotating non-dipolar magnetic field to its seasonally-extreme interactions with the solar wind to its unexpectedly intense electron radiation belts, Uranus hosts a range of outstanding and compelling mysteries relevant to the space physics community. While the exploration of planets other than Earth has largely fallen within the purview of NASA's Planetary Science Division, many targets, like Uranus, also hold immense scientific value and interest to NASA's Heliophysics Division. Exploring and understanding Uranus's magnetosphere is critical to make fundamental gains in magnetospheric physics and the understanding of potential exoplanetary systems and to test the validity of our knowledge of magnetospheric dynamics, moon-magnetosphere interactions, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, and solar wind-planetary coupling. The PERSEUS mission concept study, currently at Concept Maturity Level (CML) 4, comprises a feasible payload that provides closure to a range of space physics science objectives in a reliable and mature spacecraft and mission design architecture. The mission is able to close using only a single Mod-1 Next-Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (NG-RTG) by leveraging a concept of operations that relies of a significant hibernation mode for a large portion of its 22-day orbit.

Palabras clave

Ice Giants; Uranus; mission design; planetary magnetospheres; space exploration; space physics

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