Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter |
Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter |
Mar 13 2010, 11:29 AM
Post
#1
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1729 Joined: 3-August 06 From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E Member No.: 1004 |
I thought it was time to start a separate thread on this mission, launching soon
some good medium-resolution images of the spacecraft are available on JAXA digital archives http://jda.jaxa.jp/jda/p3_e.php?time=N&...mp;mission=4066 |
|
|
May 3 2016, 01:01 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I just want to chime in a note of thanks to you for your work in translating these documents, pandaneko.
-------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
May 4 2016, 12:12 AM
Post
#3
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 817 Joined: 17-April 10 From: Kamakura, Japan Member No.: 5323 |
Page-30
Example 3: Clarifyinng mechanism for complex patterns (UVI+LIR) (1st character set after above in yellow box): In particular, complex abosrption patterns in dark area (2nd character set): Are solar light absorbing materials lifted from lower height? Are they newly chemically produced at cloud tops? Are they moved horizontally? What kind of convection, pulsage, random flow currents are involved? (3rd character set in yellow box): Very clear boundary between dark and light regions (4th character set): In particular, complex absorption patterns in dark area Is there a barrier of horizontal mixture of absorbing material and haze (translation unsure, P)? Is new aerosol produced in a particular area? (5th character set): Clarify air mass transport and change (?) process at cloud top from observing distribution of absorption materials and haze (UVI), cloud temp. variation with height (LIR), wind velocity disribution form cloud tracing P |
|
|
May 4 2016, 12:16 AM
Post
#4
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 817 Joined: 17-April 10 From: Kamakura, Japan Member No.: 5323 |
I have this nagging thought. In fact, I have had it for long time by now.
If Akatsuki was able to enter a kind of orbit around Venus with its smaller engines, then why did they bother with the larger engine that failed? They could have designed a craft with a few more of these smaller engines and made Akatsuki go around in a proper circle? Tha wouod have been a lot cheaper? P |
|
|
May 4 2016, 05:48 PM
Post
#5
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
No spacecraft has ever entered a close-in circular orbit around another planet without aerobraking. Orbits like that have only been achieved at Venus (Magellan being the only case) and Mars (several cases, but much less planetary mass).
An elliptical orbit with a low periapsis is pretty good for many scientific purposes. Akatsuki, like Venus Express, Mars Express, and all pre-Nineties Mars/Venus orbiters are/were able to get periodic close-ups along with regular global monitoring. Given that Venus doesn't have seasons, it seems like a pretty good option to have a Venus atmosphere observer in an orbit like Akatsuki's, to collect both close-up and global monitoring, although an orbit like that would have drastically compromised the goals of surface-mapping missions like Magellan or Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. |
|
|
May 4 2016, 10:39 PM
Post
#6
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 817 Joined: 17-April 10 From: Kamakura, Japan Member No.: 5323 |
Page-31
Example 5: (title): Clarifying atmospheric motions by cloud chasing (UVI+IR1+IR1 (must be 2?, P)+ LIR) (just below mini image of Venus, above earlier graphic): Obtained wind velocity distrbution by analysing 3 images (at 365mm and every 2 hours) taken by UVI (just above wind vector diagram): Wind velocity distribution in equator region (S Latitude 25 ° - N Latitude 25 °) (immediately below wind vector diagram): Atmospere flows by super rotation, but motion's spatial pattern changes constantly. By analysing, at a number of different altitudes, we aim to find out what kind of fluid waves exist and how they are related to super rotation, and how they are responsible for vertical circulation of Venusian atmosphere. P |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd September 2024 - 09:02 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |