Publications by authors named "T Roatsch"

Article Synopsis
  • - The text discusses the latest research on the surfaces and thin atmospheres of the icy Galilean moons Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto, revealing insights from past and ongoing space missions, as well as recent telescopic data.
  • - It highlights how the surface geology of these moons indicates their evolution and internal heating due to tidal interactions, while surface compositions may suggest potential shallow liquid water environments linked to deeper oceans.
  • - The article outlines the objectives of the ESA JUICE mission to thoroughly investigate these moons, focusing on their tenuous atmospheres, the unexplored water vapor plumes of Europa, and includes predicted trajectory maps for future observations.
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The near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu is a 900-m-diameter dark object expected to contain primordial material from the solar nebula. The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on Ryugu's surface on 3 October 2018. We present images from the MASCOT camera (MASCam) taken during the descent and while on the surface.

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On 6 March 2015, Dawn arrived at Ceres to find a dark, desiccated surface punctuated by small, bright areas. Parts of Ceres' surface are heavily cratered, but the largest expected craters are absent. Ceres appears gravitationally relaxed at only the longest wavelengths, implying a mechanically strong lithosphere with a weaker deep interior.

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Analysis of Dawn spacecraft Framing Camera image data allows evaluation of the topography and geomorphology of features on the surface of Ceres. The dwarf planet is dominated by numerous craters, but other features are also common. Linear structures include both those associated with impact craters and those that do not appear to have any correlation to an impact event.

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Volcanic edifices are abundant on rocky bodies of the inner solar system. In the cold outer solar system, volcanism can occur on solid bodies with a water-ice shell, but derived cryovolcanic constructs have proved elusive. We report the discovery, using Dawn Framing Camera images, of a landform on dwarf planet Ceres that we argue represents a viscous cryovolcanic dome.

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