Pedro Lacerda - Space Summer School

01 Sep

RIME: the radar sounder on JUICE

The Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) is one of the scientific instruments on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission. RIME is a radar instrument designed to investigate the icy moons of Jupiter, particularly Ganymede and Europa, and to provide

01 Sep

Studying the morphology of Jupiter’s icy moons and monitoring the planet’s atmosphere with JANUS

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

by Laetitia Le Deit, Gabriel Tobie, Benoît Seignovert 30/08/2023 JANUS is the visible camera onboard the JUICE spacecraft. It will be used to study the morphology and surface processes of icy moons and perform mapping of the clouds of Jupiter. It will substantially enhance our

29 Aug

Live like an Astronaut

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According to the dictionary, an astronaut is a person who is professionally trained to travel in a spacecraft. "Astronaut" is the term used by NASA since the start of their space programme. The Russian Federal Space Agency (or its Soviet predecessor) uses the term "cosmonaut".

23 Aug

Chandrayaan-3 to land near Lunar south pole

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 is due to land near the lunar south pole today. This will be the first Moon landing so close to the south pole. The landing will be soft, meaning the lander will survive on the surface. A

22 Aug

Mapping the chemical diversity of the Galilean moons with MAJIS

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Gabriel Tobie, 18/08/2023 The Galileo mission (1996-2003) provided clear evidence that the Galilean moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, harbour a salted water ocean underneath their cold icy shells. Various salt and simple organic compounds have been identified at their surface by infrared spectroscopy. But it

22 Aug

Probing the interior of Ganymede and Callisto with 3GM

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by Gabriel Tobie, 18/08/2023 Ganymede and Callisto have similar sizes and masses, and both possess an internal ocean underneath their cold icy surface. However, the lack of surface activity on Callisto indicates a geological history very different form that of Ganymede. What are the processes

16 Aug

Jupiter Great Red Spot

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by Alexandra Pais Jupiter hosts the most wide and strong windstorm known in the solar system. The Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone of hydrogen and helium winds, powered from inside the planet. It is probably the same storm that has been seen since

09 Aug

Downstream Applications – what, how, who?

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Most startups create so-called downstream applications that make use of satellite data from the Copernicus or the Galileo programmes. Copernicus is the European Union programme of Earth Observation, which monitors our planet and environment. Galileo is Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), providing improved positioning

09 Aug

On the Shoulders of Giants

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

The phrase "on the shoulders of giants" is often attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, although its origins can be traced back to earlier sources. The phrase captures the idea that knowledge and progress build upon the work and insights of those who came before us.

08 Aug

Spectrometers and Spectrographs in Space and on Earth

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, spectrography is the recording of the spectra, and spectrometry is the measure of spectra. The three terms are used almost interchangeably in astronomy, astrophysics and other disciplines. Spectra (plural of spectrum) are ways to look at light (or electromagnetic

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Author: Pedro Lacerda