Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Giorgio Pilla, Patrizio Torrese
Summary: This study presents an integrated hydrochemical and geophysical investigation of saline paleo-water uprising in the alluvial aquifer of the Oltrepo Pavese plain sector in northern Italy. The distribution of saline waters is mainly influenced by a buried tectonic discontinuity, with contamination being non-uniform within the aquifer. Highly mineralized plumes of water mix with freshwaters and dilute during upward migration. Sectors further away from structural discontinuities show a lower degree of contamination, mainly affecting the deeper parts of the aquifer.
HYDROGEOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
P. Torrese, F. Zucca, S. Martini, S. Benazzi, D. Drohobytsky, C. Gravel-Miguel, J. Hodgkins, D. Meyer, C. Miller, M. Peresani, C. Orr, J. Riel-Salvatore, D. S. Strait, F. Negrino
Summary: This study presents 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave in northern Italy. The results show the thickness and distribution of the deposits as well as the morphology of the underlying bedrock. The study highlights the potential of using ERT in Paleolithic cave contexts and provides a framework for future applications.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ramiro Marco Figuera, Christian Riedel, Angelo Pio Rossi, Vikram Unnithan
Summary: This paper presents a study comparing the depth to diameter ratio of small simple craters in an area near the lunar south pole with and without Permanent Shadowed Regions (PSRs). The analysis suggests that there may be a direct relation between the d/D ratio, PSRs, and the presence of water ice. The results can help in selecting target areas for future missions involving In-Situ Resource Utilization.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kjetil Wormnes, William Carey, Thomas Krueger, Leonardo Cencetti, Emiel den Exter, Stephen Ennis, Edmundo Ferreira, Antonio Fortunato, Levin Gerdes, Lukas Hann, Chiara Lombardi, Erica Luzzi, Sebastian Martin, Matteo Massironi, Samuel Payler, Aaron Pereira, Angelo Pio Rossi, Riccardo Pozzobon, Francesco Sauro, Philippe Schoonejans, Frank van der Hulst, Jessica Grenouilleau
Summary: The ANALOG-1 experiment by the European Space Agency is the culmination of the METERON experiment series, focusing on teleoperating robotic assets from an orbital platform. The experiment is conducted in two parts, with the first part successfully completed from the International Space Station, evaluating the robotic control interface and interactions between crew members and scientists.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
P. Torrese
Summary: This study presents new results from synthetic modeling of Electric Resistivity Tomography field data collected at the Sirente main crater, providing further evidence for its meteoritic origin and ruling out other proposed mechanisms of formation.
ACTA GEODAETICA ET GEOPHYSICA
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
G. Schmidt, E. Luzzi, A. P. Rossi, M. Pondrelli, A. Apuzzo, F. Salvini
Summary: The study focuses on the compositional, stratigraphical, and structural characteristics of two layered deposits within Becquerel crater on Mars, identifying key differences between them to determine important depositional changes. A scenario involving differences in fluid expulsion intensity and water level between the two deposits is proposed, leading to the formation of diverse environments. Determining the relationship between these deposits is crucial for unravelling the past climate of Arabia Terra and Mars as a whole.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Daniel Mege, Joanna Gurgurewicz, Matteo Massironi, Riccardo Pozzobon, Gloria Tognon, Maurizio Pajola, Livio L. Tornabene, Alice Lucchetti, Beatrice Baschetti, Joel M. Davis, Ernst Hauber, Barbara De Toffoli, Sylvain Doute, Laszlo Keszthelyi, Lucia Marinangeli, Jason Perry, Antoine Pommerol, Loredana Pompilio, Angelo Pio Rossi, Frank Seelos, Francesco Sauro, Ruth Ziethe, Gabriele Cremonese, Nicolas Thomas
Summary: We study the geological activity and water discharge in the Ladon basin on Mars using the data from ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System. The combination of this data set with other data sets allows for effective geological mapping. We observe dark lobate flows and altered levels, indicating ultramafic rocks and potential hydrothermal activity. Additionally, kaolin minerals are detected, suggesting groundwater alteration. These findings suggest a coeval relationship between volcanism, tectonics, hydrothermal activity, and kaolinization in the Ladon basin on Mars.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Giacomo Nodjoumi, Riccardo Pozzobon, Francesco Sauro, Angelo Pio Rossi
Summary: Thematic map creation is a meticulous process involving data collection, exploitation, and publication in different formats. Deep Learning Computer Vision techniques can be valuable for this task, but there is currently a lack of tools specific to planetary mapping. This research aims to develop a comprehensive toolset for landforms mapping using validated Deep Learning methodologies and open-source libraries. The pre-release version of the toolset, DeepLandforms, provides users with complete control and customization capabilities, and has been validated for mapping sinkhole-like landforms on Mars.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Letter
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sebastian Emanuel Lauro, Elena Pettinelli, Graziella Caprarelli, Luca Guallini, Angelo Pio Rossi, Elisabetta Mattei, Barbara Cosciotti, Andrea Cicchetti, Francesco Soldovieri, M. Cartacci, F. Di Paolo, R. Noschese, R. Orosei
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mara Mantegazza, Mauro G. Spagnuolo, Angelo P. Rossi
Summary: This study analyzes pit craters in the north-eastern external slope of Hale Crater, and classifies and analyzes the landforms associated with these craters. The findings suggest that the pit craters might be related to volatile processes and formed by the sublimation/melting of ground ice in glacial or periglacial conditions.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alessandro Tibaldi, Rita de Nardis, Patrizio Torrese, Sofia Bressan, Martina Pedicini, Donato Talone, Fabio L. Bonali, Noemi Corti, Elena Russo, Giusy Lavecchia
Summary: We discuss the recent activity of the Broni-Sarmato fault, located 50 km south of Milan, by presenting new morphostructural, geophysical, and seismological data. Our analysis shows evidence of ongoing tectonic activity of the outward fronts of the Emilia Arc under a regional NNE-oriented compressional stress field. Multiple-scale data suggests that this activity involves thrust involvement along the Pede-Apennine front.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexander Pletl, Michael Fernandes, Nicolas Thomas, Angelo Pio Rossi, Benedikt Elser
Summary: In this paper, we expand upon our previous research on unsupervised learning algorithms to map the spectral parameters of the Martian surface. We apply the UMAP method in combination with k-Means to generate spectral cluster maps in the NIR range, which outperform comparable methods in efficiency and speed.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Erica Luzzi, Giacomo Nodjoumi, Matteo Massironi, Riccardo Pozzobon, Angelo Pio Rossi
Summary: This study used a semi-automated Python-based script to analyze the parameters related to the growth of Lunar floor-fractured craters, such as displacement, length, and width of the grabens, and the power law relationship between displacement and length. The results showed a sublinear fault growth, potentially caused by mechanical discontinuities and linkage phenomena. The D-max/L ratios were higher than predicted for the Moon and closer to values observed on Earth. The code developed in this study can facilitate future research on lunar faults' growth.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Aerospace
G. Rodeghiero, C. Pernechele, M. Munari, R. Pozzobon, M. Pajola, I Di Antonio, A. Lucchetti, M. Massironi, E. Simioni, D. Borrmann, F. Maurelli, A. Nuechter, A. P. Rossi
Summary: There is a growing interest in the in-situ exploration of the Moon's surface and subsurface, particularly in lunar caves and shadowed craters. This paper studies the radiance properties of these features illuminated by sunlight, which is important for future missions and exploration.
SPACE TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION 2022: OPTICAL, INFRARED, AND MILLIMETER WAVE
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Maria Angeles Lopez-Cayuela, Maria-Paz Zorzano, Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado, Carmen Cordoba-Jabonero
Summary: The atmospheric dust cycle on Mars plays a dominant role in the planetary radiative balance, atmospheric photochemistry escape, and redistribution of materials on the surface. A methodology is presented to accurately describe the annual dust redistribution cycle on Mars using orbital global and seasonal measurements of atmospheric dust opacity. The analysis shows that approximately 4 trillion kilograms of dust is transported globally in the atmosphere during a typical Mars year.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Audrey Vorburger, Shahab Fatemi, Shane R. Carberry Mogan, Andre Galli, Lucas Liuzzo, Andrew R. Poppe, Lorenz Roth, Peter Wurz
Summary: The study presents new model results for the composition of Ganymede's atmosphere, finding that sublimation remains the major source process for H2O, while radiolysis induced by auroral electrons dominates the source fluxes for O2 and H2.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Qi He, Zhi Cao, Yuqi Qian, Hejiu Hui, Ioannis Baziotis, Long Xiao, Zaicong Wang, Biji Luo, Yiheng Li, Zongjun Ying, Yang Li
Summary: The Chang'e-5 mission collected lunar soil containing magnesian troctolitic granulites, which provide valuable information on the composition of the lunar crust. Through analysis and modeling, it is suggested that these granulites may have originated from the Pythagoras crater and were transported to the landing site.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jordan M. Bretzfelder, Kathryn M. Stack, Abigail A. Fraeman, Mackenzie Day, William E. Dietrich, Alexander B. Bryk
Summary: This study investigates the development of bedrock ridges on Mars and their implications for wind history, deposition, and erosion in Gale crater.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lot Ram, Diptiranjan Rout, Rahul Rathi, Paul Withers, Sumanta Sarkhel
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) on the Martian ionosphere, specifically the behavior of the ionospheric peak density and height during ICME passages. The study used observations from the Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) aboard the MAVEN spacecraft and selected 8 ICMEs from existing catalogs. The results show that ICMEs lead to an elevation of the ionospheric peak height and a decrease in peak density, and propose that vertical pressure gradient and electron temperature enhancement are plausible causes for ionospheric variability.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Benoit Jabaud, Riccardo Artoni, Gabriel Tobie, Erwan Le Menn, Patrick Richard
Summary: The Cassini spacecraft discovered active jets of water vapour and ice grains at the South Pole of Enceladus, resulting in the deposit of freshly erupted materials on the moon's icy surface. Similar processes may be happening on Europa as well. Determining the mechanical properties of fresh icy powder-like materials is essential for future landing and sampling missions. The flowability and surface energy of ice powders decrease with increasing temperatures, which may have implications for stable landing and the flow of ice materials on Enceladus and Europa.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lydie Bonal, Eric Quirico, Gilles Montagnac, Mutsumi Komatsu, Yoko Kebukawa, Hikaru Yabuta, Kana Amano, Jens Barosch, Laure Bejach, George D. Cody, Emmanuel Dartois, Alexandre Dazzi, Bradley De Gregorio, Ariane Deniset-Besseau, Jean Duprat, Cecile Engrand, Minako Hashiguchi, Kanami Kamide, David Kilcoyne, Zita Martins, Jeremie Mathurin, Smail Mostefaoui, Larry Nittler, Takuji Ohigashi, Taiga Okumura, Laurent Remusat, Scott Sandford, Miho Shigenaka, Rhonda Stroud, Hiroki Suga, Yoshio Takahashi, Yasuo Takeichi, Yusuke Tamenori, Maximilien Verdier-Paoletti, Shohei Yamashita, Tomoki Nakamura, Hiroshi Naraoka, Takaaki Noguchi, Ryuji Okazaki, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Shogo Tachibana, Masanao Abe, Akiko Miyazaki, Aiko Nakato, Satoru Nakazawa, Masahiro Nishimura, Tatsuaki Okada, Takanao Saiki, Kanako Sakamoto, Satoshi Tanaka, Fuyuto Terui, Yuichi Tsuda, Tomohiro Usui, Sei-ichiro Watanabe, Toru Yada, Kasumi Yogata, Makota Yoshikawa
Summary: This paper focuses on characterizing the thermal history of asteroid Ryugu by studying the structure of polyaromatic carbonaceous matter in the returned samples. The study finds that there is no structural difference in the polyaromatic component between the two sampling sites on Ryugu, indicating that the thermal metamorphism related to radioactive decay was not significant. However, some structural variability is observed within the particle set.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Luginin, A. Fedorova, D. Belyaev, F. Montmessin, O. Korablev, J. -l. Bertaux
Summary: Spectroscopic solar occultation measurements by the SPICAV/SOIR instrument onboard the Venus Express orbiter provided new data on the upper haze aerosol properties, its distribution, and variations. A joint analysis of data from two spectrometers revealed a bimodal distribution in about 50% of observations previously believed to be unimodal, and characterized the size distribution 10 km higher in the atmosphere compared to previous analysis.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. Mahieux, S. Viscardy, K. L. Jessup, F. P. Mills, L. Trompet, S. Robert, S. Aoki, A. Piccialli, A. C. Vandaele
Summary: We report on the mean upper limit number densities and volume concentrations of H2CO, O-3, NH3, HCN, N2O, NO2, NO, and HO2 at the Venus terminator above the cloud layer. Attempts to detect these species using a statistical algorithm and the method presented by Trompet et al. (2021) were unsuccessful, and upper limits of detection are provided.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. M. Streeter, S. R. Lewis, M. R. Patel, J. A. Holmes, K. Rajendran
Summary: The northern polar vortex on Mars shows a high degree of interannual repeatability in its structure and evolution, except during large dust storms. The seasonal timing of these storms seems to be the key factor determining their impacts on the polar vortex.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Michael T. Mellon, Hanna G. Sizemore, Jennifer L. Heldmann, Christopher P. McKay, Carol R. Stoker
Summary: The search for life is a major focus of Mars exploration, with temperature and water activity being key factors for habitability. The most recent habitable conditions occurred about 510 kyrs ago and lasted for about 10s of kyrs each occurrence. All latitudes offer potential for life exploration, but middle-latitude sites have access to 100-kyr-old ice that experienced past habitable conditions, while high-latitude sites offer access to ancient ice over 1 Myrs old.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Anthony Ozerov, Jeffrey C. Smith, Jessie L. Dotson, Randolph S. Longenbaugh, Robert L. Morris
Summary: The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instruments, with their large combined field of view, are useful for studying the population of atmospheric phenomena like bolides. However, there are biases when using GLM for non-lightning purposes, which need to be studied and accounted for before precise measurements of bolide flux can be obtained. A Bayesian Poisson regression model was developed to estimate instrumental biases and the latitudinal variation of bolide flux concurrently. The estimated bias corresponds to the known sensitivity of the GLM instruments, and the latitudinal flux variation estimates are consistent with a strong bias towards high-velocity bolides, as compared to existing theoretical models.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. Beck, P. Y. Meslin, A. Fau, O. Forni, O. Gasnault, J. Lasue, A. Cousin, S. Schroeder, S. Maurice, W. Rapin, R. C. Wiens, A. M. Ollila, E. Dehouck, N. Mangold, B. Garcia, S. Schwartz, W. Goetz, N. Lanza
Summary: Analysis of data obtained by ChemCam on Mars reveals that the carbon signal is mainly related to ionization of the atmosphere, with variability potentially linked to the physical state of the atmosphere. Up to sol 3355, no carbonate was detected in the ChemCam dataset, suggesting that it is not a major constituent (>50%) in the analyzed targets and that carbon in soils is not enriched beyond the limit of detection. The dominant salts found in Gale are sulfate and chlorides, while the absence of carbonates, seen in Jezero, may be due to differences in protolith.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Eloy Pena-Asensio, Jaakko Visuri, Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez, Hector Socas-Navarro, Maria Gritsevich, Markku Siljama, Albert Rimola
Summary: The observation of interstellar objects 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov suggests the existence of a larger population of smaller projectiles that impact our planet with unbound orbits. A statistical evaluation of uncertainties in the CNEOS database and study of its hyperbolic fireballs reveals an anisotropic geocentric radiant distribution and low orbital inclinations, challenging the assumption of a randomly incoming interstellar population. These findings suggest that apparent interstellar meteors may, in fact, be the result of accelerated meteoroid impacts caused by close encounters with massive objects within or passing through our solar system.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cecilia W. S. Leung, Leslie K. Tamppari, David M. Kass, German Martinez, Erik Fischer, Michael D. Smith
Summary: Using a combination of orbital and surface observations, this study investigates the vertical distribution of water vapor in the lower atmospheres of Mars. The findings suggest that the assumption of uniformly mixed water vapor in the boundary layer is not always consistent with observational constraints. The results provide important insights into the seasonal transport of water and the role of regolith-atmospheric exchange.
