Modeling the Saturnian magnetosphere for the Cassini Mission
Abstract
This paper presents an advanced, three-dimensional model of the Saturnian magnetosphere. The magnetosphere field of Saturn is the sum of three contributions. The first two contributions, known as interior field sources, are the inherent planetary field and the field due to a co-rotating plasma ring around the planet. The third field contribution results from the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetopause (the magnetospheric boundary). This interaction induces currents on the magnetopause surface, which produces the additional field contribution. The Cassini Mission is a joint venture between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency, designed for study of the Saturn system. The mission planners require a magnetospheric model that will be valid at the time of the Cassini encounter (approx. June 2004). Previous models of the Saturn magnetospheric field either neglected the contribution from the solar wind or assumed a solar wind that approached the planet parallel to the plane of its magnetic equator. These models do not depict the solar wind orientation that Cassini will encounter at the beginning of its tour, when the solar wind will approach from the maximum southern magnetic latitude. The model presented in this paper has been incorporated into Cassini Mission software to determine optimal orbiter configuration for the four-year tour.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA375653
Entities
People
- Mark D. Skubis
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy