Spacecraft Missions

LPL has had great success in competitions to place instruments on spacecraft, and to be selected as members of investigation teams. These selections are made on the basis of intense international competitions, with only a small fraction of proposers selected. The very complexity of proposing normally leads to competition only among the very best, capable, and experienced space scientists; selection is a significant distinction. Summaries of some missions and LPL's involvement are below. For more detailed information, please see the LPL Interplanetary Spacecraft Mission Activities page.

Voyager

LPL team built and operates the Ultraviolet Spectrometer, which investigated Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and now operates as a space ultraviolet astronomical telescope; another (now-retired) LPL faculty member served as Voyager Imaging Team Leader.

Ulysses

U.S.-European mission to high heliospheric latitudes and over poles of the Sun. Two LPL faculty members are responsible for conducting the interdisciplinary investigations of heliospheric cosmic ray physics and properties of the interplanetary medium.

Galileo

Mission to Jupiter system. LPL built part of the ultraviolet spectrometer and will investigate Jupiter's upper atmosphere and magnetosphere. LPL is involved in two instruments on the successful Galileo entry probe, which returned data this past December from deep within Jupiter's atmosphere. LPL will also conduct imaging studies to understand development and orbital evolution of the planet's satellites over the next few years.

Mars Surveyor

Mission to orbit the planet Mars. LPL will conduct complete investigation of the chemical elemental composition of the entire Martian surface with a launch in 2001. On-campus data and instrument control facility will provide for especially heavy involvement of U of A students.

Mars Pathfinder

LPL designed and integrated an innovative camera system to image the Martian surface after landing.

Mars 98 Lander - Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS)

LPL is designing a chemical analysis device to sample the Martian surface, and will reprise its camera system developed for the 1996 Mars Pathfinder.

NEAR

LPL is in charge of the instrument calibration, data processing, archiving and preliminary analysis for the gamma-ray spectrometer on this first mission to orbit an asteroid.

Cassini

U.S.-European mission to the Saturn system. LPL's role in the Cassini project is larger than that of any other university in the world. LPL is designing and will operate the imaging and atmospheric radiation investigations on the probe that will descend to the surface of (Saturn's moon) Titan. Professor Alfred McEwen leads the planning of images of Titan's surface. Professor Jonathan Lunine conducts the interdisciplinary investigation of Titan's surface and atmosphere.

IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration) EUV

NASA MIDEX mission to investigate the physics of Earth's magnetosphere by imaging in photons and energetic neutral atoms, and by radio sounding. An LPL team led by Bill R. Sandel has developed and is operating the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, which studies the dynamics of Earth's plasmasphere by imaging the ionized helium emission at 30.4 nm.

Champollion

LPL has software and other co-investigator responsibilities for a camera on this mission that will image cometary grains.

Space Shuttle Spectrometry

LPL scientists have developed two new spectrometers for use - and are engaged in a series of flights - on the Space Shuttle. These instrument investigate atomic and mollecular processes in Earth's upper atmosphere, and explore solar system and stellar targets in ultraviolet light.

Huygens

The Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR), is a scientific instrument designed to explore Saturn's largest moon Titan. It will be launched in October 1997, on board ESA's Huygens Probe, as part of the Cassini Mission to Saturn. The DISR will make a pioneering effort to obtain close-up pictures of Titan's surface and determine the nature Titan's atmosphere.

Planet B (1999-2002)

Two LPL scientists (Drs. Don Hunten and Steve Bougher) are Co-Investigators on the Neutral Mass Spectrometer team for this Japanese mission that will explore the Mars-solar wind interaction. This mission will further our understanding of the processes controlling volatile escape from the Mars upper atmosphere. Mars climate history can then be better quantified.

Mars Global Surveyor (1996-present)

Dr. Alfred McEwen is a participating scientist on the Mars Orbital Camera Team.

Dr. Steve Bougher is a member of the MGS aerobraking team which is conducting aerobraking exercises (Fall 1997 and Fall 1998).

IMP | Galileo HIIPS | LPL West | Cassini ISS | Pluto Express | SSI/RAC | DISR