Announcements of Opportunity
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SURF@JPL: Announcements of Opportunity
Announcements of Opportunity are posted by JPL technical staff for the SURF@JPL program. Each AO indicates whether or not it is open to non-Caltech students. If an AO is NOT open to non-Caltech students, please DO NOT contact the mentor.
Announcements of Opportunity are posted as they are received. Please check back regularly for new AO submissions!
**Students applying for JPL projects should complete a SURF@JPL application instead of a "regular" SURF application.
**Students pursuing opportunities at JPL must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents.
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| Project: |
Simple models to understand the real reflectivity of planetary surfaces
(JPL AO No. 14166)
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| Disciplines: | Planetary Science, Physics | ||||||||
| Mentor: |
Bonnie Buratti,
(JPL),
Bonnie.Buratti@jpl.nasa.gov, |
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| Background: |
During the past five decades NASA’s spacecraft have turned the planets and their moons into geologic worlds. Images and spectra of their surfaces can be analyzed to understand geophysical processes. One of the most revealing parameters is albedo, or reflectivity: high albedo surfaces are often indicators of ongoing or recent processes such as vulcanism, precipitation of rain or snow, glaciation, and seasonal volatile transport Much if not most of the variation in reflective intensity as recorded on spacecraft images is not intrinsic but rather due to changing geometry. These changes must be modeled for each planet or moon in order to correctly understand true changes in surface reflectivity. Many of these models are complex and underconstrained, particularly if the data set for the target is sparse. The purpose of this student project is to develop a simple model for targets over a range of albedos. The models will be far more constrained than previous ones, as data will be considered from categories of objects (carbonaceous asteroids for example) rather than individual objects. The results will have wide applicability beyond the surface processes described in the first paragraph. The models can be used to predict integration times for spacecraft instruments, and to create seamless mosaics of images obtained under different viewing geometries. |
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| Description: | The student will work closely with the Europa Clipper Project Scientist to compile data from specific categories of spacecraft targets. For each category, a model describing changes in albedo due to viewing geometry alone will be developed. | ||||||||
| References: |
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017Icar..287..207B/abstract https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/buratti/ |
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| Student Requirements: |
Basic physical science, especially physics, astronomy, or geology Basic computer literacy and ability to write simple codes in a language such as python or fortran. |
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| Location / Safety: | Project building and/or room locations: . Student will need special safety training: . | ||||||||
| Programs: |
This AO can be done under the following programs:
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