Questions tagged [planetary-science]
The study of planets, asteroids, comets, etc, including weather, geology, composition, etc. This tag should be used when the focus of the question is on the the science of a non-Earth non-star natural object, and not used when designing spacecraft to cope with said challenges.
331 questions
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Angle problem between solar system orbital using keplerian orbital elements in python
I'm currently working on a project in python that aim to plot the trajectory of an asteroid in the solar system and see how a specific impact can change it's trajectory. After searching the subject, I ...
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20votes
4answers
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Did the Moon really "ring like a bell" when "Apollo 12 punted its ascent stage" into it? If "no one knows why" exactly, what are the primary theories?
The YouTube transcript from The Vintage Space video Crashing Apollo Spacecraft for Science after about 00:29 includes the following. It refers to the seismometer instrument as part of the ALSEP ...
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2answers
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What type of radiation does Io experience?
I've read that Io (the Galilean moon) experiences unusually strong radiation due to Jupiter's intense magnetic field. This astronomy.com article says that 3600 rem (= 36 Sv), which would be deadly to ...
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3votes
0answers
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How were seismic wave velocities measured on Mars with only one station?
The Insight lander touched down on Mars in 2018. It deployed its seismometer and gathered 4 years of data. Recently, a paper was published which, based on Insight data combined with modeling, ...
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8votes
2answers
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What is this surface feature near Shackleton crater classified as?
I was looking at a map of the lunar South Pole and the surrounding area when I noticed the rectangular/elongated feature just to the left and below centerline of Shackleton crater in the below image: ...
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2votes
1answer
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Could a planet only support underwater life?
I imagine the surface of Europa to be a barren atmospheric wasteland. But under the ice, acting as insulation, and where water meets soil, would it be warmer from geothermic heat to better support ...
4votes
1answer
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Would a ice core samples taken on the Moon provide us with information about the past that we cannot easily obtain in other ways?
This article on NASA's website describes 10 things we’ve learned about Earth by studying the Moon, including the makeup of a newborn Earth and potential clues to how life began on Earth. The ...
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2answers
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Nuking mars for colonization
While I have seen the idea for nuking Mars’s polar ice caps to release water, the fallout from the thermonuclear blasts could plunge the planet into a nuclear winter which could stop us from ...
23votes
1answer
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Could an acid-proof, solar-powered aircraft stay aloft on the sunny side of Venus more-or-less indefinitely?
The length of Venus's solar day is 116.75 earth days ($t$ = 10,087,200 s) and it's radius, $r$, is 6051,800 m, so in theory an aircraft would only need to travel at a ground speed, $s$, of... $$s=2\pi ...
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1vote
0answers
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Diameters of moons in solar system
I would like to programmatically find all moons in our solar system above a certain diameter. I would like to use the api to jpl horizons if possible. (For context I am then going on to find ...
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7votes
0answers
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What are the prevailing winds on a tidally locked ocean planet?
I am trying to picture the atmospheric circulation of a tidally locked planet, similar to Earth in mass and atmosphere. The rotational axis would need to be (roughly) perpendicular to the ecliptic if ...
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Term for deformation due to gravity
In this video, If you look closely, you can see the smaller planet deforming before the actual collision. I think I remember a term existed for this. I think it is ...
14votes
2answers
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Does the atmospheric pressure of Mars fluctuate because of the seasonal evaporation of the polar ice caps?
The carbon dioxide ice on the Martian poles are known to evaporate every summer and re-deposit every winter. Where does this carbon dioxide 'go' and does it mean there is a seasonal variation in the ...
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22votes
2answers
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Why are the Martian poles not covered by dust?
The Martian surface is known to have periodic 'dust storms'. Depictions of Mars typically show poles with ice at the surface. If that is the case why are the Martian poles not blanketed with a thick ...
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4votes
0answers
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What document describes the scientific benefits of the LRV through an increase in the diversity of rocks returned by Apollo 15-17?
Logically, it makes sense that the rock samples returned by the Apollo 15-17 missions tend to be more diverse than the ones returned by previous missions. The astronauts could reach regions of ...
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