Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE ) Applications to Orbiters and Landers

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Primjene planetarnog radio interferometrijskog i Dopplerovog eksperimenta (PRIDE) na orbitere i sletače
• Author: Dora Klindžić
• Mentor: Vernesa Smolčić (mentor)
• Committee member: Vernesa Smolčić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Ivica Smolić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Mirko Planinić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Matko Milin (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Hrvoje Buljan (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Physics); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2018-09-27, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Physics

Abstract

PRIDE: the Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (Duev et al. 2012) is an initiative by the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE) providing ultraprecise estimates of spacecraft state vectors (spatial coordinates and velocities) as a function of time, utilizing phase-referenced Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) tracking and radial Doppler measurements. This method is applicable to any radioemitting spacecraft, and the results can be used in a plethora of disciplines from planetary science to high-precision celestial mechanics, gravimetry and fundamental physics. This Thesis includes an overview of the scheduling procedure for a future PRIDE observation of two active spacecraft in Mars’ orbit, involving the European VLBI Network (EVN) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) telescopes, as well as a demonstration of the data processing pipeline for a PRIDE experiment performed with the Mars Express orbiter in 2013. The resulting observables are applied to a radio occultation study of the Martian atmosphere, yielding vertical refractivity, density, pressure and temperature parameters. Furthermore, future opportunities for PRIDE are investigated in terms of a potential bistatic radar experiment with ESA’s JUpiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, enabling a study of the surface of the Jovian moon Europa, as well as applications to the Lander Radioscience (LaRa) experiment which is designed to study the geological composition of Mars’ interior. The quality of the Doppler data from the single European VLBI Network (EVN) antennas is comparable to closed-loop Doppler data obtained by dedicated deep space tracking systems like NASA’s Deep Space Network and ESA’s Estrack (Bocanegra-Bahamón et al. 2018), proving that PRIDE data could enhance the science return of missions not initially designed for radio science experiments.

Abstract (croatian)

PRIDE: Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (Duev et al. 2012) inicijativu pokrenuo je Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE) s ciljem ultra-preciznog mjerenja vektora stanja svemirskih letjelica (njihovih prostornih koordinata i brzina) kao funkcije vremena, koristeći fazno referenciranu dugobazičnu interferometriju (VLBI) i radijalna Doppler mjerenja. Ova je metoda primjenjiva na bilo koju letjelicu s radioemiterom, a rezultati imaju bogatstvo primjena u disciplinama od planetarne znanosti do visokoprecizne nebeske mehanike, gravimetrije i fundamentalne fizike. Ovaj Rad uključuje pregled postupka planiranja buduće PRIDE opservacije za dvije trenutno aktivne letjelice u Marsovoj orbiti koristeći European VLBI Network (EVN) i Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) mreže teleskopa, a ujedno i primjer obrade podataka za prethodno izvršen PRIDE eksperiment s Mars Express orbiterom u 2013. godini. Izračunate opservable primijenjene su na radiookultacijsko proučavanje Marsove atmosfere, dajući vertikalne profile refraktivnosti, gustoće, tlaka i temperature. Nadalje, istražene su buduće prilike za primjenu PRIDE-a u okviru potencijalnog eksperimenta s bistatičkim radarom za ESA-inu misiju JUpiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE), omogućavajući proučavanje površine Jupiterovog mjeseca Europe, kao i primjena na Lander Radioscience (LaRa) eksperiment koji je dizajniran za proučavanje geološke kompozicije Marsove unutrašnjosti. Kvaliteta Doppler podataka s European VLBI Network (EVN) antena usporediva je s Doppler podacima iz zatvorene petlje dobivenim na namjenskim sistemima za praćenje u dubokom svemiru, npr. NASA-in Deep Space Network i ESA-in Estrack (Bocanegra-Bahamón et al. 2018), što ukazuje da PRIDE podaci mogu obogatiti znanstvene rezultate misija koje nisu inicijalno dizajnirane za radioeksperimente.

• Keywords: radio astronomy; interferometry; VLBI; PRIDE; space missions
• Keywords (croatian): radio astronomija; interferometrija; VLBI; PRIDE; svemirske misije
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:654979
• Study programme: Title: Physics; specializations in: Research; Course: Research; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra fizike (magistar/magistra fizike)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2018-11-19 16:47:16