Global mineralogical mapping of Mars by the Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA) instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft provides new information on Mars' geological and climatic history. Phyllosilicates formed by aqueous alteration very early in the planet's history (the “phyllocian” era) are found in the oldest terrains; sulfates were formed in a second era (the “theiikian” era) in an acidic environment. Beginning about 3.5 billion years ago, the last era (the “siderikian”) is dominated by the formation of anhydrous ferric oxides in a slow superficial weathering, without liquid water playing a major role across the planet.

The inventory of water and carbon dioxide reservoirs on Mars are important clues for understanding the geological, climatic and potentially exobiological evolution of the planet. From the early mapping observation of the permanent ice caps on the martian poles, the northern cap was believed to be mainly composed of water ice, whereas the southern cap was thought to be constituted of carbon dioxide ice. However, recent missions (NASA missions Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey) have revealed surface structures, altimetry profiles, underlying buried hydrogen, and temperatures of the south polar regions that are thermodynamically consistent with a mixture of surface water ice and carbon dioxide. Here we present the first direct identification and mapping of both carbon dioxide and water ice in the martian high southern latitudes, at a resolution of 2 km, during the local summer, when the extent of the polar ice is at its minimum. We observe that this south polar cap contains perennial water ice in extended areas: as a small admixture to carbon dioxide in the bright regions; associated with dust, without carbon dioxide, at the edges of this bright cap; and, unexpectedly, in large areas tens of kilometres away from the bright cap.

The infrared instrument IKS flown on board the VEGA space probes was designed for the detection of emission bands of parent molecules, and for a measurement of the size and temperature of the thermal emitting nuclear region. The instrument had three channels with cooled detectors: an "imaging channel" designed to modulate the signal of the nucleus and two spectroscopic channels operating at 2.5-5 and 6-12 #m, respectively, equipped with circular variable filters of resolving power ~50. This paper presents and discusses the results from the spectral channels. On VEGA 1, usable spectra were obtained at distances D from the comet nucleus ranging from 250,000 to 40,000 km corresponding to fields of view 4000 and 700 km in diameter, respectively. The important internal background signal caused by the instrument itself, which could not be cooled, had to be eliminated. Since no sky chopping was performed, we obtain difference spectra between the current spectrum and a reference spectrum with little or no cometary signal taken at the beginning of the observing sequence (D ~ 200,000 km). Final discrimination between cometary signal and instrumental background is achieved using their different time evolution, since the instrumental background is proportional to the slow temperature drift of the instrument, and the cometary signal due to parent molecules or dust grains is expected to vary in first order as D -I.The 2.5-5 ~m IKS spectra definitely show strong narrow signals at 2.7 and 4.25 ~m, attributed to the ~; vibrational bands of H20 and CO2, respectively, and a broader signal in the region 3.2-3.5/tm, which may be attributed to CH-bearing molecules. All these signals present the expected D -1 intensity variation. Weaker emission features at 3.6 and 4.7 #m could correspond to the vl and l,s bands of H2CO and the (1 -0) band of CO, respectively. Molecular production rates are derived from the observed emissions, assuming that they are due to resonance fluorescence excited by the Sun's infrared radiation. For the strong bands of H20 and CO2, the rovibrational lines are optically thick, and radiative transfer is taken into account. We derive production rates, at the moment of the VEGA 1 flyby, of ~10 a° sec -1 for H20, ~2.7 x 1028 sec -1 for CO2, ~5 × 1028 sec -l for CO, and 4 xl02s sec -~ for H2CO, if attributions to CO and H2CO are correct. The production rate of carbon atoms in CH-bearing molecules is -9 x 10 29 sec -1 assuming fluorescence of molecules in the gas phase, but could be much less if the 3.2-3.5 pm emission is attributed to C-H stretch in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or small organic grains. In addition, marginal features are present at 4.85 and 4.45 #m, tentatively attributed to OCS and molecules with the CN group, respectively. Broad absorption at 2.8-3.0 #m, as well as a narrow emission at 3.15/tm, which follow well the D -1 intensity variation, might be due to water ice. Emission at 2.8 /~m is also possibly present, and 404 0019-1035/88 $3.00 Copyright ,L~ 1988 by Academic Press, Inc. All rights o...

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In 1985 the VEGA 1 and VEGA 2 spacecraft dropped two descent probes into the nightside of Venus. Onboard was the French‐Russian ISAV ultraviolet spectroscopy experiment, consisting of a UV light source absorbed by atmospheric constituents circulating freely into a tube attached outside the pressurized modules. ISAV generated a wealth of absorption spectra in the 220‐ to 400‐nm range with an unprecedented vertical resolution (60–170 m) from 62 km of altitude down to the ground. On the basis of known instrument properties and a careful examination of the light curves recorded in 13 wavelength intervals in the UV, we show that most of the recorded differential absorption (at each wavelength with respect to 394 nm) can be explained by a combination of gaseous SO2 absorption and absorption by aerosols deposited on the mirrors during the crossing of Venus' lower cloud. The spectral signature of this absorber, termed X, was obtained, thanks to an unexpected shock on VEGA 1 which removed this absorber from the mirrors at 18 km of altitude. The UV spectral signature of X resembles that of croconic acid, C5O5H2, whose absorbing power as a contaminant of H2SO4 droplets at 2.5% dilution is compatible with the observations. However, the nonidentity of the spectral signature, together with stability arguments, makes this identification less plausible. Whatever its nature, the relevance of this new absorber X is discussed in connection with the albedo of Venus and the IR variable leak windows. If this absorber X detected by ISAV in the lower cloud were also present in the upper cloud, it would be a good candidate to explain the UV part (λ < 400 nm) of the Venus albedo. Three layers of absorbing material, called b, c, and d, are identified in the data of both ISAV 1 and 2 in the altitude range 49–43 km. The higher layer b is inside the lower cloud identified by the nephelometer of Pioneer Venus, while the two other layers are well below the lower cloud boundary as measured by Pioneer Venus. The SO2 profile (from 60 km down to 10 km) is characterized for ISAV 1 by a double peak of the mixing ratio (150 ppmv at 51.5 km, 125 ppmv at 42.5 km) separated by a deep trough at 30 ppmv at 45.6 km. For ISAV 2 there is a single peak at 43 km. Both SO2 profiles are quite compatible with recent ground‐based measurements, showing 130 ± 40 ppmv in the altitude range of 35 –45 km [Bézard et al., 1993]. Below the clouds the measured SO2 mixing ratio decreases steadily on both probes, down to 25 ± 2 ppmv at 10 km for ISAV 1, which is lower than previously reported values from gas chromatograph measurements (shown to be incompatible with ISAV measurements). The variation of SO2 mixing ratio with altitude implies a strong vertical transport which is given as a function of altitude, showing the source and sink regions of SO2 from 10 to 60 km of altitude. These data should impose severe constraints on future chemical models of the atmosphere of Venus, occurring after volcanic episodes or impact cratering events. The total SO2 column density (0–60 km) ...

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