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Article
Open AccessSimulation of gravity field estimation of Phobos for Martian Moon eXploration (MMX)
We study the dynamic orbit about Phobos of the Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) spacecraft and simulate gravity field estimation using Doppler, image landmarks, and LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) data based...
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Article
Open AccessSensitivity analysis of polar orbiter motion to lunar viscoelastic tidal deformation
We investigate the impact of viscoelastic tidal deformation of the Moon on the motion of a polar orbiter. The dissipative effects in the Moon’s interior, i.e., tidal phase lags, are modeled as Fourier series s...
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Article
Open AccessGAUSS - genesis of asteroids and evolution of the solar system
The goal of Project GAUSS (Genesis of Asteroids and evolUtion of the Solar System) is to return samples from the dwarf planet Ceres. Ceres is the most accessible candidate of ocean worlds and the largest reser...
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Article
Open AccessPlanetary polar explorer – the case for a next-generation remote sensing mission to low Mars orbit
We propose the exploration of polar areas on Mars by a next-generation orbiter mission. In particular, we aim at studying the seasonal and regional variations in snow-deposits, which – in combination with meas...
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Article
Open AccessDetermination of the lunar body tide from global laser altimetry data
We use global data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) to retrieve the lunar tidal Love number \(h_2\) ...
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Article
The 2011 Draconids: The First European Airborne Meteor Observation Campaign
On 8 October 2011, the Draconid meteor shower (IAU \(\#8\) # ...
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Article
Open AccessFarside explorer: unique science from a mission to the farside of the moon
Farside Explorer is a proposed Cosmic Vision medium-size mission to the farside of the Moon consisting of two landers and an instrumented relay satellite. The farside of the Moon is a unique scientific platfor...
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Article
Open AccessAccuracy assessment of lunar topography models
Both the Chang’E-1 and SELenological and ENgineering Explorer (SELENE) lunar missions, launched in 2007, provide an opportunity for significant advances in lunar science. In particular, both orbiters provide refi...