Outstanding aeronomy problems at Venus
Publication date: 10 November 2006
Authors: Witasse, O., et al.
Journal: Planetary and Space Science
Volume: 54
Issue: 13-14
Page: 1381-1388
Year: 2006
Copyright: Elsevier
Of all the non-terrestrial ionospheres and thermospheres in our solar system those of Venus have been explored and studied the most. This is mainly because of the 14 year exploration of the well instrumented Pioneer Venus spacecraft and the theoretical studies prompted by the resulting observational information. However, there are still a number of important scientific questions that remain unanswered. These include: i) dynamics of the thermosphere; ii) the energy mechanisms/sources responsible for maintaining the elevated plasma temperatures in the ionosphere; iii) airglow/aurora intensities and their sources; and iv) hot atom populations. Venus Express is likely to help address some of the issues listed under i), iii) and iv) above.
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