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New Frontiers of Planetary Seismology.


Jan. 17, 2018, noon - 12:50 p.m.
Geology 1707

Presented By:
Pr. Philippe LOGNONNE
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, France, Institut Universitaire de France

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About 45 years ago seismology started its escape from Earth, with not only the first successful installation of a seismometer on the Moon by the Apollo missions but also with the first observations of seismic waves in the ionosphere, 250 km or more above Earth surface. Our journey to today’s research at these frontiers of seismology will start with the Moon and the 40 years old Apollo data and will then move to Mars and finally Venus or Europa, both targets of concept studies for the 2020-2030. We first present the most recent results obtained in the re-processing of the Apollo data since 2000: re-estimation of the lunar crustal thickness, discovery of the Lunar core reflected seismic waves, characterization of the dynamics of the deep moon quake and impacts. We then move to Mars, where data will wait for the launch in May 2018 of the NASA InSight mission, which will carry to the Martian surface a 3 axis Very Broad Band and a 3 axis Short Period seismometer. We present the scientific perspectives of the mission and the technical challenges associated to the robotic installation of VBB instruments in an hostile and windy environment. We then conclude with possible future missions in planetary seismology, which concepts are presently worked by the international Planetary seismology. These might either enable the seismic discovery of new bodies, like Euopa, one of the icy moon of Jupiter with an underground ocean or Venus, with remote sensing perspectives based on airglow observations, or might lead to the deployment of a new seismic network on the Moon.