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Sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus. 1: Sounding rocket observationsIn this paper we present ultraviolet reflectance spectra obtained during two sounding rocket observations of Venus made during September 1988 and March 1991. We describe the sensitivity of the derived reflectance to instrument calibration and show that significant artifacts can appear in the spectrum as a result of using separate instruments to observe both the planetary radiance and the solar irradiance. We show that sulfur dioxide is the primary special absorber in the 190-230 nm region and that the range of altitudes probed by these wavelengths is very sensitive to incidence and emission angles. In a following paper Na et al. (1994) show that sulfur monixide features are also present intese data. Accurate identification and measurement of additional species require observations in which both the planetary radiance and the solar irradiance are measured with the same instrument. The instrument used for these observations is uniquely suited for obtaining large phase angle coverage and for studying transient atmospheric events on Venus because it can observe targents within 18 deg of the Sun while Earth-orbiting instruments are restricted to solar elongation angles greater than or equal to 45 deg.
Document ID
19950053522
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Mcclintock, William E.
(Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO United States)
Barth, Charles A.
(Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO United States)
Kohnert, Richard A.
(Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 112
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0019-1035
Subject Category
Astronomy
Accession Number
95A85121
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG5-103
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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