NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Long Period Variations in Tidal and Librational Forcing of EuropaThe gravitational field of Jupiter exerts a profound influence on the energy balance, thermal evolution, and stress regime of Europa. It widely appreciated that dissipation associated with the spheroidal tidal deformation is a major source of heat. Another possibly important source of dissipation is the toroidal deformation field associated with forced librations. Both tidal and librational deformations depend on the distance and direction Jupiter, as seen from Europa. These quantities vary with time as a result of the finite values of orbital eccentricity and spin pole obliquity, though the obliquity effects have been ignored in most previous studies. Variations in eccentricity and obliquity of the Galilean satellites occur on a very wide range of time scales, as angular momentum is exchanged among the orbital and rotational components of the coupled system. The orbital periods are only a few days in length, and the secular changes in orbital period associated with tidal and librational dissipation have characteristic time scales of 10-9 years or longer. On intermediate time scales, the satellites perturb each other, and the Sun and Saturn make additional contributions. The present values of satellite orbital inclinations and obliquities are not particularly representative their respective longer term variations. As a result, the tidal stress and dissipation regimes at present may not provide adequate explanation of the sources of surface features seen on the satellites.
Document ID
20040055321
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bills, Bruce G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Workshop on Europa's Icy Shell: Past, Present, and Future
Subject Category
Oceanography
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Document Inquiry

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available