On radar sounding applications for Enceladean ice

Abstract

Due to the nature of observations taken by planetary spacecraft, many surface and atmospheric studies have been performed at the icy moons of the outer planets, which have left the many seemingly complex interior processes in these bodies left unexplored and unexplained. It is notably difficult to access the interior regions in which planetary formation and dynamics take place. This paper presents the possibility that radar measurements could contribute to the understanding of interior structure, particularly that of Enceladus, the small but notably dynamic icy moon of Saturn. The application of such radar may lead to discoveries concerning formation mechanisms and surface processes. Additionally, radar sounding will contribute measurements that aid in diagnosing the dynamics system at work in the subsurface - perhaps most notably, the source reservoir and/or dynamics of the observed water plume at the moon's south pole, in addition the moon's role as a whole in the Saturnian system.