01-003

Planetary Atmospheres

Cover Page/Proposal Summary

ROSS-00    NRA 00-OSS-01

Date Due: 4/28/2000

NASA PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING PROPOSALS

This proposal shall be used and disclosed for evaluation purposes only, and a copy of this Government notice shall be applied to any reproduction or abstract thereof. Any authorized restrictive notices that the submitter places on this proposal shall also be strictly complied with. Disclosure of this proposal for any reason outside the Government evaluation purposes shall be made only to the extent authorized by the Government.

Proposal Type: New Proposal

Proposal Category: Comets

Major Equipment Proposal? No

Do you intend to submit an Education/Public Outreach (E/PO) proposal? No

Proposal Title:
Ground-based infrared spectroscopy of water in comets: Fluorescence modeling and quantitative analysis of hot-band emission.

Abbreviated Proposal Title:
Water hot-band emission in comets.

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Neil Dello Russo
The Catholic University of America Department of Physics
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr.
Bldg 1 Room 240, Code 690.2
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Phone: 301-286-1528   Fax: 301-286-1681   E-mail: neil@kuiper.gsfc.nasa.gov

SignatureDate
_________________________________________________

Co-Investigators and Collaborators:
Type    Name    Affiliation    E-mail
Sci Collab   Dr. Michael A DiSanti   CUA/GSFC   disanti@kuiper.gsfc.nasa.gov
Sci Collab   Dr. Michael J Mumma   NASA-GSFC   mmumma@kuiper.gsfc.nasa.gov
Sci Collab   Dr. Karen Magee-Sauer   Rowan University   sauer@rowan.edu


Proposal Summary:

     Investigations of comet Lee in June and August 1999 allowed the most complete high resolution spectral survey of a comet at infrared wavelengths to date. This unprecedented spectral coverage was made possible by the commissioning of the next generation infrared spectrometer, NIRSPEC, at the Keck 2 observatory. NIRSPEC combines high spectral resolution (R ~ 20000) with superior spectral coverage provided by a large array (1024 x 1024 pixels) and a cross-dispersed echelle grating. The spectral survey of comet Lee with NIRSPEC revealed emissions from water hot-bands in the 4.6-5.0 micron region which have been studied and modeled in previous comets, as well as new emission lines from several hot-bands of water between 2.87-2.99 microns for which no line-by-line fluorescence models exist. Many of these lines near 2.9 microns rival or surpass in intensity hot-band lines previously detected in other comets. We propose to (1) Develop line-by-line fluorescence models for six hot-bands with emissions in the 2.8-3.0 micron region. (2) Reduce the comet Lee NIRSPEC water data in the spectral regions 2.87-2.99 and 4.6-5.0 microns using our proven data processing techniques. (3) Determine water line fluxes, production rates, rotational temperatures, and possibly ortho-para ratios in comet Lee. (4) Extend this study to comets observed with CSHELL and NIRSPEC in the future (e.g. comet Linear).



Certification of Compliance with Applicable Executive Orders and U.S. Code

By submitting the proposal identified in this Cover Sheet/Proposal Summary in response to this NRA or AO, the Authorizing Official of the proposing institution (or the individual proposer if there is no proposing institution) as identified below:

  • certifies that the statements made in this proposal are true and complete to the best of his/her knowledge;
  • agrees to accept the obligations to comply with NASA award terms and conditions if an award is made as a result of this proposal; and
  • confirms compliance with all provisions, rules, and stipulations set forth in the three Certifications contained in this NRA [namely, (i) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters Primary Cover Transactions, (ii) Certification Regarding Lobbying, and (iii) Certification of Compliance with the NASA Regulations Pursuant to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs].
    Willful provision of false information in this proposal and/or its supporting documents, or in reports required under an ensuing award, is a criminal offense (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).