Thomas N
Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Exp Astron (Dordr). 2022;54(2-3):791-807. doi: 10.1007/s10686-021-09768-y. Epub 2021 Jul 5.
Io is the most volcanically-active object in the solar system. The moon ejects a tonne per second of sulphur-rich gases that fill the vast magnetosphere of Jupiter and drives million-amp electrical currents that excite strong auroral emissions. We present the case for including a detailed study of Io within Voyage 2050 either as a standalone mission or as a contribution to a NASA New Frontiers mission, possibly within a Solar System theme centred around current evolutionary or dynamical processes. A comprehensive investigation will provide answers to many outstanding questions and will simultaneously provide information on processes that have formed the landscapes of several other objects in the past. A mission investigating Io will also study processes that have shaped the Earth, Moon, terrestrial planets, outer planet moons, and potentially extrasolar planets. The aim would be simple - tracing the mass and energy flows in the Io-Jupiter system.
木卫一（艾奥）是太阳系中火山活动最为活跃的天体。这颗卫星每秒喷出一吨富含硫的气体，这些气体充满了木星巨大的磁层，并驱动着数百万安培的电流，激发强烈的极光发射。我们提出在“2050航行”计划中纳入对木卫一的详细研究，该研究可以作为一个独立任务，也可以作为对美国国家航空航天局（NASA）“新前沿”任务的贡献，可能围绕以当前演化或动力学过程为中心的太阳系主题展开。全面的调查将解答许多悬而未决的问题，同时还将提供有关过去塑造其他几个天体地貌的过程的信息。一项对木卫一进行调查的任务还将研究塑造地球、月球、类地行星、外行星卫星以及潜在的系外行星的过程。目标很简单——追踪木卫一 - 木星系统中的质量和能量流动。
