H. Hussmann | Geology Reports

USGS2026

Geodetic investigations of the Europa Clipper mission

The Europa Clipper mission will investigate the geophysical properties of Europa, one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, to assess its habitability. Geodetic measurements will play a critical role in determining Europa’s internal structure, rotational state, and tidal deformation. The Geodesy Focus Group (GFG) coordinates cross-instrument efforts to measure Europa’s global shape, rotational parameters, gravity field, and degree-2 tidal Love numbers ( k 2 and h 2 ). The data provided by the Gravity/Radio Science (G/RS) investigation, Europa Imaging System (EIS), Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding (REASON), and Europa Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) will be used to infer geodetic constraints on the interior structure and construct a precise cartographic reference system. This combined dataset will provide new constraints on Europa’s tidal response, ice shell thickness, and the properties of its subsurface ocean. The resulting geodetic information will contribute to a deeper understanding of Europa’s internal dynamics and the potential habitability of its ocean.

Space Science Reviews↗

USGS2008

TandEM: Titan and Enceladus mission

TandEM was proposed as an L-class (large) mission in response to ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 Call, and accepted for further studies, with the goal of exploring Titan and Enceladus. The mission concept is to perform in situ investigations of two worlds tied together by location and properties, whose remarkable natures have been partly revealed by the ongoing Cassini–Huygens mission. These bodies still hold mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. TandEM is an ambitious mission because its targets are two of the most exciting and challenging bodies in the Solar System. It is designed to build on but exceed the scientific and technological accomplishments of the Cassini–Huygens mission, exploring Titan and Enceladus in ways that are not currently possible (full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time). In the current mission architecture, TandEM proposes to deliver two medium-sized spacecraft to the Saturnian system. One spacecraft would be an orbiter with a large host of instruments which would perform several Enceladus flybys and deliver penetrators to its surface before going into a dedicated orbit around Titan alone, while the other spacecraft would carry the Titan in situ investigation components, i.e. a hot-air balloon (Montgolfière) and possibly several landing probes to be delivered through the atmosphere.

Experimental Astronomy↗