VENKATAPATHY , Ethiraj

Uranus and Neptune, referred to as ice giants, are fundamentally different from the better-known gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn). Exploration of an ice giant system is a high-priority science objective, as these systems (including the magnetosphere, satellites, rings, atmosphere, and interior) challenge our understanding of planetary formation...

Remote sensing observations suffer significant limitations when used to study the bulk atmospheric composition of the giant planets of our solar system. This impacts our knowledge of the formation of these planets and the physics of their atmospheres. A remarkable example of the superiority of in situ probe measurements was illustrated by the...