PROPERTIES OF PLANETS AND THEIR MOONS

Knowledge of planet and moon data, both geometrical and thermal, is required to predict the thermal behaviour of spacecraft in planetary orbits and flybys.
Table 1 gives a summary of planet and moon mass and size, orbit characteristics, global thermal properties, and surface thermal properties, based on the
following assumptions:
1. Spherical geometry. Planets and large moons are quasi-spherical because they deform under their own large gravity forces.
2. Uniform albedo. A single reflectance value is given, the bolometric or energy-balance value, corresponding to the radiative energy reflected by the
whole planet or moon in all directions and wavelengths, divided by the global incident radiation from the Sun.
3. Uniform surface temperature. However, diurnal variations may be large on slow-rotating bodies: from 270 K to 300 K on Earth, from 90 K to 400 K on
the Moon, from 140 K to 290 K on Mars, 80..700 K on Mercury.
4. Uniform emissivity, corresponding to the energy balance and a black-body emitter at mean surface temperature.
5. Cosmic background radiation (CBR) temperature, T∞=2.7 K, can be neglected in the energy balance..

Table 1. Geometrical and thermal data for solar planets and their major moons.
Body Density Semimajor axis Equator. Albedo Tsurface Treference Tbb Solar Ratio of Energy Emis. Atm.
to diameter (bolometric / min..max =Tmean or irradiat. max/min ratio (bolom.) pressure
Sun or Planet geometric) α=ε irradiation (ent/exit)
[kg/m ] R [109 m] (ua*)
3
D·10 [m]
-6
ρP [K] [K] [K] [W·m-2] εP [Pa]
Sun 1400 - 1390 NA 5800 5800 5800 62.8·106 1 →∞ 1
Mercury 5420 58, (0.38) 4.9 0.09 / 0.14 Eq., 100..700 440 450 9147 2.30 0.9 <10-5
85ºN, 80..380
Venus 5250 108, (0.72) 12.1 0.76 / 0.69 720..740 737 328 2620 1.03 0.013 9300·103
Earth 5520 150, (1.00) 12.8 0.31 / 0.43 Eq., 270..330 288 278 1361 1.07 1 0.61 101·103
Pol, 190..250
Moon 0.38, (0.0027) 3.5 0.11 / 0.12 Eq., 100..390 250 278 1361 1.07 1 0.95 10−8
85ºN, 90..230
Mars 3940 228, (1.50) 6.8 0.25 / 0.17 Eq., 186..268 217 226 590 1.45 1 0.95 0.8·103
Phobos 1890 0.009 (-) 0.022 / 0.07 233 233 226 590 1.45 1
Deimos 1470 0.023 (-) 0.012 / 0.07 233 233 226 590 1.45 1
Jupiter 1310 778, (5.20) 14312 0.50 / 0.54 165 at 1 bar 102 123 51 1.21 1.50 (20..200)·103
(63 moons) 112 at 0.1 bar at cloud top
Io 3530 0.42, (-) 3.6 / 0.65 130..1500 130 123 51 0.2
Europe 3010 0.67, (-) 3.1 / 0.62 50..100 96 123 51
Ganymede 1940 1.07, (-) 5.3 / 0.45 104 123 51
Callisto 1830 1.88, (-) 4.8 / 0.20 80..160 116 123 51
Saturn 690 1427, (9.60) 120 0.34 /0.50 134 at 1 bar 63 90 15.1 1.24 2.50
84 at 0.1 bar
Titan 1880 1.22, (-) 5.1 0.20 / 0.22 95 94 90 15.1 0.6 150·103
Enceladus 1600 238, (-) 0.5 0.80 / 1.40 33..145 75 90 15.1
Uranus 1290 2871, (19) 51 0.30 / 0.49 50..100 57 60 3.7 1.22 0.7
Neptune 1640 4497, (30) 50 0.29 / 0.44 50..100 57 50 1.5 1.02 0.4
Triton 0.35, (-) 2.7 / 0.85 40 38 50 1.5
*1 ua=150·109 m is the average Sun-to Earth distance (also written as 1 AU). Sun Equatorial diameter corresponds to the photosphere (i.e. the region from
which visual light originates).

A few data to keep in mind for spacecraft thermal control

Although we live nowadays with all worldwide data at our fingertips on the Internet, it is convenient to memorise a few numbers (not the whole list that follows), while
working on spacecraft thermal control problems, basically:
• Altitudes (over the Earth radius, Rp=6370 km): sounding balloons at 40 km, LEO at 400 km, GEO at 40 000 km, Moon at 400.103 km, Mars at 400.106 km as most.
• Temperatures: Sun surface temperature (quasi black-body) at 5800 K. Earth surface average is Ts=288 K. Deep space background temperature (quasi black-body) at
2.7 K. Blackbody emission is Mbb=σT4, with σ=5.67·10-8 W/(m2·K4).
• Heat rates (normal radiation flux):
o The Solar constant: E0=1360 W/m2 (at 1 ua=1 AU=150·109 m). The maximum in the spectrum is at λEmax=0.5 µm. Daily average is 1360/4=340 W/m2.
o The Earth albedo: 30%, so that 1360·0.3=410 W/m2 is reflected (with the maximum still at λEmax=0.5 µm, but free of UV and IR).
o The Earth emission, 240 W/m2 when λEmax=10 µm, corresponding to an emissivity around 60%.(0.60·5.67·10-8·2884=240 W/m2), balancing the 340·0.7=240
W/m2 absorption.

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