Program: GN-2020B-FT-205

We propose to obtain near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the classical Uranian satellite Miranda with the GNIRS instrument. We wish to investigate the presence of volatile species on Miranda’s surface, including ammonia (NH3)-bearing compounds potentially responsible for internal activity on this small and enigmatic moon, as well as the absence of leading/trailing hemispherical asymmetries in Miranda's H2O ice absorption bands. The presence of NH3 is strongly associated with internal activity on icy satellites, but NH3-bearing compounds should be destroyed by irradiation on the surfaces of the Uranian moons on geologically-short timescales, spectral evidence for NH3 may thus imply recent internal activity and be a factor in the lack of hemispherical asymmetries in surface composition on Miranda.