The Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment on the InSight Mission to Mars

The Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment (RISE) on-board the InSight mission will use the lander’s X-band (8 GHz) radio system in combination with tracking stations of the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) to determine the rotation of Mars. RISE will measure the nutation of the Martian spin axis, detecting for the first time the effect of the liquid core of Mars and providing in turn new constraints on the core radius and density. RISE will also measure changes in the rotation rate of Mars on seasonal time-scales thereby constraining the atmospheric angular momentum budget. Finally, RISE will provide a superb tie between the cartographic and inertial reference frames. This paper describes the RISE scientific objectives and measurements, and provides the expected results of the experiment.     

The Noise Model of the SEIS Seismometer of the InSight Mission to Mars

The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) instrument on board the InSight mission to Mars is the critical instrument for determining the interior structure of Mars, the current level of tectonic activity and the meteorite flux. Meeting the performance requirements of the SEIS instrument is vital to successfully achieve these mission objectives. The InSight noise model is a key tool for the InSight mission and SEIS instrument requirement setup. It will also be used for future operation planning. This paper presents the analyses made to build a model of the Martian seismic noise as measured by the SEIS seismometer, around the seismic bandwidth of the instrument (from 0.01 Hz to 1 Hz). It includes the instrument self-noise, but also the environment parameters that impact the measurements. We present the general approach for the model determination, the environment assumptions, and we analyze the major and minor contributors to the noise model.     

Bolide Airbursts as a Seismic Source for the 2018 Mars InSight Mission

Space Science Reviews - In 2018, NASA will launch InSight, a single-station suite of geophysical instruments, designed to characterise the martian interior. We investigate the seismo-acoustic...     

Development of the Primary Sorption Pump for the SEIS Seismometer of the InSight Mission to Mars

We report on the development of a passive sorption pump, capable of maintaining high-vacuum conditions in the InSight seismometer throughout the duration of any extended mission. The adsorber material is a novel zeolite-loaded aerogel (ZLA) composite, which consists of fine zeolite particles homogeneously dispersed throughout a porous silica network. The outgassing species within the SEIS evacuated container were analyzed and the outgassing rate was estimated by different methods. The results were used to optimize the ZLA composition to adsorb the outgassing constituents, dominated by water, while minimizing the SEIS bakeout constraints. The InSight ZLA composite additionally facilitated substantial CO₂ adsorption capabilities for risk mitigation against external leaks in Mars atmosphere. To comply with the stringent particle requirements, the ZLA getters were packaged in sealed containers, open to the SEIS interior through \(1~\upmu\mbox{m}\)-size pore filters. Results from experimental validation and verification tests of the packaged getters are presented. The pressure forecast based on these data, corroborated by rudimentary in situ pressure measurements, infer SEIS operational pressures not exceeding \(10^{-5}~\mbox{mbar}\) throughout the mission.     

Near Surface Stratigraphy and Regolith Production in Southwestern Elysium Planitia,Mars: Implications for Hesperian-Amazonian Terrains and the InSight Lander Mission

The presence of rocks in the ejecta of craters at the InSight landing site in southwestern Elysium Planitia indicates a strong, rock-producing unit at depth. A finer regolith above is inferred by the lack of rocks in the ejecta of 10-m-scale craters. This regolith should be penetrable by the mole of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³). An analysis of the size-frequency distribution (SFD) of 7988 rocky ejecta craters (RECs) across four candidate landing ellipses reveals that all craters >200 m in diameter and \({<}750 \pm 30\ \mbox{Ma}\) in age have boulder-sized rocks in their ejecta. The frequency of RECs however decreases significantly below this diameter (\(D\)), represented by a roll-off in the SFD slope. At \(30\ \text{m} < D < 200\ \text{m}\), the slope of the cumulative SFD declines to near zero at \(D < 30\ \text{m}\). Surface modification, resolution limits, or human counting error cannot account for the magnitude of this roll-off. Rather, a significant population of <200 m diameter fresh non-rocky ejecta craters (NRECs) here indicates the presence of a relatively fine-grained regolith that prevents smaller craters from excavating the strong rock-producing unit. Depth to excavation relationships and the REC size thresholds indicate the region is capped by a regolith that is almost everywhere 3 m thick but may be as thick as 12 to 18 m. The lower bound of the thickness range is independently confirmed by the depth to the inner crater in concentric or nested craters. The data indicate that 85% of the InSight landing region is covered by a regolith that is at least 3 m thick. The probability of encountering rockier material at depths >3 m by the HP³ however increases significantly due to the increase in boulder-size rocks in the lower regolith column, near the interface of the bedrock.     

Analysis of Local Slopes at the InSight Landing Site on Mars

To evaluate the topography of the surface within the InSight candidate landing ellipses, we generated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) at lander scales and those appropriate for entry, descent, and landing simulations, along with orthoimages of both images in each stereopair, and adirectional slope images. These products were used to assess the distribution of slopes for each candidate ellipse and terrain type in the landing site region, paying particular attention to how these slopes impact InSight landing and engineering safety, and results are reported here. Overall, this region has extremely low slopes at 1-meter baseline scales and meets the safety constraints of the InSight lander. The majority of the landing ellipse has a mean slope at 1-meter baselines of 3.2°. In addition, a mosaic of HRSC, CTX, and HiRISE DTMs within the final landing ellipse (ellipse 9) was generated to support entry, descent, and landing simulations and evaluations. Several methods were tested to generate this mosaic and the NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline program dem_mosaic produced the best results. For the HRSC-CTX-HiRISE DTM mosaic, more than 99 % of the mosaic has slopes less than 15°, and the introduction of artificially high slopes along image seams was minimized.     

目标:火星极区美国"凤凰"号火星着陆探测器

8月4日,美国"凤凰"号火星着陆探测器从卡纳维拉尔角肯尼迪航天中心发射升空,开始了它历时近10个月的飞向火星的旅程。在火星北极地区着陆后,"凤凰"号将通过挖掘并分析火星极区土壤样本以确定当地环境是否适合生物生存。     

Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity Modeling and Inversion for Shallow Structure at the Proposed InSight Landing Site in Elysium Planitia,Mars

The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) instrument onboard the InSight mission will be the first seismometer directly deployed on the surface of Mars. From studies on the Earth and the Moon, it is well known that site amplification in low-velocity sediments on top of more competent rocks has a strong influence on seismic signals, but can also be used to constrain the subsurface structure. Here we simulate ambient vibration wavefields in a model of the shallow sub-surface at the InSight landing site in Elysium Planitia and demonstrate how the high-frequency Rayleigh wave ellipticity can be extracted from these data and inverted for shallow structure. We find that, depending on model parameters, higher mode ellipticity information can be extracted from single-station data, which significantly reduces uncertainties in inversion. Though the data are most sensitive to properties of the upper-most layer and show a strong trade-off between layer depth and velocity, it is possible to estimate the velocity and thickness of the sub-regolith layer by using reasonable constraints on regolith properties. Model parameters are best constrained if either higher mode data can be used or additional constraints on regolith properties from seismic analysis of the hammer strokes of InSight’s heat flow probe HP³ are available. In addition, the Rayleigh wave ellipticity can distinguish between models with a constant regolith velocity and models with a velocity increase in the regolith, information which is difficult to obtain otherwise.     

The InSight Mars Lander and Its Effect on the Subsurface Thermal Environment

The 2018 InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Mission has the mission goal of providing insitu data for the first measurement of the geothermal heat flow of Mars. The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³) will take thermal conductivity and thermal gradient measurements to approximately 5 m depth. By necessity, this measurement will be made within a few meters of the lander. This means that thermal perturbations from the lander will modify local surface and subsurface temperature measurements. For HP³’s sensitive thermal gradient measurements, this spacecraft influence will be important to model and parameterize. Here we present a basic 3D model of thermal effects of the lander on its surroundings. Though lander perturbations significantly alter subsurface temperatures, a successful thermal gradient measurement will be possible in all thermal conditions by proper (\(>3~\mbox{m}\) depth) placement of the heat flow probe.     

Radar-Derived Properties of the InSight Landing Site in Western Elysium Planitia on Mars

We carried out an assessment of surface and subsurface properties based on radar observations of the region in western Elysium Planitia selected as the landing site for the InSight mission. Using observations from Arecibo Observatory and from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Shallow Radar (SHARAD), we examined the near-surface properties of the landing site, including characterization of reflectivity, near-surface roughness, and layering. In the Arecibo data (12.6-cm wavelength), we found a radar-reflective surface with no unusual properties that would cause problems for the InSight radar altimeter (7-cm wavelength). In addition, the moderately low backscatter strength is indicative of a relatively smooth surface at \({\sim} 10\mbox{-cm}\) scales that is composed of load-bearing materials and should not present a hazard for landing safety. For roughness at 10–100 m scales derived from SHARAD data, we find relatively low values in a narrow distribution, similar to those found at the Phoenix and Opportunity landing sites. The power of returns at InSight is similar to that at Phoenix and thus suggestive of near-surface layering, consistent with a layer of regolith over bedrock (e.g., lava flows) that is largely too shallow (\({<}10\mbox{--}20~\mbox{m}\)) for SHARAD to discern distinct reflectors. However, an isolated area outside of the ellipse chosen in 2015 for InSight’s landing shows faint returns that may represent such a contact at depths of \({\sim} 20\mbox{--}43~\mbox{m}\).     

An Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Some Martian Regolith Simulants with Respect to the Surface Properties at the InSight Mission Landing Site

In support of the InSight mission in which two instruments (the SEIS seismometer and the \(\mbox{HP}^{3}\) heat flow probe) will interact directly with the regolith on the surface of Mars, a series of mechanical tests were conducted on three different regolith simulants to better understand the observations of the physical and mechanical parameters that will be derived from InSight. The mechanical data obtained were also compared to data on terrestrial sands. The density of the regolith strongly influences its mechanical properties, as determined from the data on terrestrial sands. The elastoplastic compression volume changes were investigated through oedometer tests that also provided estimates of possible changes in density with depth. The results of direct shear tests provided values of friction angles that were compared with that of a terrestrial sand, and an extrapolation to lower density provided a friction angle compatible with that estimated from previous observations on the surface of Mars. The importance of the contracting/dilating shear volume changes of sands on the dynamic penetration of the mole was determined, with penetration facilitated by the \(\sim1.3~\mbox{Mg/m}^{3}\) density estimated at the landing site. Seismic velocities, measured by means of piezoelectric bender elements in triaxial specimens submitted to various isotropic confining stresses, show the importance of the confining stress, with lesser influence of density changes under compression. A power law relation of velocity as a function of confining stress with an exponent of 0.3 was identified from the tests, allowing an estimate of the surface seismic velocity of 150 m/s. The effect on the seismic velocity of a 10% proportion of rock in the regolith was also studied. These data will be compared with in situ data measured by InSight after landing.     

The Marsquake Service: Securing Daily Analysis of SEIS Data and Building the Martian Seismicity Catalogue for InSight

Space Science Reviews - In recent decades, volcanic and cryovolcanic activity on moons within the Solar System has been recognised as an important source of cosmic dust. Two moons, Jupiter’s...     

The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) for the Mars 2001 Odyssey Mission

The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on 2001 Mars Odyssey will investigate the surface mineralogy and physical properties of Mars using multi-spectral thermal-infrared images in nine wavelengths centered from 6.8 to 14.9 μm, and visible/near-infrared images in five bands centered from 0.42 to 0.86 μm. THEMIS will map the entire planet in both day and night multi-spectral infrared images at 100-m per pixel resolution, 60% of the planet in one-band visible images at 18-m per pixel, and several percent of the planet in 5-band visible color. Most geologic materials, including carbonates, silicates, sulfates, phosphates, and hydroxides have strong fundamental vibrational absorption bands in the thermal-infrared spectral region that provide diagnostic information on mineral composition. The ability to identify a wide range of minerals allows key aqueous minerals, such as carbonates and hydrothermal silica, to be placed into their proper geologic context. The specific objectives of this investigation are to: (1) determine the mineralogy and petrology of localized deposits associated with hydrothermal or sub-aqueous environments, and to identify future landing sites likely to represent these environments; (2) search for thermal anomalies associated with active sub-surface hydrothermal systems; (3) study small-scale geologic processes and landing site characteristics using morphologic and thermophysical properties; and (4) investigate polar cap processes at all seasons. THEMIS follows the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) experiments, providing substantially higher spatial resolution IR multi-spectral images to complement TES hyperspectral (143-band) global mapping, and regional visible imaging at scales intermediate between the Viking and MOC cameras. The THEMIS uses an uncooled microbolometer detector array for the IR focal plane. The optics consists of all-reflective, three-mirror anastigmat telescope with a 12-cm effective aperture and a speed of f/1.6. The IR and visible cameras share the optics and housing, but have independent power and data interfaces to the spacecraft. The IR focal plane has 320 cross-track pixels and 240 down-track pixels covered by 10 ～1-μm-bandwidth strip filters in nine different wavelengths. The visible camera has a 1024×1024 pixel array with 5 filters. The instrument weighs 11.2 kg, is 29 cm by 37 cm by 55 cm in size, and consumes an orbital average power of 14 W.     

The Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-3) for the Mars Express Mission

The general scientific objective of the ASPERA-3 experiment is to study the solar wind – atmosphere interaction and to characterize the plasma and neutral gas environment with within the space near Mars through the use of energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging and measuring local ion and electron plasma. The ASPERA-3 instrument comprises four sensors: two ENA sensors, one electron spectrometer, and one ion spectrometer. The Neutral Particle Imager (NPI) provides measurements of the integral ENA flux (0.1–60 keV) with no mass and energy resolution, but high angular resolution. The measurement principle is based on registering products (secondary ions, sputtered neutrals, reflected neutrals) of the ENA interaction with a graphite-coated surface. The Neutral Particle Detector (NPD) provides measurements of the ENA flux, resolving velocity (the hydrogen energy range is 0.1–10 keV) and mass (H and O) with a coarse angular resolution. The measurement principle is based on the surface reflection technique. The Electron Spectrometer (ELS) is a standard top-hat electrostatic analyzer in a very compact design which covers the energy range 0.01–20 keV. These three sensors are located on a scanning platform which provides scanning through 180^∘ of rotation. The instrument also contains an ion mass analyzer (IMA). Mechanically IMA is a separate unit connected by a cable to the ASPERA-3 main unit. IMA provides ion measurements in the energy range 0.01–36 keV/charge for the main ion components H⁺, He⁺⁺, He⁺, O⁺, and the group of molecular ions 20–80 amu/q. ASPERA-3 also includes its own DC/DC converters and digital processing unit (DPU).     

From Initial Models of Seismicity,Structure and Noise to Synthetic Seismograms for Mars

The InSight mission will land a single seismic station on Mars in November 2018, and the resultant seismicity catalog will be a key component for studies aiming to understand the interior structure of the planet. Here, we present a preliminary version of the web services that will be used to distribute the event and station metadata in practice, employing synthetic seismograms generated for Mars using a catalog of expected seismicity. Our seismicity catalog consists of 120 events with double-couple source mechanisms only. We also provide Green’s functions databases for a total of 16 structural models, which are constructed to reflect one-dimensional thin (30 km) and thick (80 km) Martian crust with varying seismic wave speeds and densities, combined with two different profiles for temperature and composition for the mantle. Both the Green’s functions databases and the precomputed seismograms are accessible online. These new utilities allow the researchers to either download the precomputed synthetic waveforms directly, or produce customized data sets using any desired source mechanism and event distribution via our servers.

     

Potential Effects of Surface Temperature Variations and Disturbances and Thermal Convection on the Mars InSight HP<Superscript>3</Superscript> Heat-Flow Determination

The HP³ instrument on the InSight lander mission will measure subsurface temperatures and thermal conductivities from which heat flow in the upper few meters of the regolith at the landing site will be calculated. The parameter to be determined is steady-state conductive heat flow, but temperatures may have transient perturbations resulting from surface temperature changes and there could be a component of thermal convection associated with heat transport by vertical flow of atmospheric gases over the depth interval of measurement. The experiment is designed so that it should penetrate to a depth below which surface temperature perturbations are smaller than the required measurement precision by the time the measurements are made. However, if the measurements are delayed after landing, and/or the probe does not penetrate to the desired depth, corrections may be necessary for the transient perturbations. Thermal convection is calculated to be negligible, but these calculations are based on unknown physical properties of the Mars regolith. The effects of thermal convection should be apparent at shallow depths where transient thermal perturbations would be observed to deviate from conductive theory. These calculations were required during proposal review and their probability of predicting a successful measurement a prerequisite for mission approval. However, their uncertainties lies in unmeasured physical parameters of the Mars regolith.     

Flexible Mode Modelling of the InSight Lander and Consequences for the SEIS Instrument

We present an updated model for estimating the lander mechanical noise on the InSight seismometer SEIS, taking into account the flexible modes of the InSight lander. This new flexible mode model uses the Satellite Dynamics Toolbox to compute the direct and the inverse dynamic model of a satellite composed of a main body fitted with one or several dynamic appendages. Through a detailed study of the sensitivity of our results to key environment parameters we find that the frequencies of the six dominant lander resonant modes increase logarithmically with increasing ground stiffness. On the other hand, the wind strength and the incoming wind angle modify only the signal amplitude but not the frequencies of the resonances. For the baseline parameters chosen for this study, the lander mechanical noise on the SEIS instrument is not expected to exceed the instrument total noise requirements. However, in the case that the lander mechanical noise is observable in the seismic data acquired by SEIS, this may provide a complementary method for studying the ground and wind properties on Mars.