A Pre-Landing Assessment of Regolith Properties at the InSight Landing Site

This article discusses relevant physical properties of the regolith at the Mars InSight landing site as understood prior to landing of the spacecraft. InSight will land in the northern lowland plains of Mars, close to the equator, where the regolith is estimated to be \(\geq3\mbox{--}5~\mbox{m}\) thick. These investigations of physical properties have relied on data collected from Mars orbital measurements, previously collected lander and rover data, results of studies of data and samples from Apollo lunar missions, laboratory measurements on regolith simulants, and theoretical studies. The investigations include changes in properties with depth and temperature. Mechanical properties investigated include density, grain-size distribution, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Thermophysical properties include thermal inertia, surface emissivity and albedo, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, and specific heat. Regolith elastic properties not only include parameters that control seismic wave velocities in the immediate vicinity of the Insight lander but also coupling of the lander and other potential noise sources to the InSight broadband seismometer. The related properties include Poisson’s ratio, P- and S-wave velocities, Young’s modulus, and seismic attenuation. Finally, mass diffusivity was investigated to estimate gas movements in the regolith driven by atmospheric pressure changes. Physical properties presented here are all to some degree speculative. However, they form a basis for interpretation of the early data to be returned from the InSight mission.     

Molecular Hydrogen

Observations of H₂ line emission in galactic and extragalactic environments obtained with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) are reviewed. The diagnostic capability of H₂ observations is illustrated. We discuss what one has learned about such diverse astrophysical sources as photon-dominated regions, shocks, young stellar objects, planetary nebulae and starburst galaxies from ISO observations of H₂ emission. In this context, we emphasise use of measured H₂ line intensities to infer important physical quantities such as the gas temperature, gas density and radiation field and we discuss the different possible excitation mechanisms of H₂. We also briefly consider future prospects for observation of H₂ from space and from the ground. Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.     

C. C. Petersen and J. C. Brandt,Hubble Vision,Early Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope

Space Science Reviews -     

稀土对硼铝共渗扩散机制的影响

建立了硼原子和铝原子的扩散模型 ,讨论了稀土对硼原子和铝原子扩散机制的影响。分析认为 :硼原子的扩散速度受 Fe2 B前沿硼原子向基体扩散速度的影响 ,也受硼原子通过 Fe2 B晶胞向基体扩散速度的控制 ;铝原子是在硼化物覆盖表面之前渗入的 ,当硼化物完全覆盖表面后 ,阻碍了铝原子的扩散 ,故铝在渗层次表面形成了化合物 ;稀土的渗入增加了空位数 ,使空位复合体的数量增加 ,也就加速了硼原子的扩散速度 ,增加了铝原子的渗入量