Measuring Mars Atmospheric Winds from Orbit
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Scott D Guzewich↗
Engineering topics
A I Dave
Publications and source records attributed to A I Dave.
A Drilling Mission to Search for Biosignatures of Life on Mars Simulated in Atacama Chile
Missions to search for evidence of life on Mars, including Mars Science Laboratory(MSL)are using drilling systems to get beneath the high oxidized and radiated surface where biomolecules may be preserved. MSL drill holes show that even at shallow depth the subsurface is more reduced and therefor more likely to preserve biosignatures. Analysis of these reduced materials yielded the first detection of organic carbon compounds on Mars[1].While MSL was capable of drilling only 10 cm, the ExoMars mission now planned for a 2022 launch will feature a rover carrying a 2 m drill, motivated by desire to penetrate beneath the irradiated surface. The Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies(ARADS)was a PSTAR project that used flight prototype technologies in a highly relevant Mars analog site, together with related scientific studies, to better understand how to best search for life on Mars. ARADS field work was performed in Atacama Chile and featured a rover-mounted 1.2m auguring drill to acquire subsurface samples that were analyzed with flight prototype instruments designed to search for chemical signatures of life.
C R Stoker↗
Atmospheric Structure Investigation Instrument: in-Situ Measurement of Vertical Profiles of Temperature, Pressure, Wind, Aerosol Density, Hydrogen Ortho/Para Fraction and Helium Abundance on Saturn or Uranus.
The Atmospheric Structure Investigation (ASI) is designed as a threshold sensor suite for descent probes into any planetary atmosphere, principally for the Giant planets (e.g., Saturn for New Frontiers, or Uranus for an upcoming Flagship identified in the decadal survey), but also could be relevant for Venus, Titan or even specific applications on Earth. Its aim is to supply the key measurements establishing the atmospheric structure upon which all the other probe measurements would be placed in context. To that end, it measures vertical profiles of probe acceleration and rotation[1,2], pressure, temperature, vertical winds, aerosol number density and size and scattering properties, as well as Hydrogen ortho/para fraction and Helium abundance.
V Jha↗
Atmospheric Structure Investigation: Planetary in Situ Measurements of Atmospheric State Including Clouds/Aerosols.
The Atmospheric Structure Investigation (ASI) is a sensor suite designed for descent probes into planetary atmospheres, primarily aimed at Giant planets like Saturn and Uranus, and applicable to Venus, Titan, and Earth-specific missions. ASI aims to provide essential measurements of atmospheric structure, including probe acceleration, rotation, pressure, temperature, vertical winds, aerosol properties, and hydrogen and helium composition, crucial for contextualizing other probe data.
V Jha↗