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The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
Mangold, N.; Hansen, C. J.; Cremonese, G. +58 more
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) is the main imaging system onboard the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) which was launched on 14 March 2016. CaSSIS is intended to acquire moderately high resolution (4.6 m/pixel) targeted images of Mars at a rate of 10-20 images per day from a roughly circular orbit 400 …
Retrieving cloud, dust and ozone abundances in the Martian atmosphere using SPICAM/UV nadir spectra
Vandaele, A. C.; Montmessin, F.; Willame, Y. +4 more
We present the retrieval algorithm developed to analyse nadir spectra from SPICAM/UV aboard Mars-Express. The purpose is to retrieve simultaneously several parameters of the Martian atmosphere and surface: the dust optical depth, the ozone total column, the cloud opacity and the surface albedo. The retrieval code couples the use of an existing com…
NOMAD spectrometer on the ExoMars trace gas orbiter mission: part 2—design, manufacturing, and testing of the ultraviolet and visible channel
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Neefs, Eddy; Ristic, Bojan +48 more
Boulder abundances and size-frequency distributions on Oxia Planum-Mars: Scientific implications for the 2020 ESA ExoMars rover
Quantin, Cathy; Pajola, Maurizio; Carter, John +4 more
This paper presents the abundances and the size-frequency distributions (SFD) of boulders identified on a sector of the prime landing site for the ExoMars 2020 rover, in Oxia Planum region. By means of a HiRISE image, boulders ≥ 1.75 m across have been identified and subdivided according to the two main Oxia Planum geological units: the Noachian c…
Measurement of dust optical depth using the solar irradiance sensor (SIS) onboard the ExoMars 2016 EDM
Rannou, P.; Toledo, D.; Gómez, L. +5 more
The solar irradiance sensor (SIS) was included in the DREAMS package onboard the ExoMars 2016 Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module, and has been selected in the METEO meteorological station onboard the ExoMars 2020 Lander. This instrument is designed to measure at different time intervals the scattered flux or the sum of direct flux and s…
On the link between martian total ozone and potential vorticity
Holmes, James A.; Lewis, Stephen R.; Patel, Manish R.
We demonstrate for the first time that total ozone in the martian atmosphere is highly correlated with the dynamical tracer, potential vorticity, under certain conditions. The degree of correlation is investigated using a Mars global circulation model including a photochemical model. Potential vorticity is the quantity of choice to explore the dyn…
A deep search for the release of volcanic gases on Mars using ground-based high-resolution infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy: Sensitive upper limits for OCS and SO2
Villanueva, G. L.; Mumma, M. J.; Tokunaga, A. T. +1 more
Recent volcanic activity has long been considered a distinct possibility that would place major constraints on the evolution of Mars' interior. Volcanic activity would result in the outgassing of sulfur-bearing species. As part of our multi-band search for active release of volcanic gases on Mars, we looked for carbonyl sulfide (OCS) at its combin…
Diurnal variation in martian dust devil activity
Lewis, S. R.; Chapman, R. M.; Balme, M. +1 more
We show that the dust devil parameterisation in use in most Mars Global Circulation Models (MGCMs) results in an unexpectedly high level of dust devil activity during morning hours.
Prior expectations of the diurnal variation of Martian dust devils are based mainly upon the observed behaviour of terrestrial dust devils: i.e. that the majority…DREAMS-SIS: The Solar Irradiance Sensor on-board the ExoMars 2016 lander
Toledo, D.; Gómez, L.; Apéstigue, V. +10 more
The Solar Irradiance Sensor (SIS) was part of the DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment, and Environment Analyzer on the Martian Surface) payload package on board the ExoMars 2016 Entry and Descent Module (EDM), "Schiaparelli". DREAMS was a meteorological station aimed at the measurement of several atmospheric parameters, as well as the p…
Signatures of the Martian rotation parameters in the Doppler and range observables
Yseboodt, Marie; Dehant, Véronique; Péters, Marie-Julie
The position of a Martian lander is affected by different aspects of Mars' rotational motions: the nutations, the precession, the length-of-day variations and the polar motion. These various motions have a different signature in a Doppler observable between the Earth and a lander on Mars' surface. Knowing the correlations between these signatures …