The diverse meteorology of Jezero crater over the first 250 sols of Perseverance on Mars

ASA’s Perseverance rover’s Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer is collecting data at Jezero crater, characterizing the physical processes in the lowest layer of the Martian atmosphere. Here we present measurements from the instrument’s first 250 sols of operation, revealing a spatially and temporally variable meteorology at Jezero. We find that temperature measurements at four heights capture the response of the atmospheric surface layer to multiple phenomena. We observe the transition from a stable night-time thermal inversion to a daytime, highly turbulent convective regime, with large vertical thermal gradients. Measurement of multiple daily optical depths suggests aerosol concentrations are higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Measured wind patterns are driven mainly by local topography, with a small contribution from regional winds. Daily and seasonal variability of relative humidity shows a complex hydrologic cycle. These observations suggest that changes in some local surface properties, such as surface albedo and thermal inertia, play an influential role. On a larger scale, surface pressure measurements show typical signatures of gravity waves and baroclinic eddies in a part of the seasonal cycle previously characterized as low wave activity. These observations, both combined and simultaneous, unveil the diversity of processes driving change on today’s Martian surface at Jezero crater

Plataforma para el estudio de robots balanceados de dos ruedas mediante FPGAs

En presente trabajo se presenta el estudio de un sistema de control complejo utilizando para ello la tecnología FPGA. Las particularidades de estos dispositivos permiten afrontar los problemas desde varias perspectivas: software, hardware y una combinación de ambas. Estas técnicas han sido aplicadas sobre la plataforma F-Balance, que se compone de un equilibrio gracias al movimiento de dos motores de corriente continua

The ExoMars DREAMS scientific data archive

International audienceDREAMS (Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) is a payload accommodated on the Schiaparelli Entry and Descent Module (EDM) of ExoMars 2016, the ESA – Roscosmos mission to Mars successfully launched on 14 March 201

The Pipeline for the ExoMars DREAMS Scientific Data Archiving

International audienceDREAMS (Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) is a payload accommodated on the Schiaparelli Entry and Descent Module (EDM) of ExoMars 2016, the ESA and Roscosmos mission to Mars (Esposito (2015), Bettanini et al. (2014)).It is a meteorological station with the additional capability to perform measurements of the atmospheric electric fields close to the surface of Mars. The instrument package will make the first measurements of electric fields on Mars, providing data that will be of value in planning the second ExoMars mission in 2020, as well as possible future human missions to the red planet.This paper describes the pipeline to convert the raw telemetries to the final data products for the archive, with associated metadata

The pipeline for the ExoMars DREAMS scientific data archiving

DREAMS (Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) is a payload accommodated on the Schiaparelli Entry and Descent Module (EDM) of ExoMars 2016, the ESA and Roscosmos mission to Mars (Esposito (2015), Bettanini et al. (2014)). It is a meteorological station with the additional capability to perform measurements of the atmospheric electric fields close to the surface of Mars. The instrument package will make the first measurements of electric fields on Mars, providing data that will be of value in planning the second ExoMars mission in 2020, as well as possible future human missions to the red planet. This paper describes the pipeline to convert the raw telemetries to the final data products for the archive, with associated metadata

The DREAMS Experiment Onboard the Schiaparelli Module of the ExoMars 2016 Mission: Design, Performances and Expected Results

The first of the two missions foreseen in the ExoMars program was successfully launched on 14th March 2016. It included the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli Entry descent and landing Demonstrator Module. Schiaparelli hosted the DREAMS instrument suite that was the only scientific payload designed to operate after the touchdown. DREAMS is a meteorological station with the capability of measuring the electric properties of the Martian atmosphere. It was a completely autonomous instrument, relying on its internal battery for the power supply. Even with low resources (mass, energy), DREAMS would be able to perform novel measurements on Mars (atmospheric electric field) and further our understanding of the Martian environment, including the dust cycle. DREAMS sensors were designed to operate in a very dusty environment, because the experiment was designed to operate on Mars during the dust storm season (October 2016 in Meridiani Planum). Unfortunately, the Schiaparelli module failed part of the descent and the landing and crashed into the surface of Mars. Nevertheless, several seconds before the crash, the module central computer switched the DREAMS instrument on, and sent back housekeeping data indicating that the DREAMS sensors were performing nominally. This article describes the instrument in terms of scientific goals, design, working principle and performances, as well as the results of calibration and field tests. The spare model is mature and available to fly in a future mission

Dust, Sand, and Winds Within an Active Martian Storm in Jezero Crater

International audienceRovers and landers on Mars have experienced local, regional, and planetary-scale dust storms. However, in situ documentation of active lifting within storms has remained elusive. Over 5-11 January 2022 (LS 153°-156°), a dust storm passed over the Perseverance rover site. Peak visible optical depth was ∼2, and visibility across the crater was briefly reduced. Pressure amplitudes and temperatures responded to the storm. Winds up to 20 m s-1 rotated around the site before the wind sensor was damaged. The rover imaged 21 dust-lifting events—gusts and dust devils—in one 25-min period, and at least three events mobilized sediment near the rover. Rover tracks and drill cuttings were extensively modified, and debris was moved onto the rover deck. Migration of small ripples was seen, but there was no large-scale change in undisturbed areas. This work presents an overview of observations and initial results from the study of the storm

The DREAMS experiment on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

The ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere. © 2014 IEEE

The DREAMS experiment flown on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment on Schiaparelli lander of ExoMars 2016 mission was an autonomous meteorological station designed to completely characterize the Martian atmosphere on surface, acquiring data not only on temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, but also on solar irradiance, dust opacity and atmospheric electrification, to measure for the first time key parameters linked to hazard conditions for future manned explorations. Although with very limited mass and energy resources, DREAMS would be able to operate autonomously for at least two Martian days (sols) after landing in a very harsh environment as it was supposed to land on Mars during the dust storm season (October 2016 in Meridiani Planum) relying on its own power supply. ExoMars mission was successfully launched on 14th March 2016 and Schiaparelli entered the Mars atmosphere on October 20th beginning its `six minutes of terror' journey to the surface. Unfortunately, some unexpected behavior during the parachuted descent caused an unrecoverable critical condition in navigation system of the lander driving to a destructive crash on the surface. The adverse sequence of events at 4 km altitude triggered the transition of the lander in surface operative mode, commanding switch on the DREAMS instrument, which was therefore able to correctly power on and send back housekeeping data. This proved the nominal performance of all DREAMS hardware before touchdown demonstrating the highest TRL of the unit for future missions. This paper describes this experiment in terms of scientific goals, design, performances, testing and operational capabilities with an overview of in flight performances and available mission data

The DREAMS experiment on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

International audienceThe ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere