Color imaging of Mars by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)

HiRISE has been producing a large number of scientifically useful color products of Mars and other planetary objects. The three broad spectral bands, coupled with the highly sensitive 14 bit detectors and time delay integration, enable detection of subtle color differences. The very high spatial resolution of HiRISE can augment the mineralogic interpretations based on multispectral (THEMIS) and hyperspectral datasets (TES, OMEGA and CRISM) and thereby enable detailed geologic and stratigraphic interpretations at meter scales. In addition to providing some examples of color images and their interpretation, we describe the processing techniques used to produce them and note some of the minor artifacts in the output. We also provide an example of how HiRISE color products can be effectively used to expand mineral and lithologic mapping provided by CRISM data products that are backed by other spectral datasets. The utility of high quality color data for understanding geologic processes on Mars has been one of the major successes of HiRISE.     

Mars reconnaissance lander: Vehicle and mission design

There is enormous potential for more mobile planetary surface science. This is especially true in the case of Mars because the ability to cross challenge terrain, access areas of higher elevation, visit diverse geological features and perform long traverses of up to 200 km supports the search for past water and life. Vehicles capable of a ballistic ‘hop’ have been proposed on several occasions, but those proposals using in-situ acquired propellants are the most promising for significant planetary exploration. This paper considers a mission concept termed Mars Reconnaissance Lander using such a vehicle. We describe an approach where planetary science requirements that cannot be met by a conventional rover are used to derive vehicle and mission requirements.The performance of the hopper vehicle was assessed by adding estimates of gravity losses and mission mass constraints to recently developed methods. A baseline vehicle with a scientific payload of 16.5 kg and conservatively estimated sub-system masses is predicted to achieve a flight range of 0.97 km. Using a simple consideration of system reliability, the required cumulative range of 200 km could be achieved with a probability of around 80%. Such a range is sufficient to explore geologically diverse terrains. We therefore plot an illustrative traverse in Hypanis Valles/Xanthe Terra, which encounters crater wall sections, periglacial terrain, aqueous sedimentary deposits and a traverse up an ancient fluvial channel. Such a diversity of sites could not be considered with a conventional rover. The Mars Reconnaissance Lander mission and vehicle presents some very significant engineering challenges, but would represent a valuable complement to rovers, static landers and orbital observations.     

Planetary scientific target detection via deep learning: A case study for finding shatter cones in Mars rover images

Past, present, and forthcoming planetary rover missions to Mars and other planetary bodies are equipped with a large number of scientific cameras. The very large number of images resulting from this, combined with tight time constraints for navigation, measurements, and analyses, pose a major challenge for the mission teams in terms of scientific target evaluation. Shatter cones are the only macroscopic evidence for impact-induced shock metamorphism and therefore impact craters on Earth. The typical features of shatter cones, such as striations and horsetail structures, are particularly suitable for machine learning methods. The necessary training images do not exist for such a case; therefore, we pursued the approach of producing them artificially. Using PRo3D, a viewer developed for the interactive exploration and geologic analysis of high-resolution planetary surface reconstructions, we virtually placed shatter cones in 3-D background scenes processed from true Mars rover imagery. We use PRo3D-rendered images of such scenes as training data for machine learning architectures. Terrestrial analog studies in Ethiopia supported our lab work and were used to test the resulting neural network of this feasibility study. The result showed that our approach with shatter cones in artificial Mars rover scenes is suitable to train neural networks for automatic detection of shatter cones. In addition, we have identified several aspects that can be used to improve the training of the neural network and increase the recognition rate. For example, using background data with a higher resolution in order to have equal resolution of object (shatter cone) and Martian background and increase the number of objects that can be placed in the training data set. Also using better lighting reconstructions and a better radiometric adaption between object and Martian background would further improve the results.     

Nuclear Planetology:Especially Concerning the Moon and Mars

To approach basic scientific questions on the origin and evolution of planetary bodies such as planets, their satellites and asteroids, one needs data on their chemical composition. The measurements of gamma-rays, X-rays and neutrons emitted from their surface materials provide information on abundances of major elements and naturally radioactive gamma-ray emitters. Neutron spectroscopy can provide sensitive maps of hydrogen-and carbon-containing compounds, even if buried, and can uniquely identify layers of carbon-dioxide frost. Nuclear spectroscopy, as a means of compositional analysis, has been applied via orbital and lander spacecraft to extrater-restrial planetary bodies:the Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury and asteroids. The knowledge of their chemical abundances, especially concerning the Moon and Mars, has greatly increased in recent years. This paper describes the principle of nuclear spectroscopy, nuclear planetary instruments carried on planetary missions so far, and the nature of observational results and findings of the Moon and Mars, recently obtained by nuclear spectroscopy.     

In Situ Biological Contamination Studies of the Moon: Implications for Planetary Protection and Life Detection Missions

NASA and ESA have outlined visions for solar system exploration that will include a series of lunar robotic precursor missions to prepare for, and support a human return to the Moon, and future human exploration of Mars and other destinations, including possibly asteroids. One of the guiding principles for exploration is to pursue compelling scientific questions about the origin and evolution of life. The search for life on objects such as Mars will require careful operations, and that all systems be sufficiently cleaned and sterilized prior to launch to ensure that the scientific integrity of extraterrestrial samples is not jeopardized by terrestrial organic contamination. Under the Committee on Space Research’s (COSPAR’s) current planetary protection policy for the Moon, no sterilization procedures are required for outbound lunar spacecraft, nor is there a different planetary protection category for human missions, although preliminary COSPAR policy guidelines for human missions to Mars have been developed. Future in situ investigations of a variety of locations on the Moon by highly sensitive instruments designed to search for biologically derived organic compounds would help assess the contamination of the Moon by lunar spacecraft. These studies could also provide valuable “ground truth” data for Mars sample return missions and help define planetary protection requirements for future Mars bound spacecraft carrying life detection experiments. In addition, studies of the impact of terrestrial contamination of the lunar surface by the Apollo astronauts could provide valuable data to help refine future Mars surface exploration plans for a human mission to Mars.     

Did 26Al and impact‐induced heating differentiate Mercury?

Numerical models dealing with the planetary scale differentiation of Mercury are presented with the short‐lived nuclide, ²⁶Al, as the major heat source along with the impact‐induced heating during the accretion of planets. These two heat sources are considered to have caused differentiation of Mars, a planet with size comparable to Mercury. The chronological records and the thermal modeling of Mars indicate an early differentiation during the initial ~1 million years (Ma) of the formation of the solar system. We theorize that in case Mercury also accreted over an identical time scale, the two heat sources could have differentiated the planets. Although unlike Mars there is no chronological record of Mercury's differentiation, the proposed mechanism is worth investigation. We demonstrate distinct viable scenarios for a wide range of planetary compositions that could have produced the internal structure of Mercury as deduced by the MESSENGER mission, with a metallic iron (Fe‐Ni‐FeS) core of radius ~2000 km and a silicate mantle thickness of ~400 km. The initial compositions were derived from the enstatite and CB (Bencubbin) chondrites that were formed in the reducing environments of the early solar system. We have also considered distinct planetary accretion scenarios to understand their influence on thermal processing. The majority of our models would require impact‐induced mantle stripping of Mercury by hit and run mechanism with a protoplanet subsequent to its differentiation in order to produce the right size of mantle. However, this can be avoided if we increase the Fe‐Ni‐FeS contents to ~71% by weight. Finally, the models presented here can be used to understand the differentiation of Mercury‐like exoplanets and the planetary embryos of Venus and Earth.     

Observing the martian surface albedo pattern: Comparing the AEOS and TES data sets

High spatial resolution images of Mars were acquired with the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) 3.63-meter telescope at the Maui Space Surveillance System (MSSS) during both the 2001 and 2003 Mars apparitions. Comparisons are made of the surface albedo patterns obtained from these AEOS images to the surface albedo maps constructed from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) data taken during the same time periods. These comparisons demonstrate that the images provide albedo information in a limited area surrounding the sub-Earth point that is consistent with the TES-derived albedo field. Additionally, it is shown that by employing adaptive optics (AO), the typical ground-based observing season of Mars can be extended. This is the only known published AO data set of Mars with temporal coverage over an entire apparition. Changes in the surface albedo affect the local ground temperature, which impacts the depth of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) above the surface. Since it is the state of the PBL that controls surface/atmospheric interaction, albedo variations have the power to alter the amount of dust that is lifted. A one-dimensional radiative/convective version of the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model is used to demonstrate that the measured albedo variations can alter the daytime ground temperatures by as much as 5 K, which in turn alters the structure of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Therefore, albedo changes are thermodynamically important, and the ability to characterize them, should orbital observations become unavailable, is a valuable capability.     

Oxygen airglow emission on Venus and Mars as seen by VIRTIS/VEX and OMEGA/MEX imaging spectrometers

Imaging spectrometers are highly effective instruments for investigation of planetary atmospheres. They present the advantage of coupling the compositional information to the spatial distribution, allowing simultaneous study of chemistry and dynamics in the atmospheres of Venus and Mars. In this work, we summarize recent results about the O₂(a¹Δ_g) night and day glows, respectively obtained by VIRTIS/Venus Express and OMEGA/Mars Express, the imaging spectrometers currently in orbit around Venus and Mars. The case of the O₂(a¹Δ_g - X³Σ_g⁻) IR emission at 1.27 μm on the night side of Venus and the day side of Mars is analyzed, pointing out dynamical aspects of these planets, like the detection of gravity waves in their atmospheres. The monitoring of seasonal and daily airglow variations provides hints about the photochemistry on these planets.     

Super-resolution of THEMIS thermal infrared data: Compositional relationships of surface units below the 100 meter scale on Mars

The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) has provided the highest spatial resolution (100 m/pixel) thermal infrared (TIR) data of the surface of Mars to date. These data have enabled the discovery of many small-scale compositional units and helped to better constrain surface processes operating at these scales. However, with higher-resolution visible (VIS) instruments revealing smaller-scale surficial differences, there exists a need to detect and map compositional variability using TIR data at scales below 100 m. Because it is unlikely there will be a higher-resolution TIR instrument sent to Mars in the near future, creative image processing techniques commonly classified under the umbrella of “super-resolution” can be employed to improve or enhance the spatial resolution of the THEMIS TIR data. These approaches typically integrate another higher-resolution dataset and can either be qualitative for visual appeal, quantitative for data accuracy, or some combination of both. The super-resolution approach presented here produces enhanced TIR images that are radiometrically accurate, but also visually appealing. For the technique to be successfully applied, multi- to hyper-spectral data from two different spectral regions are required (e.g., the THEMIS TIR and VIS datasets). The focus here is to introduce this new super-resolution methodology and demonstrate its ability using existing THEMIS IR and VIS data. The quartzofeldspathic deposit in northern Syrtis Major was selected because of the spectral variability detected using the original IR resolution data and to better constrain the relationship between the small-scale surface morphology and areal extent of the deposit as well as its formation process. Despite being associated with the central peaks of two craters, the results here show no positive correlation between the small rocky outcrops and the quartzofeldspathic unit. A gradational contact exists between the unit and basaltic sands within the intercrater eolian material. The super-resolution approach offers an alternative approach to traditional sub-pixel deconvolution identification and provides a higher-resolution IR dataset for thermophysical and spectral analysis on Mars.     

Lunar soil characterization consortium analyses: Pyroxene and maturity estimates derived from Clementine image data

The mineralogy of a planetary surface is a diagnostic product of its formation and geologic evolution. Global assessment of lunar mineralogy at high spatial resolution has been a long standing goal of lunar exploration. Currently, the only global data available for such study is multispectral imagery from the Clementine mission. We use the detailed compositional, petrographic, and spectroscopic data of lunar soils produced by the Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium to explore the use of multispectral imaging as a diagnostic tool. We compare several statistically optimized formulations of links between spectral and mineral parameters and apply them to Clementine UV-VIS data. The most reliable results are for estimations of pyroxene abundance and maturity parameters (agglutinate abundance, Is/FeO). Estimations of different pyroxene composition (low-Ca versus high-Ca) appear good in a relative sense, but absolute values are limited by residual wavelength dependent Clementine photometric calibrations. Since the signal-to-noise of Clementine multispectral data is good at the 1-km scale, almost any combination of parameters that capture inherent spectral variance can provide spatially coherent maps, although the parameters may not actually be directly related to composition. Clementine estimates are useful for identifying scientific or exploration targets for imaging spectrometer sensors of the next generation that are specifically designed to characterize mineralogy.     

Next-generation robotic planetary reconnaissance missions: A paradigm shift

A fundamentally new scientific mission concept for remote planetary surface and subsurface reconnaissance will soon replace the engineering and safety constrained mission designs of the past, allowing for optimal acquisition of geologic, paleohydrologic, paleoclimatic, and possible astrobiologic information of Mars and other extraterrestrial targets. Traditional missions have performed local ground-level reconnaissance through rovers and immobile landers, or global mapping performed by an orbiter. The former is safety and engineering constrained, affording limited detailed reconnaissance of a single site at the expense of a regional understanding, while the latter returns immense datasets, often overlooking detailed information of local and regional significance. A “tier-scalable” paradigm integrates multi-tier (orbitatmosphereground) and multi-agent (orbiterblimpsrovers/sensorwebs) hierarchical mission architectures, not only introducing mission redundancy and safety, but enabling and optimizing intelligent, unconstrained, and distributed science-driven exploration of prime locations on Mars and elsewhere, allowing for increased science return, and paving the way towards fully autonomous robotic missions.     

Optimal orbits for Mars atmosphere remote sensing

Most of the spacecrafts currently around Mars (or planned to reach Mars in the near future) use Sun-synchronous or near-polar orbits. Such orbits offer a very poor sampling of the diurnal cycle. Yet, sampling the diurnal cycle is of key importance to study Mars meteorology and climate. A comprehensive remote sensing data set should have been obtained by the end of the MRO mission, launched in 2005. For later windows, time-varying phenomena should be given the highest priority for remote sensing investigations. We present possible orbits for such missions which provide a rich spatial and temporal sampling with a relatively short repeat cycle (50 sols). After computation and determination of these orbits, said “optimal orbits”, we illustrate our results by tables of sampling and comparison with other orbits.     

Atmospheric variations and meteorite production on Mars

Through a combination of aerobraking (drag deceleration) and ablation, meteoroids which enter planetary atmospheres may be slowed sufficiently to soft-land as meteorites. Results of an earlier study suggest that the current 6 mbar atmosphere of Mars is sufficient to aerobrake significant numbers of small (<10 kg) asteroidal-type meteoroids into survivable, low-velocity (<500 m s⁻¹) impacts with the planet's surface. Since rates of meteorite production depend upon the density of Mars's atmosphere, they must also change as the martian climate changes. However, to date, martian meteorite production has received relatively little attention in the literature Here we expand upon our previous work to study martian meteorite production rates and how they depend upon variations of the martian atmosphere, and to estimate the ranges of mass, velocity and entry-angle that produce meteorites. We find that even the current atmosphere of Mars is sufficient to soft-land significant fractions of incident stony and iron objects, and that these fractions increase dramatically for denser martian atmospheres. Therefore, like impact cratering, meteorite populations may preserve evidence of past martian climates.     

Martian meteorites: Volatile trace elements and cluster analysis

Abstract— We report data for 15 mainly volatile trace elements (Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cs, Ga, In, Rb, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, U, Zn) by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) in whole-rock samples of five Martian meteorites that, with seven others studied earlier, complete the 12 member Martian meteorite suite. Nearly all of these elements exhibit highly variable compositional continua and are richer in the Martian suite compared with other basaltic meteorites. From cluster analysis, we find that the clustering of subtypes based on these elements is virtually identical to that based on contents of major refractory elements and mineralogic/petrographic character istics, which implies that each source region on Mars was closed to volatile transport. Martian meteorite data can be used to infer volatile element contents in that planet.     

The depth of the convective boundary layer on Mars

We are using observations obtained with Mars Express to explore the structure and dynamics of the martian lower atmosphere. We consider a series of radio occultation experiments conducted in May-August 2004, when the season on Mars was midspring of the northern hemisphere. The measurements are widely distributed in latitude and longitude, but the local time remained within a narrow range, 17.0-17.2 h. Most of the atmospheric profiles retrieved from these data contain a distinct, well-mixed convective boundary layer (CBL). We have accurately determined the depth of the CBL and its spatial variations at fixed local time through analysis of these profiles. The CBL extends to a height of 3-10 km above the surface at the season and locations of these measurements. Its depth at fixed local time is clearly correlated with variations in surface elevation on planetary scales, with a weaker dependence on spatial variations in surface temperature. In general, the CBL is deep (8-10 km) where the surface elevation is high, as in Tharsis Montes and Syrtis Major, and shallow (4-6 km) where the surface elevation is low, as in Amazonis and Utopia. This variability results from the combined effects of conditions near the surface and in the atmosphere above the CBL. Convection arises from solar heating of the ground, and the impact of this heat source on thermal structure is largest where the surface pressure and atmospheric density are smallest, at high surface elevations. The vertical extent of the CBL is in turn constrained by the static stability of the overlying atmosphere. These results greatly reduce the long-standing uncertainty concerning the depth of the CBL.     

Trajectory Analysis and Design for A Jupiter Exploration Mission

The trajectory design for a Jupiter exploration mission is investigated in this paper. The differences between the Jupiter exploration trajectory and the Mars or Venus exploration trajectory are mainly concerned about. Firstly, the selection of the Jupiter-centered orbit is analyzed based on the Galileo Jupiter mission. As for the Earth-Jupiter transfer orbit, the fuel consumption of the direct transfer is too large. So the energy-saving technologies such as the planetary gravity assist should be used for the trajectory to the Jupiter. The different sequences of planetary gravity assists are examined by applying the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). According to the searched result, the Venus-Earth-Earth sequence (VEEGA) is the most effective one for the Jupiter mission. During the Jupiter mission, the spacecraft will pass though the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and may encounter multiple asteroids. Therefore the Jupiter mission is able to combine with the main-belt asteroid flyby mission. The design method of the intermediate asteroid flyby trajectory is also considered. At last, an entire trajectory for the Jupiter mission launched in 2023 is presented.     

木星探测轨道分析与设计

研究了与木星探测相关的轨道设计问题.重点关注木星探测轨道与火星、金星等类地行星探测轨道的不同及由此带来的轨道设计难点.首先分析了绕木星探测任务轨道的选择.建立近似模型讨论了向木星飞行需要借助多颗行星的多次引力辅助,对地木转移的多种行星引力辅助序列,使用粒子群算法搜索了2020年至2025年之间的燃料最省飞行方案并对比得到了向木星飞行较好的引力辅助方式为金星-地球-地球引力辅助.结合多任务探测,研究了航天器在飞向木星途中穿越主小行星带飞越探测小行星的轨道设计.最后,给出2023年发射完整的结合引力辅助与小行星多次飞越的木星探测轨道设计算例.     

Ion escape from Mars as a function of solar wind conditions: A statistical study

The influence of solar EUV and solar wind conditions on ion escape at Mars is investigated using ion data from the Aspera-3 instrument on Mars Express, combined with solar wind proxy data obtained from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft. A solar EUV flux proxy based on data from the Earth position, scaled and shifted in time for Mars, is used to study relatively long time scale changes related to solar EUV variability. Data from May 2004 until November 2005 has been used. A clear dependence on the strength of the subsolar magnetic field as inferred from MGS measurements is seen in the ion data. The region of significant heavy ion flows is compressed and the heavy ion flux density is higher for high subsolar magnetic field strength. Because of the difference in outflow area, the difference in estimated total outflow is somewhat less than the difference in average flux density. We confirm previous findings that escaping planetary ions are mainly seen in the hemisphere into which the solar wind electric field is pointed. The effect is more pronounced for the high subsolar magnetic field case.The average ion motion has a consistent bias towards the direction of the solar wind electric field, but the main motion is in the antisunward direction. The antisunward flow velocity increases with tailward distance, reaching above at 2 to 3 martian radii downtail from Mars for O⁺ ions. Different ion species reach approximately the same bulk flow energy. We did not find any clear correlation between the solar EUV flux and the ion escape distribution or rate, probably because the variation of the solar EUV flux over our study interval was too small. The results indicate that the solar wind and its magnetic field directly interacts with the ionosphere of Mars, removing more ions for high subsolar magnetic field strength. The interaction region and the tail heavy ion flow region are not perfectly shielded from the solar wind electric field, which accelerates particles over relatively large tail distances.     

Development and testing of subsurface sampling devices for the Beagle 2 lander

For planetary landing missions, the capability to acquire samples of soil and rock is of high importance whenever complex analyses (e.g. isotopic studies) on these materials are to be carried out, or when samples are to be returned to Earth. Not only surface samples are of relevance, but in recent concepts at least for Mars landing missions also subsurface samples are required. Subsurface material on Mars is believed to have been protected from the inferred oxidants at the immediate surface while also being protected from the UV influx. Therefore, there is considerable hope that in subsurface soil samples on Mars, at least organic matter delivered by meteorites may be detected, and possibly also relics of earlier simple microbial life on the planet. Likewise, samples from the inside of Martian surface rocks promise to have been protected from weathering and for the same reason they are important for organic chemistry studies. In this paper, an overview is given of the development and science of two different subsurface sampling devices for the Beagle 2 lander of ESA's Mars Express mission, being a “Mole” subsurface soil sampler and a small rock coring and sampling mechanism. Besides their sampling function, both the Mole and the Corer/Grinder will provide data on physical properties of Martian soils and rock, respectively, through the way they interact with the sampled materials. Details of the Mole and Corer/Grinder design are presented, along with results of recent tests with prototypes in the laboratory on physically analogous sample materials.