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In this paper, we summarize our present understanding of Mars' atmosphere, magnetic field, and surface and address past evolution of these features. Key scientific questions concerning Mars' surface, atmosphere, and magnetic field, along with the planet's interaction with solar wind, are discussed. We also define what key parameters and measurements should be performed and the main characteristics of a martian mission that would help to provide answers to these questions. Such a mission--Mars Environment and Magnetic Orbiter (MEMO)--was proposed as an answer to the Cosmic Vision Call of Opportunity as an M-class mission (corresponding to a total European Space Agency cost of less than 300 Meuro). MEMO was designed to study the strong interconnection between the planetary interior, atmosphere, and solar conditions, which is essential to our understanding of planetary evolution, the appearance of life, and its sustainability. The MEMO main platform combined remote sensing and in situ measurements of the atmosphere and the magnetic field during regular incursions into the martian upper atmosphere. The micro-satellite was designed to perform simultaneous in situ solar wind measurements. MEMO was defined to conduct: * Four-dimensional mapping of the martian atmosphere from the surface up to 120 km by measuring wind, temperature, water, and composition, all of which would provide a complete view of the martian climate and photochemical system; Mapping of the low-altitude magnetic field with unprecedented geographical, altitude, local time, and seasonal resolutions; A characterization of the simultaneous responses of the atmosphere, magnetic field, and near-Mars space to solar variability by means of in situ atmospheric and solar wind measurements.

We have used and extended Roosbeek’s tidal potential for Mars to calculate tidal displacements, gravity variations, and external gravitational potential variations. The tides on Mars are caused by the Sun, and to a lesser degree by the natural satellites Phobos (8%, relative to the Sun) and Deimos (0.08%, relative to the Sun). To determine the reaction of Mars to the tidal forcing, the Love numbers h, l, and k and the gravimetric factor δ were calculated for interior models of Mars with different state, density, and radius of the core and for models which include mantle anelasticity. The latitude dependence and frequency dependence of the Love numbers have been taken explicitly into account. The Love numbers are about three times smaller than those for the Earth and are very sensitive to core changes; e.g., a difference of about 30% is found between a model with a liquid core and an otherwise similar model with a solid core. Tidal displacements on Mars are much smaller than on Earth due to the smaller tidal potential, but also due to the smaller reaction of Mars (smaller Love numbers). For both the tidal diplacement and the tidal external potential perturbations, the tidal signal is at the limit of detection and is too small to permit properties of Mars’s interior to be inferred. On the other hand, the Phobos tidally induced gravity changes, which are subdiurnal with typical periods shorter than 12 h, can be measured very precisely by the very broad band seismometer with thermal control of the seismological experiment SEIS of the upcoming NetLander mission. It is shown that the Phobos-induced gravity tides could be used to study the Martian core. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Martian rocky material available on Earth has been so far composed of meteorites and is limited in terms of mass and number. This restricted amount directly impairs the possibility to perform destructive analyses and experiments requiring large mass of sample, such as alteration and hydrothermal experiments. One of the main intents of the current Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission is to bring rock samples from Mars to Earth in the next 10 years. While we will have a geological context for the samples, the total mass that will be collected will also be limited. It is thus crucial to seek analogs of martian rocks, not suffering from this limitation while bearing specific martian properties required by the planned experiments. To overcome this problem in the frame of alteration and hydrothermal experiments, we have built a flexible powder analog system to mimic a typical non-altered shergottite from a chemical and mineralogical perspective. To do so, we have selected the six main mineral phases in weight percentage present in shergottites. For each phase we selected multiple pure terrestrial mineral powders chosen for their chemistry close to their shergottite counterparts. As these mineral phases come from only three different relatively easy access locations, the assemblage is virtually unlimited. From the Shergottite Analog System (SAS), the Shergottite Sample Powder (SSP)-1 analog has been created to focus on serpentinization and abiotic methane formation experiments under martian conditions. The SAS could also be used to create analogs of Oxia Planum, Gale Crater, or Jezero Crater, and to test possible detection interferences and to determine the sensitivity of multiple analytic techniques by varying the selected phases and their proportions. • Martian rock are limited in quantity, thus analogs are required for destructive analyses and experiments. • We have created a terrestrial mineral library to create various martian analogs. • Minerals are kept separated and can be mixed at will to fit the purpose of experiments. • This analog system is created mainly for alteration/hydrothermal experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainly designed to study minor atmospheric species in the Martian atmosphere, the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument suite onboard the 2016 ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) can also be exploited for surface ice detection. In this work, we investigate the nadir observations of the NOMAD infrared channel from the Martian Years 34 to 36 (Mars 2018 to December 2022), especially for CO 2 ice detection. Based on Oliva et al. (2022) , we present an updated method taking advantage of the 2.7 μm absorption band for surface ice detection by selecting the diffraction orders 190, 169, 168 and 167. We focus the analysis on the Southern polar cap and define its boundaries during its sublimation phase in MY34–36. Globally, seasonal changes seem repeatable for MY34–36. Moreover, we show the potential of the 2.29 μm absorption band for surface CO 2 ice identification through the diffraction order 193. We define a pseudo-band depth as a good proxy for CO 2 ice detection. Following a semi-qualitative approach, we attempt to reproduce such spectra by using the Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG) model in order to estimate CO 2 ice equivalent grain size. For the selected periods, the estimations are in the order of centimetres, which is in agreement with previous studies using spectral observations of OMEGA, CRISM and TES instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mars Express spacecraft is operating in Mars orbit since early 2004. The Mars Express Radio Science Experiment (MaRS) employs the spacecraft and ground station radio systems (i) to conduct radio occultations of the atmosphere and ionosphere to obtain vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, neutral number densities and electron density, (ii) to conduct bistatic radar experiments to obtain information on the dielectric and scattering properties of the surface, (iii) to investigate the structure and variation of the crust and lithosphere in selected target areas, (iv) to determine the mass, bulk and internal structure of the moon Phobos, and (v) to track the MEX radio signals during superior solar conjunction to study the morphology of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Here we report observations, results and discoveries made in the Mars environment between 2004 and 2014 over almost an entire solar cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mars Express mission was launched in June 2003 and was inserted into orbit around Mars in December 2003. Its main objective is to study the Mars' subsurface, surface, atmosphere and interaction with the solar wind. A secondary objective is to study the martian moons, in particular the largest one Phobos, thanks to a near polar and elliptical orbit which allows the spacecraft to perform close flybys about every five months. The Mars Express data not only consist of high-resolution 3D color images, but also astrometric images, spectra from 0.18 to 20 μm, radar echoes, Doppler signals from gravity experiments, and ion data. A new view of the moons has emerged from this data set, favoring now the idea that they are not captured asteroids, but rather the result of a re-accretion following a major impact on Mars. This unique set of data is available in the ESA Planetary Science Archive (PSA) and mirror imaged in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). This paper presents an overview of the Mars Express Phobos flybys, the specificities of their operations and the scientific achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Atmospheric angular momentum variations of a planet are associated with the global atmospheric mass redistribution and the wind variability. The exchange of angular momentum between the fluid layers and the solid planet is the main cause for the variations of the planetary rotation at seasonal time scales. In the present study, we investigate the angular momentum variations of the Earth, Mars and Venus, using geodetic observations, output of state-of-the-art global circulation models as well as assimilated data. We discuss the similarities and differences in angular momentum variations, planetary rotation and angular momentum exchange for the three terrestrial planets. We show that the atmospheric angular momentum variations for Mars and Earth are mainly annual and semi-annual whereas they are expected to be “diurnal” on Venus. The wind terms have the largest contributions to the LOD changes of the Earth and Venus whereas the matter term is dominant on Mars due to the CO2 sublimation/condensation. The corresponding LOD variations (ΔLOD) have similar amplitudes on Mars and Earth but are much larger on Venus, though more difficult to observe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Knowledge of the interior structure of Mars is of fundamental importance to the understanding of its past and present state as well as its future evolution. The most prominent interior structure properties are the state of the core, solid or liquid, its radius, and its composition in terms of light elements, the thickness of the mantle, its composition, the presence of a lower mantle, and the density of the crust. In the absence of seismic sounding only geodesy data allow reliably constraining the deep interior of Mars. Those data are the mass, moment of inertia, and tides. They are related to Mars’ composition, to its internal mass distribution, and to its deformational response to principally the tidal forcing of the Sun. Here we use the most recent estimates of the moment of inertia and tidal Love number k 2 in order to infer knowledge about the interior structure of the Mars. We have built precise models of the interior structure of Mars that are parameterized by the crust density and thickness, the volume fractions of upper mantle mineral phases, the bulk mantle iron concentration, and the size and the sulfur concentration of the core. From the bulk mantle iron concentration and from the volume fractions of the upper mantle mineral phases, the depth dependent mineralogy is deduced by using experimentally determined phase diagrams. The thermoelastic properties at each depth inside the mantle are calculated by using equations of state. Since it is difficult to determine the temperature inside the mantle of Mars we here use two end-member temperature profiles that have been deduced from studies dedicated to the thermal evolution of Mars. We calculate the pressure and temperature dependent thermoelastic properties of the core constituents by using equations state and recent data about reference thermoelastic properties of liquid iron, liquid iron–sulfur, and solid iron. To determine the size of a possible inner core we use recent data on the melting temperature of iron–sulfur. Within our model assumptions the geodesy data imply that Mars has no solid inner core and that the liquid core contains a large fraction of sulfur. The absence of a solid inner is in agreement with the absence of a global magnetic field. We estimate the radius of the core to be 1794±65km and its core sulfur concentration to be 16±2wt%. We also show that it is possible for Mars to have a thin layer of perovskite at the bottom of the mantle if it has a hot mantle temperature. Moreover a chondritic Fe/Si ratio is shown to be consistent with the geodesy data, although significantly different value are also possible. Our results demonstrate that geodesy data alone, even if a mantle temperature is assumed, can almost not constrain the mineralogy of the mantle and the crust. In order to obtain stronger constraints on the mantle mineralogy bulk properties, like a fixed Fe/Si ratio, have to be assumed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present results of several years of research and data processing aimed at modelling the Mars gravity field and its longest wavelength time variations. The new solution includes tracking data from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) from 1998 to 2006 (end of mission) and from Mars Odyssey from 2002 to the spring of 2008; this is the longest analyzed data set from these two orbiter missions as compared to previous works. The new model has been obtained by a team working in Europe, independently from the works of groups at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), also with totally independent software. Observations consist in two and three-way Doppler measurements (also one way for MGS), and range tracking data collected by the Deep Space Network and have been processed in 4 day arcs, taking into account all disturbing forces of gravitational and non-gravitational origins; for each arc the state vector, drag and solar pressure model multiplying factors, and angular momentum dump parameters are adjusted. The static field (MGGM08A) is represented in spherical harmonics up to degree and order 95 and is very close to previously published models (in terms of spectral components and also over specific features); correlations with the global Mars topography are established and apparent depths of compensation by degree are derived. Lumped zonal harmonics of degree two and three are solved for every 10 days, exhibiting variations in line with previous results (including authors’ ones); the work also shows the difficulty of finding clean signatures (annual and semi-annual) for the zonal coefficient of second degree. The k 2 Love number is also derived from the ensemble of data, as well as from subsets of them; values between 0.110 and 0.130 are found, which are consistent with the existence of a Martian fluid core of significant radius. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The determination of the ephemeris of the Martian moons has benefited from observations of their plane-of-sky positions derived from images taken by cameras onboard spacecraft orbiting Mars. Images obtained by the Super Resolution Camera (SRC) onboard Mars Express (MEX) have been used to derive moon positions relative to Mars on the basis of a fit of a complete dynamical model of their motion around Mars. Since, these positions are computed from the relative position of the spacecraft when the images are taken, those positions need to be known as accurately as possible. An accurate MEX orbit is obtained by fitting two years of tracking data of the Mars Express Radio Science (MaRS) experiment onboard MEX. The average accuracy of the orbits has been estimated to be around 20–25m. From these orbits, we have re-derived the positions of Phobos and Deimos at the epoch of the SRC observations and compared them with the positions derived by using the MEX orbits provided by the ESOC navigation team. After fit of the orbital model of Phobos and Deimos, the gain in precision in the Phobos position is roughly 30m, corresponding to the estimated gain of accuracy of the MEX orbits. A new solution of the GM of the Martian moons has also been obtained from the accurate MEX orbits, which is consistent with previous solutions and, for Phobos, is more precise than the solution from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Odyssey (ODY) tracking data. It will be further improved with data from MEX-Phobos closer encounters (at a distance less than 300km). This study also demonstrates the advantage of combining observations of the moon positions from a spacecraft and from the Earth to assess the real accuracy of the spacecraft orbit. In turn, the natural satellite ephemerides can be improved and participate to a better knowledge of the origin and evolution of the Martian moons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effect of Mars’ interior structure, more precisely the influences of the size and the state of the core, on Length-of-Day variations (ΔLOD) is studied. We calculated the load Love numbers and the moments of inertia of the mantle and of the core for a set of models of Mars’ interior. It is shown that the current level of precision of LOD observations does not allow to deduce details of the Martian interior. Future measurements of ΔLOD must have an accuracy better than 2% to determine whether or not the core is liquid, and even better to constrain the core size. The effect of seasonal mass redistribution on ΔLOD is also investigated. Martian ΔLOD is a good indicator of global scale seasonal CO2 cycle. Planetary rotation data from the tracking of Viking and Pathfinder landers are compared with the recent seasonal mass deposition information from Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions. The results reveal the current difficulties in the accurate modelling of the Martian seasonal CO2 cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]