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1. THE FIRST FROST DETECTION CAMPAIGN BY THE MARS 2020 PERSEVERANCE ROVER: IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS

Author: Martínez, Germán, Lasue, Jérémie, Meslin, Pierre-Yves, Chide, Baptiste, Caravaca, Gwénaël, López-Reyes, Guillermo, Tamppari, Leslie K., Beyssac, Olivier, Polkko, J., Hieta, M., Genzer, M., Harri, A.-M., Newman, Claire, Gillespie, Hartzel, Fischer, Erik, Mora, Luis, Sebastián, Eduardo, Wiens, Roger, Rodríguez Manfredi, Jose, Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Universidad de Valladolid [Valladolid] (UVa), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Aeolis Research, University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System, Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, and Lunar and Planetary Institute
Subjects: Jezero crater, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, SuperCam, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.ST]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Stratigraphy, Mars 2020, Mars, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, frost
Abstract: International audience; Here we describe the first campaign launched by the Perseverance rover to detect frost during the first Martian year of operations (669 sols as of Jan 5, 2023). This campaign was conceived, developed and executed following lessons learnt from the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, where frost was likely detected [1].Between sols 546 and 548 during northern winter (Ls ~297), measurements of ground temperature and relative humidity by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA, [2]) were used to predict frost formation, while SuperCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectrometer measurements [3,4] were used to detect frost formation on a target informally called Snowy Mountain. While the measured ground temperature fell below the estimated frost point, and therefore frost was predicted by MEDA, neither H enrichment in LIBS measurements nor Raman peaks associated with water ice were detected by SuperCam.
Published: 2023

2. Mars Surface Pressure Oscillations as Precursors of Large Dust Storms Reaching Gale

Author: S. Zurita‐Zurita, M. de la Torre Juárez, C. E. Newman, D. Viúdez‐Moreiras, H. T. Kahanpää, A.‐M. Harri, M. T. Lemmon, J. Pla‐García, J. A. Rodríguez‐Manfredi, Centro de Astrobiología, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Aeolis Research, School common, ELEC, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Space Science Institute, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: Geophysics, surface pressure, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, planetary waves, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Mars, singular spectrum analysis, dust storm precursors, emprical mode decomposition
Abstract: Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the MCAM and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Teams. Comments and suggestions by the M. Battalio and M. Mischna were very useful and are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also thank support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, project No RTI2018-098728-B-C31, and the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial. A portion of this work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. The US coauthors performed their work under sponsorship from NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the MCAM and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Teams. Comments and suggestions by the M. Battalio and M. Mischna were very useful and are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also thank support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, project No RTI2018‐098728‐B‐C31, and the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial. A portion of this work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. The US coauthors performed their work under sponsorship from NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project. Publisher Copyright: © 2022. The Authors. Modeling and observations have long demonstrated that Martian dust storms strongly interfere with global circulation patterns and change the diurnal and semidiurnal pressure variability as well as oscillations with periods greater than one sol associated with planetary waves. As of early 2022, five Mars years of pressure data have been collected by the Curiosity Rover in Gale crater with the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS). A combination of signal filtering techniques is used to search for pressure signatures that might warn large-scale dust storms reaching Gale. The analysis combines an exploration of changes in both baroclinic waves and thermal tides for the first time to our knowledge. Focusing on the periods preceding local opacity increases as detected by Curiosity's Mastcam observations, the pressure analysis shows changes in the coupling between the diurnal pressure tide and quasi-diurnal Kelvin wave, as well as in the temporal evolution of baroclinic waves that are harbingers of the larger dust storms. Changes in the phasing between Kelvin waves and diurnal tides are found to be precursors for the growth phase of periods Z (defined here as Ls ∼ 120°–160°), A (Ls ∼ 190°–240°), and C (Ls ∼ 300°–335°) dust storms. Changes in multi-sol pressure oscillations also help predict the occurrence of A, B (Ls ∼ 245°–295°), and C storms. The specific pressure oscillations preceding each storm period are likely to be signatures of the large-scale circulation patterns that enable the growth and propagation of the storm fronts.
Published: 2022

3. Unexplained Oxygen Variability: New Results on Molecular Oxygen in the Lower Martian Atmosphere from Chemcam and Supercam Passive Sky Observations

Author: Mcconnochie, T., Trainer, Melissa G., Smith, M., Guzewich, S., Franz, H. B., Newman, C., Lo, D., Atreya, S., Moores, J., Sapers, H., Lemmon, Mark, Wolff, Michael, Montmessin, Franck, Knutsen, Elise Wright, Fouchet, Thierry, Bertrand, Tanguy, Gasnault, Olivier, Lasue, Jérémie, Forni, O., Pilleri, Paolo, Maurice, Sylvestre, Legett, Carey, Newell, Raymond, Venhaus, Dawn, Lanza, Nina, Wiens, R., Hecht, M., Zorzano, M.-P., Khayat, A., Lefèvre, Franck, Daerden, Frank, Fedorova, Anna, Trokhimovskiy, Alexander, Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Aeolis Research, University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System, Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science [Toronto] (CRESS), York University [Toronto], PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Purdue University [West Lafayette], MIT Haystack Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology [GSFC] (CRESST), Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy / Institut d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique (BIRA-IASB), Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), and Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS)
Subjects: [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Abstract: International audience
Published: 2022

4. The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars

Author: Claire E. Newman, Ricardo Hueso, Mark T. Lemmon, Asier Munguira, Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo, Víctor Apestigue, Germán M. Martínez, Daniel Toledo, Rob Sullivan, Ken E. Herkenhoff, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, Mark I. Richardson, Alexander E. Stott, Naomi Murdoch, Agustín Sanchez-Lavega, Michael J. Wolff, Ignacio Arruego, Eduardo Sebastián, Sara Navarro, Javier Gómez-Elvira, Leslie Tamppari, Michael D. Smith, Alain Lepinette, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, Ari-Matti Harri, Maria Genzer, Maria Hieta, Ralph D. Lorenz, Pan Conrad, Felipe Gómez, Timothy H. McConnochie, David Mimoun, Christian Tate, Tanguy Bertrand, James F. Bell, Justin N. Maki, Jose Antonio Rodriguez-Manfredi, Roger C. Wiens, Baptiste Chide, Sylvestre Maurice, Maria-Paz Zorzano, Luis Mora, Mariah M. Baker, Don Banfield, Jorge Pla-Garcia, Olivier Beyssac, Adrian Brown, Ben Clark, Franck Montmessin, Erik Fischer, Priyaben Patel, Teresa del Río-Gaztelurrutia, Thierry Fouchet, Raymond Francis, Scott D. Guzewich, Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Gobierno Vasco, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Aeolis Research, Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne] (UPV/EHU), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System, Cornell University [New York], Astrogeology Science Center [Flagstaff], United States Geological Survey [Reston] (USGS), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Carnegie Institution for Science, University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Purdue University [West Lafayette], Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Plancius Research LLC, PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University College of London [London] (UCL), and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Subjects: Multidisciplinary, Aeolian, Atmosphere, rems, Mars 2020, large eddy simulation, Mars, Dust, earth, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Clouds, bagnold dunes, dust devils, thermal tides, surface, wind, gale crater, convection
Abstract: This article has a correction. Please see: Erratum for the Research Article: “The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars” - 10 February 2023 Despite the importance of sand and dust to Mars geomorphology, weather, and exploration, the processes that move sand and that raise dust to maintain Mars’ ubiquitous dust haze and to produce dust storms have not been well quantified in situ, with missions lacking either the necessary sensors or a sufficiently active aeolian environment. Perseverance rover’s novel environmental sensors and Jezero crater’s dusty environment remedy this. In Perseverance’s first 216 sols, four convective vortices raised dust locally, while, on average, four passed the rover daily, over 25% of which were significantly dusty (“dust devils”). More rarely, dust lifting by nonvortex wind gusts was produced by daytime convection cells advected over the crater by strong regional daytime upslope winds, which also control aeolian surface features. One such event covered 10 times more area than the largest dust devil, suggesting that dust devils and wind gusts could raise equal amounts of dust under nonstorm conditions. We gratefully acknowledge the huge effort by the entire Mars 2020 team to meet our launch date despite the COVID-19 pandemic, to land and deploy instruments successfully in Jezero crater, and to conduct operations on the surface of Mars since February 2021. This paper arose from discussions within the Mars 2020 Atmospheres Working Group but would not have been possible without the tremendous contributions of everyone involved in Mars 2020 operations. We wish to especially pay tribute to the many team members based in Europe who regularly work through the night as MEDA or SuperCam Payload Uplink and Downlink Leads (PULs/PDLs) or in other roles and to all those who had shifts as Atmospheres Working Group representatives during this period. Last, we gratefully acknowledge the very helpful and constructive comments from both anonymous reviewers. Funding: R.H., A.S.-L., A.M., and T.d.R.-G. are supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation project PID2019-109467GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT1366-19. I.A., D.T., and V.A. are supported by the Spanish National Research, Development, and Innovation Program through the grants RTI2018-099825-B-C31, ESP2016-80320-C2-1-R, and ESP2014-54256-C4-3-R. L.M., S.N., and J.G.-E. are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, projects ESP2014-54256-C4-1-R and AYA2015-65041-P; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, projects ESP2016-79612-C3-1-R, ESP2016-80320-C2-1-R, RTI2018-098728-B-C31, and RTI2018-099825-B-C31; and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation’s Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology, projects RTI2018-098728-B-C31 and RTI2018-099825-B-C31. Á.V.-R. and M.-P.Z. are supported by Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) project no. MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”–Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC). M.-P.Z. is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, PID2019-104205GB-C21. M.M.B. and M.-P.Z. are supported by NASA’s Mars 2020 Participating Scientist Program. All other authors were supported by funding from the Mars 2020 mission, part of the NASA Mars Exploration Program. Work by C.E.N. was additionally funded by the InSight Participating Scientist Program.A portion of this work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA and funding by SMD, GCD, and STMD. Peerreview
Published: 2022

5. Science Goals and Objectives for the Dragonfly Titan Rotorcraft Relocatable Lander

Author: Simon Stähler, E. R. Stofan, Kevin P. Hand, C. D. Neish, William B. Brinckerhoff, Colin Wilson, Ralph D. Lorenz, Scot Rafkin, R. A. Yingst, Tetsuya Tokano, Kris Zacny, Jani Radebaugh, Christopher P. McKay, Patrick N. Peplowski, Alexander Hayes, Erich Karkoschka, Juan M. Lora, Jorge I. Nunez, Jason W. Barnes, Claire E. Newman, Melissa G. Trainer, Alice Le Gall, A. M. Parsons, Caroline Freissinet, Mark P. Panning, Lynnae C. Quick, David J. Lawrence, Carolyn M. Ernst, Cyril Szopa, Thomas P. Wagner, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Hiroaki Shiraishi, R. S. Miller, Kristin S. Sotzen, Sarah M. Hörst, Shannon MacKenzie, Elizabeth P. Turtle, Morgan L. Cable, Scott L. Murchie, Jason M. Soderblom, Angela Stickle, Department of Physics [Moscow,USA], University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Department of Astronomy [Ithaca], Cornell University [New York], Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Baltimore], Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [New Haven], Yale University [New Haven], NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Department of Earth Sciences [London, ON], University of Western Ontario (UWO), Aeolis Research, Department of Geological Sciences [BYU], Brigham Young University (BYU), Southwest Research Institute [Boulder] (SwRI), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [Sagamihara] (JAXA), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Cambridge, USA] (EPS), Harvard University [Cambridge], Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie [Köln], Universität zu Köln, NASA Headquarters, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford] (AOPP), University of Oxford [Oxford], Honeybee Robotics Ltd, Institute of Geophysics [ETH Zürich], Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), and Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)
Subjects: Aquifer, 01 natural sciences, Mantle (geology), Astrobiology, Pre-biotic astrochemistry, 03 medical and health sciences, symbols.namesake, Extant taxon, Impact crater, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Planetary surfaces, 14. Life underwater, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 030304 developmental biology, 0303 health sciences, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Habitability, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Prebiotic chemistry, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], symbols, Water ice, Titan (rocket family), Titan, Planetary atmospheres
Abstract: NASA’s Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft lander to the surface of Titan in the mid-2030s. Dragonfly's science themes include investigation of Titan’s prebiotic chemistry, habitability, and potential chemical biosignatures from both water-based “life as we know it” (as might occur in the interior mantle ocean, potential cryovolcanic flows, and/or impact melt deposits) and potential “life, but not as we know it” that might use liquid hydrocarbons as a solvent (within Titan’s lakes, seas, and/or aquifers). Consideration of both of these solvents simultaneously led to our initial landing site in Titan’s equatorial dunes and interdunes to sample organic sediments and water ice, respectively. Ultimately, Dragonfly's traverse target is the 80 km diameter Selk Crater, at 7° N, where we seek previously liquid water that has mixed with surface organics. Our science goals include determining how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed on Titan and what molecules and elements might be available for such chemistry. We will also determine the role of Titan’s tropical deserts in the global methane cycle. We will investigate the processes and processing rates that modify Titan’s surface geology and constrain how and where organics and liquid water can mix on and within Titan. Importantly, we will search for chemical biosignatures indicative of past or extant biological processes. As such, Dragonfly, along with Perseverance, is the first NASA mission to explicitly incorporate the search for signs of life into its mission goals since the Viking landers in 1976.
Published: 2021

6. Vortex‐Dominated Aeolian Activity at InSight's Landing Site, Part 1: Multi‐Instrument Observations, Analysis, and Implications

Author: Alexander E. Stott, L. M. Sotomayor, Constantinos Charalambous, John A. Grant, Sebastien Rodriguez, Nicholas H. Warner, Veronique Ansan, Don Banfield, William T. Pike, Naomi Murdoch, Aymeric Spiga, Maria E. Banks, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, William B. Banerdt, P. H. Lognonné, Ernst Hauber, Jorge Pla-Garcia, Matthew P. Golombek, Clément Perrin, Ralph D. Lorenz, Justin N. Maki, T. Warren, Anna Mittelholz, Claire E. Newman, Antoine Lucas, Matthew E. Baker, Catherine L. Johnson, J. B. Garvin, Ingrid Daubar, Mark T. Lemmon, Sara Navarro, Catherine M. Weitz, J. B. McClean, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering [London] (DEEE), Imperial College London, MIT Haystack Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Smithsonian Institution, State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo), State University of New York (SUNY), Brown University, German Aerospace Center (DLR), University of British Columbia (UBC), Institute of Geophysics [ETH Zürich], Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), University of Oxford, Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP (UMR_7154)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Cornell University [New York], Aeolis Research, ANR-19-CE31-0008,MAGIS,MArs Geophysical InSight(2019), Rodriguez, Sébastien, and MArs Geophysical InSight - - MAGIS2019 - ANR-19-CE31-0008 - AAPG2019 - VALID
Subjects: Convection, Seismometer, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Physics::Geophysics, aeolian changes at the InSight landing site on Mars, convective vortices as a primary driver of particle motion, dust lifting and saltation, multi-instrument measurements constrain the timing and atmospheric conditions of aeolian changes, passing vortices lifting dust are correlated with magnetic signatures, surface creep, surface tracks, particle transport, Geochemistry and Petrology, Planet, 0103 physical sciences, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), wind, 14. Life underwater, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, InSight, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Mars landing, Mars Exploration Program, Geophysics, Vortex, Planetengeologie, [PHYS.ASTR.EP] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Aeolian processes, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Geology, camera
Abstract: International audience; We report the aeolian changes observed in situ by NASA's InSight lander during the first 400 sols of operations: Granule creep, saltation, dust removal, and the formation of dark surface tracks. Aeolian changes are infrequent and sporadic. However, on sols, when they do occur, they consistently appear between noon to 3 p.m., and are associated with the passage of convective vortices during periods of high vortex activity. Aeolian changes are more frequent at elevated locations, such as the top surfaces of rocks and lander footpads. InSight observed these changes using, for the first time, simultaneous insitu and orbital imaging and high-frequency meteorological, seismological, and magnetic measurements. Seismometer measurements of ground acceleration constrain the timing and trajectory of convective vortex encounters, linking surface changes to source vortices. Magnetometer measurements show perturbations in magnetic field strength during the passage of convective vortices consistent with chargedparticle motion. Detachment of sand-scale particles occurs when high background winds and vortexinduced turbulence provide a peak surface friction wind speed above the classic saltation fluid threshold. However, detachment of dust-and granule-scale particles also occurred when the surface friction wind speed remained below this threshold. This may be explained by local enhancement of the surface roughness and other effects described here and further studied in Part 2 (Baker et al., 2021). The lack of saltation and bright dust-coated surfaces at the InSight landing site implies surface stability and the onset of particle motion may be suppressed by dust "cushioning." This differentiates the InSight landing site from other areas on Mars that exhibit more aeolian activity. Plain Language Summary Aeolian activity, the movement of dust and sand by the wind, is common on Earth and has been observed on other planets, including Mars. A new Mars lander, InSight, has for the first time monitored aeolian changes by combining imaging with weather, seismic and CHARALAMBOUS ET AL.
Published: 2021

7. Gravity Wave Observations by the Mars Science Laboratory REMS Pressure Sensor and Comparison with Mesoscale Atmospheric Modeling with MarsWRF

Author: Claire E. Newman, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, Mark I. Richardson, E. Mason, Alain Khayat, Scott D. Guzewich, Nina Miller, Michael D. Smith, Henrik Kahanpää, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Aeolis Research, University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, CSIC, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: Engineering, curiosity, business.industry, Mars, Mars Exploration Program, Atmospheric model, gravity waves, mesoscale, Geophysics, Aeronautics, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), REMS, Space research, business
Abstract: Funding Information: Guzewich, Smith, and Khayat were supported by the MSL Participating Scientist program. de la Torre Juarez, Newman, Kahanp??, Vi?dez-Moreiras, and Richardson were supported by the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Mason was supported by the NASA Postdoctoral Program, administered by the Universities Space Research Association. A portion of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). Funding Information: Guzewich, Smith, and Khayat were supported by the MSL Participating Scientist program. de la Torre Juarez, Newman, Kahanpää, Viúdez‐Moreiras, and Richardson were supported by the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Mason was supported by the NASA Postdoctoral Program, administered by the Universities Space Research Association. A portion of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). Publisher Copyright: © 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Surface pressure measurements on Mars have revealed a wide variety of atmospheric phenomena. The Mars Science Laboratory Rover Environmental Monitoring Station pressure sensor data set is now the longest duration record of surface pressure on Mars. We use the first 2580 Martian sols, nearly 4 Mars years, of measurements to identify atmospheric pressure waves with periods of tens of minutes to hours using wavelet analysis on residual pressure after the tidal harmonics are removed. We find these waves have a clear diurnal cycle with strongest activity in the early morning and late evening and a seasonal cycle with the strongest waves in the second half of the martian year (Ls = 180–360°). The strongest such waves of the entire mission occurred during the Mars Year 34 global dust storm. Comparable atmospheric waves are identified using atmospheric modeling with the MarsWRF general circulation model in a “nested” high spatial resolution mode. With the support of the modeling, we find these waves best fit the expected properties of inertia-gravity waves with horizontal wavelengths of O(100s) of km.
Published: 2021
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8. Mars Atmospheric Science with SuperCam's Visible and Near-Infrared Passive Spectroscopy Modes

Author: Mcconnochie, Timothy H., Fouchet, Thierry, Montmessin, Franck, Beck, P., Chide, B., Francis, R., Gasnault, Olivier, Lasue, Jérémie, Legett, C., Lemmon, Mark T., Maurice, Sylestre, Newell, R. T., Newman, C. E., Venhaus, D. M., Wiens, Roger, Wolff, Michael J., Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Pôle Planétologie du LESIA, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Aeolis Research
Subjects: [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]
Abstract: International audience; We present plans to use SuperCam's passive visible and near-infrared ("VISIR") spectroscopy technique for atmospheric science by observing solar radiation scattered by the martian sky. Measurement objectives include O2, CO, H20, and aerosols.
Published: 2021

9. The whirlwinds of Elysium: A catalog and meteorological characteristics of 'dust devil' vortices observed by InSight on Mars

Author: Constantinos Charalambous, Claire E. Newman, Matthieu Plasman, Ralph D. Lorenz, Aymeric Spiga, Philippe Lognonné, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Aeolis Research, and Imperial College London
Subjects: education.field_of_study, Peak ground acceleration, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Meteorology, Advection, [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph], Population, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Atmosphere of Mars, [SDU.STU.ME]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Meteorology, 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Vortex, Physics::Geophysics, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, 0103 physical sciences, education, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Dust devil, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: International audience; A catalog of convective vortex encounters recorded by InSight on the Martian surface is presented, through Sol 390 of the mission. The catalog summarizes key meteorological parameters such as wind speed and direction before the event, peak wind, the duration and magnitude of the pressure excursion, temperatures and solar array data where present. Additional seismic parameters are also provided on seismometer-detected ground acceleration. The catalog is intended as a resource for vortex population studies, and as an index for examining these meteorological events in detail and to assess possible geophysical (seismic or magnetic) signatures. Whereas it is difficult to evaluate 'anecdotal' results in small surveys, the large number of events (853 with a pressure drop exceeding 0.8 Pa) in this work permits robust statistical evaluation. For example, it is found that three times as many pressure profiles have slower onsets than decays than vice versa, indicating an asymmetry in the surface pressure field due to the tilted advection of the vortex by ambient wind. A vortex area fraction of 0.07% during the most active six hours of the day is deduced.
Published: 2021

10. A Study of Daytime Convective Vortices and Turbulence in the Martian Planetary Boundary Layer Based on Half-a-Year of InSight Atmospheric Measurements and Large-Eddy Simulations

Author: Don Banfield, Sebastien Rodriguez, Jorge Pla-Garcia, Naomi Murdoch, Nils Mueller, D. Viúdez Moreiras, François Forget, Claire E. Newman, Ehouarn Millour, Clément Perrin, Mark T. Lemmon, Ralph D. Lorenz, William B. Banerdt, Aymeric Spiga, Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268], Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075], Lorenz, R. [0000-0001-8528-4644], Forget, F. [0000-0002-3262-4366], Newman, C. [0000-0001-9990-8817], Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641], Pla García, J. [0000-0002-8047-3937], Viúdez Moreiras, D. [0000-0001-8442-3788], Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682], Mueller, N. T. [0000-0001-9229-8921], Lemmon, M. [0000-0002-4504-5136], Millour, E. [0000-0003-4808-9203], Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Aeolis Research, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC)-Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Cornell University [New York], DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), and Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC)
Subjects: Convection, Daytime, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Planetary boundary layer, Population, FOS: Physical sciences, Mars, Atmospheric sciences, 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Physics::Fluid Dynamics, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Traitement du signal et de l'image, Planetary Boundary Layer, education, Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, Martian Planetary, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Dust devils, InSight, [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean, Atmosphere, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), education.field_of_study, Turbulence, Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn), Mars Exploration Program, Physics - Fluid Dynamics, Vortex, Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics (physics.ao-ph), Physics::Space Physics, Environmental science, Large-Eddy Simulations, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract: Studying the atmospheric Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is crucial to understand the climate of a planet. The meteorological measurements by the instruments onboard InSight at a latitude of 4.5$^{\circ}$N make a uniquely rich dataset to study the active turbulent dynamics of the daytime PBL on Mars. Here we use the high-sensitivity continuous pressure, wind, temperature measurements in the first 400 sols of InSight operations (from northern late winter to midsummer) to analyze wind gusts, convective cells and vortices in Mars' daytime PBL. We compare InSight measurements to turbulence-resolving Large-Eddy Simulations (LES). The daytime PBL turbulence at the InSight landing site is very active, with clearly identified signatures of convective cells and a vast population of 6000 recorded vortex encounters, adequately represented by a power-law with a 3.4 exponent. While the daily variability of vortex encounters at InSight can be explained by the statistical nature of turbulence, the seasonal variability is positively correlated with ambient wind speed, which is supported by LES. However, wind gustiness is positively correlated to surface temperature rather than ambient wind speed and sensible heat flux, confirming the radiative control of the daytime martian PBL; and fewer convective vortices are forming in LES when the background wind is doubled. Thus, the long-term seasonal variability of vortex encounters at the InSight landing site is mainly controlled by the advection of convective vortices by ambient wind speed. Typical tracks followed by vortices forming in the LES show a similar distribution in direction and length as orbital imagery., Comment: 44 pages, 19 figures, revised manuscript after peer-reviewed comments for consideration in Journal of Geophysical Research Planets (InSight special issue)
Published: 2021

11. Lander and rover histories of dust accumulation on and removal from solar arrays on Mars

Author: Naomi Murdoch, François Forget, Thomas Pierron, Ehouarn Millour, Aymeric Spiga, Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo, Claire E. Newman, German Martinez, Ralph D. Lorenz, Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System, Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Aeolis Research, and Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO)
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Planetary boundary layer, Boundary layer meteorology, Mars, 01 natural sciences, Astrobiology, Martian surface, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Dust devil, Solar power, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Dust devils, business.industry, Photovoltaic system, Mars landing, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Dust, Mars Exploration Program, Deposition (aerosol physics), 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Environmental science, business
Abstract: Highlights Presents solar array dust factor evolution for 6 landed missions. Evaluates statistics of solar array output decline, typically 0.2%/Sol but ranging 0.05–2%/Sol. Determines statistics of cleaning events. Compares evolution with meteorological predictions at the different landing sites. The degradation in electrical output of solar arrays on Mars landers and rovers is reviewed. A loss of 0.2% per Sol is typical, although observed rates of decrease in ‘dust factor’ vary between 0.05% and 2% per Sol. 0.2%/Sol has been observed throughout the first 800 Sols of the ongoing InSight mission, as well as the shorter Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix missions. This rate was also evident for much of the Spirit and Opportunity missions, but the degradation there was episodically reversed by cleaning events due to dust devils and gusts. The enduring success of those rover missions may have given an impression of the long-term viability of solar power on the Martian surface that is not globally-applicable: the occurrence of cleaning events with an operationally-useful frequency seems contingent upon local meteorological circumstances. The conditions for significant cleaning events have apparently not been realized at the InSight landing site, where, notably, dust devils have not been detected in imaging. Optical obscuration by dust deposition and removal has also been observed by ultraviolet sensors on Curiosity, with a similar (but slightly higher) degradation rate. The observations are compared with global circulation model (GCM) results: these predict a geographically somewhat uniform dust deposition rate, while there is some indication that the locations where cleaning events were more frequent may be associated with weaker background winds and a deeper planetary boundary layer. The conventional Dust Devil Activity metric in GCMs does not effectively predict the different dust histories. We thank the InSight science and engineering teams for useful discussions. RL and CEN acknowledge the support of the NASA InSight Participating Scientist Program via Grants 80NSSC18K1626 and 80NSSC18K1630, respectively. AVR is supported by AEI Project No. MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC)". AS, FF, EM, TP acknowledge the support of CNES, ESA and of ANR (MAGIS, ANR-19-CE31-0008-08). This is InSight Contribution Number 193. We thank Matt Golombek and Veronique Ansan for useful comments. Peerreview
Published: 2021

12. Multi-model Meteorological and Aeolian Predictions for Mars 2020 and the Jezero Crater Region

Author: Ryan C. Sullivan, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, M. de la Torre Juarez, B. Chide, R. J. Wilson, Tanguy Bertrand, Mark I. Richardson, Stephen R. Lewis, Frank Daerden, Jorge Pla-Garcia, Claire E. Newman, Lori Neary, Melinda A. Kahre, Aymeric Spiga, J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, François Forget, Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, Sánchez Lavega, Á. [0000-0001-7234-7634], Lewis, S. [0000-0001-7237-6494], National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), Aeolis Research, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy / Institut d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique (BIRA-IASB), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CCAPS), Cornell University [New York], Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne] (UPV/EHU), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)
Subjects: Daytime, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Aeolian, Atmospheric circulation, Mars, Atmospheric sciences, 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Article, Jezero crater, Meteorology, Impact crater, 0103 physical sciences, Solstice, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Dust devils, Atmosphere, Dust Devils, Mars 2020, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Wind direction, Atmospheric temperature, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Aeolian processes, [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Geology
Abstract: Nine simulations are used to predict the meteorology and aeolian activity of the Mars 2020 landing site region. Predicted seasonal variations of pressure and surface and atmospheric temperature generally agree. Minimum and maximum pressure is predicted at Ls similar to 145 degrees and 250 degrees, respectively. Maximum and minimum surface and atmospheric temperature are predicted at Ls similar to 180 degrees and 270 degrees, respectively; i.e., are warmest at northern fall equinox not summer solstice. Daily pressure cycles vary more between simulations, possibly due to differences in atmospheric dust distributions. Jezero crater sits inside and close to the NW rim of the huge Isidis basin, whose daytime upslope (similar to east-southeasterly) and nighttime downslope (similar to northwesterly) winds are predicted to dominate except around summer solstice, when the global circulation produces more southerly wind directions. Wind predictions vary hugely, with annual maximum speeds varying from 11 to 19 ms(-1) and daily mean wind speeds peaking in the first half of summer for most simulations but in the second half of the year for two. Most simulations predict net annual sand transport toward the WNW, which is generally consistent with aeolian observations, and peak sand fluxes in the first half of summer, with the weakest fluxes around winter solstice due to opposition between the global circulation and daytime upslope winds. However, one simulation predicts transport toward the NW, while another predicts fluxes peaking later and transport toward the WSW. Vortex activity is predicted to peak in summer and dip around winter solstice, and to be greater than at InSight and much greater than in Gale crater. We are grateful to reviewers Lori Fenton and Mackenzie Day for their detailed and insightful comments that resulted in a greatly improved manuscript. C.E.N. and M.I.R. were supported in this work by NASA Mars 2020 funding under JPL grant number 1514618. C.E.N. would also like to acknowledge the companionship of her beloved cat Sparky and the support of her fantastic mother Brenda during the writing of this manuscript during the COVID-19 pandemic. LMD co-authors F.F. and A.S. acknowledge funding support from Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and European Space Agency (ESA) and technical support for the enclosed simulations by E. Millour and L. Montabone. T.B. was supported for this research by an appointment to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Post-doctoral Program at the Ames Research Center administered by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) through a contract with NASA. L.N. and F.D. acknowledge funding support from the European Space Agency (ESA) PROgramme de Developpement d'Experiences scientifiques (PRODEX) Office, contract no. Prodex_NOMADMarsScience_C4000121493_2017-2019. M.T.J.'s work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology under a NASA Mars 2020 grant. R.S.'s work was supported under NASA Mars 2020 grant number 80NM0018F0616. S.R.L. thanks the UK Space Agency for support under grants ST/R001405/1, ST/S00145X/1 and ST/T002913/1.
Published: 2021

13. Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan's atmosphere geology and habitability: Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

Author: Sébastien Rodriguez, Sandrine Vinatier, Daniel Cordier, Gabriel Tobie, Richard K. Achterberg, Carrie M. Anderson, Sarah V. Badman, Jason W. Barnes, Erika L. Barth, Bruno Bézard, Nathalie Carrasco, Benjamin Charnay, Roger N. Clark, Patrice Coll, Thomas Cornet, Athena Coustenis, Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli, Michel Dobrijevic, F. Michael Flasar, Remco de Kok, Caroline Freissinet, Marina Galand, Thomas Gautier, Wolf D. Geppert, Caitlin A. Griffith, Murthy S. Gudipati, Lina Z. Hadid, Alexander G. Hayes, Amanda R. Hendrix, Ralf Jaumann, Donald E. Jennings, Antoine Jolly, Klara Kalousova, Tommi T. Koskinen, Panayotis Lavvas, Sébastien Lebonnois, Jean-Pierre Lebreton, Alice Le Gall, Emmanuel Lellouch, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Rosaly M. C. Lopes, Juan M. Lora, Ralph D. Lorenz, Antoine Lucas, Shannon MacKenzie, Michael J. Malaska, Kathleen Mandt, Marco Mastrogiuseppe, Claire E. Newman, Conor A. Nixon, Jani Radebaugh, Scot C. Rafkin, Pascal Rannou, Ella M. Sciamma-O’Brien, Jason M. Soderblom, Anezina Solomonidou, Christophe Sotin, Katrin Stephan, Darrell Strobel, Cyril Szopa, Nicholas A. Teanby, Elizabeth P. Turtle, Véronique Vuitton, Robert A. West, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP (UMR_7154)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Groupe de spectrométrie moléculaire et atmosphérique (GSMA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences [UMR_C 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Department of Astronomy [College Park], University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System-University of Maryland System, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Department of Physics and Astronomy [Leicester], University of Leicester, University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Southwest Research Institute [Boulder] (SwRI), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA (UMR_7583)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Physique des interactions ioniques et moléculaires (PIIM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physical Geography [Utrecht], Utrecht University [Utrecht], Department of Physics [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, Department of Physics [Stockholm], Stockholm University, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory [Tucson] (LPL), University of Arizona, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École polytechnique (X)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Cornell University [New York], Institute of Geological Sciences [Berlin], Department of Earth Sciences [Berlin], Free University of Berlin (FU)-Free University of Berlin (FU), Faculty of Mathematics and Physics [Charles University of Praha], Charles University [Prague] (CU), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [New Haven], Yale University [New Haven], Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza' = Sapienza University [Rome] (UNIROMA), Aeolis Research, Department of Geological Sciences [BYU], Brigham Young University (BYU), Space Science and Astrobiology Division at Ames, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences [MIT, Cambridge] (EAPS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), School of Earth Sciences [Bristol], University of Bristol [Bristol], Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Météo-France, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), European Space Agency (ESA), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza' = Sapienza University [Rome], Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPC), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Lancaster University, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES)
Subjects: geology, space mission concept, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Habitability, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], FOS: Physical sciences, orbiter, 7. Clean energy, 01 natural sciences, drones, Orbiter, Poseidon, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Drones, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Atmosphere, 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::520 Astronomie::520 Astronomie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Geology, FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences, habitability, lake lander, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, atmosphere, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Titan, Lake lander, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract: In response to ESA Voyage 2050 announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn largest moon Titan. Titan, a "world with two oceans", is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a "heavy" drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan equatorial regions in the mid-2030s., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1908.01374
Published: 2021
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14. Geology of the InSight landing site on Mars

Author: Jeffery L. Hall, R. Hausmann, Claire E. Newman, Sharon A. Wilson, Nathan R. Williams, L. Berger, H. Abarca, Matthew P. Golombek, Constantinos Charalambous, Justin N. Maki, Paul M. Andres, Matthias Grott, Maria E. Banks, Sylvain Piqueux, A. DeMott, Philippe Lognonné, M. Kopp, François Forget, T. J. Parker, Ehouarn Millour, Niclas S. Mueller, M. M. Baker, Fred Calef, James B. Garvin, Aymeric Spiga, E. Hauber, Eloise Marteau, Veronique Ansan, William T. Pike, Christos Vrettos, John A. Grant, Clément Perrin, Sebastien Rodriguez, Naomi Murdoch, Nicholas H. Warner, N. Ruoff, William B. Banerdt, A. Trussell, Don Banfield, H. Lethcoe-Wilson, Suzanne E. Smrekar, Ingrid Daubar, Tilman Spohn, Robert G. Deen, S. Le Maistre, William M. Folkner, Catherine M. Weitz, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo), State University of New York (SUNY), Smithsonian Institution, DLR Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), Department of Mechanical Engineering [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, Technical University of Kaiserslautern (TU Kaiserslautern), Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels] (ROB), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Cornell University [New York], and Aeolis Research
Subjects: geology, landing site, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Science, General Physics and Astronomy, Mars, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Mass wasting, 01 natural sciences, Article, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Elysium, Planetenphysik, Impact crater, 0103 physical sciences, Planetary science, Traitement du signal et de l'image, Petrology, lcsh:Science, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Duricrust, InSight, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Multidisciplinary, Geomorphology, Geology, Mars Exploration Program, General Chemistry, 15. Life on land, Regolith, Planetengeologie, General Biochemistry, Aeolian processes, lcsh:Q, [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]
Abstract: The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft landed successfully on Mars and imaged the surface to characterize the surficial geology. Here we report on the geology and subsurface structure of the landing site to aid in situ geophysical investigations. InSight landed in a degraded impact crater in Elysium Planitia on a smooth sandy, granule- and pebble-rich surface with few rocks. Superposed impact craters are common and eolian bedforms are sparse. During landing, pulsed retrorockets modified the surface to reveal a near surface stratigraphy of surficial dust, over thin unconsolidated sand, underlain by a variable thickness duricrust, with poorly sorted, unconsolidated sand with rocks beneath. Impact, eolian, and mass wasting processes have dominantly modified the surface. Surface observations are consistent with expectations made from remote sensing data prior to landing indicating a surface composed of an impact-fragmented regolith overlying basaltic lava flows., The InSight spacecraft landed on Mars on November 2018. Here, the authors characterize the surficial geology of the landing site and compare with observations and models derived from remote sensing data prior to landing and from ongoing in situ geophysical investigations of the subsurface.
Published: 2020

15. Initial results from the InSight mission on Mars

Author: Sharon Kedar, Don Banfield, Scott M. McLennan, Nicholas Schmerr, Justin N. Maki, Gareth S. Collins, John Clinton, Anna Mittelholz, Paul Morgan, Mélanie Drilleau, Sabine Stanley, Chloé Michaut, Nicholas A Teanby, Daniele Antonangeli, Jeroen Tromp, W. Bruce Banerdt, James B. Garvin, Mark A. Wieczorek, Jerzy Grygorczuk, Suzanne E. Smrekar, Catherine L. Johnson, Aymeric Spiga, Peter Chi, Brigitte Knapmeyer-Endrun, Raphaël F. Garcia, Claire E. Newman, Seiichi Nagihara, Matthias Grott, W. Thomas Pike, Philippe Lognonné, Véronique Dehant, Ana-Catalina Plesa, Matthew Fillingim, Domenico Giardini, Taichi Kawamura, Mark T. Lemmon, Antoine Mocquet, Naomi Murdoch, Ebru Bozdag, David Mimoun, Ludovic Margerin, Matthew P. Golombek, Jessica C. E. Irving, Troy L. Hudson, Sami W. Asmar, Günter Kargl, Martin Knapmeyer, Mark P. Panning, Francis Nimmo, Scott D. King, John A. Grant, Sebastien Rodriguez, Martin van Driel, Nicholas H. Warner, Nils Mueller, José Antonio Rodríguez-Manfredi, Christopher T. Russell, Caroline Beghein, Clément Perrin, Ulrich R. Christensen, William M. Folkner, Renee Weber, Neil Bowles, Ingrid Daubar, Simon Stähler, Tilman Spohn, Eléanore Stutzmann, Ralph D. Lorenz, Matthew A. Siegler, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CCAPS), Cornell University, Institute of Geophysics [ETH Zürich], Department of Earth Sciences [ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Vancouver] (EOAS), University of British Columbia (UBC), Département de géophysique spatiale et planétaire (DGSP (UMR_7096)), Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-IPG PARIS-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford] (AOPP), University of Oxford [Oxford], Department of Geosciences [Princeton], Princeton University, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Swiss Seismological Service [ETH Zurich] (SED), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Department of Earth Sciences [ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Department of Earth Science and Engineering [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences [Providence], Brown University, Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels], Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Département Electronique, Optronique et Signal (DEOS), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Institute of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (IRSGIS), School of Earth and Space Sciences [Beijing], Peking University [Beijing]-Peking University [Beijing], Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Graphics and Vision Research Laboratory (Graphics Lab), University of Otago [Dunedin, Nouvelle-Zélande], Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University [SUNY] (SBU), State University of New York (SUNY)-State University of New York (SUNY), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon] (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), AstraZeneca, Aeolis Research, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Santa Cruz], University of California [Santa Cruz] (UCSC), Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida [Gainesville], Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles] (EPSS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Baltimore], Johns Hopkins University (JHU), School of Earth Sciences [Bristol], University of Bristol [Bristol], Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), University of Southern California (USC), Joseph Louis LAGRANGE (LAGRANGE), Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (... - 2019) (UNS), COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Cornell University [New York], Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Vancouver] (UBC EOAS), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École polytechnique (X)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels] (ROB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Southwest Research Institute [Boulder] (SwRI), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), University of California, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR206-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Oxford, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California [Santa Cruz] (UC Santa Cruz), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California (UC), Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Tromp, J. [0000-0002-2742-8299], Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641], Lognonné, P. [0000-0002-1014-920X], Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682], Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075], Knapmeyer, M. [0000-0003-0319-2514], Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A. [0000-0003-0461-9815], Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268], Panning, M. P. [0000-0002-2041-3190], García, R. [0000-0003-1460-6663], Johnson, C. [0000-0001-6084-0149], Stutzmann, E. [0000-0002-4348-7475], Knapmeyer-Endrun, B. [0000-0003-3309-6785], Schmerr, N. [0000-0002-3256-1262], Irving, J. C. E. [0000-0002-0866-8246], Morgan, P. [0000-0001-8714-4178], Mueller, N. [0000-0001-9229-8921], Pike, W. [0000-0002-7660-6231], Kawamura, T. [0000-0001-5246-5561], Clinton, J. [0000-0001-8626-2703], Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), ANR-10LABX-0023 ANR-11-IDEX-0005-0, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF- ANR project), 157133, ETH Research grant, ETH-06 17-02, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 2250, UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and Science & Technology Facilities Council
Subjects: Seismometer, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Mars, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Atmosphere, [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, Impact crater, Autre, Planet, Inner planets, InSight Mars Geophysik, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences, Seismology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Atmospheric dynamics, Geomorphology, Moment magnitude scale, Mars InSight, Geomagnetism, Mars Exploration Program, Geophysics, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 13. Climate action, Intraplate earthquake, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Timekeeping on Mars, [SDU.OTHER]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Other, InSight mission, Geology
Abstract: Banerdt, William B. et al., NASA’s InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission landed in Elysium Planitia on Mars on 26 November 2018. It aims to determine the interior structure, composition and thermal state of Mars, as well as constrain present-day seismicity and impact cratering rates. Such information is key to understanding the differentiation and subsequent thermal evolution of Mars, and thus the forces that shape the planet’s surface geology and volatile processes. Here we report an overview of the first ten months of geophysical observations by InSight. As of 30 September 2019, 174 seismic events have been recorded by the lander’s seismometer, including over 20 events of moment magnitude M = 3–4. The detections thus far are consistent with tectonic origins, with no impact-induced seismicity yet observed, and indicate a seismically active planet. An assessment of these detections suggests that the frequency of global seismic events below approximately M = 3 is similar to that of terrestrial intraplate seismic activity, but there are fewer larger quakes; no quakes exceeding M = 4 have been observed. The lander’s other instruments—two cameras, atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind sensors, a magnetometer and a radiometer—have yielded much more than the intended supporting data for seismometer noise characterization: magnetic field measurements indicate a local magnetic field that is ten-times stronger than orbital estimates and meteorological measurements reveal a more dynamic atmosphere than expected, hosting baroclinic and gravity waves and convective vortices. With the mission due to last for an entire Martian year or longer, these results will be built on by further measurements by the InSight lander., With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737)
Published: 2020

16. The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight

Author: Justin N. Maki, A. Jacob, Stephen R. Lewis, Nicholas A Teanby, Mercedes Marin-Jimenez, Anna Mittelholz, Constantinos Charalambous, Sara Navarro, M. M. Baker, Mark T. Lemmon, Tristram Warren, Javier Gómez-Elvira, Alexander E. Stott, Matthew P. Golombek, Antoine Lucas, Jorge Pla-Garcia, J. Torres, Eric Beucler, Balthasar Kenda, Aymeric Spiga, Rudolf Widmer-Schnidrig, Philippe Lognonné, Veronique Ansan, V. Peinado, Özgür Karatekin, William T. Pike, Nils Mueller, Savas Ceylan, K. Hurst, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, Christopher T. Russell, Antonio Molina, Sebastien Rodriguez, Clément Perrin, Naomi Murdoch, David Mimoun, Claire E. Newman, Ralph D. Lorenz, L. Martire, Luis Mora-Sotomayor, Simon Stähler, Tilman Spohn, Lucie Rolland, Stephen Sackett, Ingrid Daubar, Raphaël F. Garcia, W. Bruce Banerdt, Catherine L. Johnson, Domenico Giardini, Brian Carcich, Don Banfield, Suzanne E. Smrekar, John Clinton, François Forget, Ehouarn Millour, Taichi Kawamura, J. A. Rodríguez-Manfredi, Bart Van Hove, A. Lepinette, Anni Määttänen, J. B. McClean, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CCAPS), Cornell University, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Aeolis Research, Space Science Institute [Boulder] (SSI), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-IPG PARIS-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels], School of Earth Sciences [Bristol], University of Bristol [Bristol], Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering [London] (DEEE), Imperial College London, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Vancouver] (EOAS), University of British Columbia (UBC), IMPEC - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU), School of Physical Sciences [Milton Keynes], The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Swiss Seismological Service [ETH Zurich] (SED), Institute of Geophysics [ETH Zürich], Department of Earth Sciences [ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Department of Earth Sciences [ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Department of Physics [Oxford], University of Oxford [Oxford], Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences [Providence], Brown University, Géoazur (GEOAZUR 7329), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015 - 2019) (COMUE UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA), Universität Stuttgart [Stuttgart], Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université d'Angers (UA), Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Baltimore], Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Center for Earth and Planetary Studies [Washington] (CEPS), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution-Smithsonian Institution, Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles] (EPSS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Département Electronique, Optronique et Signal (DEOS), Cornell University [New York], École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-IPG PARIS-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels] (ROB), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences [Vancouver] (UBC EOAS), PLANETO - LATMOS, Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [Milton Keynes], The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU)-The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)-Department of Earth Sciences [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zürich] (D-ERDW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich)- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR6112 (LPG), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Oxford, University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), ANR-14-CE36-0012,SEISMARS,Seismology on Mars(2014), ANR-19-CE31-0008,MAGIS,MArs Geophysical InSight(2019), Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Määttänen, A. [0000-0002-7326-8492], Martire, L. [0000-0002-9402-6150], Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A. [0000-0003-0461-9815], Lognonné, P. [0000-0002-1014-920X], Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641], Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268], Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682], Molina, A. [0000-0002-5038-2022], García, R. [0000-0003-1460-6663], Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075], Lorenz, R. [0000-0001-8528-4644], Mittelholz, A. [0000-0002-5603-7334], Kawamura, T. [0000-0001-5246-5561], Widmer Schnidrig, R. [0000-0001-9698-2739], McClean, J. [0000-0002-7863-0120], Mueller, N. [0000-0001-9229-8921], Lewis, S. [0000-0001-7237-6494], Teanby, N. [0000-0003-3108-5775], Warren, T. [0000-0003-3877-0046], Milliour, E. [0000-0003-4808-9203], Lemmon, M. [0000-0002-4504-5136], Clinton, J. [0000-0001-8626-2703], Ceylan, S. [0000-0002-6552-6850], Banfield, D. [0000-0003-2664-0164], Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC)-Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)
Subjects: Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Atmosphere, Mars, Mars Exploration Program, Atmosphere of Mars, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, Mars Atmosphere, 01 natural sciences, Wind speed, Astrobiology, Autre, 13. Climate action, Dust storm, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental science, Aeolian processes, [SDU.OTHER]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Other, Meteorologie, InSight mission, Dust devil, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, InSight
Abstract: Banfield, D. et al., The atmosphere of Mars is thin, although rich in dust aerosols, and covers a dry surface. As such, Mars provides an opportunity to expand our knowledge of atmospheres beyond that attainable from the atmosphere of the Earth. The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander is measuring Mars’s atmosphere with unprecedented continuity, accuracy and sampling frequency. Here we show that InSight unveils new atmospheric phenomena at Mars, especially in the higher-frequency range, and extends our understanding of Mars’s meteorology at all scales. InSight is uniquely sensitive to large-scale and regional weather and obtained detailed in situ coverage of a regional dust storm on Mars. Images have enabled high-altitude wind speeds to be measured and revealed airglow—faint emissions produced by photochemical reactions—in the middle atmosphere. InSight observations show a paradox of aeolian science on Mars: despite having the largest recorded Martian vortex activity and dust-devil tracks close to the lander, no visible dust devils have been seen. Meteorological measurements have produced a catalogue of atmospheric gravity waves, which included bores (soliton-like waves). From these measurements, we have discovered Martian infrasound and unexpected similarities between atmospheric turbulence on Earth and Mars. We suggest that the observations of Mars’s atmosphere by InSight will be key for prediction capabilities and future exploration., With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737); Centro de Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA).
Published: 2020

17. Convective vortex and dust devil predictions for Gale Crater over three Mars years and comparison with MSL‐REMS observations

Author: Newman, C. E., Kahanpää, Henrik, Richardson, M. I., Martinez, German, Vicente-Retortillo, Álvaro, Lemmon, M., Aeolis Research, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Space Science Institute, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: Convective vortices, Mars atmospheric modeling, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, Gale Crater, Dust devils
Abstract: Convective vortices and dust devils have been inferred and observed in Gale Crater, Mars, using Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) meteorological data and camera images. Rennó et al. [1998] modeled convective vortices as convective heat engines and predicted a ‘dust devil activity' (DDA) that depends only on local meteorological variables, specifically the sensible heat flux and the vertical thermodynamic efficiency which increases with the pressure thickness of the planetary boundary layer. This work uses output from the MarsWRF General Circulation Model, run with high‐resolution nests over Gale Crater, to predict DDA as a function of location, time of day, and season, and compares these predictions to the record of vortices found in MSL's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station pressure dataset. Much of the observed time of day and seasonal variation of vortex activity is captured, such as maximum (minimum) activity in southern summer (winter), peaking between 11:00 and 14:00. However, while two daily peaks are predicted around both equinoxes, only a late morning peak is observed. An increase in vortex activity is predicted as MSL climbs the northwest slopes of Aeolis Mons, as observed. This is attributed largely to increased sensible heat flux, due to (i) larger daytime surface‐to‐air temperature differences over higher terrain, enhanced by reduced thermal inertia, and (ii) the increase in drag velocity associated with faster daytime upslope winds. However, the observed increase in number of vortex pressure drops is much stronger than the predicted DDA increase, although a better match exists when a threshold DDA is used.
Published: 2019

18. Martian aeolian activity at the Bagnold Dunes, Gale Crater: The view from the surface and orbit

Author: Bridges, N., Sullivan, R., Newman, C., Navarro, S., Van Beek, J., Ewing, R., Ayoub, F., Silvestro, S., Gasnault, O., Le Mouélic, Stéphane, Lapotre, M., Rapin, W., Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Cornell University [New York], Aeolis Research, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), Texas A&M University [College Station], Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte (OAC), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Gasnault, Olivier, Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Depertment of Polymer Chemistry, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences [Pasadena], Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: [SDU.STU.PL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], [SDU.STU.PL] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Planetology, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Abstract: The first in situ investigation of an active dune field on another planetary surface occurred in 2015–2016 when the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover investigated the Bagnold Dunes on Mars. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images show clear seasonal variations that are in good agreement with atmospheric model predictions of intra-annual sand flux and migration directions that together indicate that the campaign occurred during a period of low wind activity. Curiosity surface images show that limited changes nevertheless occurred, with movement of large grains, particularly on freshly exposed surfaces, two occurrences of secondary grain flow on the slip face of Namib Dune, and a slump on a freshly exposed surface of a large ripple. These changes are seen at Martian solar day (sol)-to-sol time scales. Grains on a rippled sand deposit and unconsolidated dump piles show limited movement of large grains over a few hours during which mean friction speeds are estimated at 0.3–0.4 m s?1. Overall, the correlation between changes and peak Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) winds is moderate, with high wind events associated with changes in some cases, but not in others, suggesting that other factors are also at work. The distribution of REMS 1 Hz wind speeds shows a significant tail up to the current 20 m s?1 calibration limit, indicating that even higher speed winds occur. Nonaeolian triggering mechanisms are also possible. The low activity period at the dunes documented by Curiosity provides clues to processes that dominated in the Martian past under conditions of lower obliquity.
Published: 2017

19. Mars Science Laboratory Observations of the 2018/Mars Year 34 Global Dust Storm

Author: Henrik Kahanpää, Claire E. Newman, Ashwin R. Vasavada, Maria-Paz Zorzano Mier, M. de la Torre Juarez, Timothy H. McConnochie, Cary Zeitlin, John E. Moores, German Martinez, B. Cooper, M. D. Smith, Matthew E. Baker, Christina L. Smith, Donald M. Hassler, Ari-Matti Harri, Alain Khayat, Scott D. Guzewich, Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras, Javier Gómez-Elvira, A. De Vicente-Retortillo, Charissa L. Campbell, F. J. Martin-Torres, Ryan C. Sullivan, Mark I. Richardson, Mark T. Lemmon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Science Institute, York University Toronto, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Aeolis Research, Johns Hopkins University, CSIC, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Southwest Research Institute, Luleå University of Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Communications and Networking, Cornell University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Leidos Inc, Aalto-yliopisto, Aalto University, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Subjects: Martian, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Meteorology, Gale crater, Mars, Scott D. 1 , M. Lemmon2, C. L. Smith3, G. Martínez4, Á. d4, C. E. Newman5 , M. Baker6 , C. Campbell3, B. Cooper3, J. Gómez-Elvira7, A.-M. Harri8, D. Hassler9 , F. J. Martin-Torres10,11, T. McConnochie12, J. E. Moores3, H. Kahanpää8,13 , A. Khayat1,14, M. I. Richardson5, M. D. Smith1 , R. Sullivan15 , M. de la Torre Juarez16, A. R. Vasavada16 , D. Viúdez-Moreiras7 , C. Zeitlin17 , and Maria-Paz Zorzano Mier7,10, Storm, Mars Science Laboratory, Mars Exploration Program, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Geophysics, Curiosity, Dust storm, Air temperature, Environmental monitoring, dust storm, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental science, Optical depth, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover observations of the 2018/Mars year 34 global/planet-encircling dust storm represent the first in situ measurements of a global dust storm with dedicated meteorological sensors since the Viking Landers. The Mars Science Laboratory team planned and executed a science campaign lasting approximately 100 Martian sols to study the storm involving an enhanced cadence of environmental monitoring using the rover's meteorological sensors, cameras, and spectrometers. Mast Camera 880-nm optical depth reached 8.5, and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station measurements indicated a 97% reduction in incident total ultraviolet solar radiation at the surface, 30K reduction in diurnal range of air temperature, and an increase in the semidiurnal pressure tide amplitude to 40 Pa. No active dust-lifting sites were detected within Gale Crater, and global and local atmospheric dynamics were drastically altered during the storm. This work presents an overview of the mission's storm observations and initial results., This work was funded by a MSL Participating Scientist grant to S. Guzewich. A portion of the research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. MSL data are freely available on the Planetary Data System within 6 months after receipt on Earth. Data used to make the figures are included in the supporting information. Mastcam and Navcam images are freely available at https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/ multimedia/raw/. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, which have improved this manuscript

20. Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection.

Author: Zorzano MP, Martínez G, Polkko J, Tamppari LK, Newman C, Savijärvi H, Goreva Y, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Bertrand T, Smith M, Hausrath EM, Siljeström S, Benison K, Bosak T, Czaja AD, Debaille V, Herd CDK, Mayhew L, Sephton MA, Shuster D, Simon JI, Weiss B, Randazzo N, Mandon L, Brown A, Hecht MH, and Martínez-Frías J
Abstract: The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Within the first Martian year, Perseverance has acquired an estimated total mass of 355 g of rocks and regolith, and 38 μmoles of Martian atmospheric gas. Using in-situ observations acquired by the Perseverance rover, we show that the present-day environmental conditions at Jezero allow for the hydration of sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates and the occasional formation of frost as well as a diurnal atmospheric-surface water exchange of 0.5-10 g water per m 2 (assuming a well-mixed atmosphere). At night, when the temperature drops below 190 K, the surface water activity can exceed 0.5, the lowest limit for cell reproduction. During the day, when the temperature is above the cell replication limit of 245 K, water activity is less than 0.02. The environmental conditions at the surface of Jezero Crater, where these samples were acquired, are incompatible with the cell replication limits currently known on Earth., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
Published: 2024
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21. Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Studies of the Martian Atmosphere Over Jezero From Pressure Measurements.

Author: Sánchez-Lavega A, Del Rio-Gaztelurrutia T, Hueso R, Juárez MT, Martínez GM, Harri AM, Genzer M, Hieta M, Polkko J, Rodríguez-Manfredi JA, Lemmon MT, Pla-García J, Toledo D, Vicente-Retortillo A, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Munguira A, Tamppari LK, Newman C, Gómez-Elvira J, Guzewich S, Bertrand T, Apéstigue V, Arruego I, Wolff M, Banfield D, Jaakonaho I, and Mäkinen T
Abstract: The pressure sensors on Mars rover Perseverance measure the pressure field in the Jezero crater on regular hourly basis starting in sol 15 after landing. The present study extends up to sol 460 encompassing the range of solar longitudes from L s ∼ 13°-241° (Martian Year (MY) 36). The data show the changing daily pressure cycle, the sol-to-sol seasonal evolution of the mean pressure field driven by the CO 2 sublimation and deposition cycle at the poles, the characterization of up to six components of the atmospheric tides and their relationship to dust content in the atmosphere. They also show the presence of wave disturbances with periods 2-5 sols, exploring their baroclinic nature, short period oscillations (mainly at night-time) in the range 8-24 min that we interpret as internal gravity waves, transient pressure drops with duration ∼1-150 s produced by vortices, and rapid turbulent fluctuations. We also analyze the effects on pressure measurements produced by a regional dust storm over Jezero at L s ∼ 155°., (© 2022 The Authors.)
Published: 2023
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22. The sound of a Martian dust devil.

Author: Murdoch N, Stott AE, Gillier M, Hueso R, Lemmon M, Martinez G, Apéstigue V, Toledo D, Lorenz RD, Chide B, Munguira A, Sánchez-Lavega A, Vicente-Retortillo A, Newman CE, Maurice S, de la Torre Juárez M, Bertrand T, Banfield D, Navarro S, Marin M, Torres J, Gomez-Elvira J, Jacob X, Cadu A, Sournac A, Rodriguez-Manfredi JA, Wiens RC, and Mimoun D
Subjects: Dust analysis, Wind, Atmosphere, Extraterrestrial Environment, Mars
Abstract: Dust devils (convective vortices loaded with dust) are common at the surface of Mars, particularly at Jezero crater, the landing site of the Perseverance rover. They are indicators of atmospheric turbulence and are an important lifting mechanism for the Martian dust cycle. Improving our understanding of dust lifting and atmospheric transport is key for accurate simulation of the dust cycle and for the prediction of dust storms, in addition to being important for future space exploration as grain impacts are implicated in the degradation of hardware on the surface of Mars. Here we describe the sound of a Martian dust devil as recorded by the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance rover. The dust devil encounter was also simultaneously imaged by the Perseverance rover's Navigation Camera and observed by several sensors in the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument. Combining these unique multi-sensorial data with modelling, we show that the dust devil was around 25 m large, at least 118 m tall, and passed directly over the rover travelling at approximately 5 m s -1 . Acoustic signals of grain impacts recorded during the vortex encounter provide quantitative information about the number density of particles in the vortex. The sound of a Martian dust devil was inaccessible until SuperCam microphone recordings. This chance dust devil encounter demonstrates the potential of acoustic data for resolving the rapid wind structure of the Martian atmosphere and for directly quantifying wind-blown grain fluxes on Mars., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
Published: 2022
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23. Lifting and Transport of Martian Dust by the Ingenuity Helicopter Rotor Downwash as Observed by High-Speed Imaging From the Perseverance Rover.

Author: Lemmon MT, Lorenz RD, Rabinovitch J, Newman CE, Williams NR, Sullivan R, Golombek MP, Bell JF 3rd, Maki JN, and Vicente-Retortillo A
Abstract: Martian atmospheric dust is a major driver of weather, with feedback between atmospheric dust distribution, circulation changes from radiative heating and cooling driven by this dust, and winds that mobilize surface dust and distribute it in the atmosphere. Wind-driven mobilization of surface dust is a poorly understood process due to significant uncertainty about minimum wind stress and whether the saltation of sand particles is required. This study utilizes video of six Ingenuity helicopter flights to measure dust lifting during helicopter ascents, traverses, and descents. Dust mobilization persisted on takeoff until the helicopter exceeded 3 m altitude, with dust advecting at 4-6 m/s. During landing, dust mobilization initiated at 2.3-3.6 m altitude. Extensive dust mobilization occurred during traverses at 5.1-5.7 m altitude. Dust mobilization threshold friction velocity of rotor-induced winds during landing is modeled at 0.4-0.6 m/s (factor of two uncertainty in this estimate), with higher winds required when the helicopter was over undisturbed terrain. Modeling dust mobilization from >5 m cruising altitude indicates mobilization by 0.3 m/s winds, suggesting nonsaltation mechanisms such as mobilization and destruction of dust aggregates. No dependence on background winds was seen for the initiation of dust lifting but one case of takeoff in 7 m/s winds created a track of darkened terrain downwind of the helicopter, which may have been a saltation cluster. When the helicopter was cruising at 5-6 m altitude, recirculation was seen in the dust clouds., (© 2022. The Authors.)
Published: 2022
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24. Winds at the Mars 2020 Landing Site. 2. Wind Variability and Turbulence.

Author: Viúdez-Moreiras D, de la Torre M, Gómez-Elvira J, Lorenz RD, Apéstigue V, Guzewich S, Mischna M, Sullivan R, Herkenhoff K, Toledo D, Lemmon M, Smith M, Newman CE, Sánchez-Lavega A, Rodríguez-Manfredi JA, Richardson M, Hueso R, Harri AM, Tamppari L, Arruego I, and Bell J
Abstract: Wind speeds measured by the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover in Jezero crater were fitted as a Weibull distribution. InSight wind data acquired in Elysium Planitia were also used to contextualize observations. Jezero winds were found to be much calmer on average than in previous landing sites, despite the intense aeolian activity observed. However, a great influence of turbulence and wave activity was observed in the wind speed variations, thus driving the probability of reaching the highest wind speeds at Jezero, instead of sustained winds driven by local, regional, or large-scale circulation. The power spectral density of wind speed fluctuations follows a power-law, whose slope deviates depending on the time of day from that predicted considering homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. Daytime wave activity is related to convection cells and smaller eddies in the boundary layer, advected over the crater. The signature of convection cells was also found during dust storm conditions, when prevailing winds were consistent with a tidal drive. Nighttime fluctuations were also intense, suggesting strong mechanical turbulence. Convective vortices were usually involved in rapid wind fluctuations and extreme winds, with variations peaking at 9.2 times the background winds. Transient high wind events by vortex-passages, turbulence, and wave activity could be driving aeolian activity at Jezero. We report the detection of a strong dust cloud of 0.75-1.5 km in length passing over the rover. The observed aeolian activity had major implications for instrumentation, with the wind sensor suffering damage throughout the mission, probably due to flying debris advected by winds., (© 2022. The Authors.)
Published: 2022
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25. Dust, Sand, and Winds Within an Active Martian Storm in Jezero Crater.

Author: Lemmon MT, Smith MD, Viudez-Moreiras D, de la Torre-Juarez M, Vicente-Retortillo A, Munguira A, Sanchez-Lavega A, Hueso R, Martinez G, Chide B, Sullivan R, Toledo D, Tamppari L, Bertrand T, Bell JF 3rd, Newman C, Baker M, Banfield D, Rodriguez-Manfredi JA, Maki JN, and Apestigue V
Abstract: Rovers 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 (L S 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., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this study., (© 2022. The Authors.)
Published: 2022
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26. Orbital and In-Situ Investigation of Periodic Bedrock Ridges in Glen Torridon, Gale Crater, Mars.

Author: Stack KM, Dietrich WE, Lamb MP, Sullivan RJ, Christian JR, Newman CE, O'Connell-Cooper CD, Sneed JW, Day M, Baker M, Arvidson RE, Fedo CM, Khan S, Williams RME, Bennett KA, Bryk AB, Cofield S, Edgar LA, Fox VK, Fraeman AA, House CH, Rubin DM, Sun VZ, and Van Beek JK
Abstract: Gale crater, the field site for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, contains a diverse and extensive record of aeolian deposition and erosion. This study focuses on a series of regularly spaced, curvilinear, and sometimes branching bedrock ridges that occur within the Glen Torridon region on the lower northwest flank of Aeolis Mons, the central mound within Gale crater. During Curiosity's exploration of Glen Torridon between sols ∼2300-3080, the rover drove through this field of ridges, providing the opportunity for in situ observation of these features. This study uses orbiter and rover data to characterize ridge morphology, spatial distribution, compositional and material properties, and association with other aeolian features in the area. Based on these observations, we find that the Glen Torridon ridges are consistent with an origin as wind-eroded bedrock ridges, carved during the exhumation of Mount Sharp. Erosional features like the Glen Torridon ridges observed elsewhere on Mars, termed periodic bedrock ridges (PBRs), have been interpreted to form transverse to the dominant wind direction. The size and morphology of the Glen Torridon PBRs are consistent with transverse formative winds, but the orientation of nearby aeolian bedforms and bedrock erosional features raise the possibility of PBR formation by a net northeasterly wind regime. Although several formation models for the Glen Torridon PBRs are still under consideration, and questions persist about the nature of PBR-forming paleowinds, the presence of PBRs at this site provides important constraints on the depositional and erosional history of Gale crater., (© 2022 Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.)
Published: 2022
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27. Changing spatial distribution of water flow charts major change in Mars's greenhouse effect.

Author: Kite ES, Mischna MA, Fan B, Morgan AM, Wilson SA, and Richardson MI
Abstract: Early Mars had rivers, but the cause of Mars's wet-to-dry transition remains unknown. Past climate on Mars can be probed using the spatial distribution of climate-sensitive landforms. We analyzed global databases of water-worked landforms and identified changes in the spatial distribution of rivers over time. These changes are simply explained by comparison to a simplified meltwater model driven by an ensemble of global climate model simulations, as the result of ≳10 K global cooling, from global average surface temperature [Formula: see text] ≥ 268 K to [Formula: see text] ~ 258 K, due to a weaker greenhouse effect. In other words, river-forming climates on early Mars were warm and wet first, and cold and wet later. Unexpectedly, analysis of the greenhouse effect within our ensemble of global climate model simulations suggests that this shift was primarily driven by waning non-CO 2 radiative forcing, and not changes in CO 2 radiative forcing.
Published: 2022
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28. The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars.

Author: Newman CE, Hueso R, Lemmon MT, Munguira A, Vicente-Retortillo Á, Apestigue V, Martínez GM, Toledo D, Sullivan R, Herkenhoff KE, de la Torre Juárez M, Richardson MI, Stott AE, Murdoch N, Sanchez-Lavega A, Wolff MJ, Arruego I, Sebastián E, Navarro S, Gómez-Elvira J, Tamppari L, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Harri AM, Genzer M, Hieta M, Lorenz RD, Conrad P, Gómez F, McConnochie TH, Mimoun D, Tate C, Bertrand T, Bell JF 3rd, Maki JN, Rodriguez-Manfredi JA, Wiens RC, Chide B, Maurice S, Zorzano MP, Mora L, Baker MM, Banfield D, Pla-Garcia J, Beyssac O, Brown A, Clark B, Lepinette A, Montmessin F, Fischer E, Patel P, Del Río-Gaztelurrutia T, Fouchet T, Francis R, and Guzewich SD
Abstract: Despite the importance of sand and dust to Mars geomorphology, weather, and exploration, the processes that move sand and that raise dust to maintain Mars' ubiquitous dust haze and to produce dust storms have not been well quantified in situ, with missions lacking either the necessary sensors or a sufficiently active aeolian environment. Perseverance rover's novel environmental sensors and Jezero crater's dusty environment remedy this. In Perseverance's first 216 sols, four convective vortices raised dust locally, while, on average, four passed the rover daily, over 25% of which were significantly dusty ("dust devils"). More rarely, dust lifting by nonvortex wind gusts was produced by daytime convection cells advected over the crater by strong regional daytime upslope winds, which also control aeolian surface features. One such event covered 10 times more area than the largest dust devil, suggesting that dust devils and wind gusts could raise equal amounts of dust under nonstorm conditions.
Published: 2022
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29. InSight Pressure Data Recalibration, and Its Application to the Study of Long-Term Pressure Changes on Mars.

Author: Lange L, Forget F, Banfield D, Wolff M, Spiga A, Millour E, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Bierjon A, Piqueux S, Newman C, Pla-García J, and Banerdt WB
Abstract: Observations of the South Polar Residual Cap suggest a possible erosion of the cap, leading to an increase of the global mass of the atmosphere. We test this assumption by making the first comparison between Viking 1 and InSight surface pressure data, which were recorded 40 years apart. Such a comparison also allows us to determine changes in the dynamics of the seasonal ice caps between these two periods. To do so, we first had to recalibrate the InSight pressure data because of their unexpected sensitivity to the sensor temperature. Then, we had to design a procedure to compare distant pressure measurements. We propose two surface pressure interpolation methods at the local and global scale to do the comparison. The comparison of Viking and InSight seasonal surface pressure variations does not show changes larger than ±8 Pa in the CO 2 cycle. Such conclusions are supported by an analysis of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) pressure data. Further comparisons with images of the south seasonal cap taken by the Viking 2 orbiter and MARCI camera do not display significant changes in the dynamics of this cap over a 40 year period. Only a possible larger extension of the North Cap after the global storm of MY 34 is observed, but the physical mechanisms behind this anomaly are not well determined. Finally, the first comparison of MSL and InSight pressure data suggests a pressure deficit at Gale crater during southern summer, possibly resulting from a large presence of dust suspended within the crater., (© 2022 The Authors.)
Published: 2022
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30. Warm early Mars surface enabled by high-altitude water ice clouds.

Author: Kite ES, Steele LJ, Mischna MA, and Richardson MI
Abstract: Despite receiving just 30% of the Earth's present-day insolation, Mars had water lakes and rivers early in the planet's history, due to an unknown warming mechanism. A possible explanation for the >10 2 -y-long lake-forming climates is warming by water ice clouds. However, this suggested cloud greenhouse explanation has proved difficult to replicate and has been argued to require unrealistically optically thick clouds at high altitudes. Here, we use a global climate model (GCM) to show that a cloud greenhouse can warm a Mars-like planet to global average annual-mean temperature ([Formula: see text]) ∼265 K, which is warm enough for low-latitude lakes, and stay warm for centuries or longer, but only if the planet has spatially patchy surface water sources. Warm, stable climates involve surface ice (and low clouds) only at locations much colder than the average surface temperature. At locations horizontally distant from these surface cold traps, clouds are found only at high altitudes, which maximizes warming. Radiatively significant clouds persist because ice particles sublimate as they fall, moistening the subcloud layer so that modest updrafts can sustain relatively large amounts of cloud. The resulting climates are arid (area-averaged surface relative humidity ∼25%). In a warm, arid climate, lakes could be fed by groundwater upwelling, or by melting of ice following a cold-to-warm transition. Our results are consistent with the warm and arid climate favored by interpretation of geologic data, and support the cloud greenhouse hypothesis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.
Published: 2021
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31. Multi-model Meteorological and Aeolian Predictions for Mars 2020 and the Jezero Crater Region.

Author: Newman CE, de la Torre Juárez M, Pla-García J, Wilson RJ, Lewis SR, Neary L, Kahre MA, Forget F, Spiga A, Richardson MI, Daerden F, Bertrand T, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Sullivan R, Sánchez-Lavega A, Chide B, and Rodriguez-Manfredi JA
Abstract: Nine simulations are used to predict the meteorology and aeolian activity of the Mars 2020 landing site region. Predicted seasonal variations of pressure and surface and atmospheric temperature generally agree. Minimum and maximum pressure is predicted at Ls ∼ 145 ∘ and 250 ∘ , respectively. Maximum and minimum surface and atmospheric temperature are predicted at Ls ∼ 180 ∘ and 270 ∘ , respectively; i.e., are warmest at northern fall equinox not summer solstice. Daily pressure cycles vary more between simulations, possibly due to differences in atmospheric dust distributions. Jezero crater sits inside and close to the NW rim of the huge Isidis basin, whose daytime upslope (∼east-southeasterly) and nighttime downslope (∼northwesterly) winds are predicted to dominate except around summer solstice, when the global circulation produces more southerly wind directions. Wind predictions vary hugely, with annual maximum speeds varying from 11 to 19 ms - 1 and daily mean wind speeds peaking in the first half of summer for most simulations but in the second half of the year for two. Most simulations predict net annual sand transport toward the WNW, which is generally consistent with aeolian observations, and peak sand fluxes in the first half of summer, with the weakest fluxes around winter solstice due to opposition between the global circulation and daytime upslope winds. However, one simulation predicts transport toward the NW, while another predicts fluxes peaking later and transport toward the WSW. Vortex activity is predicted to peak in summer and dip around winter solstice, and to be greater than at InSight and much greater than in Gale crater., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-020-00788-2., (© The Author(s) 2021.)
Published: 2021
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32. Meteorological Predictions for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Landing Site at Jezero Crater.

Author: Pla-García J, Rafkin SCR, Martinez GM, Vicente-Retortillo Á, Newman CE, Savijärvi H, de la Torre M, Rodriguez-Manfredi JA, Gómez F, Molina A, Viúdez-Moreiras D, and Harri AM
Abstract: The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System ( MRAMS ) and a nested simulation of the Mars Weather Research and Forecasting model ( MarsWRF ) are used to predict the local meteorological conditions at the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site inside Jezero crater (Mars). These predictions are complemented with the COmplutense and MIchigan MArs Radiative Transfer model ( COMIMART ) and with the local Single Column Model ( SCM ) to further refine predictions of radiative forcing and the water cycle respectively. The primary objective is to facilitate interpretation of the meteorological measurements to be obtained by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer ( MEDA ) aboard the rover, but also to provide predictions of the meteorological phenomena and seasonal changes that might impact operations, from both a risk perspective and from the perspective of being better prepared to make certain measurements. A full diurnal cycle at four different seasons (L s 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) is investigated. Air and ground temperatures, pressure, wind speed and direction, surface radiative fluxes and moisture data are modeled. The good agreement between observations and modeling in prior works [Pla-Garcia et al. in Icarus 280:103-113, 2016; Newman et al. in Icarus 291:203-231, 2017; Vicente-Retortillo et al. in Sci. Rep. 8(1):1-8, 2018; Savijarvi et al. in Icarus, 2020] provides confidence in utilizing these models results to predict the meteorological environment at Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site inside Jezero crater. The data returned by MEDA will determine the extent to which this confidence was justified.
Published: 2020
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33. Geology of the InSight landing site on Mars.

Author: Golombek M, Warner NH, Grant JA, Hauber E, Ansan V, Weitz CM, Williams N, Charalambous C, Wilson SA, DeMott A, Kopp M, Lethcoe-Wilson H, Berger L, Hausmann R, Marteau E, Vrettos C, Trussell A, Folkner W, Le Maistre S, Mueller N, Grott M, Spohn T, Piqueux S, Millour E, Forget F, Daubar I, Murdoch N, Lognonné P, Perrin C, Rodriguez S, Pike WT, Parker T, Maki J, Abarca H, Deen R, Hall J, Andres P, Ruoff N, Calef F, Smrekar S, Baker MM, Banks M, Spiga A, Banfield D, Garvin J, Newman CE, and Banerdt WB
Abstract: The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft landed successfully on Mars and imaged the surface to characterize the surficial geology. Here we report on the geology and subsurface structure of the landing site to aid in situ geophysical investigations. InSight landed in a degraded impact crater in Elysium Planitia on a smooth sandy, granule- and pebble-rich surface with few rocks. Superposed impact craters are common and eolian bedforms are sparse. During landing, pulsed retrorockets modified the surface to reveal a near surface stratigraphy of surficial dust, over thin unconsolidated sand, underlain by a variable thickness duricrust, with poorly sorted, unconsolidated sand with rocks beneath. Impact, eolian, and mass wasting processes have dominantly modified the surface. Surface observations are consistent with expectations made from remote sensing data prior to landing indicating a surface composed of an impact-fragmented regolith overlying basaltic lava flows.
Published: 2020
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34. Vertical and Horizontal Heterogeneity of Atmospheric Dust Loading in Northern Gale Crater, Mars.

Author: Moore CA, Moores JE, Newman CE, Lemmon MT, Guzewich SD, and Battalio M
Abstract: This paper updates the record of atmospheric dust loading within northern Gale Crater, Mars, by providing line-of-sight extinction (LOS-Ext) measurements of the intervening dust between the rover and the crater rim. These measurements are derived from images taken with the Navigation Cameras (Navcam) onboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity. The observations span 2.44 Mars years, from Mars Year (MY) 31 at a solar longitude ( L S ) of 208° to t L S = 7° of MY34, sols 100 - 1701 of the MSL surface mission. This work examines the dataset for seasonal trends of the LOS-Ext in addition to horizontal variations and the vertical structure of LOS-Ext. The LOS-Ext has a repetitive pattern with a single peak in the latter half of the Mars year. The atmosphere in the crater is well mixed horizontally but not vertically as larger LOS-Ext is seen nearer the crater floor than at higher altitudes within the crater. The results allow a discussion on whether or not Gale Crater is a sink for atmospheric dust or a source of atmospheric dust in the current era.
Published: 2019
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35. Effects of the MY34/2018 Global Dust Storm as Measured by MSL REMS in Gale Crater.

Author: Viúdez-Moreiras D, Newman CE, de la Torre M, Martínez G, Guzewich S, Lemmon M, Pla-García J, Smith MD, Harri AM, Genzer M, Vicente-Retortillo A, Lepinette A, Rodriguez-Manfredi JA, Vasavada AR, and Gómez-Elvira J
Abstract: The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) instrument that is onboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. REMS has been measuring surface pressure, air and ground brightness temperature, relative humidity, and UV irradiance since MSL's landing in 2012. In Mars Year (MY) 34 (2018) a global dust storm reached Gale Crater at L s ~190°. REMS offers a unique opportunity to better understand the impact of a global dust storm on local environmental conditions, which complements previous observations by the Viking landers and Mars Exploration Rovers. All atmospheric variables measured by REMS are strongly affected albeit at different times. During the onset phase, the daily maximum UV radiation decreased by 90% between sols 2075 (opacity ~1) and 2085 (opacity ~8.5). The diurnal range in ground and air temperatures decreased by 35K and 56K, respectively, with also a diurnal-average decrease of ~2K and 4K respectively. The maximum relative humidity, which occurs right before sunrise, decreased to below 5%, compared with pre-storm values of up to 29%, due to the warmer air temperatures at night while the inferred water vapor abundance suggests an increase during the storm. Between sols 2085 and 2130, the typical nighttime stable inversion layer was absent near the surface as ground temperatures remained warmer than near-surface air temperatures. Finally, the frequency-domain behavior of the diurnal pressure cycle shows a strong increase in the strength of the semidiurnal and terdiurnal modes peaking after the local opacity maximum, also suggesting differences in the dust abundance inside and outside Gale.
Published: 2019
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36. Seasonal Deposition and Lifting of Dust on Mars as Observed by the Curiosity Rover.

Author: Vicente-Retortillo Á, Martínez GM, Renno N, Newman CE, Ordonez-Etxeberria I, Lemmon MT, Richardson MI, Hueso R, and Sánchez-Lavega A
Abstract: In situ measurements by the Curiosity rover provide a unique opportunity for studying the effects of dust on assets placed at the surface of Mars. Here we use in situ measurements of solar UV radiation to quantify the seasonal and interannual variability of dust accumulation on the sensor on the rover deck. We show that the amount of dust accumulated on the sensor follows a seasonal cycle, with net dust removal during the perihelion season until L s ~ 300°, and net dust deposition until the end of the aphelion season (L s ~ 300°-180°). We use independent in situ measurements of atmospheric opacity and pressure perturbations in combination with numerical modeling, showing that daytime convective vortices and nighttime winds are likely responsible for the seasonal dust cleaning, with the role of nighttime wind being more important in Martian Year (MY) 32 than in MY 33 and that of daytime convective vortices being more important in MY 33 than in MY 32. The fact that the UV sensor is cleaner in MY 33 than in MY 32 indicates that natural cleaning events make solar energy an excellent candidate to power extended (multiannual) Mars missions at similar latitudes as the Curiosity rover.
Published: 2018
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37. The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater, Mars.

Author: Guzewich SD, Newman CE, Smith MD, Moores JE, Smith CL, Moore C, Richardson MI, Kass D, Kleinböhl A, Mischna M, Martín-Torres FJ, Zorzano-Mier MP, and Battalio M
Abstract: We create a vertically coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere over Gale Crater, Mars, using the frequent joint atmospheric observations of the orbiting Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. Using these data and an estimate of planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we divide the vertical column into three regions. The first region is the Gale Crater PBL, the second is the MCS-sampled region, and the third is between these first two. We solve for a well-mixed dust mixing ratio within this third (middle) layer of atmosphere to complete the profile. We identify a unique seasonal cycle of dust within each atmospheric layer. Within the Gale PBL, dust mixing ratio maximizes near southern hemisphere summer solstice (L s = 270°) and minimizes near winter solstice (L s = 90-100°) with a smooth sinusoidal transition between them. However, the layer above Gale Crater and below the MCS-sampled region more closely follows the global opacity cycle and has a maximum in opacity near L s = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pause" in dust storm activity) near L s = 270°. With knowledge of the complete vertical dust profile, we can also assess the frequency of high-altitude dust layers over Gale. We determine that 36% of MCS profiles near Gale Crater contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer wherein the dust mixing ratio is the maximum in the entire vertical column.
Published: 2017
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38. Winds measured by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover's Bagnold Dunes Campaign and comparison with numerical modeling using MarsWRF.

Author: Newman CE, Gómez-Elvira J, Marin M, Navarro S, Torres J, Richardson MI, Battalio JM, Guzewich SD, Sullivan R, de la Torre M, Vasavada AR, and Bridges NT
Abstract: A high density of REMS wind measurements were collected in three science investigations during MSL's Bagnold Dunes Campaign, which took place over ~80 sols around southern winter solstice (Ls~90°) and constituted the first in situ analysis of the environmental conditions, morphology, structure, and composition of an active dune field on Mars. The Wind Characterization Investigation was designed to Available online 14 December 2016 fully characterize the near-surface wind field just outside the dunes and confirmed the primarily upslope/downslope flow expected from theory and modeling of the circulation on the slopes of Aeolis Mons in this season. The basic pattern of winds is 'upslope' (from the northwest, heading up Aeolis Mons) during the daytime (~09:00-17:00 or 18:00) and 'downslope' (from the southeast, heading down Aeolis Mons) at night (~20:00 to some time before 08:00). Between these times the wind rotates largely clockwise, giving generally westerly winds mid-morning and easterly winds in the early evening. The timings of these direction changes are relatively consistent from sol to sol; however, the wind direction and speed at any given time shows considerable intersol variability. This pattern and timing is similar to predictions from the MarsWRF numerical model, run at a resolution of ~490 m in this region, although the model predicts the upslope winds to have a stronger component from the E than the W, misses a wind speed peak at ~09:00, and under-predicts the strength of daytime wind speeds by ~2-4 m/s. The Namib Dune Lee Investigation reveals 'blocking' of northerly winds by the dune, leaving primarily a westerly component to the daytime winds, and also shows a broadening of the 1 Hz wind speed distribution likely associated with lee turbulence. The Namib Dune Side Investigation measured primarily daytime winds at the side of the same dune, in support of aeolian change detection experiments designed to put limits on the saltation threshold, and also appears to show the influence of the dune body on the local flow, though less clearly than in the lee. Using a vertical grid with lower resolution near the surface reduces the relative strength of nighttime winds predicted by MarsWRF and produces a peak in wind speed at ~09:00, improving the match to the observed diurnal variation of wind speed, albeit with an offset in magnitude. The annual wind field predicted using this grid also provides a far better match to observations of aeolian dune morphology and motion in the Bagnold Dunes. However, the lower overall wind speeds than observed and disagreement with the observed wind direction at ~09:00 suggest that the problem has not been solved and that alternative boundary layer mixing schemes should be explored which may result in more mixing of momentum down to the near-surface from higher layers. These results demonstrate a strong need for in situ wind data to constrain the setup and assumptions used in numerical models, so that they may be used with more confidence to predict the circulation at other times and locations on Mars.
Published: 2017
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