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1. Profiling Near-Surface Winds on Mars Using Attitude Data from Mars 2020 Ingenuity

Author

Jackson, Brian, Fenton, Lori, Brown, Travis, Munguira, Asier, Martinez, German, Newman, Claire, Viúdez-Moreiras, Daniel, Golombek, Matthew, Lorenz, Ralph, Paton, Mark D., and Conway, Dylan

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Abstract

We used attitude data from the Mars Ingenuity helicopter with a simple steady-state model to estimate windspeeds and directions at altitudes of 3 meters up to 24 meters, the first time winds at such altitudes have been probed on Mars. We compared our estimates to concurrent wind data at 1.5 m height from the meteorology package MEDA onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and to predictions from meteorological models. Wind directions inferred from the Ingenuity data agreed to within uncertainties with the directions measured by MEDA, when the latter were available, but deviated from model-predicted directions by as much as 180 deg in some cases. Also, the inferred windspeeds are often much higher than expected. For example, meteorological predictions tailored to the time and location of Ingenuity's 59th flight suggest Ingenuity should not have seen windspeeds above about 15 m/s, but we inferred speeds reaching nearly 25 m/s. By contrast, the 61st flight was at a similar time and season and showed weaker winds then the 59th flight, suggesting winds shaped by transient phenomena. For flights during which we have MEDA data to compare to, inferred windspeeds imply friction velocities exceeding 1 m/s and roughness lengths of more than 10 cm based on a boundary layer model that incorporates convective instability, which seem implausibly large. These results suggest Ingenuity was probing winds sensitive to aerodynamic conditions hundreds of meters upwind instead of the conditions very near Mars 2020, but they may also reflect a need for updated boundary layer wind models. An improved model for Ingenuity's aerodynamic response that includes the effects of transient winds may also modify our results. In any case, the work here provides a foundation for exploration of planetary boundary layers using drones and suggests important future avenues for research and development., Comment: Accepted by PSJ

Published
2024

2. Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE). XIV. Finding terrestrial protoplanets in the galactic neighborhood

Author

Cesario, Lorenzo, Lichtenberg, Tim, Alei, Eleonora, Carrión-González, Óscar, Dannert, Felix A., Defrère, Denis, Ertel, Steve, Fortier, Andrea, Muñoz, A. García, Glauser, Adrian M., Hansen, Jonah T., Helled, Ravit, Huber, Philipp A., Ireland, Michael J., Kammerer, Jens, Laugier, Romain, Lillo-Box, Jorge, Menti, Franziska, Meyer, Michael R., Noack, Lena, Quanz, Sascha P., Quirrenbach, Andreas, Rugheimer, Sarah, van der Tak, Floris, Wang, Haiyang S., Anger, Marius, Balsalobre-Ruza, Olga, Bhattarai, Surendra, Braam, Marrick, Castro-González, Amadeo, Cockell, Charles S., Constantinou, Tereza, Cugno, Gabriele, Davoult, Jeanne, Güdel, Manuel, Hernitschek, Nina, Hinkley, Sasha, Itoh, Satoshi, Janson, Markus, Johansen, Anders, Jones, Hugh R. A., Kane, Stephen R., van Kempen, Tim A., Kislyakova, Kristina G., Korth, Judith, Kovacevic, Andjelka B., Kraus, Stefan, Kuiper, Rolf, Mathew, Joice, Matsuo, Taro, Miguel, Yamila, Min, Michiel, Navarro, Ramon, Ramirez, Ramses M., Rauer, Heike, Ricketti, Berke Vow, Romagnolo, Amedeo, Schlecker, Martin, Sneed, Evan L., Squicciarini, Vito, Stassun, Keivan G., Tamura, Motohide, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Wordsworth, Robin D., and Collaboration, the LIFE

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Physics - Geophysics
Abstract

The increased brightness temperature of young rocky protoplanets during their magma ocean epoch makes them potentially amenable to atmospheric characterization to distances from the solar system far greater than thermally equilibrated terrestrial exoplanets, offering observational opportunities for unique insights into the origin of secondary atmospheres and the near surface conditions of prebiotic environments. The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) mission will employ a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer to directly measure the thermal emission of terrestrial exoplanets. Here, we seek to assess the capabilities of various instrumental design choices of the LIFE mission concept for the detection of cooling protoplanets with transient high-temperature magma ocean atmospheres, in young stellar associations in particular. Using the LIFE mission instrument simulator (LIFEsim) we assess how specific instrumental parameters and design choices, such as wavelength coverage, aperture diameter, and photon throughput, facilitate or disadvantage the detection of protoplanets. We focus on the observational sensitivities of distance to the observed planetary system, protoplanet brightness temperature using a blackbody assumption, and orbital distance of the potential protoplanets around both G- and M-dwarf stars. Our simulations suggest that LIFE will be able to detect (S/N $\geq$ 7) hot protoplanets in young stellar associations up to distances of $\approx$100 pc from the solar system for reasonable integration times (up to $\sim$hours). Detection of an Earth-sized protoplanet orbiting a solar-sized host star at 1 AU requires less than 30 minutes of integration time. M-dwarfs generally need shorter integration times. The contribution from wavelength regions $<$6 $\mu$m is important for decreasing the detection threshold and discriminating emission temperatures., Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures; accepted for publication in A&A

Published
2024
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3. 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, M. de la Torre, Martínez, G. M., Harri, A. -M., Genzer, M., Hieta, M., Polkko, J., Rodríguez-Manfredi, J. A., Lemmon, M. T., Pla-García, J., Toledo, D., Vicente-Retortillo, A., Viúdez-Moreiras, Daniel, Munguira, A., Tamppari, L. K., Newman, C., Gómez-Elvira, J., Guzewich, S., Bertrand, T., Apéstigue, V., Arruego, I., Wolff, M., Banfield, D., Jaakonaho, I., and Mäkinen, T.

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
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 Ls 13{\deg} - 241{\deg} (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 CO2 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 minutes 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 Ls 155{\deg}.

Published
2024
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4. Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures

Author

Toledo, Daniel, Rannou, Pascal, Apéstigue, Victor, Rodriguez-Veloso, Raul, Arruego, Ignacio, Martínez, German, Tamppari, Leslie, Munguira, Asier, Lorenz, Ralph, Stcherbinine, Aurélien, Montmessin, Franck, Sanchez-Lavega, Agustin, Patel, Priya, Smith, Michael, Lemmon, Mark, Vicente-Retortillo, Alvaro, Newman, Claire, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Hueso, Ricardo, Bertrand, Tanguy, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Yela, Margarita, de la Torre Juarez, Manuel, and Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose Antonio

Published
2024
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6. 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

Spiga, Aymeric, Murdoch, Naomi, Lorenz, Ralph, Forget, François, Newman, Claire, Rodriguez, Sébastien, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Viúdez-Moreiras, Daniel, Banfield, Don, Perrin, Clément, Mueller, Nils T., Lemmon, Mark, Millour, Ehouarn, and Banerdt, W. Bruce

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, Physics - Fluid Dynamics
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
2020
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9. The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight

Author

Banfield, Don, Spiga, Aymeric, Newman, Claire, Forget, François, Lemmon, Mark, Lorenz, Ralph, Murdoch, Naomi, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Garcia, Raphaël F., Lognonné, Philippe, Karatekin, Özgür, Perrin, Clément, Martire, Léo, Teanby, Nicholas, Hove, Bart Van, Maki, Justin N., Kenda, Balthasar, Mueller, Nils T., Rodriguez, Sébastien, Kawamura, Taichi, McClean, John B., Stott, Alexander E., Charalambous, Constantinos, Millour, Ehouarn, Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Määttänen, Anni, Lewis, Stephen R., Clinton, John, Stähler, Simon C., Ceylan, Savas, Giardini, Domenico, Warren, Tristram, Pike, William T., Daubar, Ingrid, Golombek, Matthew, Rolland, Lucie, Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf, Mimoun, David, Beucler, Éric, Jacob, Alice, Lucas, Antoine, Baker, Mariah, Ansan, Véronique, Hurst, Kenneth, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Lepinette, Alain, Molina, Antonio, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Peinado, Veronica, Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio, Carcich, Brian T., Sackett, Stephen, Russell, Christopher T., Spohn, Tilman, Smrekar, Suzanne E., and Banerdt, W. Bruce

Published
2020
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10. Background levels of methane in Mars’ atmosphere show strong seasonal variations

Author

Webster, Christopher R., Mahaffy, Paul R., Atreya, Sushil K., Moores, John E., Flesch, Gregory J., Malespin, Charles, McKay, Christopher P., Martinez, German, Smith, Christina L., Martin-Torres, Javier, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Zorzano, Maria-Paz, Wong, Michael H., Trainer, Melissa G., Steele, Andrew, Archer, Doug, Sutter, Brad, Coll, Patrice J., Freissinet, Caroline, Meslin, Pierre-Yves, Gough, Raina V., House, Christopher H., Pavlov, Alexander, Eigenbrode, Jennifer L., Glavin, Daniel P., Pearson, John C., Keymeulen, Didier, Christensen, Lance E., Schwenzer, Susanne P., Navarro-Gonzalez, Rafael, Pla-García, Jorge, Rafkin, Scot C. R., Vicente-Retortillo, Álvaro, Kahanpää, Henrik, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Smith, Michael D., Harri, Ari-Matti, Genzer, Maria, Hassler, Donald M., Lemmon, Mark, Crisp, Joy, Sander, Stanley P., Zurek, Richard W., and Vasavada, Ashwin R.

Published
2018

11. Perseverance MEDA Atmospheric Pressure Observations—Initial Results.

Author

Harri, Ari‐Matti, Paton, Mark, Hieta, Maria, Polkko, Jouni, Newman, Claire, Pla‐Garcia, Jorge, Leino, Joonas, Mäkinen, Terhi, Kauhanen, Janne, Jaakonaho, Iina, Sánchez‐Lavega, Agustin, Hueso, Ricardo, Genzer, Maria, Lorenz, Ralph, Lemmon, Mark, Vicente‐Retortillo, Alvaro, Tamppari, Leslie K., Viudez‐Moreiras, Daniel, Torre‐Juarez, Manuel de la, and Savijärvi, Hannu

Subjects
ATMOSPHERIC pressure, MARTIAN atmosphere, MARTIAN craters, MARTIAN surface, DUST, ATMOSPHERE
Abstract

The Mars2020 Perseverance Rover landed successfully on the Martian surface on the Jezero Crater floor (18.44°N, 77.45°E) at Martian solar longitude, Ls, ∼5° in February 2021. Since then, it has produced highly valuable environmental measurements with a versatile scientific payload including the MEDA (Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer) suite of environmental sensors. One of the MEDA systems is the PS pressure sensor system, which weighs 40 g and has an estimated absolute accuracy of better than 3.5 Pa and a resolution of 0.13 Pa. We present initial results from the first 414 sols of Martian atmospheric surface pressure observations by the PS, whose performance was found to meet its specifications. Observed sol‐averaged atmospheric pressures follow an anticipated pattern of pressure variation in the course of the advancing season and are consistent with data from other landing missions. The observed daily pressure amplitude varies by ∼2%–5 % of the sol‐averaged pressure, with absolute amplitude 10–35 Pa in an approximately direct relationship with airborne dust. During a regional dust storm, which began at Ls ∼ 135°, the daily pressure amplitude roughly doubled. The daily pressure variations were found to be remarkably sensitive to the seasonal evolution of the atmosphere. In particular, analysis of the daily pressure signature revealed diagnostic information likely related to the regional scale structure of the atmosphere. Comparison of Perseverance pressure observations with data from other landers reveals the global scale seasonal behavior of Mars' atmosphere. Plain Language Summary: Mars2020 Perseverance Rover successfully arrived on Mars in February 2021. It landed in an early Martian spring afternoon in a crater north of Mars' equator called Jezero crater. The rover is equipped with meteorological instruments that have so far produced extensive and valuable data for understanding the Martian atmosphere. One of the meteorological instruments is an accurate and precise pressure sensor. The pressure sensor has revealed large changes in the pressure over the seasons that are related to large changes in the actual mass of the Martian atmosphere. This is in line with seasonal pressure changes measured during previous Mars missions and can be explained as the condensation of the atmosphere onto the Martian poles and its subsequent sublimation. On a shorter time scale, the pressure sensor revealed complex pressure changes over a Martian day. These variations are thought to be related to atmospheric dust, whose ubiquitous nature is known to have a strong influence on the Martian climate. As the seasons progressed, the daily pressure variations morphed to exhibit different patterns likely related to the large‐scale regional changes in the atmosphere. Comparison of Perseverance pressure observations with other landers revealed the global nature of the atmosphere. Key Points: The atmospheric pressure observations by Perseverance Rover have proved to be of excellent quality fulfilling expectationsJezero crater pressure exhibits significant differences to other Martian areas likely due to varying regional geography and solar forcingOverall, the diurnal and seasonal atmospheric pressure cycles at Jezero Crater follow an anticipated pattern of pressure variation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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12. Martian Wind and turbulence heard by the SuperCam microphone on the perseverance rover

Author

Stott, Alexander, primary, Murdoch, Naomi, additional, Gillier, Martin, additional, Banfield, Don, additional, Bertrand, Tanguy, additional, Chide, Baptiste, additional, De la Torre Juarez, Manuel, additional, Hueso, Ricardo, additional, Lorenz, Ralph, additional, Martinez, German, additional, Munguira, Asier, additional, Mora Sotomayor, Luis, additional, Navarro, Sara, additional, Newman, Claire, additional, Pilleri, Paolo, additional, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, additional, Randazzo, Nicolas, additional, Rodriguez Manfredi, Jose Antonio, additional, Sanchez-Lavega, Agustin, additional, Smith, Michael, additional, Viudez Moreiras, Daniel, additional, Williams, Nathan, additional, Maurice, Sylvestre, additional, Wiens, Roger, additional, and Mimoun, David, additional

Published
2023
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13. Mesospheric clouds in Jezero as observed by MEDA Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS) at twilight 

Author

Toledo, Daniel, primary, Gomez, Laura, additional, Apéstigue, Victor, additional, Arruego, Ignacio, additional, Lemmon, Mark, additional, Smith, Michael, additional, Patel, Priya, additional, Munguira, Asier, additional, Sanchez-Lavega, Agustin, additional, Yela, Margarita, additional, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, additional, Martínez, German, additional, Vicente-Retortillo, Alvaro, additional, Newman, Claire, additional, de la Torre Juarez, Manuel, additional, and Rodríguez-Manfredi, Jose Antonio, additional

Published
2023
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14. The Aeolian Activity at InSight Over Two Martian Years

Author

Charalambous, Constantinos, primary, Golombek, Matt, additional, Pike, Tom, additional, Lemmon, Mark, additional, Spiga, Aymeric, additional, Newman, Claire, additional, Ansan, Veronique, additional, Baker, Mariah, additional, Banks, Maria, additional, Lorenz, Ralph, additional, Stott, Alexander, additional, and Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, additional

Published
2023
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15. Detection and characterization of clouds at twilight by MEDA-RDS for the first 365 sols

Author

Toledo, Daniel, primary, Apéstigue, Victor, additional, Arruego, Ignacio, additional, Lemmon, Mark, additional, Montoro, Francisco, additional, Yela, Margarita, additional, Sanchez-Lavega, Agustín, additional, Patel, Priya, additional, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, additional, Martínez, German, additional, Smith, Michael D., additional, Vicente-Retortillo, Alvaro, additional, de la Torre Juarez, Manuel, additional, Rodríguez-Manfredi, José Antonio, additional, and Rodríguez, Raul, additional

Published
2022
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16. The rich meteorology of Jezero crater over the first 250 sols of Perseverance on Mars

Author

Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose, primary, Juarez, Manuel de la Torre, additional, Sanchez-Lavega, Agustin, additional, Hueso, Ricardo, additional, Martinez, German, additional, Lemmon, Mark, additional, Newman, Claire, additional, Munguira, Asier, additional, Hieta, Maria, additional, Tamppari, Leslie, additional, Polkko, Jouni, additional, Toledo, Daniel, additional, Sebastian, Eduardo, additional, Smith, Michael, additional, Jaakonaho, Iina, additional, Genzer, Maria, additional, de Vicente-Retortillo, Alvaro, additional, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, additional, Ramos, Miguel, additional, Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso, additional, Lepinette, Alain, additional, Wolff, Michael, additional, Sullivan, Robert, additional, Gómez-Elvira, Javier, additional, Apestigue, Victor, additional, Conrad, Pamela, additional, Río-Gaztelurrutia, T. del, additional, Murdoch, Naomi, additional, Arruego, Ignacio, additional, Banfield, Donald, additional, Boland, Justin, additional, Brown, Adrian, additional, Ceballos, Joaquin, additional, Dominguez-Pumar, Manuel, additional, Espejo, Servando, additional, Fairen, Alberto, additional, Ferrandiz, Ricardo, additional, Fischer, Erik, additional, Garcia-Villadangos, Miriam, additional, Gimenez, Silvia, additional, Gomez-Gomez, Felipe, additional, Guzewich, Scott, additional, Harri, Ari-Matti, additional, Jimenez, Juan, additional, Jimenez, Vicente, additional, Makinen, Teemu, additional, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, additional, Martin-Rubio, Carolina, additional, Martin-Soler, Javier, additional, Molina, Antonio, additional, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, additional, Lopez, Sara Navarro, additional, Peinado, Veronica, additional, Perez-Grande, Isabel, additional, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, additional, Postigo, Marina, additional, Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga, additional, Rafkin, Scot, additional, Richardson, Mark, additional, Romeral, Julio, additional, Romero, Catalina, additional, Savijärvi, Hannu, additional, Schofield, John, additional, Torres, Josefina, additional, Urqui, Roser, additional, Zurita, Sofia, additional, and team, MEDA, additional

Published
2022
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17. Geological, multispectral, and meteorological imaging results from the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover in Jezero crater

Author

Bell, James F., Maki, Justin N., Alwmark, Sanna, Ehlmann, Bethany L., Fagents, Sarah A., Grotzinger, John P., Gupta, Sanjeev, Hayes, Alexander, Herkenhoff, Ken E., Horgan, Briony H. N., Johnson, Jeffrey R., Kinch, Kjartan B., Lemmon, Mark T., Madsen, Morten B., Nunez, Jorge, Paar, Gerhard, Rice, Melissa, Rice, James W., Schmitz, Nicole, Sullivan, Robert, Vaughan, Alicia, Wolff, Mike J., Bechtold, Andreas, Bosak, Tanja, Duflot, Louise E., Fairen, Alberto G., Garczynski, Brad, Jaumann, Ralf, Merusi, Marco, Million, Chase, Ravanis, Eleni, Shuster, David L., Simon, Justin, St Clair, Michael, Tate, Christian, Walter, Sebastian, Weiss, Benjamin, Bailey, Alyssa M., Bertrand, Tanguy, Beyssac, Olivier, Brown, Adrian J., Caballo-Perucha, Piluca, Caplinger, Michael A., Caudill, Christy M., Cary, Francesca, Cisneros, Ernest, Cloutis, Edward A., Cluff, Nathan, Corlies, Paul, Crawford, Kelsie, Curtis, Sabrina, Deen, Robert, Dixon, Darian, Donaldson, Christopher, Barrington, Megan, Ficht, Michelle, Fleron, Stephanie, Hansen, Michael, Harker, David, Howson, Rachel, Huggett, Joshua, Jacob, Samantha, Jensen, Elsa, Jensen, Ole B., Jodhpurkar, Mohini, Joseph, Jonathan, Juarez, Christian, Kah, Linda C., Kanine, Oak, Kristensen, Jessica, Kubacki, Tex, Lapo, Kristiana, Magee, Angela, Maimone, Michael, Mehall, Greg L., Mehall, Laura, Mollerup, Jess, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Paris, Kristen, Powell, Kathryn E., Preusker, Frank, Proton, Jon, Rojas, Corrine, Sallurday, Danny, Saxton, Kim, Scheller, Eva, Seeger, Christiana H., Starr, Mason, Stein, Nathan, Turenne, Nathalie, Van Beek, Jason, Winhold, Andrew G., Yingling, Rachel, Bell, James F., Maki, Justin N., Alwmark, Sanna, Ehlmann, Bethany L., Fagents, Sarah A., Grotzinger, John P., Gupta, Sanjeev, Hayes, Alexander, Herkenhoff, Ken E., Horgan, Briony H. N., Johnson, Jeffrey R., Kinch, Kjartan B., Lemmon, Mark T., Madsen, Morten B., Nunez, Jorge, Paar, Gerhard, Rice, Melissa, Rice, James W., Schmitz, Nicole, Sullivan, Robert, Vaughan, Alicia, Wolff, Mike J., Bechtold, Andreas, Bosak, Tanja, Duflot, Louise E., Fairen, Alberto G., Garczynski, Brad, Jaumann, Ralf, Merusi, Marco, Million, Chase, Ravanis, Eleni, Shuster, David L., Simon, Justin, St Clair, Michael, Tate, Christian, Walter, Sebastian, Weiss, Benjamin, Bailey, Alyssa M., Bertrand, Tanguy, Beyssac, Olivier, Brown, Adrian J., Caballo-Perucha, Piluca, Caplinger, Michael A., Caudill, Christy M., Cary, Francesca, Cisneros, Ernest, Cloutis, Edward A., Cluff, Nathan, Corlies, Paul, Crawford, Kelsie, Curtis, Sabrina, Deen, Robert, Dixon, Darian, Donaldson, Christopher, Barrington, Megan, Ficht, Michelle, Fleron, Stephanie, Hansen, Michael, Harker, David, Howson, Rachel, Huggett, Joshua, Jacob, Samantha, Jensen, Elsa, Jensen, Ole B., Jodhpurkar, Mohini, Joseph, Jonathan, Juarez, Christian, Kah, Linda C., Kanine, Oak, Kristensen, Jessica, Kubacki, Tex, Lapo, Kristiana, Magee, Angela, Maimone, Michael, Mehall, Greg L., Mehall, Laura, Mollerup, Jess, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Paris, Kristen, Powell, Kathryn E., Preusker, Frank, Proton, Jon, Rojas, Corrine, Sallurday, Danny, Saxton, Kim, Scheller, Eva, Seeger, Christiana H., Starr, Mason, Stein, Nathan, Turenne, Nathalie, Van Beek, Jason, Winhold, Andrew G., and Yingling, Rachel

Abstract

Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument provides high-resolution stereo and multispectral images with a unique combination of spatial resolution, spatial coverage, and wavelength coverage along the rover's traverse in Jezero crater, Mars. Images reveal rocks consistent with an igneous (including volcanic and/or volcaniclastic) and/or impactite origin and limited aqueous alteration, including polygonally fractured rocks with weathered coatings; massive boulder-forming bedrock consisting of mafic silicates, ferric oxides, and/or iron-bearing alteration minerals; and coarsely layered outcrops dominated by olivine. Pyroxene dominates the iron-bearing mineralogy in the finegrained regolith, while olivine dominates the coarse-grained regolith. Solar and atmospheric imaging observations show significant intra- and intersol variations in dust optical depth and water ice clouds, as well as unique examples of boundary layer vortex action from both natural (dust devil) and Ingenuity helicopter-induced dust lifting. High-resolution stereo imaging also provides geologic context for rover operations, other instrument observations, and sample selection, characterization, and confirmation.

Published
2022

18. Overview of Near-Surface Atmospheric Processes at Jezero from Meda Observations

Author

de la Torre-Juárez, Manuel, Rodríguez Manfredi, Jose, Martínez, Germán, Newman, Claire, Lemmon, Mark, Hueso, Ricardo, Munguira, Asier, Tamppari, Leslie, Sanchez-Lavega, Augustin, Apestigue, Victor, Arruego, Ignacio, Banfield, Donald, Boland, Justin, Conrad, Pamela, del Rio, Teresa, Vicente -Retortillo, Álvaro, Dominguez-Pumar, Manuel, Fischer, Erik, Genzer, Maria, Gimenez, S., Gómez Elvira, Javier, Gómez, Felipe, Guzewich, Scott, Harri, Ari-Matti, Hieta, M., Jimenez, Victor, Lepinette, Alain, Marín, M., Martin-Rubio, Carolina, Molina, Antonio, Montmessin, Franck, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Peinado, Veronica, Pérez‐hoyos, Santiago, Pla‐garcía, Jorge, Polkko, Jouni, Romeral, Julio, Romero, C., Savijärvi, Hannu, Sebastian, E., Smith, M.D., Sullivan, Rob, Tate, Christian, Toledo-Carrasco, Daniel, Torres, Josefina, Urquí, Roser, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Wolff, Michael, Zorzano, Maria-Paz, Zurita, Sofia, and Cardon, Catherine

Subjects
[SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Published
2022

19. Relative humidity and vapor amount at Jezero Crater

Author

Tamppari, Leslie K., Martinez, German, Rodríguez Manfredi, Jose, de la Torre-Juárez, Manuel, Hieta, M., Polkko, Jouni, Jaakonaho, I., Genzer, M., Harri, Ari-Matti, Mcconnochie, Timothy, Montmessin, Franck, Smith, Michael D., Wolff, Mike, Fisher, Erik, Conrad, Pamela, Gómez, Felipe, Zorzano, María‐paz, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Patel, Priyaben, Lemmon, Mark, and Cardon, Catherine

Subjects
[SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Published
2022

20. Water vapor at Jezero Crater, Mars

Author

Tamppari, Leslie K., Martínez, Germán, Rodríguez Manfredi, Jose, de la Torre-Juárez, Manuel, Hieta, Maria, Polkko, Jouni, Jaakonaho, Iina, Genzer, Maria, Harri, Ari-Matti, Mcconnochie, Timothy H., Montmessin, Franck, Smith, Michael D., Wolff, Michael, Fischer, Erik, Gomez, Felipe, Zorzano, Maria‐paz, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Patel, Priyaben, Lemmon, Mark, Knutsen, Elise Wright, Pla‐garcía, Jorge, Fouchet, Thierry, and Cardon, Catherine

Subjects
[SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Abstract

Water on Mars is of interest today to assess the current cycling of water in and out of the regolith, cycling of water on and off of the polar caps, and to understand the current habitability potential of Mars. The regolith at polar and non-polar latitudes is an important reservoir for water storage, and an important resource for human exploration, and exchange of water between the regolith and atmosphere may play an important role in the global water cycle. Understanding water on Mars today helps us model the water cycle during different epochs on Mars, during which there was much more liquid water present in the system and Mars may have been inhabited.Additional time coverage and an additional location on the surface of Mars provided by the Perseverance MEDA relative humidity measurements at Jezero crater help reveal the regional similarities and differences across Mars. In addition, the Perseverance SuperCam or TIRS instruments can be used with the MEDA measurements of relative humidity to detect frost formation [2], to assess diurnal changes in the near-surface water content, possibly due to subsurface exchange (e.g., [5-6, 1]) or consistent with surface frost [2], and to check whether the environmental conditions at the surface and in the near surface are compatible with the formation of liquid brines [3-4].We examine the water vapor in the Martian atmosphere in the vicinity of Jezero Crater, Mars, where the Perseverance Rover is currently operating and acquiring data. We place the new water measurements from the rover instruments into the broader context, relating measurements to those of orbiters and other landers.

Published
2022

21. Wind and Turbulence Observations With the Mars Microphone on Perseverance.

Author

Stott, Alexander E., Murdoch, Naomi, Gillier, Martin, Banfield, Don, Bertrand, Tanguy, Chide, Baptiste, De la Torre Juarez, Manuel, Hueso, Ricardo, Lorenz, Ralph, Martinez, German, Munguira, Asier, Mora Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Newman, Claire, Pilleri, Paolo, Pla‐Garcia, Jorge, Rodriguez‐Manfredi, Jose Antonio, Sanchez‐Lavega, Agustin, Smith, Michael, and Viudez Moreiras, Daniel

Subjects
WIND speed, MARS (Planet), KRIGING, MICROPHONES, TURBULENCE, PRESSURE drop (Fluid dynamics), SOUND reverberation
Abstract

We utilize SuperCam's Mars microphone to provide information on wind speed and turbulence at high frequencies on Mars. To do so, we first demonstrate the sensitivity of the microphone signal level to wind speed, yielding a power law dependence. We then show the relationship between the microphone signal level and pressure, air and ground temperatures. A calibration function is constructed using Gaussian process regression (a machine learning technique) taking the microphone signal and air temperature as inputs to produce an estimate of the wind speed. This provides a high rate wind speed estimate on Mars, with a sample every 0.01 s. As a result, we determine the fast fluctuations of the wind at Jezero crater which highlights the nature of wind gusts over the Martian day. To analyze the turbulent behavior of this wind speed estimate, we calculate its normalized standard deviation, known as gustiness. To characterize the behavior of this high frequency turbulent intensity at Jezero crater, correlations are shown between the evaluated gustiness statistic and pressure drop rates/sizes, temperature and energy fluxes. This has implications for future atmospheric models on Mars, taking into account turbulence at the finest scales. Plain Language Summary: The NASA Perseverance mission sent microphones to the surface of Mars. This microphone has recorded signals due to the wind. We examine how these recorded signals vary with other sensor data from Perseverance, which shows a link between the microphone signal, the dedicated wind speed sensor and air temperature. Based on this finding, we develop a way to predict the wind speed from the microphone data using a machine learning technique. The microphone records data at a very high rate compared with sensors so far sent to Mars. This means that the wind speed predicted from the microphone data can be used to study the chaotic and variable wind behavior on Mars to a level never seen before. We show that this chaotic and variable behavior has links to temperature and the number of whirlwinds observed. This will lead us to better weather models for Mars. Key Points: Wind‐induced noise is observed by the SuperCam Mars microphone on PerseveranceMicrophone and air temperature data are used to estimate the wind speed at high frequencies, using a machine learning modelThe wind speed estimate is used to examine the relationships between turbulent intensity, pressure drops, temperature, and energy flux [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2023
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22. The observed winter circulation at InSight’s landing site and its impact on understanding the year-round circulation and aeolian activity in Elysium Planitia and Gale Crater

Author

Newman, Claire, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Baker, Mariah, Lewis, Kevin, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Spiga, Aymeric, Banfield, Don, Teanby, Nick, Forget, François, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Lewis, Stephen, Banks, Maria, Rodriguez, Sébastien, and Lucas, Antoine

Abstract

InSight landed < 550km from the Mars Science Laboratory rover. Both missions carried a suite of meteorological instruments, but MSL’s wind sensor was damaged on landing and failed after ~two Mars years [1]. This made it difficult to characterize the diurnal and seasonal cycles of winds in Gale Crater. Fortunately, InSight’s wind sensor is returning good wind data for the landing season (Ls~300°, northern winter). A complementary presentation provides a detailed look at the observed diurnal cycle of InSight winds and its variability [2].\ud \ud Here, we use atmospheric models, primarily the MarsWRF multi-scale model, run at ~km to 5km scale resolution over the MSL/InSight region, to provide predictions based on our current understanding of the underlying physics. We then improve the models by modifying them to better match the circulation at InSight in northern winter, and use these results to better understand the circulation in Gale Crater. Finally, we extend our simulations over a full Mars year to provide insight into the orientation, morphology, and migration of aeolian features in the vicinity of InSight and MSL.\ud \ud In this region, the large-scale circulation is largely controlled by the seasonal Hadley circulation, with near-surface winds blowing from ~south to north in northern summer and ~north to south in winter. Both landing sites also sit on or close to the hemispheric dichotomy boundary, resulting in daytime upslope flows (from ~north to south) and nighttime downslope flows (from ~south to north); these tend to enhance the Hadley circulation during the daytime in northern winter and at night in summer.\ud \ud For InSight’s location, most models predict winds from between the ~north and west virtually all sol in northern winter [e.g. 3], although there is more model-to-model variation in wind speed. In Gale Crater, however, the situation is complicated by the presence of very large topographic gradients. For example, models suggest that in northern winter the ~north-to-south Hadley circulation winds are enhanced at night by strong downslope winds on the northern rim slopes, resulting in very strong winds at MSL’s location [e.g. 4].\ud \ud Our goal is to develop a model of the seasonal cycle of winds over the entire region which simultaneously matches the InSight and partial MSL wind datasets and the observed aeolian features. Unfortunately, while evidence points toward most aeolian activity near MSL occurring in northern winter at night [5], MSL’s wind sensor was unable to measure nighttime winds well [1]. By measuring regional winds over the full diurnal cycle in northern winter, InSight wind data allow us to (i) directly measure the winds approaching Gale Crater from the ~north, (ii) constrain and improve MarsWRF and other models, and hence (iii) better understand the true nature of the winds and aeolian processes in Gale Crater and over the entire region.\ud \ud [1] Newman, C. E. et al. (2017) Icarus, 291, 203–231. \ud [2] Viúdez-Moreiras, D. et al. (2019) EGU. \ud [3] Spiga et al. (2018) SSR, 214:109. \ud [4] Pla-Garcia, J. et al. (2016), Icarus, 280, 103-113. \ud [5] Viúdez-Moreiras, D. et al. (2019), Icarus, 319, 909-925.

Published
2019

24. Extended Predictive Control: Stability and Performance.

Author

Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel

Subjects
*PREDICTIVE control systems, *AUTOMATIC control systems, *CLOSED loop systems, *FEEDBACK control systems, *TRAJECTORIES (Mechanics)
Abstract

The stability and performance of the extended predictive control depend on the driver block design and, specifically, on the three factors that determine this design, that is to say, the choice of the performance criterion, the reference trajectory dynamics, and the prediction horizon. This paper presents, for a particular choice of the performance criterion, a new method to determine the closed loop stability and performance for the class of linear stable system, taking into account the reference trajectory dynamics and the prediction horizon value. Illustrative simulation examples show how, for a certain reference trajectory dynamics, which choice is based on specifications, the selection of the prediction horizon may determine the stability and the performance nature of the closed-loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2015
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25. Vortex-Dominated Aeolian Activity at InSight's Landing Site, Part 1: Multi-Instrument Observations, Analysis, and Implications

Author

Charalambous, Constantinos, McClean, John B., Baker, Mariah, Pike, W. Tom, Golombek, Matthew P., Lemmon, Mark T., Ansan, Véronique, Perrin, Clément, Spiga, Aymeric, Lorenz, Ralph D., Banks, Maria, Murdoch, Naomi, Rodriguez, Sébastien, Weitz, Catherine M., Grant, John, Warner, Nicholas H., Garvin, James, Daubar, Ingrid J., Hauber, Ernst, Stott, Alexander E., Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Warren, Tristram, Navarro, Sara, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Maki, Justin N., Lucas, Antoine, Banfield, Don, Newman, Claire, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Lognonne, Philippe, and Banerdt, William B.

Subjects
aeolian changes at the InSight landing site on Mars, passing vortices lifting dust are correlated with magnetic signatures, 13. Climate action, convective vortices as a primary driver of particle motion, surface creep, dust lifting and saltation, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, 14. Life underwater, surface tracks, multi-instrument measurements constrain the timing and atmospheric conditions of aeolian changes, Physics::Geophysics
Abstract

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 in-situ 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 charged-particle motion. Detachment of sand-scale particles occurs when high background winds and vortex-induced 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., Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 126 (6), ISSN:0148-0227, ISSN:2169-9097

26. The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight

Author

Banfield, Don, Spiga, Aymeric, Newman, Claire, Forget, François, Lemmon, Mark, Lorenz, Ralph, Murdoch, Naomi, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Garcia, Raphael F., Logonne, Philippe, Karatekin, Ozgur, Perrin, Clement, Martire, Leo, Teanby, Nicholas, Van Hove, Bart, Maki, Justin N., Kenda, Balthasar, Mueller, Nils T., Rodriguez, Sebastian, Kawamura, Taichi, McClean, John B., Stott, Alexander E., Charalambous, Constantinos, Millour, Ehouran, Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Maattanen, Anni, Lewis, Stephen, Clinton, John, Stahler, Simon C., Ceylan, Savas, Giardini, Domenico, Warren, Tristram, Pike, William T., Daubar, Ingrid, Golombek, Matthew, Rolland, Lucie, Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf, Mimoun, David, Beucler, Eric, Jacob, Alice, Lucas, Antoine, Baker, Mariah, Ansan, Veronique, Hurst, Kenneth, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Lepinette, Alain, Molina, Antonio, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Peinado, Veronica, Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio, Carcich, Brian T., Sackett, Stephen, Russell, Christopher T., Spohn, Tilman, Smrekar, Suzanne E., Banerdt, W. Bruce, Banfield, Don, Spiga, Aymeric, Newman, Claire, Forget, François, Lemmon, Mark, Lorenz, Ralph, Murdoch, Naomi, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Garcia, Raphael F., Logonne, Philippe, Karatekin, Ozgur, Perrin, Clement, Martire, Leo, Teanby, Nicholas, Van Hove, Bart, Maki, Justin N., Kenda, Balthasar, Mueller, Nils T., Rodriguez, Sebastian, Kawamura, Taichi, McClean, John B., Stott, Alexander E., Charalambous, Constantinos, Millour, Ehouran, Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Maattanen, Anni, Lewis, Stephen, Clinton, John, Stahler, Simon C., Ceylan, Savas, Giardini, Domenico, Warren, Tristram, Pike, William T., Daubar, Ingrid, Golombek, Matthew, Rolland, Lucie, Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf, Mimoun, David, Beucler, Eric, Jacob, Alice, Lucas, Antoine, Baker, Mariah, Ansan, Veronique, Hurst, Kenneth, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Lepinette, Alain, Molina, Antonio, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Peinado, Veronica, Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio, Carcich, Brian T., Sackett, Stephen, Russell, Christopher T., Spohn, Tilman, Smrekar, Suzanne E., and Banerdt, W. Bruce

Abstract

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 continu- ity, 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 pro- duced 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.

27. The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight

Author

Banfield, Don, Spiga, Aymeric, Newman, Claire, Forget, François, Lemmon, Mark, Lorenz, Ralph, Murdoch, Naomi, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Garcia, Raphael F., Logonne, Philippe, Karatekin, Ozgur, Perrin, Clement, Martire, Leo, Teanby, Nicholas, Van Hove, Bart, Maki, Justin N., Kenda, Balthasar, Mueller, Nils T., Rodriguez, Sebastian, Kawamura, Taichi, McClean, John B., Stott, Alexander E., Charalambous, Constantinos, Millour, Ehouran, Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Maattanen, Anni, Lewis, Stephen, Clinton, John, Stahler, Simon C., Ceylan, Savas, Giardini, Domenico, Warren, Tristram, Pike, William T., Daubar, Ingrid, Golombek, Matthew, Rolland, Lucie, Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf, Mimoun, David, Beucler, Eric, Jacob, Alice, Lucas, Antoine, Baker, Mariah, Ansan, Veronique, Hurst, Kenneth, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Lepinette, Alain, Molina, Antonio, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Peinado, Veronica, Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio, Carcich, Brian T., Sackett, Stephen, Russell, Christopher T., Spohn, Tilman, Smrekar, Suzanne E., Banerdt, W. Bruce, Banfield, Don, Spiga, Aymeric, Newman, Claire, Forget, François, Lemmon, Mark, Lorenz, Ralph, Murdoch, Naomi, Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel, Pla-Garcia, Jorge, Garcia, Raphael F., Logonne, Philippe, Karatekin, Ozgur, Perrin, Clement, Martire, Leo, Teanby, Nicholas, Van Hove, Bart, Maki, Justin N., Kenda, Balthasar, Mueller, Nils T., Rodriguez, Sebastian, Kawamura, Taichi, McClean, John B., Stott, Alexander E., Charalambous, Constantinos, Millour, Ehouran, Johnson, Catherine L., Mittelholz, Anna, Maattanen, Anni, Lewis, Stephen, Clinton, John, Stahler, Simon C., Ceylan, Savas, Giardini, Domenico, Warren, Tristram, Pike, William T., Daubar, Ingrid, Golombek, Matthew, Rolland, Lucie, Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf, Mimoun, David, Beucler, Eric, Jacob, Alice, Lucas, Antoine, Baker, Mariah, Ansan, Veronique, Hurst, Kenneth, Mora-Sotomayor, Luis, Navarro, Sara, Torres, Josefina, Lepinette, Alain, Molina, Antonio, Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes, Gomez-Elvira, Javier, Peinado, Veronica, Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio, Carcich, Brian T., Sackett, Stephen, Russell, Christopher T., Spohn, Tilman, Smrekar, Suzanne E., and Banerdt, W. Bruce

Abstract

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 continu- ity, 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 pro- duced 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.

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