Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (original) (raw)

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Environmental instrument on the Perseverance rover

Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer

Operator Spanish National Research Council
Manufacturer Spanish Astrobiology Center (CSIC-INTA)
Instrument type Suite of environmental sensors
Function Measure dust size, morphology, weather
Mission duration 1 Mars year[1]
Properties
Mass 5.5 kg (12 lb)
Power consumption 17 watts
Host spacecraft
Spacecraft Mars 2020 Perseverance rover
Launch date July 30, 2020
Rocket Atlas V 541
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-41

REMS instrument on Mars

The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) is an instrument on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover designed to characterize dust size and morphology, as well as surface weather.[2][3] This information is intended to inform future human exploration objectives, as dust sizes and shapes, daily weather reports, and information on radiation and wind patterns on Mars are critical for proper design of in situ resource utilization systems.[2][3] MEDA is a follow-on project from REMS of the Curiosity rover mission,[4] with a larger scope.[4]

The instrument suite was developed and provided by the Spanish Astrobiology Center at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid, Spain. On April 8, 2021, NASA reported the first MEDA weather report on Mars: for April 3–4, 2021, the high was "minus-7.6 degrees, and a low of minus-117.4 degrees ... [winds] gusting to ... 22 mph".[5]

Scientific team members

[edit]

The Principal Investigator is José Antonio Rodríguez Manfredi and the Deputy Principal Investigator is Manuel de la Torre Juarez (JPL-NASA).[6][7]

List of coinvestigators and their affiliations:[7]

Nathan Bridges Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, Maryland Olga Prieto-Ballesteros Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain Pamela Conrad NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland
Miguel Ramos Universidad de Alcala de Henares Madrid, Spain Javier Gomez-Elvira Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain Alfonso Saiz-Lopez Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Instituto de Quimica Fisica Rocasolano Madrid, Spain
Felipe Gomez-Gomez Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain Agustin Sanchez-Lavega Universidad del Pais Vasco UPV/EHU Bilbao, Biscay, Spain Ari-Matti HarriIlmatieteen Laitos Helsinki, Finland
John SchofieldNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, California Mark LemmonTexas A & MCollege Station, Texas Eduardo Sebastian Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain
German Martinez University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Michael Smith NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland Sara Navarro Lopez Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain
Leslie Tamppari NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California Claire Newman Aeolis Research Pasadena, California

Dust dominates Mars' weather the way that water dominates Earth's weather. Martian weather cannot be predicted unless dust behavior is studied and understood in the weather context.[3][8] MEDA is a suite of environmental sensors designed to record dust optical properties and six atmospheric parameters: wind speed/direction, pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature, and radiation (UV, visible, and IR ranges of the spectrum).[3][9]

The technology used on MEDA was inherited from the REMS package operating on the Curiosity rover and the TWINS package on InSight lander.[2] The sensors are located on the rover's mast and on the deck, front and interior of the rover's body. It records data whether the rover is active or not, at both day and night.[9] The instruments will collect data for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.[8][_needs update_]

Parameter Performance/units[3][9]
Mass 5.5 kg (12 lb)
Power Max 17 watts
Data return ≈11 megabytes
Temperature accuracy: 5 K resolution: 0.1 K
Relative humidity accuracy of 10% in the 200-323 K range
Pressure Range: 1 to 1150 Pa accuracy: 20 Pa resolution: 0.5 Pa
Radiation eight upward looking photodiodes:• 255 +/– 5 nm for the O3 • 295 +/– 5 nm for the O3 • 250–400 nm for total UV • 450±40 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration • 650 +/– 25 nm for SuperCam cross-calibration • 880 +/–5 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration • 950 +/– 50 nm for NIR • one panchromatic (300-1000 nm) filter
Wind accuracy: 2 m/sec resolution: 0.5 m/sec

Various components of MEDA highlighted in this graphic of planned devices for the Perseverance rover

  1. ^ "Mission: Overview". NASA. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA): A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Rover. Tamppari, L.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; de la Torre-Juárez, M.; Bridges, N.; Conrad, P. G.; Genzer, M.; Gomez, F.; Gomez-Elvira, J.; Harri, A. M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martinez, G.; Navarro, S.; Newman, C. E.; Perez-Hoyos, S.; Prieto, O.; Ramos, M.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Schofield, J. T.; Smith, M. D. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2015, abstract #P11B-2097
  3. ^ a b c d e Mars 2020 - MEDA Specifications. NASA, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "MEDA: An Environmental and Meteorological Package for Mars 2020" (PDF). 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Cappucci, Matthew (April 8, 2021). "NASA receives first weather reports from Perseverance rover on Mars at Jezero Crater - The weather data is crucial as the first flight of Ingenuity draws near". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Juarez, Manuel de la Torre. "JPL Science: Manuel de la Torre Juarez". science.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  7. ^ a b "MEDA Team Members - NASA Mars". 2020-07-17. Archived from the original on 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  8. ^ a b MEDA, THE ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS ANALYZER FOR MARS 2020 (PDF). J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, M. de la Torre, J. S. Boland, et al. 3rd International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions (2016).
  9. ^ a b c Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA). Mars 2020 Rover, NASA. 2015.