In situ Mars ozone detector

Abstract

We propose sending a balloon-borne UV photometer sensor package to measure atmospheric ozone on Mars, and this package could be a Discovery Program sensor candidate. Past measurements of ozone on Mars are highly uncertain, perhaps a factor of 3 or so uncertain, due primarily to interference and masking by cloud and dust. In-situ balloon measurements would avoid these problems, and would provide 'ground truth' which remote sensing techniques cannot. We have explored this approach to measure ozone abundance in the terrestrial stratosphere with a balloon-borne UV absorption photometer. Atmospheric pressures and temperatures and ozone concentrations near the surface of Mars are similar to those in the terrestrial stratosphere.