Science Rationale for a Micro-Met Mission to Augment InterMarsNet

Abstract

The 2003 opportunity has the potential to carry out for the first time in Mars exploration history, coordinated measurements from the surface and from orbit that can address fundamental issues associated with the Martian global circulation and climate system. Coordinated measurements are defined here to mean collecting meteorological data from a network of 12-16 globally distributed surface stations simultaneously with an orbiter carrying an atmospheric sounder. With such measurements it is possible to define the horizontally varying (barotropic) and vertically varying (baroclinic) components of the global circulation from which the full 3-dimensional horizontal wind field can be reconstructed. It is also possible to precisely define the CO2 cycle, the main component of the current climate system. InterMarsNet, as currently envisioned, consists of 3-4 landers with a supporting communications orbiter that may carry some instrumentation. The landers are likely to touch down in low latitudes and will probably be configured to optimize seismological objectives. We propose to augment the InterMarsNet meteorological objectives by flying an additional 10-15 "MicroMet" landers equipped to measure surface pressure and nothing else. Surface pressure is the most fundamental meteorological parameter and it is the easiest to measure. The sensors are light, operate with minimal power, and do not require orientation or deployment. Consequently the landers can be very small (< 10 kg) and 10-15 of them can be delivered by a Med-lite launcher. This would enable global network science for meteorology and, when combined wAh the more sophisticated measurements from the InterMarsNet landers and the simultaneous temperature and dust profiling measurements from an atmospheric sounder aboard the orbiter, it would enable us to reconstruct global scale circulation patterns.