The Pascal Mars Scout Mission

Abstract

Pascal is a Mars Climate Network Mission that is being developed for NASA's Mars Scout Program. The mission would establish a network of 18 science weather stations distributed across the entire surface of Mars that operates for 3-10 Mars years (5.6- 18.8 Earth years). Pascal's instrument suite combines entry data from accelerometers and descent cameras, with landed data from pressure, opacity, temperature, wind speed, and water vapor to create a detailed global picture of Martian climate and weather. A panoramic landed camera system acquires images every 30 Sols to monitor changes in the landing environment due to winds. Analysis of data from the science stations, taken as often as once every 15 minutes, will provide a depth of understanding that will vastly increase our knowledge of Mars, and significantly impact site selection for future NASA missions. Pascal is the first mission ever to sample - in situ - the full global diversity of Mars and provide a continuous long-term presence on its surface.