An imaging interferometer for satellite observations of wind and temperature on Mars, the Dynamic Atmosphere Mars Observer (DYNAMO)

Abstract

To date there have not been any direct measurements of winds in the Martian atmosphere. Measurements such as these are needed in order to understand the nature of the circulation and the transport of constituents in the atmosphere of this planet. In this paper, a conceptual design for a small visible/near-IR imaging interferometer capable of fulfilling this need is described. The design is based on a similar successful instrument, the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII), which flew in Earth orbit. The basic measurement set includes Doppler shifts (from which wind is derived), rotational temperatures, line widths and radiances of isolated lines in the O₂(α¹Δ_g) band airglow and O(¹S) airglow emission. The design challenges which were met in converting an instrument designed for terrestrial applications to one capable of flying to Mars and operating in conditions there include reducing the mass and power requirements and adapting the instrument to appropriate data rate and S/N requirements. The resulting instrument has a mass of approximately 15 kg, requires on average, 10 Watts of power and has a data rate of 32Mbits/day. In this paper the design of this instrument and how it accommodates the particular requirements of a Mars mission are described.