Calibration of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP) for the InSight Mars Mission

Abstract

AbstractThe (HP ) of the InSight Mars mission is an instrument package to measure the Martian geothermal heat flow. The instrument's platinum resistance temperature sensors have been calibrated between 75 and 55 °C, and the absolute temperature uncertainty of the calibration is 10 mK. Temperature differences can be measured with an uncertainty of better than 5 mK. HP determines regolith thermal conductivity by using the HP mole as a modified line heat source, and thermal conductivity can be measured with an uncertainty of better than 4%. Tilt sensors used to determine the attitude of the mole during penetration measure tilt with an uncertainty of better than 0.25°.