Detecting the light of the night sky in Mars

Nebil Y Misconi

doi:10.4236/ns.2011.34036

Abstract

In this paper a new methodology is outlined to detect the dust content in the Martian atmosphere during nighttime. In the previous Lander missions to Mars, scientists were able to determine the dust load in the Martian atmosphere during daylight using spectral lines of the Sun. Since the dynamics of Martian dust storms had been determined to be very rapid changing over times of hours and not days, it is imperative to determine the dust load during nighttime, so future astronauts to Mars can take protective measures for their equipment. They can also factor this effect for their planned activities during daytime. The new methodology greatly improves on the classical method for determining the extinction in the Earth’s atmosphere. The classical method uses observations of bright stars from which the optical depth, ?total, can then be deduced from the classical brightness equation. The classical method succeeds reasonably well at high elevation angles from the horizon but fails dramatically at low elevation angles. It also determines ?total from the slope of a plot of observed brightness of a bright star vs. air mass at all elevations. The plot shows a straight line at high elevations angles, which then curves and becomes uncertain at low elevation angles. The new methodology bypasses this severe difficulty by simply eliminating this plot, and by acquiring the brightness of a bright star above the atmosphere (no extinction) and compares it to the observed bright- ness of the same star below the atmosphere at all elevations.

Highlights

This paper is the first step to build on for a technique to be incorporated in future NASA Mars missions
To acquire information on the dust load in the Martian atmosphere during nighttime would require the following: the star tracking instrument must be pointed to a preselected bright star, and record its apparent brightness
This paper outlines a new methodology to measure the extinction of bright stars in the Martian atmosphere from future NASA manned and unmanned missions

Summary

INTRODUCTION

This paper is the first step to build on for a technique to be incorporated in future NASA Mars missions. If the dust storm is intense enough to completely hide the stars it would render our method completely useless during these times This technique can be accomplished by comparing two sets of observations: one is to observe pre-selected bright stars such as Vega from the landing site on Mars, and the other is to observe the same stars from above the atmosphere or space in general. To acquire information on the dust load in the Martian atmosphere during nighttime would require the following: the star tracking instrument must be pointed to a preselected bright star (such as Vega), and record its apparent brightness. The point to be made here is that the way the sky appears gives an indication of how heavy the dust load near the ground is

TECHNICAL APPROACH

BRIGHT STARS IN THE MARTIAN SKY

INVESTIGATION APPROACH

CONCLUSIONS