Abstract
A global network of weather stations will be needed to characterize the near-surface environment on Mars. Here, we review the scientific and measurement objectives of this network. We also show how these objectives can be met within the costconstrained Mars Surveyor Program by augmenting the Mars Pathfinder-derived landers with large numbers of very small (< 5 liter), low-mass (< 5 kg), low-power, low-cost Mini-Met Stations. Each station would include instruments for measuring atmospheric pressures, temperatures, wind velocities, humidity, and airborne dust abundance. They would also include a data handling, telemetry, power, atmospheric entry, and deployment systems in a rugged package capable of direct entry and a high-impact landing. In this paper, we describe these systems and summarize the data-taking strategies and data volumes needed to achieve the surface meteorology objectives for Mars.
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