Analysis of the environmental conditions at Gale Crater from MSL/REMS measurements

  • Germán Martínez Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,
  • Manuel de la Torre Juárez Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA,
  • Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo Departamento de Física de la Tierra, Astronomía y Astrofísica II, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain,
  • Osku Kemppinen Earth Observation, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin aukio 1, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Nilton Renno Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,
  • Mark Lemmon Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3150, USA,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_FITE.2016.v28.53902
Keywords: Mars, Atmosphere, Gale Crater, Climate, MSL, REMS.

Abstract

The environmental conditions at Gale Crater during the first 1160 sols of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission are assessed using measurements taken by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on-board the MSL Curiosity rover. REMS is a suite of sensors developed to assess the environmental conditions along the rover traverse. In particular, REMS has been measuring atmospheric pressure, atmospheric and ground temperature, relative humidity, UV radiation flux and wind speed. Here we analyze processed data with the highest confidence possible of atmospheric pressure, atmospheric and ground temperature and relative humidity. In addition, we estimate the daily UV irradiation at the surface of Gale Crater using dust opacity values derived from the Mastcam instrument. REMS is still in operation, but it has already provided the most comprehensive coverage of surface environmental conditions recorded by a spacecraft landed on Mars.

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Published
2016-10-14
How to Cite
Martínez G., de la Torre Juárez M., Vicente-Retortillo Á., Kemppinen O., Renno N. y Lemmon M. (2016). Analysis of the environmental conditions at Gale Crater from MSL/REMS measurements. Física de la Tierra, 28, 163-179. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_FITE.2016.v28.53902
Issue
Vol. 28 (2016): Mars: A multidisciplinary scientific approach
Section
Articles

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