Near Surface Properties of Martian Regolith Derived From InSight HP3-RAD Temperature Observations During Phobos TransitsShow others and affiliations
2021 (English)In: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 48, no 15, article id e2021GL093542Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
We use the Martian surface temperature response to Phobos transits observed next to the InSight lander in Elysium Planitia to constrain the thermal properties of the uppermost layer of regolith. Modeled transit lightcurves validated by solar panel current measurements are used to modify the boundary conditions of a 1D heat conduction model. We test several model parameter sets, varying the thickness and thermal conductivity of the top layer to explore the range of parameters that match the observed temperature response within its uncertainty both during the eclipse as well as the full diurnal cycle. The measurements indicate a thermal inertia (TI) of
in the uppermost layer of 0.2–4 mm, significantly smaller than the TI of
derived from the diurnal temperature curve. This could be explained by larger particles, higher density, or some or slightly higher amount of cementation in the lower layers.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2021. Vol. 48, no 15, article id e2021GL093542
National Category
Aerospace Engineering
Research subject
Atmospheric science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-86558DOI: 10.1029/2021GL093542ISI: 000683512200006Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85112117359OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-86558DiVA, id: diva2:1584333
Note
Validerad;2021;Nivå 2;2021-08-11 (alebob);
Forskningsfinansiär: German Aerospace Center DLR; United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA (80NSSC18K1626); Austrian Academy of Sciences ÖAW; Polish Academy of Science CBK PAN; US Government; UK Space Agency (ST/R001375/2)
2021-08-112021-08-112021-09-03Bibliographically approved