Mars Express Radar Collects First Data

[Ian David]

August 5
Mars Express Radar Collects First Data

The sounding radar on board the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), is collecting its first data about the surface and the ionosphere of Mars.

The radar started its science operations on July 4 following the first phase of its commissioning. Due to the late deployment of MARSIS, it was decided to split the commissioning, originally planned to last four weeks, into two phases, one of which has just ended and the second phase which will begin in December.

This has given the instrument the chance to start scientific observations earlier than initially foreseen, while still in the Martian night, the preferred environment for subsurface sounding. During the day, the planet’s ionosphere is more ‘energized’ and disturbs the radio signals used for subsurface observations.

From the beginning of the commissioning, the 160-foot-long (combined length) antenna booms have been sending radio signals towards the Martian surface and receiving echoes back. “The commissioning phase confirmed that the radar is working very well, and that it can be operated at full power without interfering with any of the spacecraft systems,” said Roberto Seu, Instrument Manager for MARSIS, from the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Italy.

More:
http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html