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MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) is a low
frequency, nadir-looking pulse limited radar sounder and altimeter with ground
penetration capabilities, which uses synthetic aperture techniques and a secondary
receiving antenna to isolate subsurface reflections.
MARSIS will send low frequency radio waves (1.3-5.5 MHz) towards the planet from a
40 m long antenna which will be unfurled after the spacecraft goes into orbit. The entire
instrument including antenna and data processing unit weighs about 12 kg.
The radio waves will be reflected from any surface they encounter. For most, this will
be the surface of Mars. But because of the low frequency, a significant fraction will
travel through the crust to encounter further interfaces between layers of different
material. Consequently, a layer containing liquid water should generate a radar echo.
The presence of weaker signals after the first strong surface return will enable to detect
subsurface interfaces, while the time delay between the two signals will enable to
measure the depth of the interfaces.
By sending two different frequencies at the same time and analysing the echoes
generated, MARSIS will be able to extract information on the electrical properties of the
reflecting surface and hence its composition. The radio waves will be reflected at any
interface, not only that between rock and water, so MARSIS should reveal much about
the composition of the top 5 km of crust in general. It should, for example, pick out
layers of rock interspersed with ice, which are more likely to exist close to the Martian
surface than liquid water.
During the day, sunlight ionises the upper atmosphere and long wavelength radio
waves bounce off it. Those that are reflected from the ionosphere can reveal much
about its structure. MARSIS will measure the electron density in the ionosphere and
hence quantify the effect of charged particles streaming out from the Sun on the upper
atmosphere. Such measurements will help to find out whether the unremitting
depredations of the solar wind over billions of years have stripped Mars of much of its
atmosphere.
Operation Modes
• Subsurface Sounding
• Active Ionospheric Sounding
• Receive Only
• Calibration
MARSIS will perform Subsurface Sounding when the spacecraft is less than 800 km
above the Martian surface. Over the nominal mission lifetime, extensive coverage at all
latitudes will be possible. To achieve this global coverage MARSIS supports both
dayside and nightside operations, although performance is maximised during the night
when the ionosphere plasma frequency drops significantly and the lower frequency
bands, which have greater ground penetration capabilities, can be used.
Active Ionospheric Sounding will be carried out during certain orbital passes when
the orbiter is less than 1200 km above the surface, in order to gather scientific data on
the Martian ionosphere.
Receive Only mode will mainly be used to characterise, from an electromagnetic point
of view, the environment in which MARSIS is working.
MARSIS Subsystems
Signal
Transmitter
Generator Power and
control
Analog to
Spacecraft
Receiver Digital
Conversor
Dipole
Antenna
Simple sounder
Processor
Analog to
Receiver Digital
Conversor
Monopole
Antenna
Surface Cancellation Channel
The receivers and digital electronics are housed together within the spacecraft. The
transmitter electronics is housed in a separate box, also within the spacecraft.
The main transmit and receive antenna is a deployable dipole with two 20 metre
elements, arranged so that its peak gain is in the spacecraft nadir direction. The clutter
cancellation antenna is a 7 metre long deployable monopole, arranged so that its gain
null is in the spacecraft nadir direction. The clutter cancellation antenna is equipped
with a low-noise preamplifier. Due to severe limitations on the available mass, the
antennas are of a novel design, each consisting of a folding composite tube that
supports a pair of wires constituting the conductive element of the antenna. The
antennas are deployed by pyrotechnic release mechanisms.
The receiver electronics consists of the chirp generator/local oscillator and a dual
channel receiver that down converts the received echoes. Each receiver channel has a
selectable bandpass filter, a mixer, an amplifier chain, low-pass filtering and an
analogue to digital converter. The output of the analogue to digital converters is passed
to the digital electronics for processing prior to being sent to the ground station via the
spacecraft's on-board data handling system.
The digital electronics is responsible for: