LIDAR FOR MARS ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES ON 2007 SCOUT MISSION 'PHOENIX'

摘要

The Canadian Space Agency is providing MET, a group of meteorological instruments, for the NASA 2007 Scout Mission, Phoenix. MET will provide data for characterizing Mars' present climate and weather processes at the landing site. The lidar provides data on the location, structure, and optical properties of clouds, fogs, and dust plumes within the Martian Planetary Boundary Layer. The lidar is based on a Nd:YAG laser operating at 100 Hz with a pulse energy of 1 mJ. The system incorporates a pan-tilt steering capability and is able to probe the Martian atmosphere out to ranges of about 20 km.