Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja....11735r&link_type=abstract
EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #11735
Physics
Scientific paper
The payload of the Beagle 2 lander of ESA's Mars Express mission includes a regolith-penetrating, tethered "Mole" intended for acquisition of several subsurface soil samples from depths between about 10 cm and approximately 1.5 m. These samples will then be analysed by the Gas Analysis Package (GAP) instrument on the lander, primarily with regard to isotopic composition and organic molecules. In addition, a share of each sample can be deposited onto the lander structure to be investigated with instruments mounted on the lander's PAW instrument carrier, such as the Mössbauer and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers and the optical microscope. After giving a brief overview of the experiment design, this paper focuses on the various science objectives addressed by the Beagle 2 Mole system, also referred to as the PLanetary Underground TOol (PLUTO). Apart from its capability to make subsurface regolith samples available to lander-based experiments for the first time on a Mars landing mission, PLUTO will be capable of performing scientific measurements of its own which utilize the Mole's soil penetration process and its temporary residence within the regolith: while it penetrates into the Martian soil by way of soil displacement through the action of an internal hammering mechanism, the Mole will allow mechanical properties of the regolith to be inferred and additionally, a temperature sensor mounted on the Mole will support investigations of soil thermophysical properties and measurements of the subsurface temperature profile. Using a Mole soil penetration theory calibrated by ground-based experiments, regolith bulk density, cohesion, and internal friction angle can be constrained as a function of depth using the Mole penetration path (and retrieval path) vs. time which is measured by a sensor indicating the amount of tether extracted by the PLUTO Mole. The obtained depth profiles of these quantities should provide insight into the depositional history and stratigraphy of the regolith at the site. Measurements of the regolith temperature will be conducted by the Mole both as a function of depth during soil intrusion, and as a function of time for constant depth, as the Mole can be left in the subsurface for periods of days or weeks before it is retrieved, especially during the later part of the Beagle 2 landed mission. Subsurface temperature measurements will support calibrations of Mars regolith thermophysical models, especially if coupled with thermal measurements conducted concurrently above the surface by sensors on the lander itself. Finally, provided the boreholes created by Mole soil penetration remain stable following retrieval of the device back to the surface, a search for condensed atmospheric volatiles along permanently shaded borehole walls will be conducted by periodic imaging with one of the lander camera heads being equipped with an illuminating torch. Synergies of the soil mechanics investigation addressed by PLUTO with soil physical properties studies conducted on the US MER mission by the first author are also discussed.
Gromov V. V.
Kochan Hermann
Kosacki K.
Richter L. L.
Tokano Tetsuya
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