HR: 13:55h
AN: P13C-02 INVITED [Abstracts]
TI: First Science Results from MARSIS Subsurface Sounding
AU: * Plaut, J J
EM: plaut@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
United States
AU: Picardi, G
P13C-02
AF: INFO-COM Department, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana, 18, Rome, 00185
Italy
AU: Calabrese, D
P13C-02
AF: Alenia Spazio, Via Saccomuro, 24, Rome, 00131
Italy
AU: Cicchetti, A
P13C-02
AF: INFO-COM Department, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana, 18, Rome, 00185
Italy
AU: Clifford, S
P13C-02
AF: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 77058
United States
AU: Farrell, W
P13C-02
AF: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771
United States
AU: Federico, C
P13C-02
AF: Universit… di Perugia, Univ., Perugia, 000
Italy
AU: Frigeri, A
P13C-02
AF: Universit… di Perugia, Univ., Perugia, 000
Italy
AU: Gurnett, D
P13C-02
AF: Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Van Allen Bldg., Iowa City, IA 52242
United States
AU: Huff, R
P13C-02
AF: Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Van Allen Bldg., Iowa City, IA 52242
United States
AU: Ivanov, A
P13C-02
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
United States
AU: Johnson, W
P13C-02
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
United States
AU: Jordan, R
P13C-02
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
United States
AU: Kirchner, D
P13C-02
AF: Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Van Allen Bldg., Iowa City, IA 52242
United States
AU: Leuschen, C
P13C-02
AF: Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
United States
AU: Masdea, A
P13C-02
AF: INFO-COM Department, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana, 18, Rome, 00185
Italy
AU: Orosei, R
P13C-02
AF: Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, IAS, Rome, 000
Italy
AU: Phillips, R
P13C-02
AF: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
Washington University, Campus Box 1169,
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130
United States
AU: Safaeinili, A
P13C-02
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
United States
AU: Seu, R
P13C-02
AF: INFO-COM Department, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana, 18, Rome, 00185
Italy
AU: Stofan, E
P13C-02
AF: Proxemy Research, Pr.Res., Laytonsville, MD 20882
United States
AU: Watters, T
P13C-02
AF: Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Independence Ave, SW,
Washington, DC 20560
United States
AB:
The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), aboard the Mars Express orbiter, began routine
science observations in early July, 2005. The radar operates in two primary modes, subsurface sounding and ionospheric
sounding. The objective of the subsurface experiment is to detect and characterize subsurface material discontinuities in the
upper several km of the martian crust, some of which may be related to the presence of water (liquid or solid). In the
subsurface sounding mode, one or two of four frequency bands in the range of 1.3-5.5 MHz can be selected. The lower frequency
bands are expected to penetrate more deeply, but cannot be used when the dayside ionosphere is beneath the spacecraft. The
orbit of Mars Express oscillates between periods of day and night peripases; July and August, 2005 included some nightside
coverage, while September-November are dayside only. Subsurface sounding data have a lateral resolution of 5-10 km and a
vertical resolution of 100 m in free space (about 50 m in crustal materials). The MARSIS radar has been performing nominally
since turn-on. Echoes from the surface are typically strong, with signal-to-noise ratios in the range of 30-50 dB. Later
returns from off-nadir topographic clutter are evident and easily modeled using MOLA topography data. Many late echoes are
observed that cannot be explained as topographic clutter. These features are under investigation as potential subsurface
interfaces. As the periapsis of the Mars Express orbit migrates toward the south pole, the polar layered deposits and related
landforms will be observed by MARSIS on the nightside. In addition, numerous targets of interest in the southern
mid-latitudes will be acquired during the nightside, including the floors of Hellas and Argyre basins, and the regions of
strong remnant crustal magnetization.
DE: 5460 Physical properties of materials
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 5494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005