Mars orbital laser altimeter and mars advanced radar for subsurface and ionosphere sounding (MARSIS)

Daniela Biccari; Giovanni Picardi; Roberto Seu; Roberto Orosei; Pietro Tito Melacci

doi:10.1117/12.481584

30 August 2002 Mars orbital laser altimeter and mars advanced radar for subsurface and ionosphere sounding (MARSIS)

Daniela Biccari, Giovanni Picardi, Roberto Seu, Roberto Orosei, Pietro Tito Melacci

Proceedings Volume 4925, Electronic Imaging and Multimedia Technology III; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.481584
Event: Photonics Asia, 2002, Shanghai, China

Abstract

According to the Mars Express mission , the MARSIS primary scientfIc objectives are to map the distribution ofwater, both liquid and solid, in the upperportions of the crust ofMars. Detection of such reservoirs of water wifl address key issues in the hydrologic, geologic, climatic and possible biologic evolution of Mars, including the current and past global inventory of water, mechanisms of transport and storage of water. Three seconda,y objectives are defined for the MARSIS experiment: subsurface geologic probing, surface characterization, and ionosphere sounding. According to the previous scientific objectives, this paper provides a description of the design approach and expected performances of the MARSIS, taking into account of Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data. As matter of fact the analysis of MOLA data, from the current Mars Global Surveyor Mission, have shown indeed that Mars surface shows a fractal behavior in a range of scale going from 100m to 3÷ 10km. In this paper the results of the analysis of MOLA data by mean also a mapping and a statistical distribution of the fractal parameters performed all over the surface ofMars are shown. Then a new analytical model for the surface correlation function will be introduced taking into account the fractal behavior ofthe surface over a finite range of scales. Hence for the predicted range of variation of the surface parameters and accordingly to the instrument wavelengths the radar backscattering ofthe surface will be evaluated according to the kirchoffapproximation; in order also to predict the strength of the clutter signal and then of the penetration depth that is possible to reach with MARSIS instrument. Moreover the difference between results obtained with the fractal model and with the two scale model will be evaluated.

Citation Download Citation

Daniela Biccari, Giovanni Picardi, Roberto Seu, Roberto Orosei, and Pietro Tito Melacci "Mars orbital laser altimeter and mars advanced radar for subsurface and ionosphere sounding (MARSIS)", Proc. SPIE 4925, Electronic Imaging and Multimedia Technology III, (30 August 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.481584

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