The InSight Mission to Mars
Sue Smrekar, Deputy PI, JPL Bruce Banerdt, PI, JPL
8th Mars Conference, 18 July, 2014 International Science Team
Philippe Lognonné, IPGP PI: Bruce Banerdt, JPL Ulrich Christensen, MPS David Mimoun, SUPAERO Dep. PI: Sue Smrekar, JPL Walter Goetz, MPS Antoine Mocquet, Univ. Nantes Sami Asmar, JPL Matthias Grott, DLR Mark Wieczorek, IPGP Don Banfield, Cornell Tilman Spohn, DLR Bill Folkner, JPL Matt Golombek, JPL Günter Kargl, IWF Troy Hudson, JPL Lapo Boschi, ETH Justin Maki, JPL Domenico Giardini, ETH Paul Morgan, Colo. Geol. Surv. Naoki Kobayashi, JAXA Mark Panning, Univ. Florida
Tim van Zoest, DLR Véronique Dehant, ROB Jeroen Tromp, Princeton Tom Pike, Imperial College Renée Weber, MSFC Catherine Johnson, UBC
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 1 Science Objectives
InSight will place a single geophysical lander (seismology, heat flow, planetary rotation) on Mars to study the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets. • Understand formation/evolution of terrestrial planets through investigation of the interior structure and processes of Mars – Determine the size, composition, physical state (liquid/solid) of the core. – Determine the thickness and structure of the crust. – Determine the composition and structure of the mantle. – Determine the thermal state of the interior.
• Determine the present level of tectonic activity and meteorite impact rate on Mars – Measure the magnitude, rate and geographical distribution of internal seismic activity.
– Measure the rate of meteorite impacts on the surface. 13 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 2 How Does a Terrestrial Planet Form?
• The planet starts forming through accretion of meteoric material.
• As it get bigger, the interior begins to heat up and melt.
• Stuff happens… InSight!
• End up with a crust, mantle and core with distinct, non-meteoric compositions.
5 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 3 Differentiation in a Terrestrial Planet
Lunar Magma Ocean Model
PSRD Graphic
• Our understanding of planetary differentiation is largely based on the lunar magma ocean model, which was developed in response to Apollo geochemical and geophysical data. But… • Thisz is a complex process; the physics is not well understood and present constraints are limited. • Lunar P-T conditions are not particularly representative of other terrestrial planets.
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 4 Signature Planet Formation
The basic structural building blocks of Mars reveal the signature of terrestrial planet formation • Crust thickness/layering
• Core size, density, liquid/solid (inner core?) • Mantle density/layering
9 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 5 Direct Link between InSight Objectives & Level 1 Requirements
Crust: Its thickness and vertical structure (layering of different compositions) reflects the depth and crystallization processes of the magma ocean and the early post-differentiation evolution of the planet (plate tectonics vs. crustal foundering vs. immobile crust vs. …).
Mantle: Its behavior (e.g., convection, partial melt generation) determines the manifestation of the thermal history on a planet’s surface; depends on its thermal structure and stratification.
Core: Its size and composition (density) reflect conditions of accretion and early differentiation; its state (liquid vs. solid) reflects its composition and the thermal history of the planet. 7 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 6 What Do We Know About the Interior of Mars?
Measurement Current Uncertainty InSight Capability Improvement
Crustal thickness 65±35 km (inferred) ±5 km 7X
Crustal layering no information resolve 5-km layers New
Mantle velocity 8±1 km/s (inferred) ±0.13 km/s 7.5X
Core liquid or solid “likely” liquid positive determination New
Core radius 1700±300 km ±75 km 4X
Core density 6.4±1.0 gm/cc ±0.3 gm/cc 3X
Heat flow 30±25 mW/m2 (inferred) ±3 mW/m2 8X
Seismic activity factor of 100 (inferred) factor of 10 10X
Seismic distribution no information locations ≤10 deg. New
Meteorite impact rate factor of 6 factor of 2 3X
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 7 Focused Set of Measurements
Single-Station Seismology – Extremely sensitive, broad-band instrument – Surface installation and effective environmental isolation – Advances in single-station seismic analysis – Multiple signal sources
Precision Tracking – Sub-decimeter (~2 cm) X-band tracking
Heat Flow – Innovative, self-penetrating mole penetrates to a depth of 3–5 meters 15 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 8 InSight Payload
WTS, RWEB (Wind & Thermal (also IPGP, ETH/SSA, MPS/DLR, Shield, Remote Warm Elect. SEIS (CNES) IC/Oxford/UKSA, JPL/NASA) RISE (S/C Telecom) Encl.) Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment Small Deep Space Transponder 3 HP (DLR) VBB, SP, LVL – Very- Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package Broad-Band & Short- Ebox – Electronics Box Period sensors, THR – Tether Radiometer Leveling System) Support Structure
Pressure Sensor IDS (JPL) Back End (Tavis) Instrument Deployment System Electronics Tether Length Monitor TWINS (CAB) – Temp. and Wind for INSight Scientific Tether IFG (UCLA) • Embedded temperature InSight Fluxgate sensors for thermal IDA – Instrument Deployment Arm gradient measurements
IDC – Instrument Deployment Camera Mole APSS (JPL) • Hammering mechanism ICC – Instrument Context Camera • Active thermal conductivity Auxiliary Payload measurements Sensor Suite • Static tilt sensors Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 9 SEIS Hardware
RWEB Thermal Test LVL Eng. Model WTS Deployment Testing
VBB 6 DCS Gain
Ebox Eng. Model
Tether Eng. Model VBB Qual. Model SP EM Sensor and Electronics
VBB 6 Pivot cabling
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 10 Instrument Deployment
Video planned to be placed on youtube in the future.
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 11 Precision Radio Tracking – RISE • First measured constraint on Mars core size came from combining radio Doppler measurements from Viking and Mars Pathfinder, which determined spin axis directions 20 years apart – Difference of spin axis direction gives precession rate and hence planet’s moment of inertia (constrains mean mantle density, core radius and density) • InSight will provide another snapshot Precession (165,000 yr) of the axis 20 years later still • With 2 years of tracking data, it will be possible to determine nutation amplitudes – Free core nutation constrains core MOI directly, allowing separation of radius and density.
Nutation (≤1 Mars yr)
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 12 Martian Seismology – Multiple Signal Sources
Body Surface Atmospheric Normal Modes Waves Waves Excitation Rate of Seismic Faulting Activity
Expected Range 1 km
Phobos Tide HiRISE Image TRA_000823_1720
ESA / Express/DLR Mars InSight Meteorite Impacts Landing Area
Daubar et al., 2013 NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 13 Heat Flow Measurement – HP3
• The HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package) mole will burrow 3 to 5 meters below the surface trailing an instrumented tether. – Precise temperature sensors every 35 cm will measure the temperature gradient of the subsurface. – The thermal conductivity will be determined every 50 cm by analyzing the decay of a heat pulse.
• Together, gradient and conductivity yield the rate of heat flowing from InSight landing site the interior.
• Present-day heat flow at a single location will provide a critical boundary condition on models of planetary thermal history. Surface Heat Flow Model (mW/m2) SurfaceGrott Heat and Flow Breuer, Model 2010 (mW/m. 2) Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 14 Landing Site Selection Status
Viking 2
Utopia Planitia Elysium Mons
Cerberus Isidis Fossae
Planitia Beagle 2
InSight Landing Spirit Region
Curiosity Gale Crater
Gusev Crater
Hellas Basin
Ellipse Lon. Lat. E05 138.2 3.3 E08 137.3 4.1 E09 136.0 4.4 E17 135.1 4.3
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 15 Council of Terrains
• Produce Data Products for Landing Simulations • JPL Project Chairs – Matt Golombek, Devin Kipp – HiRISE DEMs – Randy Kirk, USGS Flagstaff – CTX DEMs - Randy Kirk, USGS Flagstaff – HRSC DEMs – Klaus Gwinner, DLR – Photoclinometry Slope Maps – Ross Beyer, SETI – Rock Maps & SFD – Andres Huertas, JPL – Radar Surface Analysis & Sharad/TI Subsurface Analysis – Putzig (SwRI), Phillips, Campbell – Thermophysical Properties – Sylvain Piqueux, JPL
InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar Smrekar, 8th Mars System 16 Conference Council of Atmospheres
• Produce Data Products for Landing Simulations • JPL Project Chairs – David Kass, Michael Mischna • GCM/Mesoscale Modeling – Dan Tyler, Jeff Barnes, Oregon State University – Scot Rafkin, Cecelia Leung, SwRI – Francois Forget, Ehouarn Millour, Tanguy Bertrand, Aymeric Spiga, LMD • Dust Event Analysis – Huiqun Wang, SAO
InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar Smrekar, 8th Mars System 17 Conference InSight Schedule
• Landing Site Process – 2nd Workshop, Summer/Fall 2014 • Selection of 2-3 ellipses Fall 2014 – Selection: Fall 2015
• Participating Scientists Program aa expected • Launch: March 4-24, 2016 from Vandenberg AFB • Landing: September 28, 2016 • 67-sol deployment phase • Two years (one Mars year) science operations on the surface; repetitive operations • Nominal end-of-mission: October 6, 2018 Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 18 Thanks More at the 9th Mars Conference..
Smrekar, 8th Mars Conference InSight: Into the History and Evolution of our Solar System 19