Phase II Final Report - NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts

Planetary Exploration Using Biomimetics
An Entomopter for Flight on Mars
comprehensive survey of the atmospheric conditions from the surface up to 100 m or so in altitude
over a large surface region. This type of grid sampling is demonstrated in Figure 1-16. Each
node or line intersection would be a data collection point.
Figure 1-16: Atmospheric Sampling and Data Collection Over Grid
The dust on Mars is one of the unique features of its atmosphere. Because there is no rain, any
dust particles lifted into the atmosphere tend to remain within the atmosphere for extended periods
of time. This causes the optical depth of the planet to remain above 0.5, based on Viking
lander data. (In this regard, optical depth is a measure of how opaque the atmosphere is to visible
light passing through it. It is defined as zero for no effect on light transmission; atmosphere
is perfectly clear.) Dust storms can be global in size and last for months before dying down.
Therefore, the Entomopter can expect to fly with an optical depth of between 0.5 and 1.0
throughout its mission.
Mars dust is a major influence on the transfer of heat to and from the planet’s surface. Presently,
only particle size and optical properties are know about the dust on Mars.
The Entomopter, flying above the surface, can sample the long-lived airborne dust. Key science
objectives in understanding the effects of the dust on the Mars environment include direct measurements
of the radiation field, direct determination of the size distribution of the airborne dust,
and determination of the electrostatic charging of the dust.
The photochemistry and trace gases in the Mars atmosphere are not well understood. The chemistry
of primary interest is the photodissociation of H 2 O, O 2 , and CO 2 , which can result in the
production of a variety of reactive oxidizing species, such as O 3 , H 2 O 2 , O, H, OH, HO 2 , and
possibly others. The concentration of these species can tell us about atmospheric photochemistry
as well as provide insight into the nature of the oxidative processes responsible for the absence
of organics in Mars soil, which may be a key piece of evidence in looking for life. The search for
22
Phase II Final Report