| 6 KILOGRAMS OF SCIENCE |
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The payload is composed of 9 instruments derived form an international cooperation. Further to the program stopping, CNES extended its support to the french scientific laboratories to finalize the instruments development, to obtain functional demonstrators and thus give credibility to the studies realised in the perspective of futur missions call for tenders.
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  SEIS (SEISmometer): the seismometer is a "network" instrument. It has "broad band" sensors and "short period" sensors as well as a few annex sensors (temperature, pressure, inclination). It should enable to determine the level and the distribution of Mars seismic activity and to supply information about its internal structure. This instrument was developed under the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP - France) responsibility in association with the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ - Switzerland) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL - United States).
Complementary information on IPGP websites: general information about the seismometer SEIS and information about NetLander mission seismometer |
1 axis broad band seismic sensor (VBB) |
| PANCAM (PANoramic CAMeras): stereoscopic and multispectral camera ("multi-site" instrument). It enable to realise complete survey (360°) of the landing site. Is has been developed by DLR Berlin for the system and mechanical part in association with the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale d'Orsay (IAS - France) for the electronic part. |
Panoramic camera in folded configuration |
| Micro (Microphone):
audio microphone ("multi-site" instrument) developed by the California University with private funds of the Planetary Society. It enables to record sounds coming from natural sources (winds, electrical discharge) and artificial ones (landers). Its mass is 35 g. It was localised in the camera head (PANCAM). |
Camera PanCam head holding the microphone and the GPR magnetic antenna. |
| GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar): the GPR ("multi-site" instrument) is a ground penetrating radar enabling to localise the water reservoirs (ice and liquid water) in Mars underground. It should also enable to study the ionosphere. The GPR was developed under the Centre d'étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires (CETP - France) responsibility. |
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| ARES (Atmospheric Relaxation and Electric field Sensor): electric field sensor ("network" instrument) whose electrodes are installed on the meteorological boom. It enables to study the Mars' atmospheric electricity and EBF-TBF natural emissions. It can also bring information about eventual security measurements for the landers and the experiments in regards to electrical charge problems. ARES was developed under the Centre d'étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires (CETP - France) responsibility. |
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| MAGNET (MAGnetometer NETwork): this magnetometer ("network" instrument) enables the characterisation of the secular variation of the magnetic field of the planet and to study the internal structure of the planet by electromagnetic sounding. Its mass is 300 g. The sensor (80 g) is installed on the surface of Mars using a telescopic boom enabling to notably take it away from the surface module to limit the magnetic field disturbances generated by it. The sensor also includes a system enabling to reconstruct its attitude. The instrument was developed by the Dansk Rumforsknings Institut (DRI : Danish Institute of spatial Research) in close scientific collaboration with the Centre d'étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires (CETP - France). |
Magnetic sensor |
| ATMIS / ODS (ATmospheric science & Meteorology Instrument System / Optical Depth Sensor): meteorological measurement instrument constituted of several sensors : wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, optical depth, pressure. ATMIS should bring information about local and global climatic phenomena, as well as the evolutions of the martian atmosphere. These different sensors were mainly installed on the meteorological boom. The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI - Finland) assured the responibility of the development of the "network" instrument. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL - United States) supplied the wind sensor and the Service d'Aéronomie (SA - France) supplied the optical depth sensor (ODS). The whole ATMIS weighted 1120 g. |
Meteorological boom in folded configuration |
| NEIGE (NEtlander Ionospheric & Geodesy Experiment): NEIGE is not strictly speaking an instrument, even if it is a "network" experiment. Indeed, this experiment is based on the Doppler measurements between the NetLander surface module and the relay satellite using the UHF telecomunication link and a pure carrier S band. The scientific objectives were the geodesy (Mars's orientation, poles movement, precession and nutation phenomena, improvement of the knowledge of the core) and ionosphere (accurate determination of the electron content). The scientific team (Groupe de Recherche en Géodésie Spatiale GRGS - France, the Observatoire Royal de Belgique ORB - Belgium and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL - United States) delegated to CNES the realisation of the equipments needed by this experiment. |
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| SPICE (Soil Properties: thermal Inertia & Cohesion Experiment): SPICE is a "multi-site" experiment composed of a set of force sensors installed in the feet of the seismometer and temperature sensors layed on different places on the external side of the surface module, to study the upper part of Mars surface. SPICE also enables to study the physical (cohesion) and thermal (inertia) properties of the ground. Its mass was 100 g. SPICE was developed by the Institut für Planetologie - Westfälische Wilhems Universität - Germany. |
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SCIENCE
GLOSSARY & ACRONYMS
NETLANDER
