Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer
OperatorSpanish National Research Council
ManufacturerSpanish Astrobiology Center (CSIC-INTA)
Instrument typeSuite of environmental sensors
FunctionMeasure dust size, morphology, weather
Mission duration1 Mars year[1]
Properties
Mass5.5 kg (12 lb)
Power consumption17 watts
Host spacecraft
SpacecraftMars 2020 Perseverance rover
Launch dateJuly 30, 2020
RocketAtlas V 541
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-41
REMS instrument on Mars

The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) is an instrument on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover that will characterize the dust size and morphology, as well as surface weather.[2][3] Specifically, the information obtained will help address future human exploration objectives, as dust sizes and shapes, daily weather report and information on the radiation and wind patterns on Mars, that are critical for proper design of in situ resource utilization systems.[2][3] MEDA is a follow-on project from REMS, of the Curiosity rover mission.[4] MEDA has an increased scope, with greater data collection on Mars dust which contributes to overall Mars program objectives and discovery goals.[4]

The instrument suite was developed and provided by the Spanish Astrobiology Center at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid, Spain. On April 8, 2021, NASA reported the first MEDA weather report on Mars: for April 3–4, 2021, the high was "minus-7.6 degrees, and a low of minus-117.4 degrees ... [winds] gusting to ... 22 mph".[5]

Scientific team members

The Principal Investigator is José Antonio Rodríguez Manfredi and the Deputy Principal Investigator is Manuel de la Torre Juarez (JPL-NASA) [6][7]

List of coinvestigators and their affiliations:[7]

Nathan Bridges

Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, Maryland

 Olga Prieto-Ballesteros

Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain

 Pamela Conrad

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland

Miguel Ramos

Universidad de Alcala de Henares Madrid, Spain

 Javier Gomez-Elvira

Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain

 Alfonso Saiz-Lopez

Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Instituto de Quimica Fisica Rocasolano Madrid, Spain

Felipe Gomez-Gomez

Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain

 Agustin Sanchez-Lavega

Universidad del Pais Vasco UPV/EHU Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

 Ari-Matti Harri

Ilmatieteen Laitos Helsinki, Finland

John SchofieldNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pasadena, California

 Mark LemmonTexas A & M

College Station, Texas

 Eduardo Sebastian

Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain

German Martinez

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan

 Michael Smith

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland

 Sara Navarro Lopez

Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain

Leslie Tamppari

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California

 Claire Newman

Aeolis Research Pasadena, California

Overview

Dust dominates Mars' weather the way that water dominates Earth's weather. Martian weather cannot be predicted unless dust behavior is studied and understood in the weather context.[3][8] MEDA is a suite of environmental sensors designed to record dust optical properties and six atmospheric parameters: wind speed/direction, pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature, and radiation (UV, visible, and IR ranges of the spectrum).[3][9]

The technology used on MEDA was inherited from the REMS package operating on the Curiosity rover and the TWINS package on InSight lander.[2] The sensors are located on the rover's mast and on the deck, front and interior of the rover's body. It records data whether the rover is active or not, at both day and night.[9] The instruments will collect data for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.[8]

ParameterPerformance/units[3][9]
Mass5.5 kg (12 lb)
PowerMax 17 watts
Data return≈11 megabytes
Temperatureaccuracy: 5 K
resolution: 0.1 K
Relative humidityaccuracy of 10%
in the 200-323 K range
PressureRange: 1 to 1150 Pa
accuracy: 20 Pa
resolution: 0.5 Pa
Radiationeight upward looking photodiodes:

• 255 +/– 5 nm for the O3
• 295 +/– 5 nm for the O3
• 250–400 nm for total UV
• 450±40 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration
• 650 +/– 25 nm for SuperCam cross-calibration
• 880 +/–5 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration
• 950 +/– 50 nm for NIR
• one panchromatic (300-1000 nm) filter

Windaccuracy: 2 m/sec
resolution: 0.5 m/sec

Meda components

Various components of MEDA highlighted in this graphic of planned devices for the Perseverance rover

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mission: Overview". NASA. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA): A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Rover. Tamppari, L.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; de la Torre-Juárez, M.; Bridges, N.; Conrad, P. G.; Genzer, M.; Gomez, F.; Gomez-Elvira, J.; Harri, A. M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martinez, G.; Navarro, S.; Newman, C. E.; Perez-Hoyos, S.; Prieto, O.; Ramos, M.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Schofield, J. T.; Smith, M. D. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2015, abstract #P11B-2097
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Mars 2020 - MEDA Specifications. NASA, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "MEDA: An Environmental and Meteorological Package for Mars 2020" (PDF). 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Cappucci, Matthew (April 8, 2021). "NASA receives first weather reports from Perseverance rover on Mars at Jezero Crater - The weather data is crucial as the first flight of Ingenuity draws near". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ Juarez, Manuel de la Torre. "JPL Science: Manuel de la Torre Juarez". science.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  7. 1 2 "MEDA Team Members - NASA Mars". 2020-07-17. Archived from the original on 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  8. 1 2 MEDA, THE ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS ANALYZER FOR MARS 2020 (PDF). J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, M. de la Torre, J. S. Boland, et al. 3rd International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions (2016).
  9. 1 2 3 Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA). Mars 2020 Rover, NASA. 2015.
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