PINO MODOLA / GENOA
Alenia Spazio has begun development of the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) to map underground water and ice, and study layered terrain. The radar will equip the Mars Express satellite due to be launched in June next year by the European Space Agency.
Alenia Spazio is also responsible for the assembly, integration and testing of the Mars Express, and the definition and supply of ground support equipment.
MARSIS, weighing 12kg (26lb) including the antenna and processing unit, will deploy a 40m (130ft)- long antenna as it reaches orbit around Mars, from where it will direct low-frequency, 1.3-5.5MHz, signals at the planet surface.
During the first 100 days, MARSIS will study the ionosphere and calibrate instruments. For the following 200 days, it will observe the south polar cap and the surrounding layered terrain, previously identified by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.
Later, ground-penetrating signals will build a three-dimensional picture of the planet's upper crust. Water up to 5,000m below the surface will be identified by comparing echoes from two simultaneous ground-penetrating frequencies.
In daylight, MARSIS will study the ionosphere's electron density, quantifying the effect of solar wind.
Source: Flight International
