Session
Technical Session IV: Future Missions 2
Abstract
MOMENT (Magnetic Observations of Mars Enabled by Nanosatellite Technology) will obtain high-resolution maps of remnant-magnetic fields over Mars’ southern highlands. A sub-nanotesla magnetometer employed in a highly-elliptical and low-nightside-periapsis (100 km) orbit will provide greater spatial resolution and anomaly delineation than is available from Mars Global Surveyor. During the aerobraking phase of that mission, low-altitude measurements were corrupted by solar wind because they were acquired in sunlight, where solar winds interacted with the crustal-magnetic field. During the mapping phase, spatial resolution was limited to about 400 km. Improving upon these limitations, MOMENT’s mapping strategy will allow detailed studies of regional tectonics and core-dynamo history. MOMENT’s design is based on the Space Flight Laboratory’s Generic Nanosatellite Bus. Developed for the BRITE and CanX-4&5 missions, MOMENT re-uses this technology to provide a rapid and cost-effective mission. Implementation of the mission requires payload space on a larger carrier spacecraft and use of Martian communication relays to transfer information to and from Earth; MOMENT is otherwise fully autonomous. This paper describes the conceptual MOMENT mission (funded by the Canadian Space Agency) and illustrates that nanosatellite technology is a relatively-simple and cost-effective means to enhance solar system exploration.
Presentation Slides
The MOMENT Magnetic Mapping Mission Martian Science on a Nanosatellite Platform
MOMENT (Magnetic Observations of Mars Enabled by Nanosatellite Technology) will obtain high-resolution maps of remnant-magnetic fields over Mars’ southern highlands. A sub-nanotesla magnetometer employed in a highly-elliptical and low-nightside-periapsis (100 km) orbit will provide greater spatial resolution and anomaly delineation than is available from Mars Global Surveyor. During the aerobraking phase of that mission, low-altitude measurements were corrupted by solar wind because they were acquired in sunlight, where solar winds interacted with the crustal-magnetic field. During the mapping phase, spatial resolution was limited to about 400 km. Improving upon these limitations, MOMENT’s mapping strategy will allow detailed studies of regional tectonics and core-dynamo history. MOMENT’s design is based on the Space Flight Laboratory’s Generic Nanosatellite Bus. Developed for the BRITE and CanX-4&5 missions, MOMENT re-uses this technology to provide a rapid and cost-effective mission. Implementation of the mission requires payload space on a larger carrier spacecraft and use of Martian communication relays to transfer information to and from Earth; MOMENT is otherwise fully autonomous. This paper describes the conceptual MOMENT mission (funded by the Canadian Space Agency) and illustrates that nanosatellite technology is a relatively-simple and cost-effective means to enhance solar system exploration.
