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ExoMars is a space mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos. ExoMars is synonymous with exobiology on Mars: for the first time since the 1970s, active research is being conducted on life on Mars. Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) detects what's called trace gases, including methane and their sources, while the ExoMars program as a whole (combining TGO and a rover, Rosalind Franklin, which should be launched next year) will study how water and the geochemical environment has changed over time.
The Surface Color and Stereo Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) was developed by an international team led by Professor Nicolas Thomas of the Center for Space and habitability (CSH) of the University of Bern. The TGO was launched three years ago today, March 14, 2016. She arrived on Mars on October 19 of that year and spent more than a year demonstrating the braking technique. aerobically necessary to reach its scientific orbit, starting its first mission at the end of April 2018.
Hello, InSight
Among a new showcase of CaSSIS images, one finds an image of NASA's InSight lander – the first time that a European instrument identifies a lander on the red planet. InSight arrived on Mars November 26, 2018 to study the interior of the planet. The images of the LG have already been returned by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, it's the first images of TGO.
The panchromatic image was captured by CaSSIS on March 2, 2019 and covers an area of about 2.25 x 2.25 km. At that time, InSight was pumping a probe into the surface to measure heat from inside the planet. The CaSSIS view shows InSight as a slightly brighter spot in the center of the dark spot created when the LG drew its retro rockets just before landing in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars and disrupted the dust of area. The heat shield released just before landing is also visible on the edge of a crater, as well as the bottom used to protect the undercarriage during descent.
"The TGO is used to relay the data from InSight to Earth," said Nicolas Thomas, senior researcher at CaSSIS, University of Bern. "Because of this function, to avoid uncertainties in communications, we had not been able to direct the camera to the landing site.We had to wait for the landing site have passed directly under the probe to obtain this image. "
CaSSIS should provide additional support to the InSight team by observing the surface of Mars in the vicinity. If the seismometer picks up a signal, the source may be a meteorite impact. One of CaSSIS 'tasks will be to facilitate the search for the impact site, which will allow the InSight team to better constrain Mars' internal properties near the landing site.
The InSight image also shows that CaSSIS will be able to take pictures of the future ExoMars mission. The mission includes a rover – named Rosalind Franklin – and a surface science platform. Its launch is scheduled for July 2020 and its arrival on Mars in March 2021. TGO will also serve as data relay for the rover.
Scientific showcase
We also publish today a selection of images illustrating the impressive scientific capabilities of CaSSIS: high-resolution views of curious surface features and images highlighting the diversity of surface minerals, 3D stereoscopic views and terrain models digital. The images were produced by teams from the University of Bern, the University of Arizona and INAF-Padua.
Selected images include detailed views of polar stratified deposits, the dynamic nature of dunes, and the surface effects of converging dust devils. Stereoscopic images bring scenes to life by providing additional insight into elevation differences, which is essential for deciphering the story in which different layers and repositories have been deposited.
Composite color images are processed to better highlight the contrast of surface features. Combined with data from other instruments, this allows scientists to identify areas that have been influenced by water, for example. These images can also be used to guide surface exploration missions and provide a broader regional context for landers and rovers.
"The image of the landing site InSight is only one of the many very high quality images we have received. Those of the ESA gallery represent one of the best in recent years, digital terrain models also look good, "said Nicolas Thomas.
"This amazing showcase of images truly demonstrates the scientific potential we have with the TGO imaging system," said Håkan Svedhem, a scientist with TGO's ESA project. "During the mission, we will be able to study dynamic surface processes, including those that could also contribute to limiting the inventory of atmospheric gases analyzed by TGO spectrometers, as well as characterize future sites of interest. landing." ?
Support from SEFRI / Swiss Space Office
CaSSIS is a project of the University of Bern funded by the Swiss Office of Space through the program PRODEX of the European Space Agency. The development of the instrument material was also supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), INAF / Astronomical Observatory of Padua and the Space Research Center (CBK) in Warsaw.
It should be noted that for all instruments developed in Switzerland and under the direction of the University of Bern, significant work and / or supplies were provided by Swiss industry. The PRODEX program in which scientific instruments or subsystems are provided requires an industrial share of at least 50% of the project as a whole. This condition allows for the transfer of knowledge and technology to and from industry and gives the Swiss workplace a structural and competitive advantage, including the impact on the non-space sector of the companies concerned.
Swiss contributions to ESA programs enable Swiss scientists and industry to participate in certain missions.
Bernese space exploration: working with the world's elite for 50 years
In terms of numbers, Bern's space exploration reveals an impressive record: instruments flew 25 times in the upper atmosphere and the ionosphere with rockets (1967-1993), 9 times in the stratosphere during flights in balloon (1991-2008), 33 instruments accompanied space probes in their missions and a satellite was built (CHEOPS, beginning of the second half of 2019).
The successful work of the Department of Space Research and Planetology (WP) of the Institute of Physics of the University of Bern was consolidated by the creation of a center of academic competence: the Center for Research and Development. Space and habitability (CSH). The Swiss National Science Foundation has also awarded the University of Bern the National Research Program NRF (Planet Research Focus – NRF), which they jointly manage with the University of Geneva.
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