MMX geodesy investigations: science requirements and observation strategy

Matsumoto, Koji; Hirata, Naru; Ikeda, Hitoshi; Kouyama, Toru; Senshu, Hiroki; Yamamoto, Keiko; Noda, Hirotomo; Miyamoto, H.; Araya, Akito; Araki, Hiroshi; Kamata, Shunichi; Baresi, Nicola; Namiki, Noriyuki

doi:10.1186/s40623-021-01500-6

Cited by 14 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This is logistically challenging and entails high costs of operation. In fact, the MMX design team reserves 8 h/day for tracking, telecommanding and telemetry downlink [72]. Therefore, the complexity of the tracking system was alleviated.…”

Section: Tracking Settings Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Atom Interferometry for Enhancing the Radio Science Gravity Experiment: A Phobos Case Study

Plumaris

Dirkx²,

Siemes³

et al. 2022

Remote Sensing

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Interplanetary missions have typically relied on Radio Science (RS) to recover gravity fields by detecting their signatures on the spacecraft trajectory. The weak gravitational fields of small bodies, coupled with the prominent influence of confounding accelerations, hinder the efficacy of this method. Meanwhile, quantum sensors based on Cold Atom Interferometry (CAI) have demonstrated absolute measurements with inherent stability and repeatability, reaching the utmost accuracy in microgravity. This work addresses the potential of CAI-based Gradiometry (CG) as a means to strengthen the RS gravity experiment for small-body missions. Phobos represents an ideal science case as astronomic observations and recent flybys have conferred enough information to define a robust orbiting strategy, whilst promoting studies linking its geodetic observables to its origin. A covariance analysis was adopted to evaluate the contribution of RS and CG in the gravity field solution, for a coupled Phobos-spacecraft state estimation incorporating one week of data. The favourable observational geometry and the small characteristic period of the gravity signal add to the competitiveness of Doppler observables. Provided that empirical accelerations can be modelled below the nm/s2 level, RS is able to infer the 6 × 6 spherical harmonic spectrum to an accuracy of 0.1–1% with respect to the homogeneous interior values. If this correlates to a density anomaly beneath the Stickney crater, RS would suffice to constrain Phobos’ origin. Yet, in event of a rubble pile or icy moon interior (or a combination thereof) CG remains imperative, enabling an accuracy below 0.1% for most of the 10 × 10 spectrum. Nevertheless, technological advancements will be needed to alleviate the current logistical challenges associated with CG operation. This work also reflects on the sensitivity of the candidate orbits with regard to dynamical model uncertainties, which are common in small-body environments. This brings confidence in the applicability of the identified geodetic estimation strategy for missions targeting other moons, particularly those of the giant planets, which are targets for robotic exploration in the coming decades.

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Section: Tracking Settings Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Atom Interferometry for Enhancing the Radio Science Gravity Experiment: A Phobos Case Study

Plumaris

Dirkx²,

Siemes³

et al. 2022

Remote Sensing

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“…Given that the lander stays on the surface for only a few hours and performs sampling operations during that time, the detection of a phobosquake would be a lucky event. The mission will perform a geodetic experiment, mapping the shape of Phobos using imaging and LIDAR and combining it with Doppler radio tracking of the spacecraft to obtain gravity coefficients from which the interior can be inferred (Matsumoto et al 2021).…”

Section: Mission Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismology in the Solar System

Stähler¹,

Knapmeyer²

2022

Preprint

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“…OROCHI images will also contribute to spacecraft navigation and orbit determination, i.e., spacecraft attitude information can be obtained from the limb shape and/ or the position of landmarks. If a wide-angle OROCHI image is simultaneously taken with a narrow-angle TEN-GOO image, it provides important context information to the TENGOO image that helps shape modeling, i.e., which part of Phobos surface is imaged by TENGOO (Matsumoto et al 2021).…”

Section: Qso-hmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the shape modeling, TENGOO plans to observe Phobos at least at three different local times; before, around, and after noon, such as 9.5 h, 12.5 h, and 14.5 h. For the local times of 9.5 h and 14.5 h, TENGOO will observe Phobos surface with three different viewing angles to satisfy a better stereo condition. Therefore, during the period in which MMX will stay on the dayside of Phobos in QSO-H (16 days in Table 1), TENGOO will observe whole longitudes of Phobos and the range of ± 30° latitudes with the seven different conditions (Matsumoto et al 2021).…”

Section: Qso-hmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Science operation plan of Phobos and Deimos from the MMX spacecraft

Nakamura

Ikeda

Kouyama³

et al. 2021

Earth Planets Space

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The science operations of the spacecraft and remote sensing instruments for the Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) mission are discussed by the mission operation working team. In this paper, we describe the Phobos observations during the first 1.5 years of the spacecraft’s stay around Mars, and the Deimos observations before leaving the Martian system. In the Phobos observation, the spacecraft will be placed in low-altitude quasi-satellite orbits on the equatorial plane of Phobos and will make high-resolution topographic and spectroscopic observations of the Phobos surface from five different altitudes orbits. The spacecraft will also attempt to observe polar regions of Phobos from a three-dimensional quasi-satellite orbit moving out of the equatorial plane of Phobos. From these observations, we will constrain the origin of Phobos and Deimos and select places for landing site candidates for sample collection. For the Deimos observations, the spacecraft will be injected into two resonant orbits and will perform many flybys to observe the surface of Deimos over as large an area as possible. Graphical Abstract

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MMX geodesy investigations: science requirements and observation strategy

Cited by 14 publications

References 42 publications

Cold Atom Interferometry for Enhancing the Radio Science Gravity Experiment: A Phobos Case Study

Cold Atom Interferometry for Enhancing the Radio Science Gravity Experiment: A Phobos Case Study

Seismology in the Solar System

Science operation plan of Phobos and Deimos from the MMX spacecraft

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