Meteorological Station – Fast Facts
The Meteorological Station had:
- A mass of 7.5 kg
- A vertical lidar instrument for probing the atmosphere
- A mast with
- Three temperature sensors at various heights
- A wind sensor known as a "telltale," which measures wind speed and direction from Aarhus University, Denmark
- Pressure sensor from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, located on an electronics box beside the MET mast
Lidar Instrument
The Phoenix spacecraft and the Canadian components : the lidar and the MET mast thermometers.
About the lidar instrument:
- First time the technology was used on the surface of another planet
- Range: up to 20 kilometres (vertical)
- Frequency of measurements: four times each Martian day, or "sol," for 15 minutes each time
- Size: 22 by 25 by 35 centimetres, about the size of a shoebox
- Mass: five kilograms
- Energy consumption: 40 Watts at peak
- Wavelengths: 532 and 1064 nanometres
The science goals were to:
- Track daily weather and seasonal changes
- Use the temperature and pressure measurements to validate atmospheric models
- Analyze structure and depth of the atmosphere close to the surface for information on:
- the location, structure and optical properties of clouds, fog and dust
- how water is cycled seasonally between ice on the ground and vapour in the atmosphere
About the meteorology mast:
- Length: 1.14 metres long
- Mass: 0.85 kilograms
- Energy consumption: five Watts
- Frequency of measurements: throughout the entire Martian day
- Date modified: