Table of Contents

MET Station – Fast Facts

The Meteorological Station has:

• 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

The Phoenix spacecraft and the Canadian components :
the lidar and the MET mast thermometers.

The science goals are 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 lidar instrument

• First time the technology is used on the surface of another planet
• Lidar stands for "light detection and ranging"
• 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

An engineering drawing of the MET mast showing the location of the three Canadian thermometers as the yellow, u-shaped devices. (Image: MET Team/CSA)

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