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Canadian Instrument

What is the weather like on a typical spring day at the edge of the polar cap of Mars? One day this might be an important question for human explorers on Mars as they decide whether to leave camp. Phoenix will be equipped with a complete meteorological station (MET) to give us our first weather reports from another planet. With a bit of help from two other instruments, the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) and the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI), the Canadian MET Station will record two to four comprehensive weather reports every day on everything from temperature, air pressure, cloud height, humidity and wind speeds. TEGA, a Phoenix instrument whose primary purpose is to analyse ice composition, will do double duty and support the MET Station by measuring the water vapour content of the atmosphere. SSI, the Phoenix surface stereo camera, will produce images of the sky.

Lidar instrument contributed by Canada (Photo: NASA)

The Canadian research team will be using for a first time on another planet a specially developed Canadian laser instrument (known as a lidar) to track the formation, duration and movements of clouds around the landing region. Scientists study clouds to understand local weather and gain glimpses of large-scale weather systems. The Phoenix team will observe clouds to learn more about weather patterns and the energy balance in the Martian atmosphere.

With all the water vapour entering the atmosphere during the Martian springtime, researchers expect to get a chance to see lots of different types of clouds. The lidar instrument will also be on the lookout for airborne dust, which can wreak havoc on spacecrafts on the ground and sometimes cover power-generating solar panels. Decked out with all these weather sensors and instruments, the Phoenix MET station not only represents a significant Canadian contribution to the exploration of Mars, it is also the first time a Canadian science instrument (and lidar technology) sets foot on another planet.

Winds on Mars (Photo: NASA)

So what's the weather like on Mars today? The forecast might call for bitter cold morning and high, thin cirrus clouds moving in by mid-day, with a chance of late afternoon dust storms blowing in at 40 km/hr. Daytime temperatures around Phoenix's landing site during its 90-day mission might be warmer than many Canadian cites can get during the heart of winter, but that's only during lazy Martian summer afternoons. Take heart though - while midday Mars highs may reach a balmy  -11 degrees Celsius, even the heartiest Canuck would skip a midnight stroll when the overnight Martian polar temperatures plummet down to a bone chilling -128 degrees Celsius.