Mars Microsatellite Mission

1
Mars Micro-satellite Mission

• Japanese micro-satellite mission to Mars to study
  the plasma environment and the solar wind
  interaction with a weakly-magnetized planet
• in response to Call for ideas of additional
  payload in Phobos-Soil mission for the
  investigation of Mars

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Motivation

• Nozomi (Japanese Mars Orbiter) had to give up its
  injection into orbit around Mars due to
  unrecoverable malfunction.
• No other spacecraft has performed the original
  scientific objectives of Nozomi. Therefore,
  numerous scientific questions are still
  unresolved.

• Recent discoveries of water on Mars surface
  increase our interest in the atmospheric
  evolution and the loss process.
• Existence of the crustal magnetic field provides
  a unique situation of the space plasma phenomena.

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Mission Scenario

• A micro-satellite for Mars orbiter will be
  developed in Japan so that it can fit for the
  additional payload zone on Phobos main bus.

• After arriving at Mars, the micro-satellite will
  be separated from the mother ship at the Martian
  orbit, and it starts observing the upper
  atmosphere, ionosphere and the interaction region
  with the solar wind.

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Scientific Objectives - 1

• The solar wind interaction with mini
  magnetosphere
• The interaction with a weakly-magnetized planet
• Reconnection, particle acceleration
• Magnetospheric convection
• Induced atmospheric escape
• Atmospheric (plasma) escape
• Potential influence on the atmospheric
  evolution
• Comparative study with the escape from Earth
• Diversity of the escape process and the flux
  variation
• Where did the atmospheric particle go?

5
Scientific Objectives - 2

• Dynamics and structure of the ionosphere
• Potential role of the crustal magnetic field
• Altitude profile of Ne and Ni, and a role of the
  heat flux
• Hole, cloud, streamer, tail ray exist?
• Ion pickup and magnetotail
• Quantitative measurement of pickup ions
• Asymmetric distribution of energetic ions and
  the ionospheric plasma
• Acceleration of escaping ions in the
  magnetotail
• Ionopause
• Pressure balance
• Momentum transfer and convection
• Role of plasma wave in the mass loading
• Turbulence, K-H instability

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Scientific instruments
7
Core Institute and Member
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Spacecraft configuration and orbit

• Planned Orbit (To be revised)
• Elliptical orbit (lt4000 km x 80000 km from Mars
  center) Preferable to reduce the periapsis height
  below 300 km for the observation of Mars
  ionosphere
• Inclination TBD (depends on the orbit control
  ability) Preferable a mid-inclination orbit for
  the crustal magnetic field observation
• Mission life gt 1 Mars year
• Baseline Configuration (To be revised)
• Spinning platform
• Control system for orbit and attitude maneuvers
• Telemetry link with mother spacecraft by
  omni-directional antenna (Downlink via main bus)
• Two booms for magnetometer and thermal plasma
  measurement
• Two pairs of antenna for plasma wave measurement