Title: Mars Atmosphere Temperature and Humidity Sounder MATHS
1Mars Atmosphere Temperature and Humidity Sounder
(MATHS)
- Description
- Develop sub-millimeter wave (557 GHz) up-looking
radiometer prototype. - Provide Martian atmospheric observations
addressing critical questions in our
understanding of Martian climate and volatiles - Provide essential environmental data for design
of future Mars Exploration Program (MEP) landers,
rovers, and aerial platforms.
Radome
200 mm
Dimensions 200 x 100 x 75 mm
Funding Profile (K)
Technology Tasks 1.0 Instrument Design L.
Riley/386 2.0 Science Design M.
Janssen/326 3.0 Receiver Development E.
Schlecht/386 4.0 Backend Development 4.1
IF L. Riley/386 4.2 Electronics R.
Denning/386 5.0 Antenna Mechanical 5.1
Antenna L. Riley/386 5.2 Mechanical TBD/35x 6
.0 Integration Validation TBD/386
FY04-FY06 Critical Milestones FY04 System Design
Complete 5/1/04 Sub-mm Receiver
Complete 9/30/04 FY05 IF Processor Complete
4/1/05 Cal Antenna Complete 5/1/05 Mech.
Thermal Complete 5/1/05 Detector Data Sys.
Complete 8/1/05 FY06 Instrument IT Complete
3/1/06 Environmental Test Complete
6/1/06 Final Report Complete 9/30/06
2FY04 Milestones
Blue Original schedule Red Actual and revised
schedule
3Technical Accomplishments
- Major technical accomplishments for this
technology area during the last quarter - Preliminary science requirements developed
- Modifications to instrument design as proposed
- Completed optimization of the instrument system
design - Optimized frequency down conversion plan
- Defined critical RF component requirements
- Completed design of antenna optics
- Defined antenna optical prescription
- Defined antenna illumination and patterns
- Completed assembly and test of prototype 557 GHz
receiver - Collected and inventoried spare MIRO receiver
parts - Plated receiver bodies
- Assembled and tested receiver
- Began design of advanced MOnolithic
MEmbrane-Diode (MOMED) 557 GHz receiver - Began design of MATHS electronics
4Significant Events
- MATHS profiles temperature and humidity in the
PBL. Proposed requirements were reexamined in
light of MER results.
- Temperature is sounded in the 576 GHz CO line
- ? 0 6 km altitude range
- ? 2- 5 K accuracy
- ? 100 m resolution at surface
- ? 5-min time scale (change from hourly)
- Water is sounded in the 557 GHz H2O line
- 0 6 km altitude range
- 30 relative K accuracy
- 100 m resolution at surface
- 5-min time scale (change from hourly)
- Reexamination led to modifications of instrument
as proposed - Discrete elevation stepping at fewer points to
speed up data collection - Consecutive rather than concurrent sampling of
the two lines - No time saved by concurrent sampling
- Simplifies instrument (only one channel needed
instead of two) - Modeling of retrieval procedure in progress
- Atmospheric dynamics model used to generate
sample cases - Forward calculation developed
- Retrieval algorithm outlined
- Will be used to develop detailed requirements for
instrument
5Significant Events
- Completed System Design Trade-off Study
- Developed optimized system architecture
- Optimized spectral design
- Analyzed LO spectral performance to minimize line
interference - Considered 12CO, 13CO, H216O, H217O and H218O
lines. - Developed simple design to minimize mass and
power consumption - Is key to design to meet science goals and
performance requirements - System design approach
- Spectral analysis of CO and H2O lines by stepping
frequency of first local oscillator - Double down conversion with fixed second local
oscillator - Switch to provide alternate measurements of CO
and H2O lines
6Significant Events
- Antenna design completed
- Designed antenna optical prescription
- Antenna design was carried out to meet 1.5 degree
beam width requirement - A electromagnetic field analysis program was use
for simulations - Antenna design is critical to meeting MATHS
atmospheric measurement requirements - Antenna characteristics
- Antenna is 31 mm aperture 90 degree offset
parabolic reflector fed by a Pickett-Potter horn - -30 dB edge illumination gives less than 35 dB
first sidelobe levels
7Significant Events
- Completed assembly and test of brassboard 557 GHz
receiver - Completed brassboard receiver
- Collected and inventoried MIRO receiver parts
- 557 GHz mixer body and diodes
- Frequency tripler
- 140 GHz Gunn oscillator
- Subharmonic mixer
- Got agreement from MIRO Project for use of parts
- Assembled and tested mixer
- Integrated and tested receiver
- Receiver is the most challenging component of the
instrument - Test results indicate adequate performance for
breadboard instrument - Less than 6,000 K double sideband noise
temperature at relevant frequencies - More than 2.3 GHz input frequency tuning range
IF Output
Input Feedhorn
Mixer
Frequency Doubler
140 GHz Gunn Oscillator
Subharmonic Mixer
System Noise Temperature 6,000K
LO Tuning Range ³ 338 MHz
8Plans for Next Quarter
- Procure intermediate frequency components
- Complete assembly of first iteration of MOMED
mixer - Complete assembly and begin test of digital
control and bias electronics - Begin mechanical design of instrument
- Begin antenna scan mechanism design
- Begin fabrication of antenna reflector
- Procure calibration targets
9Financial Status Obligations Cost
10Financial Summary
- Development effort is on schedule
- Obligation of funds is at a rate lower than
planned - The general plan has been to focus the funding
during the first year on development of the
receiver. - Receiver development using MIRO residual parts
started late but took less time and was less
expensive that originally predicted. - With completion of the receiver, work is now
beginning to focus on other aspects of the
instrument including intermediate frequency
components, electronics and mechanical design. - It anticipated that an under run will occur this
FY but that the funding will be used for more
through test and analysis during the latter two
years of the project.
11Action Items/Issues/Concerns
- No previous review has taken place on this task.
- Re-plan will be carried out since receiver
delivery is ahead of schedule. - Intermediate frequency and electronics
development will be accelerated. - Mechanical development will be accelerated.
- More thorough testing will be carried out in the
validation phase including more measurements of
simulated Mars atmosphere