Mars Boundary Layer Sounding Balloon: Scientific and Technical Concept

Kurzfassung

The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group has identified measurements of the state and the vari-ability of the Martian atmosphere as high priority investi-gations for the upcoming years. Balloon-borne instruments could bridge the gap in both temporal and spatial resolu-tion in mesoscale distances between local, stationary landers and global orbiter observations. The idea to use a balloon system for such purposes is not new in essence and has been proposed already in past decades. While those concepts considered an aerial deployment during entry and descent, the concept outlined in this abstract revisits a launch off the payload deck of a lander from the Martian surface. This deployment option profits today mainly from the technological advance in micro-electronics and sensor miniaturization which enables designing a balloon-probe significantly smaller than earlier proposed systems.