In-House Developed Trace Humidity Sensors for Measurement of Martian Atmospheric Humidity

Kurzfassung

The accurate quantification of atmospheric humidity on Mars is of vital importance in understanding the Martian climate and in the search for life on Mars. Relative humidity (r.h.) sensors currently deployed on the Martian surface are able to accurately measure down to a few % r.h. [1,2]. Typically this enables measurement of absolute water content of the atmosphere at cooler temperatures, however makes it challenging during the daytime or in warmer or drier regions. To build a full picture of the atmospheric water distribution and variability it is therefore necessary to incorporate trace humidity sensors, working at low relative humidity, into Martian landers or rovers. A trace humidity sensor, including a patented coating [3], has been developed at PASLAB in the Planetary Laboratories group at the DLR, Berlin. The sensor exhibits excellent accuracy at low humidity levels (range 0.3 to 300ppmV) [5] and reasonable reaction times. Tests are underway to fully explore the potential of the sensors under Martian atmospheric conditions. In this contribution we will show the first results with CO2.