The ExoMars 2016 mission blasted off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome atop a Proton-M rocket at 02:31 a.m. PDT (05:31 a.m. EDT, 09:31 a.m. GMT, 10:31 a.m. CET) on Monday, March 14, 2016.
ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli module. Image credit: ESA.
The ExoMars program (takes its name from the term ‘exobiology’, the study of life beyond Earth) is a joint endeavor between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos.
The primary goal of the ExoMars program is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.
The program comprises two missions: ExoMars 2016 and ExoMars 2018.
The first consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.
The second is planned for launch in 2018 and comprises a rover and surface science platform. The rover that will carry a drill and a suite of instruments dedicated to exobiology and geochemistry research (TGO will act as a relay for the 2018 mission).
The total launch mass of ExoMars 2016 is 4,332 kg, including fuel.
The TGO mass is 3,732 kg (including 112 kg of science payload) and Schiaparelli is 600 kg.
The main body of TGO is 3.5 x 2 x 2 m, with solar arrays that span 17.5 m. Schiaparelli measures about 1.65 m across and roughly 2.4 m across when inside its heat shield.
TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes on Mars.
TGO has four suites of science instruments: ACS (Atmospheric Chemistry Suite), CaSSIS (Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System), FREND (Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector) and NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery).
ACS and NOMAD, comprising three spectrometers each and covering complementary wavelengths, are charged with taking a detailed inventory of Mars’ atmospheric trace gases, and will monitor seasonal changes in the atmosphere’s composition and temperature in order to create detailed atmospheric models. The instruments also have the capability to detect minor atmospheric constituents that may exist but have yet to be detected.
To complement these measurements, CaSSIS will image and characterize features on the Martian surface that may be related to trace-gas sources such as volcanoes.
Meanwhile, FREND will map subsurface hydrogen to a depth of one meter to reveal deposits of water-ice hidden just below the surface, which, along with locations identified as sources of the trace gases, could influence the choice of landing sites of future missions.
Schiaparelli will test key technologies in preparation for ESA’s contribution to subsequent missions to Mars.
The module is expected to operate on the surface of Mars for a few days. In addition, it will collect data during its six-minute descent through the atmosphere.
For example, AMELIA will take measurements using the spacecraft engineering sensors, while COMARS+ will monitor the pressure, surface temperature and heat flux on the back cover of Schiaparelli as it passes through the atmosphere. In addition, a descent camera (DECA) will image the landing site as it approaches the surface.
On the surface the DREAMS (Dust Characterization, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyzer on the Martian Surface) package comes into play. It consists of a suite of sensors to measure the wind speed and direction (MetWind), humidity (DREAMS-H), pressure (DREAMS-P), atmospheric temperature close to the surface (MarsTem), the transparency of the atmosphere (Solar Irradiance Sensor, SIS), and atmospheric electrification (Atmospheric Radiation and Electricity Sensor; MicroARES).
Schiaparelli will obtain the first measurements of electric fields on the Martian surface that, combined with measurements of the concentration of atmospheric dust, will provide new insights into the role of electric forces on dust lifting, the trigger for dust storms.
A compact array of laser retroreflectors is also attached to Schiaparelli, which can be used as a target for future Mars orbiters to laser-locate the module.
