The radiometric environment for Mars limb observations by the Mars Sample Return Earth Return Orbiter

After launching from the martian surface via the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), the MAV and the Orbiting Sample (OS) capsule con-taining the samples collected on Mars by the Perseverance rover are to be identified by the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) on the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) spacecraft in order to determine the exact orbit of the capsule before rendezvous. To ensure detection of the OS, noise and straylight contributions to the NAC must be well characterized. Here, we assess the radiometric environment at Mars likely to be encountered by the NAC-from the surface through the middle atmosphere-using the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard Mars Express (MEx) and the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The results show that the radiance values in general tend to increase as phase angle increases, as the season progresses from Ls = 60 degrees to Ls = 230 degrees, and as altitude decreases. We compare HRSC and MCS profiles where observing conditions were similar and find good agree-ment. At specific latitudes, high-altitude aerosols are present in 1-5% of observations and significantly increase the worst-case radiance contribution above 50 km. We construct envelope profiles from the maximum radiances at 5 km intervals from 0 to 90 km that provide important input for straylight calculations of the NAC and for the validation of models that may be used as input for straylight calculations.(c) 2023 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study assesses the radiometric environment on Mars to determine the exact orbit of the sample capsule using the Narrow Angle Camera. The results indicate that the radiance values increase with season and altitude, and high-altitude aerosols significantly impact the radiance contribution.