Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Simulation of the Martian dust aerosol at low wind speeds

2002; American Geophysical Union; Volume: 107; Issue: E12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1029/2001je001807

2156-2202

J. P. Merrison, Preben Bertelsen, Cathrine Frandsen, P. Gunnlaugsson, J. M. Knudsen, S L Lunt, M. B. Madsen, L. A. Mossin, Jørgen Feldbæk Nielsen, P. Nørnberg, K. R. Rasmussen, E. Uggerhøj,

Astro and Planetary Science

Performing realistic simulations is crucial for developing, testing, and subsequently analyzing results of experiments sent to the surface of Mars. A wind tunnel has been constructed, in which the atmospheric conditions of pressure and wind speed are controlled to match those observed by the Pathfinder mission to Mars. Injection into the wind tunnel of an analogue dust from Salten Skov in Denmark allows simulation of the Martian aerosol. Here experiments can be tested in preparation for a planned mission to the planet (Mars Exploration Rovers to be launched in 2003). Observations of adhesion and cohesion effects have been made in the wind tunnel, which are relevant to particle transport and of significance for validating the performance of specific experiments on Mars. Preliminary studies have been made, at Mars atmospheric pressure, of dust capture on magnet arrays similar to those flown on the Mars Pathfinder mission.