The study of the causes of the Martian dust drill, the speed of which often reaches 60-80 kilometers per hour, is of great importance for scientists. And monitoring their intensity allows to determine when and where to put the spacecraft on the surface of the red planet. To study atmospheric phenomena on the surface of Mars and speed of winds at NASA are going with the new lidar, which will be placed in orbit. The device will send out laser signals that are reflected from clouds and dust, can give scientists a pretty clear picture of wind speed on Mars.
The unit is called MARLI, and it is created with the use of technologies previously used when creating similar devices for exploration of the moon and mercury. A similar device developed for the study of the Earth’s atmosphere — all these devices creates Fibertek, with extensive experience in the production of such devices.
“Do MARLI is quite simple, much harder to deliver into orbit of Mars,” complain the developers of the device.
The developers note that MARLI can be upgraded. It is not excluded that such a device is the next generation of the heading to explore the wind speed on Titan, a moon of Saturn.
New lidar NASA will help to measure the wind speed on Mars
Vyacheslav Larionov