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Mastcam-Z is a multispectral, stereoscopic imaging investigation on the Mars 2020 mission’s Perseverance rover. Mastcam-Z consists of a pair of focusable, 4:1 zoomable cameras that provide broadband red/green/blue and narrowband 400-1000 nm color imaging with fields of view from 25.6° × 19.2° (26 mm focal length at 283 μrad/pixel) to 6.2° × 4.6° (110 mm focal length at 67.4 μrad/pixel). The cameras can resolve (≥ 5 pixels) ∼0.7 mm features at 2 m and ∼3.3 cm features at 100 m distance. Mastcam-Z shares significant heritage with the Mastcam instruments on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. Each Mastcam-Z camera consists of zoom, focus, and filter wheel mechanisms and a 1648 × 1214 pixel charge-coupled device detector and electronics. The two Mastcam-Z cameras are mounted with a 24.4 cm stereo baseline and 2.3° total toe-in on a camera plate ∼2 m above the surface on the rover’s Remote Sensing Mast, which provides azimuth and elevation actuation. A separate digital electronics assembly inside the rover provides power, data processing and storage, and the interface to the rover computer. Primary and secondary Mastcam-Z calibration targets mounted on the rover top deck enable tactical reflectance calibration. Mastcam-Z multispectral, stereo, and panoramic images will be used to provide detailed morphology, topography, and geologic context along the rover’s traverse; constrain mineralogic, photometric, and physical properties of surface materials; monitor and characterize atmospheric and astronomical phenomena; and document the rover’s sample extraction and caching locations. Mastcam-Z images will also provide key engineering information to support sample selection and other rover driving and tool/instrument operations decisions.

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) was launched to Mars in the summer of 2020, and is the first interplanetary spacecraft mission undertaken by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The mission has multiple programmatic and scientific objectives, including the return of scientifically useful information about Mars. Three science instruments on the mission’s Hope Probe will make global remote sensing measurements of the Martian atmosphere from a large low-inclination orbit that will advance our understanding of atmospheric variability on daily and seasonal timescales, as well as vertical atmospheric transport and escape. The mission was conceived and developed rapidly starting in 2014, and had aggressive schedule and cost constraints that drove the design and implementation of a new spacecraft bus. A team of Emirati and American engineers worked across two continents to complete a fully functional and tested spacecraft and bring it to the launchpad in the middle of a global pandemic. EMM is being operated from the UAE and the United States (U.S.), and will make its data freely available.

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) – Hope Probe – was developed to understand Mars atmospheric circulation, dynamics, and processes through characterization of the Mars atmosphere layers and its interconnections enabled by a unique high-altitude (19,970 km periapse and 42,650 km apoapse) low inclination orbit that will offer an unprecedented local and seasonal time coverage over most of the planet. EMM has three scientific objectives to (A) characterize the state of the Martian lower atmosphere on global scales and its geographic, diurnal and seasonal variability, (B) correlate rates of thermal and photochemical atmospheric escape with conditions in the collisional Martian atmosphere, and (C) characterize the spatial structure and variability of key constituents in the Martian exosphere. The EMM data products include a variety of spectral and imaging data from three scientific instruments measuring Mars at visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths and contemporaneously and globally sampled on both diurnal and seasonal timescale. Here, we describe our strategies for addressing each objective with these data in addition to the complementary science data, tools, and physical models that will facilitate our understanding. The results will also fill a unique role by providing diagnostics of the physical processes driving atmospheric structure and dynamics, the connections between the lower and upper atmospheres, and the influences of these on atmospheric escape.

We explore a sequence of 13 unique high‐cadence images of a dust storm, from the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM). The Emirates eXploration Imager camera took these images in less than 8 hr on 18 December 2022 (Martian Year 36, solar longitude 356°). Most of these images are separated by a time difference of half an hour. The region of interest extends from Lyot crater to the east. During the morning, the EMM images show lee waves (atmospheric gravity waves). In the late morning, the lee waves rapidly change into clearly distinct dust storm texture/convective features. We track the evolution of both lee waves and a local dust storm between sunrise and mid‐afternoon. Also, we relate our observations to atmospheric dynamics. Our analysis is supported by the Mars Climate Database and radio occultation measurement data. Plain Language Summary The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) has an on‐board camera, whose images from 18 December 2022 show a dust storm near Lyot crater (a large crater in the northern hemisphere of Mars). An image was taken almost every half an hour. In total, this gave 13 camera images in less than 8 hr. This number of images in such a short time is unique. The images reveal clouds which form straight lines during the morning. Such straight clouds are known as “lee wave clouds.” In the late morning, the lee waves disappear quickly and a quite different dust cloud appears. The latter is a dust storm which grows quickly. We follow the lee waves and dust storm from sunrise to mid‐afternoon. Also, we put our observations into the context of physical processes in the Mars atmosphere. Our work is supported by external data and measurements. That is to say data from the Mars Climate Database and radio occultation measurements. Key Points The Emirates Mars Mission provided thirteen (sub‐)hourly images; they show variations in clouds and atmospheric dust on 18 December 2022 The image sequence tracks the evolution of both lee waves and a local dust storm between sunrise and mid‐afternoon, near Lyot Crater We relate our observations to atmospheric dynamics, supported by the Mars Climate Database and radio occultation measurements

The Emirates Mars Mission Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS) will provide remote measurements of the martian surface and lower atmosphere in order to better characterize the geographic and diurnal variability of key constituents (water ice, water vapor, and dust) along with temperature profiles on sub-seasonal timescales. EMIRS is a FTIR spectrometer covering the range from 6.0-100+ μm (1666-100 cm −1 ) with a spectral sampling as high as 5 cm −1 and a 5.4-mrad IFOV and a 32.5×32.5 mrad FOV. The EMIRS optical path includes a flat 45° pointing mirror to enable one degree of freedom and has a +/- 60° clear aperture around the nadir position which is fed to a 17.78-cm diameter Cassegrain telescope. The collected light is then fed to a flat-plate based Michelson moving mirror mounted on a dual linear voice-coil motor assembly. An array of deuterated L-alanine doped triglycine sulfate (DLaTGS) pyroelectric detectors are used to sample the interferogram every 2 or 4 seconds (depending on the spectral sampling selected). A single 0.846 μm laser diode is used in a metrology interferometer to provide interferometer positional control, sampled at 40 kHz (controlled at 5 kHz) and infrared signal sampled at 625 Hz. The EMIRS beamsplitter is a 60-mm diameter, 1-mm thick 1-arcsecond wedged chemical vapor deposited diamond with an antireflection microstructure to minimize first surface reflection. EMIRS relies on an instrumented internal v-groove blackbody target for a full-aperture radiometric calibration. The radiometric precision of a single spectrum (in 5 cm −1 mode) is <3.0×10 −8 W cm −2  sr −1 /cm −1 between 300 and 1350 cm −1 over instrument operational temperatures (<∼0.5 K NE Δ T @ 250 K). The absolute integrated radiance error is < 2% for scene temperatures ranging from 200-340 K. The overall EMIRS envelope size is 52.9×37.5×34.6 cm and the mass is 14.72 kg including the interface adapter plate. The average operational power consumption is 22.2 W, and the standby power consumption is 18.6 W with a 5.7 W thermostatically limited, always-on operational heater. EMIRS was developed by Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University in collaboration with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre with Arizona Space Technologies developing the electronics. EMIRS was integrated, tested and radiometrically calibrated at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

The Emirates Mars Mission carries the Emirates eXploration Imager instrument, which captured hourly images on 15 and 24 September 2024. That is equivalent to Martian Year 37, solar longitude 329° and 335°, respectively. These observations recorded two nearly identical dust storms in the Amazonis/Arcadia region. We analyze the hour‐by‐hour evolution of both dust storms, using seven to eight unique images each. We track the onset and growth of the dust storms from around 10 through 16 local true solar time. We also analyze nearby water‐ice clouds and discuss large‐scale meteorological conditions. Both dust storms start in late morning, in or near the warm sector of a low pressure system. There is no evidence that the dust storms form directly on the associated cold front. There are different scenarios how dust storms form and develop. We show a specific scenario for two dust storms.

The Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) on-board the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) offers both regional and global imaging capabilities for studies of the Martian atmosphere. EXI is a framing camera with a field-of-view (FOV) that will easily capture the martian disk at the EMM science orbit periapsis. EXI provides 6 bandpasses nominally centered on 220, 260, 320, 437, 546, 635 nm using two telescopes (ultraviolet (UV) and visible(VIS)) with separate optics and detectors. Images of the full-disk are acquired with a resolution of 2–4 km per pixel, where the variation is driven by periapsis and apoapsis points of the orbit, respectively. By combining multiple observations within an orbit with planetary rotation, EXI is able to provide diurnal sampling over most of the planet on the scale of 10 days. As a result, the EXI dataset allows for the delineation of diurnal and seasonal timescales in the behavior of atmospheric constituents such as water ice clouds and ozone. This combination of temporal and spatial distinguishes EXI from somewhat similar imaging systems, including the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) (Malin et al. in Icarus 194(2):501–512, 2008 ) and the various cameras on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST; e.g., James et al. in J. Geophys. Res. 101(E8):18,883–18,890, 1996 ; Wolff et al. in J. Geophys. Res. 104(E4):9027–9042, 1999 ). The former, which has comparable spatial and spectral coverage, possesses a limited local time view (e.g., mid-afternoon). The latter, which provides full-disk imaging, has limited spatial resolution through most of the Martian year and is only able to provide (at most) a few observations per year given its role as a dedicated, queue-based astrophysical observatory. In addition to these unique attributes of the EXI observations, the similarities with other missions allows for the leveraging of both past and concurrent observations. For example, with MARCI, one can build on the ∼6 Mars years of daily global UV images as well as those taken concurrently with EXI.

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2–7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam’s science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data.

The Ingenuity Helicopter will be deployed from the Perseverance Rover for a 30-sol experimental campaign shortly after the rover lands and is commissioned. We describe the helicopter and the associated Technology Demonstration experiment it will conduct, as well as its role in informing future helicopter missions to Mars. This helicopter will demonstrate, for the first time, autonomous controlled flight of an aircraft in the Mars environment, thus opening up an aerial dimension to Mars exploration. The 1.8 kg , 1.2 m diameter helicopter, with twin rotors in a counter-rotating co-axial configuration, will help validate aerodynamics, control, navigation and operations concepts for flight in the thin Martian atmosphere. The rover supports a radio link between the helicopter and mission operators on Earth, and information returned from a planned set of five flights, each lasting up to 90 seconds, will inform the development of new Mars helicopter designs for future missions. Such designs in the 4 kg – 30 kg range would have the capability to fly many kilometers daily and carry science payloads of 1 kg – 5 kg . Small helicopters can be deployed as scouts for future rovers helping to select interesting science targets, determine optimal rover driving routes, and providing contextual high-vantage imagery. Larger craft can be operated in standalone fashion with a tailored complement of science instruments with direct-to-orbiter communication enabling wide-area operations. Other roles including working cooperatively with a central lander to provide area-wide sampling and science investigations. For future human exploration at Mars, helicopter can be employed to provide reconnaissance.

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Hope probe was launched on 20 July 2020 at 01:58 GST (Gulf Standard Time) and entered orbit around Mars on 9 Feb 2021 at 19:42 GST. The high-altitude orbit (19,970 km periapse, 42,650 km apoapse altitude, 25° inclination) with a 54.5 hour period enables a unique, synoptic, and nearly-continuous monitor of the Mars global climate. The Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS), one of three remote sensing instruments carried by Hope, is an imaging ultraviolet spectrograph, designed to investigate how conditions throughout the Mars atmosphere affect rates of atmospheric escape, and how key constituents in the exosphere behave temporally and spatially. EMUS will target two broad regions of the Mars upper atmosphere: 1) the thermosphere (100–200 km altitude), observing UV dayglow emissions from hydrogen (102.6, 121.6 nm), oxygen (130.4, 135.6 nm), and carbon monoxide (140–170 nm) and 2) the exosphere (above 200 km altitude), observing bound and escaping hydrogen (121.6 nm) and oxygen (130.4 nm). EMUS achieves high sensitivity across a wavelength range of 100–170 nm in a single optical channel by employing “area-division” or “split” coatings of silicon carbide (SiC) and aluminum magnesium fluoride (Al+MgF 2 ) on each of its two optical elements. The EMUS detector consists of an open-face (windowless) microchannel plate (MCP) stack with a cesium iodide (CsI) photocathode and a photon-counting, cross-delay line (XDL) anode that enables spectral-spatial imaging. A single spherical telescope mirror with a 150 mm focal length provides a 10.75° field of view along two science entrance slits, selectable with a rotational mechanism. The high and low resolution (HR, LR) slits have angular widths of 0.18° and 0.25° and spectral widths of 1.3 nm and 1.8 nm, respectively. The spectrograph uses a Rowland circle design, with a toroidally-figured diffraction grating with a laminar groove profile and a ruling density of 936 gr mm −1 providing a reciprocal linear dispersion of 2.65 nm mm −1 . The total instrument mass is 22.3 kg, and the orbit-average power is less than 15 W.