The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) is an instrument on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover designed to characterize dust size and morphology, as well as surface weather.The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA): A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Rover. Tamppari, L.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; de la Torre-Juárez, M.; Bridges, N.; Conrad, P. G.; Genzer, M.; Gomez, F.; Gomez-Elvira, J.; Harri, A. M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martinez, G.; Navarro, S.; Newman, C. E.; Perez-Hoyos, S.; Prieto, O.; Ramos, M.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Schofield, J. T.; Smith, M. D. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2015, abstract #P11B-2097Mars 2020 - MEDA Specifications. NASA, 2016. This information is intended to inform future human exploration objectives, as dust sizes and shapes, daily weather reports, and information on radiation and wind patterns on Mars are critical for proper design of in situ resource utilization systems. MEDA is a follow-on project from REMS of the Curiosity rover mission, with a larger scope.
The instrument suite was developed and provided by the Spanish Astrobiology Center at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid, Spain. On April 8, 2021, NASA reported the first MEDA weather report on Mars: for April 3–4, 2021, the high was "minus-7.6 degrees, and a low of minus-117.4 degrees ... [winds] gusting to ... 22 mph".
Scientific team members The Principal Investigator is José Antonio Rodríguez Manfredi and the Deputy Principal Investigator is Manuel de la Torre Juarez (JPL-NASA).
List of coinvestigators and their affiliations: Nathan Bridges Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, MarylandOlga Prieto-Ballesteros Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, SpainPamela Conrad NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MarylandMiguel Ramos Universidad de Alcala de Henares Madrid, SpainJavier Gomez-Elvira Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, SpainAlfonso Saiz-Lopez Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Instituto de Quimica Fisica Rocasolano Madrid, SpainFelipe Gomez-Gomez Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, SpainAgustin Sanchez-Lavega Universidad del Pais Vasco UPV/EHU Bilbao, Biscay, SpainAri-Matti Harri Ilmatieteen Laitos Helsinki, FinlandJohn SchofieldNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, CaliforniaMark LemmonTexas A & M College Station, TexasEduardo Sebastian Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, SpainGerman Martinez University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MichiganMichael Smith NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MarylandSara Navarro Lopez Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain Leslie Tamppari NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California Claire Newman Aeolis Research Pasadena, California
Overview
Dust dominates Mars' weather the way that water dominates Earth's weather. Martian weather cannot be predicted unless dust behavior is studied and understood in the weather context.MEDA, THE ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS ANALYZER FOR MARS 2020 (PDF). J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, M. de la Torre, J. S. Boland, et al. 3rd International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions (2016). MEDA is a suite of environmental sensors designed to record dust optical properties and six atmospheric parameters: wind speed/direction, pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature, and radiation (UV, visible, and IR ranges of the spectrum).Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA). Mars 2020 Rover, NASA. 2015.
The technology used on MEDA was inherited from the REMS package operating on the Curiosity rover and the TWINS package on InSight lander. The sensors are located on the rover's mast and on the deck, front and interior of the rover's body. It records data whether the rover is active or not, at both day and night. The instruments will collect data for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.
Parameter Performance/units Mass Power Max 17 watts Data return ≈11 megabytes Temperature accuracy: 5 K resolution: 0.1 K Relative humidity accuracy of 10% in the 200-323 K range Pressure Range: 1 to 1150 Pa accuracy: 20 Pa resolution: 0.5 Pa Radiation eight upward looking photodiodes: • 255 +/– 5 nm for the O3 • 295 +/– 5 nm for the O3 • 250–400 nm for total UV • 450±40 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration • 650 +/– 25 nm for SuperCam cross-calibration • 880 +/–5 nm for MastCam-Z cross-calibration • 950 +/– 50 nm for NIR • one panchromatic (300-1000 nm) filter Wind accuracy: 2 m/sec resolution: 0.5 m/sec
Components
See also Martian soil (aka regolith) Atmosphere of Mars Materials Adherence Experiment (1996 Mars dust experiment on Mars Pathfinder)
References
External links Mars 2020 Home site