A Mars-Orbiting 2-Micron LIDAR System to Monitor the Density, Winds and Dust of the Atmosphere of Mars

Future robotic missions to Mars and, eventually, human missions to Mars will require landing massive spacecraft with pin point accuracy, e.g., the planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission will require pin point landing accuracy to rendezvous with the previously cached Mars samples to be returned to Earth and the first human mission to Mars, with payloads estimated to be in excess of 40 metric tons, must land very close to the cargo spacecraft that precede it on the journey to Mars. Hence, pin point entry, descent and landing (EDL) has become a major technological driver in future massive robotic and human mission to Mars [1]. To achieve pin point EDL on Mars, we must predict the atmospheric density, atmospheric winds and atmospheric dust level to an accuracy previously unobtainable. To develop an accurate and precise predictive model of the atmosphere of Mars, we propose a Mars-orbiting LIDAR system to measure/monitor the density, winds and dust in the atmosphere of Mars over two Mars years. The LIDAR measurements will be used to develop an accurate model of the atmosphere of Mars to be used for pin point EDL for future Mars missions.