Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Lorenz, Ralph D.
• Nakamura, Yosio
• Murphy, James R.

Titel

Viking‐2 Seismometer Measurements on Mars: PDS Data Archive and Meteorological Applications

Ist Teil von

• Earth and space science (Hoboken, N.J.), 2017-11, Vol.4 (11), p.681-688

Ort / Verlag

Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Wiley Online Library Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• A data product has been generated and archived on the NASA Planetary Data System (Geosciences Node), which presents the seismometer readings of Viking Lander 2 in an easy‐to‐access form, for both the raw (“high rate”) waveform records and the compressed (“event mode”) amplitude and frequency records. In addition to the records themselves, a separate summary file for each instrument mode lists key statistics of each record together with the meteorological measurements made closest in time to the seismic record. This juxtaposition facilitates correlation of the seismometer instrument response to different meteorological conditions, or the selection of seismic data during which wind disturbances can be expected to be small. We summarize data quality issues and also discuss lander‐generated seismic signals, due to operation of the sampling arm or other systems, which may be of interest for prospective missions to other bodies. We review wind‐seismic correlation, the “Martian solar day (sol) 80” candidate seismic event, and identify the seismic signature of a probable dust devil vortex on sol 482 : the seismometer data allow an estimate of the peak wind, occurring between coarsely spaced meteorology measurements. We present code to generate the plots in this paper to illustrate use of the data product. Plain Language Summary The only seismic data from Mars, from the Viking‐2 lander, has been made available in an easy‐to‐access Web archive, integrated with weather data, which helps to correlate the two and to identify the signature of wind in the seismic record. This will be of use to understand data from future missions, and in fact provides new insights into Martian weather in its own right. We even use the better sampled seismic data to determine the brief peak wind in a dust devil, which occurred between Viking's meteorological measurements on the 482nd day of its mission. We also provide computer code to allow new investigators to easily explore the data. Key Points New Viking PDS data product combines seismology and meteorology readings Facilitates selection of seismic data when wind is (probably) calm Correlation of wind and seismic data is noted, and probable dust devil is identified