The First Observations of Deimos by the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS)

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Hope probe launched on 20 Jul 2020 and entered Mars orbit on 9 Feb 2021, carrying a payload of 3 complementary instruments to characterize the global atmosphere across the full range of altitudes (surface to exosphere) at diurnal and seasonal timescales.  The unique, high-altitude orbit of the Hope probe (19,970 km periapse, 42,650 km apoapse altitude, 25 deg inclination, 54.5-hour period) that enables its synoptic view of the red planet also brings the spacecraft across the orbit of Mars’ outermost moon, Deimos.  The Hope trajectory was slightly modified by two maneuvers in Aug 2022 and Jan 2023 that will allow the surface of Deimos to be observed in a series of flybys in Feb-Mar 2023.  Here we present preliminary results from the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS), an imaging spectrograph with a wavelength range of 100-170 nm and a field of view of 10.75 x 0.18 deg (using the high-resolution slit position).  We will derive the absolute reflectance of the surface, search for any compositionally distinct spectral features (e.g. carbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, water ice), and examine any spatial heterogeneity across the surface.