ExoMars – WISDOM Field-Test Data Processed with Automatic Pipeline

The ExoMars Rover instrument WISDOM (“Water Ice and Subsurface Deposit Observations on Mars”) is a ground penetrating radar (GPR) designed to investigate the shallow subsurface of Oxia Planum, the ExoMars mission’s designated landing site. Using a frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 3.0 GHz the electromagnetic waves penetrate the subsurface via a wideband antenna assembly. The achieved penetration depth is at least three meters, with a depth resolution of a few centimeters. The dual-polarimetric design of the antenna allows to measure four different channels during probing the Mars soil.

The WISDOM radar will give access to the geological structure, electromagnetic nature, and possibly hydrological state of the shallow subsurface by retrieving the layering and properties of the buried reflectors. A short-term subsurface analysis will support the tight schedules of the rover operations both for science and drill operations in finding places of high scientific interest and low risk.

In order to achieve these short times for decision making the incoming data at the remote operation control center (ROCC) will be automatically processed through a predefined pipeline. The processing is written in Python, which uses a self-developed framework. The basic process consists of a chain of filters that produces several radargrams at different states of processing. Further, it prepares the data for storage in PDS4 format for long-term archiving.

In this work, automatic processing is introduced and results of processed measurement data acquired during a WISDOM field test in Svalbard are presented.