MaQuIs - Mars Quantum Gravity Mission
- 1German Aerospace Center, Institute for Quantum Technologies, Ulm, Germany
- 2Delft University of Technology, Department of Space Engineering, Delft, the Netherlands
- 3Univ. of Amsterdam, Eindhoven Univ. of Technology, the Netherlands
- 4Ulm University, Institute of Microelectronics, 89081 Ulm, Germany
- 5German Aerospace Center, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany
- 6Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
- 7German Aerospace Center, Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing, Hannover, Germany
- 8Politecnico di Milano, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Milan, Italy
- 9Mantle dynamics group, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- 10Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
- 11European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
With MaQuIs we propose a mission to investigate the gravitational field of Mars. Observing the gravitational field over time yields information about the planets tectonic lithoshphere, mass distribution, and composition. Consequently, this mission allows to study static and dynamic processes on and under the surface of Mars, including phenomena such as melting cycles and tectonic activity.
MaQuIs will deploy quantum mechanical means to measure Mars gravitational field with the highest precision yet. In addition, the nature of the proposed instrumentation achieves high sensitivities without needing more complex satellite constellations. As such, MaQuIs follows successful missions for the Earth and Moon, extending the technology to Mars.
In this presentation we will outline the expected scientific merit and explain the underlying technology and planned configuration of the mission.
How to cite: Woerner, L., Root, B., Bouyer, P., Braxmaier, C., Dirkx, D., Encarnacao, J., Hauber, E., Hussmann, H., Karatekin, O., Koch, A., Kumanchik, L., Migliaccio, F., Reguzzoni, M., Ritter, B., Schilling, M., Schubert, C., Thieulot, C., von Klitzing, W., and Witasse, O.: MaQuIs - Mars Quantum Gravity Mission, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2676, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2676, 2023.
