D-PERSEUS: A Drone Radar Mission to Study a Debris-Covered Glacier on Mars

Near-surface water ice in Phlegra Montes, Mars, could support human exploration and settlement. Orbital sounding radar provides strong evidence for the existence of this ice, as does morphology consistent with debris-covered glaciers. Impact excavation of these glacier-like features has exposed ice, visible in HiRISE images, but the distribution and quantity of this ice is uncertain, necessitating further evaluation for its potential to support human exploration. We are developing the Prototype Radar Sounding Experiment for Unveiling the Subsurface (PERSEUS) instrument to study debris-covered glaciers on Earth and Mars, and we propose D-PERSEUS, a mission to study a debris-covered glacier in Phlegra Montes using a drone-based Ground Penetrating Radar like this one. This mission could verify the presence of water ice in-situ and improve characterization of water ice resources, which could serve as exploratory work ahead of a potential Mars Life Explorer mission.