1,1,1,1,2,3,4,- 1Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA), Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain (rrodvel@inta.es)
- 2Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA.
- 3NASA Godard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
- 4Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC). Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid. Spain.
- 5Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHV, Bilbao. Spain.
- 6Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Aerosols on Mars are a primary element for studying the interaction between the solar radiation and the atmosphere and surface. Depending on properties such as aerosol number density, particle radius, or refractive index, the aerosols can provide positive or negative radiative feedbacks on the atmospheric dynamics. Previous studies have revealed large temporal and spatial variability in the aerosol optical properties, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring throughout the day and at multiple locations. To address these measurements, the Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS) [1] was included as part of the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) [2] payload onboard the Perseverance rover of the Mars 2020 mission. The RDS instrument is composed of two sets of eight photodiodes (RDS-DP) and a sky-pointed camera (RDS-SkyCam). One set, oriented toward the zenith, captures radiation from 190 to 1200 nm, while the other, inclined 20° above the horizon at 45° azimuthal intervals, samples a single wavelength. The analysis of these observations, through a radiative transfer model [3], allows for the retrieval of key aerosol parameters such as aerosol opacity at different wavelengths (Figure 1) and particle radius (Figure 2). However, the continuous deposition of dust over the sensors [4], since the beginning of the mission, introduces modifications in their optical response. In particular, the zenith-pointed photodiodes require angular response calibration due to the progressive accumulation of dust on their optical surfaces. This calibration is essential to ensure the accuracy of aerosol property retrievals and the reliability of long-term atmospheric monitoring. Here, we present the ongoing development of our radiative transfer model for signal calibration, incorporating dust deposition corrections, along with preliminary results from the analysis of the initial sols of the Mars 2020 mission.
Figure 1. Retrieved aerosol optical depth at 650nm from sols 60 to 115, simulated using signals from MEDA-RDS TOPs 4, 5, 6, and 8 between 08:00–10:00 and 15:00–17:00 LTST.
Figure 2. Retrieved dust effective radius from sols 60 to 115, simulated using signals from MEDA-RDS TOPs 4, 5, 6, and 8 between 08:00–10:00 and 15:00–17:00 LTST.
[1] Apestigue, V., et al. “Radiation and Dust Sensor for Mars Environmental Dynamic Analyzer Onboard M2020 Rover”. Sensor 22.8 (2022): 2907.
[2] Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose Antonio, et al. “The Mars Enviromental Dynamics Analyzer, MEDA. A suite of enviromental sensors for the Mars 2020 mission.”Space science reviews 217.3 (2021): 1-86.
[3] Toledo, D., et al. “Measurement of aerosol optical depth and sub-visual cloud detection using the optical depth sensor (ODS)”. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9.2 (2016): 455-467.
[4] Vicente-Retortillo, A., et al. “Dust Accumulation and Lifting at the Landing Site of the Mars 2020 Mssion, Jezero Crater, as Observed From MEDA.” Geophysical Research Letters 51 (2024).
How to cite: Rodriguez-Veloso, R., Toledo, D., Apestigue, V., Arruego, I., Lemmon, M. T., Smith, M. D., Martínez, G. M., Vicente-Retortillo, Á., Jiménez-Martín, J. J., García-Menéndez, E., Viudez-Moreiras, D., Sanchéz-Lavega, A., de la Torre-Juárez, M., and Rodríguez-Manfredi, J. A.: Aerosol optical properties observed by MEDA Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS) at Jezero Crater, Mars, EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025, Helsinki, Finland, 7–12 Sep 2025, EPSC-DPS2025-680, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-680, 2025.
