The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Ground Temperature Sensor: A Pyrometer for Measuring Ground Temperature on Mars

Abstract

We describe the parameters that drive the design and modeling of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS), an instrument aboard NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, and report preliminary test results. REMS GTS is a lightweight, low-power, and low cost pyrometer for measuring the Martian surface kinematic temperature. The sensor’s main feature is its innovative design, based on a simple mechanical structure with no moving parts. It includes an in-flight calibration system that permits sensor recalibration when sensor sensitivity has been degraded by deposition of dust over the optics. This paper provides the first results of a GTS engineering model working in a Martian-like, extreme environment.

Calibration of the HP3 Radiometer on InSight

“…The dust cover is equipped with a heater and a temperature sensor and is used as a calibration target (CT). The apertures in the dust cover are smaller than field of view (FOV) of the sensors so that after opening some further calibration can take place, similar to the concept of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (Gómez‐Elvira et al, ), Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS Sebastián et al, ) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover, and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS Pérez‐Izquierdo et al, ) on the Mars 2020 rover.…”

Análisis de las condiciones ambientales en el cráter Gale a partir de mediciones REMS/MSL

“…The ground temperature sensor (GTS) is mounted on boom 1 and measures the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by the ground in the bandwidths 8-14, 15.5-19 and 14.5-15.5 μm. The GTS uses three thermopiles pointed 26° downward from the plane of the rover deck with a field of view (FOV) of 60° horizontally and 40° vertically, covering a ground area of about 100 m 2 depending on the angle between the surface and sensor (Sebastián et al, 2010). Air temperature sensors (ATS) are located on the two booms, at approximately 1.6 m height.…”

Infrared temperature measurement uncertainty for unchopped thermopile in presence of case thermal gradients

“…This makes it possible to quantify the temperature stabilisation requirements of a passive or active thermal control system. This study has its origins in the design of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS) aboard the NASA Mars Science Laboratory, an unchopped and low cost pyrometer based on three thermopiles [5].…”