Mission to Mars finalist includes atmospheric instrument

Proposal under consideration for 2007 Mars Scout mission

By Nicolle Wahl

A Mars mission proposal incorporating an atmospheric
instrument developed at the University of Toronto is one
of the four finalists that will be considered for the
2007 Mars Scout mission, NASA announced last Thursday.

The proposal, called the MARs Volcanic Emissions and Life
Scout (MARVEL), includes a Canadian atmospheric imaging
instrument called MICA. The Mars Imager for Clouds and
Aerosol is a multi-band imaging camera that will support
the search for evidence of life and active volcanism
through a sensitive survey of the atmosphere.

U of T physics professor James Drummond, who is the
principal investigator on the MICA instrument, is excited
about the opportunity to survey the Mars atmosphere. “The
Pathfinder mission revealed a Mars atmosphere rich in
cloud and dust,” says Drummond. “MICA will record images
of cloud and dust using the light available during a
Martian sunset. In addition to showing us the full glory
of a Mars sunset, these images will give us information
about cloud layers important for understanding the water
cycle on Mars.”

The MARVEL mission is headed by Mark Allen of NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and its goal is to detect evidence
of life and active volcanism through a sensitive survey
of the atmosphere. MICA was developed by a consortium of
Canadian universities and industrial partners including
the universities of Toronto, Waterloo, New Brunswick,
York University and COM DEV Ltd.

Researcher Vicky Hipkin is a U of T physicist and a
MICA co-investigator. “Our present success reflects
international recognition of the valuable contribution
Canada can make to the Mars Exploration Program,” says
Hipkin. “MICA has been evaluated alongside top U.S.
proposals and has been selected against extremely stiff
competition for the excellence of its science and
engineering.”

A finalist from the four Mars mission proposals will be
chosen after each undergoes six months of study. The 2007
Mars Scout mission is designed to be a highly targeted,
low-cost mission to search for detailed answers to
questions raised by the last decade of Mars exploration.

[Nicolle Wahl is a news services officer with the
department of public affairs.]