Preparing for EMIRS: Utilizing TES Aerobraking Observations to Assess the Uncertainty in Measurements Due to Altering Parameters.

Thermal infrared spectra taken by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) during its aerobraking phase in combination with the data obtained by the Mars Climate Database are used here to characterize the uncertainty of the observations that will be done by the Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS), throughout various parameter changes. The TES aerobraking observations are one of the few available spacecraft datasets providing complete (or nearly complete) diurnal coverage over a range of latitudes and seasons. The diurnal and seasonal variations of uncertainty, is a key quantity to consider for the retrieval of aerosol and water ice optical depth from thermal-IR spectra. We compare the observed uncertainty of aerosol particles as a function of season (Ls), latitude, longitude and local time. This analysis will be used to guide development of retrieval algorithms for dust and water ice optical depth using observations from EMIRS thermal-IR spectrometer.

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) will launch in 2020 to explore the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere on a global scale. The EMIRS instrument is an interferometric thermal infrared spectrometer developed by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Arizona State University (ASU). It builds on a long heritage of thermal infrared spectrometers designed, built, and managed by ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility, including the TES, Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES), and the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES) instruments.