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Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)
The Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), a joint center of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas - Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (CSIC-INTA), is providing a weather monitoring station contributed by the Spanish government and to be carried by the Mars Science Laboratory rover. The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on atmospheric pressure, humidity, ultraviolet radiation at the Martian surface, wind speed and direction, air temperature, and ground temperature around the rover. Two small booms on the rover mast record the horizontal and vertical components of wind speed to characterize air flow near the Martian surface from breezes, dust devils, and dust storms. A sensor inside the rover's electronic box is exposed to the atmosphere through a small opening and measures changes in pressure caused by different meteorological events such as dust devils, atmospheric tides, and cold and warm fronts. A small filter shields the sensor against dust contamination. A suite of infrared sensors on one of the booms (Boom 1) measures the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by the ground, which provides an estimate of ground temperature. These data provide the basis for computing ground temperature. A sensor on the other boom (Boom 2) tracks atmospheric humidity. Both booms carry sensors for measuring air temperature. An array of detectors on the rover deck that are sensitive to specific frequencies of sunlight measure ultraviolet radiation at the Martian surface and correlate it with changes in the other environmental variables.
Latest Weather
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T E C H S P E C S | |
| Main Job: | Weather station to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, plus ultraviolet radiation levels |
| Location: | Two "bolt-like" booms on the rover's mast ("neck") that measure wind, ground temperature and humidity UV sensor on the rover deck ("back") about 5 feet (1.5 meters) above ground level pressure sensor inside the rover body and connected to the external atmosphere via a tube that exits the rover body through a small opening with protection against dust deposition |
| Capability: | Designed to survive a -202 °F to +158 °F (-130 °C to +70 °C) temperature range and minimize power consumption for operation |
| Measurements: | Autonomously record at least 5 minutes of data at 1 Hz each hour, every sol (Martian day), for all sensors (i.e., total baseline of two hours per sol); maximum of three hours of operation per sol allows a continuous block of monitoring time if desired |
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Seasonal Cycles in Curiosity's First Two Martian Years (Labeled)
By monitoring weather through two Martian years since landing in Gale Crater, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has documented seasonal patterns in variables such as temperature, water-vapor content and air pressure. Each Mars year lasts nearly two Earth years.
May 11, 2016
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Mars Weather-Station Tools on Rover's Mast
The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover includes temperature and humidity sensors mounted on the rover's mast. One of the REMS booms extends to the left from the mast in this view.
April 13, 2015
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Seasonal Pressure Curve Peaks at Gale Crater
This graph shows about one-fourth of a Martian year's pattern atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars, as measured by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station on NASA's Curiosity rover.
April 8, 2013
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Atmospheric Pressure Patterns Before and During Dust Storm
This graph compares a typical daily pattern of changing atmospheric pressure (blue) with the pattern during a regional dust storm hundreds of miles away (red).
November 27, 2012
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Daily Cycles of Radiation and Pressure at Gale Crater
This graphic shows the daily variations in Martian radiation and atmospheric pressure as measured by NASA's Curiosity rover.
November 15, 2012
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Signs of a Whirlwind in Gale Crater
Twenty-one times during the first 12 weeks that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity worked on Mars, the rover's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) detected brief dips in air pressure that could be caused by a passing whirlwind.
November 15, 2012
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Mountain Winds at Gale Crater
This graphic shows the pattern of winds predicted to be swirling around and inside Gale Crater, which is where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars.
November 15, 2012
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Pressure Cycles on Mars
This graph shows the atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars, as measured by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station on NASA's Curiosity rover.
November 15, 2012
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Sample Weather Report
This screen grab shows a sample - not actual data - of the kinds of Mars weather reports we will be getting from NASA's Curiosity rover
August 21, 2012
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Taking Mars' Temperature
This graph shows the rise and fall of air and ground temperatures on Mars obtained by NASA's Curiosity rover.
August 21, 2012
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First Pressure Readings on Mars
This graph shows readings for atmospheric pressure at the landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover.
August 21, 2012
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Weather Sensors from Spain on Mars Rover Curiosity
Sensors on two finger-like mini-booms extending horizontally from the mast of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will monitor wind speed, wind direction and air temperature.
November 29, 2010
