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Volume 50 Supplement 3

Special Issue: The PLANET-B Misson and Related Science

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Mars Dust Counter

Earth, Planets and Space volume 50, pages 241–245 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

In order to unveil the presence and characteristics of Martian dust ring/torus, Mars Dust Counter (MDC) is aboard ISAS’s spacecraft PLANET-B, which will be launched in 1998 summer and investigate the upper atmosphere and surrounding environment of Mars between 1999 and 2001. MDC PLANET-B is an improved version of impact-ionization dust detectors aboard HITEN and BREMSAT. It weighs only 730 g with the sensor aperture area of 140 cm2. To improve signal to noise ratios and to precisely determine the risetime of signals, a neutral target channel is added independent of ion and electron target channels. Detectable velocity (v) range is between 1 km/s and more than 70 km/s, which will cover all possible dust clans: circummartian (low v), interplanetary (mid v), and interstellar (high v) particles. Measurable mass range is 5 × 10−15 and 10−10 g at v = 10 km/s. Since PLANET-B takes an elliptic retrograde orbit around Mars, MDC can investigate particles from Phobos and Deimos with relative velocity higher than 1 km/s. Therefore, MDC can clarify the presence of a confined dust ring along Phobos’ orbit and an extended dust torus along Deimos’ orbit, and it may answer whether these ring and torus are self-sustained or not. Since the nominal operation of PLANET-B is longer than one Martian year, MDC may detect predicted seasonal variation of the ring/torus structure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachgebiet Raumfahrttechnik, Technische Universität München, Boltzmannstr. 15, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Eduard Igenbergs, Ralf Münzenmayer & Walter Naumann

  2. Geological Institute, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Sho Sasaki, Yoshimi Hamabe & Hideaki Miyamoto

  3. Laboratory of Physics, Tokyo University of Fisheries, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0075, Japan

    Hideo Ohashi

  4. Lehrstuhl für Prozeßrechner, Technische Universität München, 80333, München, Germany

    Georg Färber & Franz Fischer

  5. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 229-8510, Japan

    Akira Fujiwara

  6. FB13 Lehrstuhl für Meßtechnik, Universität / GH Wuppertal, 42097, Wuppertal, Germany

    Albrecht Glasmachers

  7. Max Planck Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

    Eberhard Grün

  8. Satellite Technology and Microsystems, Roswitha von Gandelsheimweg 32, 42897, Remscheid/Lennep, Germany

    Heinrich Iglseder

  9. Space Science Department, European Space Research and Technology Centre, P.O. Box 299, 2200 AG, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    Dieter Klinge, Gerhard Schwehm & Håkan Svedhem

  10. Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkoudai, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 657-0013, Japan

    Tadashi Mukai

  11. Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi, 312-0207, Japan

    Ken-ichi Nogami

  12. Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Midori-cho, Tanashi, Tokyo, 188-0002, Japan

    Kazuo Yamakoshi

Authors
  1. Eduard Igenbergs
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  2. Sho Sasaki
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  3. Ralf Münzenmayer
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  4. Hideo Ohashi
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  5. Georg Färber
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  6. Franz Fischer
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  7. Akira Fujiwara
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  8. Albrecht Glasmachers
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  9. Eberhard Grün
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  10. Yoshimi Hamabe
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  11. Heinrich Iglseder
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  12. Dieter Klinge
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  13. Hideaki Miyamoto
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  14. Tadashi Mukai
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  15. Walter Naumann
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  16. Ken-ichi Nogami
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  17. Gerhard Schwehm
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  18. Håkan Svedhem
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  19. Kazuo Yamakoshi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eduard Igenbergs.

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Deceased.

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Igenbergs, E., Sasaki, S., Münzenmayer, R. et al. Mars Dust Counter. Earth Planet Sp 50, 241–245 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352110

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352110

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