I Am :
Share this page :

Mission Insight: the contribution of researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO

Publication Date

03 May 2023

Category

Research

Powerful seismic waves Insight

Presentation

Probing the heart of Mars: that was the aim of the InSight mission. Although the mission has not been operational on Mars since last December, the information transmitted by the SEIS seismometer has enabled scientists to characterise more precisely the composition of the Red Planet’s core. This is fundamental information for geophysicists, who can use the new data to constrain their planetary models and gain a better understanding of how Mars was formed and how it is changing.

In 2021, the seismometer detected two high-intensity seismic events: an earthquake and a meteorite impact causing a second ground tremor. Scientists captured the seismic waves that then propagated through the Martian core.

Raphaël Garcia, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO specialising in planetary cores, worked alongside researchers from various international laboratories to analyse the signals received and determine the distances travelled by the waves. The further away an earthquake occurs from the InSight station, the deeper the seismic waves can penetrate into the planet before being detected. Luckily, this was the case!

Seismic waves travel to the heart of Mars

Until now, discoveries about the Red Planet’s core have been based on seismic waves reflected on its outer boundary with the mantle, providing less precise information.

“We had only been able to constrain the internal structure of Mars up to the surface of the core. We had to wait until days 976 and 1000, i.e. more than two Earth years of the mission, to obtain the last piece of the jigsaw and probe the interior of the Martian core”, explains an enthusiastic Mélanie Drilleau, a seismology researcher in the Space Systems for Planetology and its Applications research group at ISAE-SUPAERO. “We used the data provided by the seismometer, in particular the travel times of seismic waves propagating inside the core compared with those propagating in the mantle alone, to constrain the properties of the core and build the first models of the elastic properties of the planet as a whole,” she adds.

Analysis of the data has enabled the researchers to deduce that the core of Mars is composed not only of iron but also of light elements such as oxygen, sulphur, carbon and hydrogen, and could suggest that the base of the core is liquid.

The analysis work will continue over the coming years. With more than 1300 seismic events recorded over the four years of the mission, scientists hope to make further progress in understanding the structure of Mars.

*Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences

Find out more about the InSight mission

InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery programme, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supported spacecraft operations for the mission. Several European partners, including France’s Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). Major contributions to SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the UK; and JPL. The Marsquake Service is led by ETH Zurich, with major contributions from IPGP; the University of Bristol; Imperial College; ISAE-SUPAERO; MPS; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with major contributions from the Space Research Centre (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. The Spanish Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) provided the temperature and wind sensors.

Related Content

View Other Pages

Pages

Validation of prior experience

The validation of prior experience is an individual right enshrined in the French Labor Code and Education Code. It enables candidates to obtain all - or part - of a professional certification (Diploma, Professional Title, Certificate of Professional Qualification), based on their professional, salaried or non-salaried and/or voluntary experience. This scheme can be used if the candidate is seeking personal recognition, or more generally to support a professional project that he or she wishes to put into practice.

Aeronautics

Certificates of advanced studies

Company

Testimonials

Testimony of Juan-Carlos DOLADO-PEREZ, alumni of the 2008 Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

Pages

“Design and Analysis of Critical Systems” (CASC) scientific group

The “Design and Analysis of Critical Systems” (CASC) scientific group focuses on methods, processes and tools to support System Engineering and Systems Engineering.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Videos

A surprise from elsewhere... from the ISS...?

Hello earth? Thomas Pesquet speaking! Thomas Pesquet, French astronaut and famous ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus (class of 2001), is currently in the ISS as part of his new Alpha mission. He sent our students a personalized message from the European laboratory Columbus...

Alumni

Diversity program

Space

Events

"Les Entretiens de Toulouse - Training through debate”: April 9 & 10, 2025 on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus

"Les Entretiens de Toulouse" has become a must-attend event for the aerospace industry. A forum for the exchange and transmission of skills, this training through debate provides an opening onto subjects with high industrial stakes. The 2025 edition of the Entretiens de Toulouse will take place on April 9 & 10, 2025, in person, at ISAE-SUPAERO!

Aeronautics

Event

Innovation

Events

Les Assises du New Space 2025: discussions and debates on NewSpace!

The 2025 edition of the Assises du New Space will be held this year on July 8-9, 2025 at the Centre des congrès de la Villette - Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris. Aimed at all players in the French space ecosystem, this event is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and debate around NewSpace, and to discover the latest technological innovations and project financing opportunities. Registration is now open!

Conference

Event

Round table

Pages

Electronics, Optronics and Signal Processing Department

At ISAE SUPAERO, the Department of Electronics, Optronics and Signal Processing (DEOS) studies, designs and produces scientific instruments for aeronautics, space and defense applications, with a strong focus on advanced systems and planetary exploration missions.

DEOS

Pages

“Connected Systems” (SysCo) scientific group

The scientific dynamic of the “Connected Systems” (SysCo) scientific group focuses primarily on network-related issues in aerospace applications, i.e. space communications, embedded networks and certain types of connected systems.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

“Communication and Information Theory” (ComiT) scientific group

The “Communication and Information Theory” (ComiT) scientific group is involved in the disciplines of digital communications, radar, and channel access techniques. Its fields of application include space systems, civil and military aviation, terrestrial cellular networks and the Internet of Things (IoT).

DEOS

Doctoral program

Doctoral student

Pages

Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL)

The Design and Operation of Aeronautical and Space Vehicles Department (DCAS) is part of the Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL), located on an airfield a few kilometers from the ISAE-SUPAERO campus. As part of its aeronautical training and research activities, COAL operates a fleet of 9 light aircraft.

DCAS

Doctoral student

PhD

Videos

Training courses: space studies

Find out more about our courses and #information in the field of space! The space dimension is strongly developed within our various training courses, whether in specific streams or dedicated programs. French and international students alike are showing a keen interest in our educational programs in Earth observation and the sciences of the Universe, as well as in the design and operation of space systems. Space research and industry employ many ISAE-SUPAERO engineers. Explore the world of space!

Program

Space

Pages

Scientific and research integrity

ISAE-SUPAERO is one of the signatories of the National Charter of Ethics for Research Professions, adopted in January 2015 by the Conference of University Presidents (CPU) and all national research organizations, and incorporated into the Institute's internal regulations.

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

Pages

“Space Systems for Planetology and Applications” (SSPA) scientific group

The “Space Systems for Planetology and Applications” (SSPA) scientific group focuses on one main area of research: the development of missions and associated technologies for geophysical exploration of the solar system.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

“Photonics Antenna Microwave PlasmaA” (PAMPA) scientific group

The “Photonics Antenna Microwave PlasmaA” (PAMPA) scientific group is interested in electromagnetism in the fields of microwaves and photonics, as well as wave-plasma interactions.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Our certificates of specialized studies

Our certificates of specialized studies are designed for professionals. They enable you to develop skills and expertise in the fields of digital, aeronautics, space, project management, systems engineering and artificial intelligence.

Aeronautics

Certificates of advanced studies

Short internship

Pages

Job offers

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Internship

Videos

FRENCH SUPERCAM INSTRUMENT RECORDING THE SOUND OF INGENUITY'S 4th FLIGHT

Located 80 meters from the rover at the moment of take-off, the small helicopter rose to 5 meters above the ground before covering a distance of 133 meters before returning to land where it had taken off from. SuperCam's scientific microphone, developed by ISAE-SUPAERO, recorded the sound emitted by the rotation of the Martian drone's blades during its flight. This sound has a characteristic frequency of 84 Hz, equivalent to the low “E” of a piano or the bass voice of a human being. “This is a big surprise for the whole scientific team,” says Naomi Murdoch, a researcher at ISAE-SUPAERO who is studying the data from the microphone. "Tests carried out in a Martian atmosphere simulator to design this instrument, and our theories of sound propagation, indicated that the microphone would have great difficulty picking up the sounds of the helicopter. Indeed, Mars' thin atmosphere strongly attenuates sound transmission. We needed a bit of luck to record the helicopter from such a distance. We're very pleased to have succeeded in obtaining this recording, which is proving to be a goldmine for our understanding of the Martian atmosphere". Developed jointly by ISAE-SUPAERO and a consortium of CNRS laboratories and its partners, coordinated by CNES, SuperCam's microphone is derived from a consumer model adapted to withstand the Martian environment. It pursues 3 substantial scientific and technical objectives of the Mars 2020 mission: Study the sound associated with laser impacts on Martian rocks, to gain a better understanding of their mechanical properties. Improving our understanding of atmospheric phenomena (wind turbulence, dust eddies, wind interactions with the rover, and now with the helicopter). Understanding the sound signature of the rover's various movements (robotic arm and mast operations, driving on normal or uneven ground, pump monitoring, etc.). The microphone was first switched on a few hours after Perseverance landed. It recorded the first Martian sounds generated by turbulence in the atmosphere. It is used daily in conjunction with laser rock ablation for chemical analysis of Mars. ABOUT THE MARS 2020 MISSION: NASA is relying on Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the development of the Mars 2020 mission. SuperCam was developed jointly by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA) and a consortium of laboratories attached to the CNRS, French universities and research establishments. Several Spanish universities, led by the University of Valladolid, are also contributing to the instrument. CNES is responsible to NASA for the French contribution to SuperCam. The instrument is operated alternately from LANL and the French Operations Center for Science and Exploration (FOCSE) at CNES in Toulouse.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Videos

Sylvestre Maurice, astrophysicist and ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus

Awarded a prize by the Académie des Sciences in 2020, Sylvestre Maurice #astrophysicist at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) in Toulouse witnessed the landing of the #Perseverance rover on Mars on February 18, 2021. A historic moment for this enthusiast, who is also the scientific manager of the onboard SuperCam instrument. A 1990 graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO, Sylvestre Maurice tells us about his career.

Alumni

Researcher

Space

Pages

“Integrated Image Sensors” (CIMI) scientific group

The “Integrated Image Sensors” (CIMI) scientific group, develops and characterizes active-pixel image sensors (CMOS Image Sensors (CIS)) on silicon for visible and infrared radiation.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Research

DAEP

DCAS

DEOS

Pages

“Navigation, Radar and Remonte Sensing” (NAVIR² eS) scientific group

The “Navigation, Radar and Remonte Sensing” (NAVIR² eS) scientific group is interested in the theoretical study of information sources and hybridization approaches for autonomous vehicle navigation applications.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

“Theory, Modeling and Systems Engineering” (ThéMIS) scientific group

The “Theory, Modeling and Systems Engineering” (ThéMIS) scientific group is dedicated to the study and development of advanced methods for the design, modeling and validation of complex systems.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

Events

ISAE-SUPAERO will be at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget from June 16 to 22, 2025

ISAE-SUPAERO will be present at the 55ᵉ Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace at Le Bourget from June 16 to 22, 2025!

Aeronautics

Event

Space

Pages

Our semesters & short programs

Aeronautics

Aerospace summer program

Semester research project

Pages

“Applied Mathematics” (AM) scientific group

The “Applied Mathematics” (AM) scientific group covers a wide range of topics: stochastic processes (especially Markov processes), numerical optimization (especially multidisciplinary optimization) and parallel computing, stabilization, control and numerical solution of partial differential equations, and financial engineering.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD