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Mars mission simulation: a scientific experiment, a human adventure

Publication Date

24 April 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Space

Student club

Mars mission simulation

Presentation

A red, bumpy, arid and hostile expanse: the Utah desert bears a striking resemblance to the postcards sent out by the Mars rovers. That’s why the Mars Society, a non-profit organisation that promotes exploration of the Red Planet, has set up a base there, the MDRS (Mars Desert Research Station). Crews from all over the world come here one after the other to simulate life on Mars.

Crew 293, which spent four weeks there from 18 February to 16 March, was made up of seven students from ISAE-SUPAERO. Through the Mars Club, one of the 145 student clubs on campus, the Institute has been sending volunteers for the last ten years on this analogous astronaut mission, i.e. reproducing on Earth the living conditions of a long mission in space.

I saw a report on TV about this experience when I was in ninth grade," recalls Erin Pougheon, in her second year of engineering studies, who acted as the crew's journalist. At the time, I didn't realise that they were ISAE-SUPAERO students. When I realised that I could experience the same thing, I applied straight away!

Project objectives

“To contribute to research. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn’t donning a spacesuit that drew her to the MDRS project. “People think that what drives us is playing astronaut. What I found great about this opportunity was being able to make our own contribution to space research .

As well as being an adventure in space, the MDRS expedition is also a research project that requires a great deal of preparation. It takes more than a year,” says Marie Delaroche, who is in her final year of the engineering course and was Crew 293’s captain. We have to build up a network of researchers and find partners to carry out experiments that can’t be done elsewhere.

Tests of cognitive performance, equipment and technologies in extreme or desert environments, atmospheric experiments: there is no shortage of subjects to study. Among those conducted by Crew 293, Erin Pougheon’s favourite was Orbital Architecture, in conjunction with the Swedish university KTH.

"The aim was to find out how the confined environment of the station affects our physical and mental performance. It's a very comprehensive experiment that we carried out throughout the mission, using sensors, cognitive tests and questionnaires. It was also conducted in January in the ISS by ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt. Swedish researchers will be comparing his results with ours.

Experience

Promiscuity, rationed water, rehydrated food

Confined in a base 8 metres in diameter and two storeys high, Marie, Erin, Léa, Mathurin, Leo, Yves and Lise also had an extraordinary human experience. “Cut off from the world, we’re totally immersed in our mission and we’re working on subjects we’re passionate about. It’s a great experience! I’ve never experienced anything like it in any other working environment,” says Marie Delaroche. “I realised that it was possible, and even pleasant, to live cut off from everything”, adds Léa Bourgely, the crew’s astronomer.

Léa, a Master of Aerospace Engineering student at ISAE-SUPAERO, was attracted by the psychological aspect of the mission. “The impact on astronauts’ psychological health and conflict resolution are among the subjects I’d like to work on,” she says. And what she has learnt from her own experience is that, despite the long preparation of the crew, human relations are not the easiest thing to manage! “Not everyone has the same sensitivities or the same expectations. But we’re learning to accept that we’re not all the same!”

“We ate better on Mars than on Earth”.

Nevertheless, the crew members had no trouble getting used to the discipline and strict living conditions of the mission: getting up at 6.30 am, physiological measurements, sports session, research activities and extravehicular activity (EVA), preparation of the meal in pairs – with rehydrated food -, resumption of activities, followed by a two-hour communication window.

“This was the time when we had to give our daily reports to Mission Support, but above all we had to pass on our research results,” explains Marie.

“A drastic schedule did not, however, prevent a few unforeseen events. After three weeks, we had to face a storm with 80 km/h winds that flattened the access tunnel to the science dome, our lab,” explains Léa. We had to carry out an emergency EVA to repair it. It reinforced the simulation aspect as well as the team spirit, and it was a positive experience that left a big impression on me!

“The restriction of water was also part of the everyday life of the analogue astronauts. It wasn’t compulsory, but we had to do it,” says Marie. We managed to limit it to 5.5 litres per person per day, bearing in mind that we had to keep some water to rehydrate the food.

“As for the diet, it didn’t put off our seven students. With spices, it’s very good,” smiles Léa. We ate better on Mars than on Earth! The greenhouse adjoining the Hab (the main module) even provided a welcome supplement of fresh vegetables.

Legacy and transmission

Léa, who had to deal with problems with her telescope and the breakage of her spacesuit in the middle of the mission, now feels armed with an “ironclad emotional strength”. And it was with great enthusiasm that she embarked on an internship at CNES in line with her studies. “The subject of my placement is Creating a rover to support astronauts on the Moon. I couldn’t have wished for anything better!”

Marie also says she came away from the experience transformed: “This was my second mission with the MDRS, but my first as crew commander. I felt like I was learning 1,000 things a minute about myself, human relations and how a team works.”

Ready to move forward, but a little nostalgic, they all still have their heads on Mars. Both figuratively and literally: “For some studies, we still have to give feedback to the researchers. The seven students also have the task of accompanying the next crew until their own departure to the MDRS station, and they intend to share their enthusiasm with them.”

ISAE-SUPAERO, a benchmark for space careers

Since 1970, ISAE-SUPAERO has been contributing to advances in the space age through its training, research and innovation activities. As the only organisation in France to offer degree courses (engineers, masters, specialised masters, doctorate) covering all 22 space-related themes identified by CNES, the Institute is the ideal route to a career in space.

Two Master’s students will participate in the world’s most prestigious robotics conference

Publication Date

09 March 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Conference

DCAS

Master in Aerospace Engineering

“It’s exceptional. And even more so for Masters students! Usually it’s PhD students who are selected”. Leandro Lustosa, associate professor of UAV guidance, navigation and control, has nothing but praise for two of his students. Krishna Murali and Elena Ponce Moreno, both in their second year of the Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at ISAE-SUPAERO, will be flying to Yokohama, Japan, in May to present their research topic at ICRA, one of the two most prestigious robotics conferences in the world.

For their second year research topic, Krishna and Elena are interested in the Mavion. This drone, developed at ISAE-SUPAERO, has the special feature of being able to fly horizontally, like an aeroplane, after taking off vertically like a conventional drone. “This makes it more efficient and faster, and extends its range of action,” notes Professor Lustosa, who himself wrote a thesis on the subject at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Where aeronautics and robotics meet

Krishna Murali and Elena Ponce Moreno are interested in the flight dynamics of the Mavion, i.e. the application of the laws of mechanics to the study of the trajectories, stability and control of this drone. “The aim of our research is to make the transition from vertical to horizontal flight smoother and more reliable,” explains Elena.

This subject, at the crossroads of aeronautics and robotics, is the subject of the paper they have submitted to ICRA and which they will be presenting at the conference. “We didn’t think it would be accepted. Fortunately, our professor believed in it and encouraged us! Eager to present their research in front of the world’s robotics specialists, they are also enthusiastic about bringing an aeronautics project to ICRA. Robotics and aeronautics have traditionally been separate fields,” notes Leandro Lustosa, “and the development of drones is bringing them together.”

An important step in their studies

Krishna Murali and Elena Ponce Moreno also see their participation in ICRA as an important step in their studies and future careers. “For me, who wants to go on to do a PhD in a similar field, it’s exhilarating”, says Krishna. “It’s going to be inspiring,” adds Elena.

Both of them will be doing “a lot of preparation”, but they also see the conference as “an opportunity to learn from the people” they will meet. They are also aware of the “great responsibility” they bear as women in a rather male-dominated academic environment. “We hope that other female students will dare to apply and we want to make them aware that it’s possible!”

Who are they?

Krishna Murali joined ISAE-SUPAERO’s Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) programme after completing a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in her native India. A keen mathematician and physicist, she saw the MAE as an opportunity “to study at a world-renowned school in Toulouse, at the heart of European aerospace engineering”. Krishna has a passion for drones and saw the Mavion research topic as “an opportunity to learn a lot about aerospace control and, more specifically, unconventional control methods”. It was also an opportunity to put into practice the control theories studied during her previous studies and to learn more about software for UAVs.

Elena Ponce Moreno, who “grew up surrounded by engineers”, chose aeronautics for “its complex challenges” and “a fascination with the concept of flying”. Equally passionate about space and information technology, she joined the MAE at ISAE-SUPAERO to “specialise” after studying aerospace engineering at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. She saw her research topic around the Mavion as “a way of participating in a concrete project” and an opportunity to work with drones. The project also enabled her “to experiment with a project in real research conditions, in a laboratory”. In other words, the IONLAB, part of ISAE-SUPAERO’s Design and Operation of Aeronautical and Space Vehicles (DCAS) department.

Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO strengthen ties to work towards a more sustainable air transport system

Publication Date

04 March 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Partnership

Sustainability

New partnership between Thales, ISAE-SUPAERO and its Foundation

Patrice Caine, CEO of the Thales Group, was on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus on Wednesday February 28 to sign a new partnership between Thales, ISAE-SUPAERO and its Foundation. The partnership will take the form of a research chair in Integrated Air Transport Systems (STAI).

The aim of a chair? To promote an emerging discipline or area of knowledge, at the interface between academia and business and industry, in a mutually beneficial partnership. By drawing on the recognised skills of ISAE-SUPAERO in the optimisation of flight operations and the systems approach, and on those of the Thales Group in flight avionics, connectivity and air traffic control, this association will enable both Thales and the Institute to increase their level of excellence in the fields of modelling, AI and operational research.

"This privileged link will enable Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO to work together, with a different and complementary perspective, on extremely promising strategic development areas: understanding flight operations in their entirety with the aim of optimising them and limiting CO2 emissions as much as possible".

Bruno Nouzille Technical Director of Avionics at Thales

A thesis and eleven grants

This programme includes a research component, with support from Thales for the recruitment of a PhD student to work on the Chair’s projects. The work will be directed by Rob Vingerhoeds, professor of systems engineering in the Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC) at ISAE-SUPAERO.

"The aim of this work is to gain as complete an understanding as possible of the current air transport system, to use modelling and simulation to make visible every aspect that could impact on the overall system, and to analyse any inefficiencies. This, in turn, will enable proposals for new operational concepts to be considered."

Rob Vingerhoeds Professor of Systems Engineering in the Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC)

The STAI Chair

The STAI Chair also includes an excellence scholarship scheme, the aim of which is to attract high-calibre, high-potential students to ISAE-SUPAERO by offering them, with the support of the sponsoring company, substantial resources to help them achieve their ambitious academic projects. Eleven students from the Engineering and Master in Aerospace Engineering programmes will be honoured until 2027.

"Thales' contribution to these scholarships for excellence contributes to the international attractiveness of the Institute".

Agnès Trincal Director of the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation

A second partnership

This is the second partnership of this type between Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO. In 2015, the high-tech group and the Institute joined forces to create their first sponsorship chair in embedded systems engineering. The partnership led to the creation of a new training pathway, several modules and support for students via excellence grants.

Landing on Mars: a unique experience for seven students

Publication Date

13 February 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Space

Student club

Student life

Living in the skin of an analogue astronaut

An incredible adventure awaits Erin, the commander of Crew 311, and her crew of analogue astronauts, made up of 2 female students and 4 male students from ISAE-SUPAERO. From mid-February to mid-March, they will experience an unprecedented human and professional experience in a scientific station dedicated to research into the exploration of the Red Planet.

Several years ago, the American Mars Society set up this base in the Utah desert in the United States. Before them, ten other ISAE-SUPAERO crews took part in the adventure, carrying their share of experimental protocols.

MDRS 2025 mission – CREW 311

Erin, Isolde, Somaya, Meddi, Quentin, Robin and Célyan will be living together for their four-week stay in a single-storey cylindrical cabin measuring 9 m in diameter. There will be a living area, a sleeping area in small cubicles, very limited access to the internet and only extra-vehicular outings outside the cabin for experimental purposes will be possible.

Each member of the crew has his or her own function: scientist, on-board engineer, health and safety officer, astronomer, botanist, journalist. The architecture, equipment and materials are adapted to the crew’s activities. Immersion in the station: two robotic and lunar observatories, a repair and assembly module, two airlocks, one for external sorties with a decompression/compression airlock, the other for joining the station’s modules and in particular the “green hab”, in other words the greenhouse where the botanist works. Three rovers and astronaut suits are also available for spacewalks.

A real scientific mission for the participants

The aim of this simulation of Martian life is to collect a wealth of data that will be useful for the scientific experiments that the crew have been preparing for months. “We’ve been working for over a year with our partners to deploy, develop and test equipment and experimental protocols,” explains Isolde. “We will be launching around ten experimental systems on the base, focusing on three main themes: human factors, astronaut living conditions and equipment testing,” she adds. One of these, the Spaceship France project, is the result of a collaboration with CNES.

Focus on four extraterrestrial experiments

Life assistance AI for astronauts

The AMAIA (Assistant Multifonction pour l’Astronaute par AI/Astronaut Multipurpose AI Assistant) project, developed by CNES in collaboration with students from ISAE-SUPAERO, aims to develop an autonomous artificial intelligence to assist astronauts. The application works without an internet connection, and is integrated into a watch worn by each operator, individually configured in line with their specific needs. It can be used to assist with procedures, such as answering questions about the protocols of other experiments, searching for information in their database, helping to write daily reports, or providing information about environmental conditions (ambient temperature, humidity, etc.). AMAIA will also be able to act as a confidante, sometimes reducing the astronauts’ mental workload.

A rover kit manufactured on the Martian site

Led by the Supaeromoon student club, the Rover en kit project involves designing a rover that is fully assembled and tested on site. The aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of local manufacture on an extraterrestrial base, using tools such as 3D printing. Only the complex electronic parts are transported from Earth, while the structure of the rover is made from materials available on site. A concept designed to reduce the costs and risks associated with space transport while increasing the autonomy of future space stations.

MoovToLearn for the well-being of astronauts

Base of the Mars Desert Research Station (UTAH)

The crew will be testing a non-invasive device designed to improve the psychological well-being and efficiency of astronauts. Sessions combining meditation, light therapy, music therapy and sophrology will seek to stimulate a mental state conducive to problem-solving and limit the effects of microgravity.

In concrete terms, four participants will follow a programme before, during and after the “Mars mission”, while three other participants will form the control group. The results will be measured using questionnaires and psycho-technical tests to assess the impact on their state of mind and performance.

Growing micro-pods to eat and live better on Mars

The station’s greenhouse, called GreenHab, in the hands of Meddi the botanist, will be used to study the impact of micro-pods on the astronauts’ diet and psychological well-being in their Martian environment.

As soon as they return to Earth, the results will be analysed, enabling the partners to enrich their approaches. Clearly, students who are passionate about space exploration will also have experienced an adventure that will shape their study and career plans.

“The Red Planet changed me. I’ve grown, learnt and evolved. I now know that science can motivate gigantic projects that are bigger than us and that will continue to inspire us”, says Erin, the commander of “Crew 311”, who was already part of the crew in 2024. The experience inspired her to write the story “Our adventure on Mars”, published by Editions Cépaduès.

Seven ISAE-SUPAERO students set out to conquer Mars in the Utah desert

Publication Date

06 February 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Space

Student club

No manned flight to Mars before 2030? Never mind: every year, students at ISAE-SUPAERO experience life on Mars. Thanks to the American Mars Society. This enables a panel of students from the Institute to experience life on the Red Planet in an astronaut base, the MDRS (Mars Desert Research Station). Crew 293, made up of seven engineering students, are preparing to leave for this scientific station for four weeks, from 18th February to 16th March. The programme for their stay in the United States and Mars includes collecting data for various scientific experiments.

A student at the helm

For the second time, this tenth ISAE-SUPAERO mission will be commanded by a woman: Marie Delaroche, currently on an Erasmus internship at the University of Southampton. A keen space explorer, she was already part of crew 275, which left in 2023. Alongside her, three young women and three young men in their 2nd year of engineering studies will take on the roles of astronomer, scientist, botanist, journalist, health worker and on-board engineer. They are all members of the ISAE-SUPAERO Mars Club, a student association for the popularisation of science centred around the Red Planet and the missions dedicated to its exploration and study.

Like real astronauts, the 293 crew will be carrying out around ten experiments in collaboration with CNES, the University of Florida, CNRS and MEDES. For example, its members will be looking at the influence of the space base environment on astronauts’ stress and cognitive performance (see below). They will also study the benefits of watching virtual reality videos filmed in their respective homes, in order to investigate the facilitation of family intimacy and social support in an ultra-confined environment.

Working with secondary school pupils

During their mission, they will also be experimenting with AI4U, an artificial intelligence that assists astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition, emergency exercises). Finally, they will be conducting a science popularisation experiment in collaboration with secondary school pupils. Inspired by the film Alone on Mars, in which an astronaut grows potatoes on the Red Planet, the aim of this experiment is to compare the growth of plants in Martian soil with that on terrestrial soil.

In short, it’s a real professional experience with a great scientific reputation ahead of them!

Zoom in on… Orbital Architecture, one of the experiments carried out at the station

Initiated during the mission of the previous crew (Crew 275), this experiment is continuing this year with crew 293. The aim of this study is to measure the influence of the environment of a space base on the stress and cognitive performance of astronauts. It requires a major deployment of environmental sensors in the station, as well as sensors and trackers worn by the crew members, who will carry out a whole battery of cognitive and physiological tests during the mission. The study, in collaboration with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, will be carried out in January on board the ISS (International Space Station) as part of the Axiom 3 mission.

Photo credits: Club Mars ISAE-SUPAERO

Air conditioning systems: ISAE-SUPAERO and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse join forces

Publication Date

22 January 2024

Category

Research

Tag

Chair

DAEP

Partnership

Closer collaboration

Working together to develop air-conditioning systems for the carbon-free aircraft of the future. Partners for 25 years, ISAE-SUPAERO and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse strengthened their collaboration on 1 January as part of an industrial chair. This initiative, co-financed by the French National Research Agency (ANR), is designed to stimulate cooperation between public and private research bodies. Called CASTOR, “Chair for Radial Turbomachinery Aerodynamics”, it is scheduled to run for 4 years.

The aim? To make progress on the design of radial turbomachinery stages, which are at the heart of the air systems designed by Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and in which ISAE-SUPAERO has cutting-edge skills and research infrastructures.

This work will give rise to three theses, two post-doctorates and the creation of a research engineer post, with the support of teams from the Aerodynamics, Energetics and Propulsion (DAEP) department at ISAE-SUPAERO and Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse. A doctoral student and a post-doctoral fellow are due to arrive at the ISAE-SUPAERO site in February. The total amount of €1.250 million, half from Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and half from the ANR, will be used to finance equipment and subcontracting work.

Developing low-emission air conditioning systems for aircraft

In an aircraft, the air conditioning system regulates the pressurisation, temperature and renewal of the air in the cabin," explains Professor Nicolas Binder from DAEP. In other words, it is essential for passenger safety and comfort. Traditionally, compressed air is drawn from the engines to operate the system. But new carbon-free motorisation systems mean that independent air-conditioning systems have to be designed. To do this, we need to adapt the sizing of the components, which must satisfy new constraints. The research work of the CASTOR Chair is part of this development".

New low-carbon powertrain systems mean that independent air conditioning systems have to be designed. This means adapting the design of components to meet new constraints. The research work of the CASTOR Chair is part of this development.
Nicolas Binder – Lecturer and researcher at DAEP – ISAE-SUPAERO

Radial turbomachines are key components of the air conditioning system manufactured by Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse. They consist of turbine and compressor stages. In their design, it is crucial to finely optimise the shape of the blades to provide the best energy yields. And this applies regardless of the aircraft’s flight phase. “This requires a high degree of operating flexibility, without compromising performance,” explains Nicolas Binder. This design stage is vital if we are to offer aircraft manufacturers air conditioning systems that consume less energy for future low-emission aircraft.

The researchers will be exploring a number of avenues:

unconventional radial turbine configurations will be calculated and tested, to improve efficiency and operating ranges;
compressor stability will be assessed;
efforts will be devoted to advancing numerical and experimental methods.

The research initiated by the CASTOR Chair opens the way to numerous applications beyond the air transport sector. “A huge number of low-carbon systems involve this type of turbomachinery,” emphasises Nicolas Binder.

A win-win partnership

This Chair represents an opportunity for Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse and ISAE-SUPAERO to intensify their collaboration and structure a joint research programme.

It will enable Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse to mobilise and finance over the long term the cutting-edge skills present in ISAE-SUPAERO’s research laboratories, for the benefit of its future products. Thanks to this collaboration, the company will be able to continue to offer key technologies for the decarbonisation of aviation, with more efficient air systems that consume as little energy as possible for future aircraft.

For ISAE-SUPAERO, it symbolises the recognition of the relevance and applicability of the work of its research teams by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. What’s more, the resulting substantial funding will enable the institute to develop its experimental and digital capabilities.

Thumbnail: © Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse SAS

An exceptional scholarship for an innovative project

Publication Date

20 November 2023

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Scholarship

Space

Recognition for ambition

ERC programme and "Consolidator" grants

The ERC programme, internationally recognised for its selectivity, supports high-level exploratory research with one ambition: to push back the frontiers of knowledge.

“Consolidator” scolarships are awarded to PhD researchers with between 7 and 12 years’ experience. They represent a major milestone in their careers. Applicants are assessed on the basis of the scientific excellence of their research proposal, the quality of their professional background, and the relevance and feasibility of the project. Only the most promising researchers and projects are selected.

Naomi Morduch’s 5-year, €2.3 million grant will enable her to put together a team of PhD students, researchers and engineers. Together, they will work on an innovative project that will help provide geotechnical models adapted to extraterrestrial environments for those involved in planetary exploration.

GRAVITE programme following on from Naomi Murdoch's space bodies

The GRAVITE project, which will start in 2024 and run for 5 years, is a continuation of Naomi Murdoch’s work on the geotechnics of space objects.

Murdoch, who holds a master’s degree in astrophysics and a doctorate in planetary physics and sciences, has made an active contribution to several international space missions as a planetary scientist in the Space Systems for Planetology and Applications (SSPA) research group at ISAE-SUPAERO. From NASA’s DART, InSight and Mars 2020 missions to ESA’s Hera and JAXA’s MMX, she has acquired recognised expertise.

For the past 10 years, the study of the behaviour and mechanical properties of the surface of planetary bodies has been at the heart of its research. Today, in both terrestrial geophysics and planetary exploration, different techniques are used to determine the mechanical properties of a soil in situ. “With the GRAVITE project, our aim is to test the limits of existing techniques and develop new models that take into account the diverse nature of planetary surfaces and the reduced-gravity environment. To do this, we are going to develop a variable-gravity machine”, explains the researcher.

With this machine at the cutting edge of planetary science, the team will be able to carry out experiments in a vacuum and under a wide range of gravity conditions, down to levels a thousand times weaker than Earth’s gravity, to simulate the surfaces of small bodies (asteroids, comets, small moons, etc.). The researcher’s aim is to provide those involved in planetary exploration with geotechnical models adapted to extraterrestrial environments.

Meteorite impact reveals new insights into Mars

Publication Date

26 October 2023

Category

Research

Tag

DEOS

Space

InSight mission: new insights into Mars

A molten layer at the end of the Martian mantle

A study recently published in the journal Nature, involving scientists from CNRS, IPGP, ISAE-SUPAERO and Université Paris Cité, proposes a new scientific model to enhance our understanding of the interior of the Red Planet.

In the summer of 2021, analysis of the initial data from the InSight mission enabled an estimate to be made of the internal structure of Mars, suggesting that this planet, like its neighbour Earth, is made up of a crust, a silicate mantle and a metallic core. But the recording of a meteorite impact on 18 September 2021 has called these initial results into question. By studying the propagation times of the waves generated by this impact, an international team led by Henri Samuel, a CNRS researcher at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and involving scientists from CNRS, ISAE-SUPAERO and Université Paris Cité, with support from CNES and ANR, has revealed the presence of a molten layer at the base of the Martian mantle.

A smaller, denser core than previously envisaged

This discovery has important implications for our understanding of the interior of Mars. In previous studies, the interface between the solid and liquid regions of Mars was interpreted as the boundary between the silicate mantle and the metallic core. However, this new study shows that it is actually the interface between the solid mantle and the liquid basal layer of this mantle. The presence of such a basal layer implies a metallic core 150 to 170 km smaller (i.e. a radius of 1650±20 km), denser (i.e. 6.5 g/cm3) and with fewer light elements (oxygen and sulphur, carbon and hydrogen) than in previous estimates. This hypothesis is more compatible with data from the analysis of Martian meteorites and experiments conducted at high pressure to reproduce and study the minerals present in the interior of planets.

The discovery of this stratification of the mantle, which contrasts with the structure of the Earth, is a further step towards understanding the evolution of Mars. Mélanie Drilleau, research engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-author of the study, explains that “Mars probably experienced an early stage of magma ocean, the crystallisation of which produced a stable layer at the base of the mantle, highly enriched in iron and radioactive elements. The heat released by the latter generated a basal layer of molten silicates located above the core, covered by a thinner partially molten layer”.

This discovery also provides an answer to one of the great enigmas of the planet Mars: why did its magnetic field die out 500 to 800 million years ago, while the Earth’s is still active? Henri Samuel explains: “This liquid layer at the base of the mantle isolates the metallic mantle from the rest of the planet, preventing it from cooling and creating a dynamo. If the source of the magnetic field cannot come from inside the planet, then external sources must have existed in Mars’ distant past, such as energetic impacts, or core movements generated by gravitational interactions with ancient satellites that have since disappeared”.

Converging data on the evolution of Mars

This new structural model, published on October 26th 2023 in the journal Nature, is more realistic in the light of all the geophysical data, and also provides a coherent explanation of the evolution of Mars since its formation.

Highlighting the stratification of the Martian mantle elucidates the hitherto unexplained abnormally slow propagation of the diffracted waves from the September 2021 meteorite impact by their trajectory in the lower, completely melted part of the silicate layer at the base of the mantle, where seismic velocities are low.

Furthermore, for several older seismic events, the wave arrival times measured at the surface of Mars are compatible with shear wave reflections on the molten layer (located several tens of kilometres above the metallic core) and not at the core-mantle interface as previously assumed.

Finally, the presence of this layer of silicates helps to explain the trajectory observed due to the Martian moon Phobos. The upper, partially molten part of the basal layer effectively dissipates the deformations generated by the gravitational attraction of Phobos. On the other hand, the solid mantle above this layer is stiffer and not very seismically attenuating, as suggested by the detection on the surface of Mars of waves associated with seismic events of relatively low magnitude.

OPEN SCIENCE ISAE-SUPAERO: ISAE-SUPAERO science in the open air!

Publication Date

20 October 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Science

Scientific publication

Thesis

The new ISAE-SUPAERO showcase

OPEN SCIENCE ISAE-SUPAERO is the Institute’s new web platform designed to promote the theses of our doctoral students and to deposit and distribute our scientific publications. The site also gives Internet users access to a wealth of information on our scientific instruments and technological platforms.

The platform is free and accessible to everyone, from the general public to insiders in the world of scientific research.

Theses

The collection includes theses defended at the Institute since 1975.
The full text is only available if the doctor has authorised distribution.

Publications

ISAE-SUPAERO researchers deposit their publications on this platform.

This open access repository aims to:

Facilitate the sharing of publications within a legal and sustainable framework;
Improve the visibility of research and preserve the Institute’s scientific output;
Monitor publications and develop research indicators.

Scientific instruments and technology platforms

The collection of scientific instruments includes heritage items from ENSICA and ISAE-SUPAERO dating back to 1950. Our technology platforms present the scientific instruments specific to our fields of research.

The open science movement

Open science is a movement that seeks to make scientific research and the data it produces accessible to everyone at all levels of society.

ISAE-SUPAERO’s researchers are working on establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

Publication Date

10 October 2023

Category

Research

Tag

DCAS

Space

Return of manned missions to the Moon

ISAE-SUPAERO is conducting a wide range of research projects aimed at improving our understanding of the Moon, developing spacecraft and life support systems, optimising the use of resources available in situ, and limiting the environmental impact of lunar missions.

Involvement in the renewal of lunar seismology

In order to anticipate the potential effects of a meteorite impact or an earthquake on the Moon’s surface, seismology research is being carried out around the development of instruments designed to probe the vibrations of the lunar soil, as well as the first few metres beneath the Moon’s surface. The Space Systems for Planetology and Applications research group is notably involved in the renewal of lunar seismology through the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) instrumental suite, supplied by JPL/NASA, which will deploy sensors on the far side of the Moon by 2025.

The research group to which Raphaël Garcia belongs – a researcher in planetary geophysics – is also involved in the Lunar Quake Service, which will be responsible for detecting earthquakes and meteorite impacts using the data collected, as well as producing imagery of the Moon’s interior based on this data.

Preparing for a lasting presence on the Moon

Although manned flights to the Moon are currently only envisaged for a few days, research is nevertheless being carried out to enable a permanent presence on the Moon one day. Among the obstacles to a long-term presence, the question of radiation is the subject of a thesis by ISAE-SUPAERO, studying the various possible protection solutions.

Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and TRAD Tests & Radiations, in cooperation with INSERM, Yulia Akisheva’s thesis – directed by Yves Gourinat, professor of material structures – is studying the ability of materials available on the lunar surface to protect astronauts from cosmic rays. Regolith in particular has been identified as a preferred resource for the construction of habitacle linings capable of protecting against radiation. Other types of materials, metals or liquids, particularly those rich in hydrogen, are also being studied.

Through various simulations, this research aims to understand how radioactive particles are deposited and to assess the doses ingested by the body in order to measure the effectiveness of the materials studied in terms of protection. A particle accelerator simulation will be carried out in early 2024 to test the prototypes resulting from this research as closely as possible to real-life conditions.

Limiting the environmental impact of lunar missions

In addition to crew safety, there is also the question of the environmental impact of space missions, and in particular the management of space objects in lunar space. There is currently no system for tracking and monitoring debris in lunar orbit. The increase in the number of lunar missions could rapidly lead to heavy pollution, especially as natural clean-up is out of the question, as the atmosphere near the Moon is too thin to allow this.

Research work is being carried out as part of the Advanced Space Concepts chair created in 2017 on the initiative of ISAE-SUPAERO, Airbus and Ariane Group. The aim is to develop the study of future space concepts from a systems and architecture perspective, through research and teaching projects within a Space Advanced Concepts laboratory (SACLab).

This is the focus of Paolo Guardabasso’s thesis, funded by ESA and Thalès Alenia Space and supervised by Gregoire Casalis – Dean of Research and Pedagogical Resources – and Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez – Professor of Space Systems. This work involves simulating the environment of lunar and cislunar debris, based on different scenarios of future lunar traffic.