Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Studies of the Martian Atmosphere Over Jezero From Pressure Measurements.

The pressure sensors on Mars rover Perseverance measure the pressure field in the Jezero crater on regular hourly basis starting in sol 15 after landing. The present study extends up to sol 460 encompassing the range of solar longitudes from L s  âˆ¼ 13°-241° (Martian Year (MY) 36). The data show the changing daily pressure cycle, the sol-to-sol seasonal evolution of the mean pressure field driven by the CO2 sublimation and deposition cycle at the poles, the characterization of up to six components of the atmospheric tides and their relationship to dust content in the atmosphere. They also show the presence of wave disturbances with periods 2-5 sols, exploring their baroclinic nature, short period oscillations (mainly at night-time) in the range 8-24 min that we interpret as internal gravity waves, transient pressure drops with duration ∼1-150 s produced by vortices, and rapid turbulent fluctuations. We also analyze the effects on pressure measurements produced by a regional dust storm over Jezero at L s  âˆ¼ 155°.

The sound of a Martian dust devil.

Dust devils (convective vortices loaded with dust) are common at the surface of Mars, particularly at Jezero crater, the landing site of the Perseverance rover. They are indicators of atmospheric turbulence and are an important lifting mechanism for the Martian dust cycle. Improving our understanding of dust lifting and atmospheric transport is key for accurate simulation of the dust cycle and for the prediction of dust storms, in addition to being important for future space exploration as grain impacts are implicated in the degradation of hardware on the surface of Mars. Here we describe the sound of a Martian dust devil as recorded by the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance rover. The dust devil encounter was also simultaneously imaged by the Perseverance rover's Navigation Camera and observed by several sensors in the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument. Combining these unique multi-sensorial data with modelling, we show that the dust devil was around 25 m large, at least 118 m tall, and passed directly over the rover travelling at approximately 5 m s-1. Acoustic signals of grain impacts recorded during the vortex encounter provide quantitative information about the number density of particles in the vortex. The sound of a Martian dust devil was inaccessible until SuperCam microphone recordings. This chance dust devil encounter demonstrates the potential of acoustic data for resolving the rapid wind structure of the Martian atmosphere and for directly quantifying wind-blown grain fluxes on Mars.

Dust, Sand, and Winds Within an Active Martian Storm in Jezero Crater.

Rovers and landers on Mars have experienced local, regional, and planetary-scale dust storms. However, in situ documentation of active lifting within storms has remained elusive. Over 5-11 January 2022 (LS 153°-156°), a dust storm passed over the Perseverance rover site. Peak visible optical depth was ∼2, and visibility across the crater was briefly reduced. Pressure amplitudes and temperatures responded to the storm. Winds up to 20 m s-1 rotated around the site before the wind sensor was damaged. The rover imaged 21 dust-lifting events-gusts and dust devils-in one 25-min period, and at least three events mobilized sediment near the rover. Rover tracks and drill cuttings were extensively modified, and debris was moved onto the rover deck. Migration of small ripples was seen, but there was no large-scale change in undisturbed areas. This work presents an overview of observations and initial results from the study of the storm.

InSight Pressure Data Recalibration, and Its Application to the Study of Long-Term Pressure Changes on Mars.

Observations of the South Polar Residual Cap suggest a possible erosion of the cap, leading to an increase of the global mass of the atmosphere. We test this assumption by making the first comparison between Viking 1 and InSight surface pressure data, which were recorded 40 years apart. Such a comparison also allows us to determine changes in the dynamics of the seasonal ice caps between these two periods. To do so, we first had to recalibrate the InSight pressure data because of their unexpected sensitivity to the sensor temperature. Then, we had to design a procedure to compare distant pressure measurements. We propose two surface pressure interpolation methods at the local and global scale to do the comparison. The comparison of Viking and InSight seasonal surface pressure variations does not show changes larger than ±8 Pa in the CO2 cycle. Such conclusions are supported by an analysis of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) pressure data. Further comparisons with images of the south seasonal cap taken by the Viking 2 orbiter and MARCI camera do not display significant changes in the dynamics of this cap over a 40 year period. Only a possible larger extension of the North Cap after the global storm of MY 34 is observed, but the physical mechanisms behind this anomaly are not well determined. Finally, the first comparison of MSL and InSight pressure data suggests a pressure deficit at Gale crater during southern summer, possibly resulting from a large presence of dust suspended within the crater.

The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, MEDA. A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Mission.

NASA's Mars 2020 (M2020) rover mission includes a suite of sensors to monitor current environmental conditions near the surface of Mars and to constrain bulk aerosol properties from changes in atmospheric radiation at the surface. The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) consists of a set of meteorological sensors including wind sensor, a barometer, a relative humidity sensor, a set of 5 thermocouples to measure atmospheric temperature at ∼1.5 m and ∼0.5 m above the surface, a set of thermopiles to characterize the thermal IR brightness temperatures of the surface and the lower atmosphere. MEDA adds a radiation and dust sensor to monitor the optical atmospheric properties that can be used to infer bulk aerosol physical properties such as particle size distribution, non-sphericity, and concentration. The MEDA package and its scientific purpose are described in this document as well as how it responded to the calibration tests and how it helps prepare for the human exploration of Mars. A comparison is also presented to previous environmental monitoring payloads landed on Mars on the Viking, Pathfinder, Phoenix, MSL, and InSight spacecraft.

Geology of the InSight landing site on Mars.

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft landed successfully on Mars and imaged the surface to characterize the surficial geology. Here we report on the geology and subsurface structure of the landing site to aid in situ geophysical investigations. InSight landed in a degraded impact crater in Elysium Planitia on a smooth sandy, granule- and pebble-rich surface with few rocks. Superposed impact craters are common and eolian bedforms are sparse. During landing, pulsed retrorockets modified the surface to reveal a near surface stratigraphy of surficial dust, over thin unconsolidated sand, underlain by a variable thickness duricrust, with poorly sorted, unconsolidated sand with rocks beneath. Impact, eolian, and mass wasting processes have dominantly modified the surface. Surface observations are consistent with expectations made from remote sensing data prior to landing indicating a surface composed of an impact-fragmented regolith overlying basaltic lava flows.

Thermal Tides in the Martian Middle Atmosphere as Seen by the Mars Climate Sounder.

The first systematic observations of the middle atmosphere of Mars (35km-80km) with the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) show dramatic patterns of diurnal thermal variation, evident in retrievals of temperature and water ice opacity. At the time of writing, the dataset of MCS limb retrievals is sufficient for spectral analysis within a limited range of latitudes and seasons. This analysis shows that these thermal variations are almost exclusively associated with a diurnal thermal tide. Using a Martian General Circulation Model to extend our analysis we show that the diurnal thermal tide dominates these patterns for all latitudes and all seasons.

Aeolian processes at the Mars Exploration Rover Meridiani Planum landing site.

The martian surface is a natural laboratory for testing our understanding of the physics of aeolian (wind-related) processes in an environment different from that of Earth. Martian surface markings and atmospheric opacity are time-variable, indicating that fine particles at the surface are mobilized regularly by wind. Regolith (unconsolidated surface material) at the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site has been affected greatly by wind, which has created and reoriented bedforms, sorted grains, and eroded bedrock. Aeolian features here preserve a unique record of changing wind direction and wind strength. Here we present an in situ examination of a martian bright wind streak, which provides evidence consistent with a previously proposed formational model for such features. We also show that a widely used criterion for distinguishing between aeolian saltation- and suspension-dominated grain behaviour is different on Mars, and that estimated wind friction speeds between 2 and 3 m s(-1), most recently from the northwest, are associated with recent global dust storms, providing ground truth for climate model predictions.

Atmospheric imaging results from the Mars exploration rovers: Spirit and Opportunity.

A visible atmospheric optical depth of 0.9 was measured by the Spirit rover at Gusev crater and by the Opportunity rover at Meridiani Planum. Optical depth decreased by about 0.6 to 0.7% per sol through both 90-sol primary missions. The vertical distribution of atmospheric dust at Gusev crater was consistent with uniform mixing, with a measured scale height of 11.56 +/- 0.62 kilometers. The dust's cross section weighted mean radius was 1.47 +/- 0.21 micrometers (mm) at Gusev and 1.52 +/- 0.18 mm at Meridiani. Comparison of visible optical depths with 9-mm optical depths shows a visible-to-infrared optical depth ratio of 2.0 +/- 0.2 for comparison with previous monitoring of infrared optical depths.

An autoinhibitory mechanism for nonsyntaxin SNARE proteins revealed by the structure of Ykt6p.

Ykt6p is a nonsyntaxin SNARE implicated in multiple intracellular membrane trafficking steps. Here we present the structure of the NH2-terminal domain of Ykt6p (Ykt6pN, residues 1 to 140). The structure of Ykt6pN differed entirely from that of syntaxin and resembled the overall fold of the actin regulatory protein, profilin. Like some syntaxins, Ykt6p adopted a folded back conformation in which Ykt6pN bound to its COOH-terminal core domain. The NH2-terminal domain plays an important biological role in the function of Ykt6p, which in vitro studies revealed to include influencing the kinetics and proper assembly of SNARE complexes.

AtBS14a and AtBS14b, two Bet1/Sft1-like SNAREs from Arabidopsis thaliana that complement mutations in the yeast SFT1 gene.

SNAREs are membrane-associated proteins that play a central role in vesicle targeting and intra-cellular membrane fusion reactions in eukaryotic cells. Here we describe the identification of AtBS14a and AtBS14b, putative SNAREs from Arabidopsis thaliana that share 60% amino acid sequence identity. Both AtBS14a and BS14b are dosage suppressors of the temperature-sensitive growth defect in sft1-1 cells and over-expression of either AtBS14a or AtBS14b can support the growth of sft1Delta cells but not bet1Delta cells. These data together with structure-function and biochemical studies presented herein suggest that AtBS14a and AtBS14b share properties that are consistent with them being members of the Bet1/Sft1 SNARE protein family.

Selective formation of Sed5p-containing SNARE complexes is mediated by combinatorial binding interactions.

Sed5p is the only syntaxin family member required for protein transport through the yeast Golgi and it is known to bind up to nine other soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor (SNARE) proteins in vivo. We describe in vitro binding experiments in which we identify ternary and quaternary Sed5p-containing SNARE complexes. The formation of SNARE complexes among these endoplasmic reticulum- and Golgi-localized proteins requires Sed5p and is syntaxin-selective. In addition, Sed5p-containing SNARE complexes form selectively and this selectivity is mediated by Sed5p-containing intermediates that discriminate among subsequent binding partners. Although many of these SNAREs have overlapping distributions in vivo, the SNAREs that form complexes with Sed5p in vitro reflect their functionally distinct locales. Although SNARE-SNARE interactions are promiscuous and a single SNARE protein is often found in more than one complex, both the biochemical as well as genetic analyses reported here suggest that this is not a result of nonselective direct substitution of one SNARE for another. Rather our data are consistent with the existence of multiple (perhaps parallel) trafficking pathways where Sed5p-containing SNARE complexes play overlapping and/or distinct functional roles.

Observation of moist convection in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo Imaging Team

The energy source driving Jupiter's active meteorology is not understood. There are two main candidates: a poorly understood internal heat source and sunlight. Here we report observations of an active storm system possessing both lightning and condensation of water. The storm has a vertical extent of at least 50 km and a length of about 4,000 km. Previous observations of lightning on Jupiter have revealed both its frequency of occurrence and its spatial distribution, but they did not permit analysis of the detailed cloud structure and its dynamics. The present observations reveal the storm (on the day side of the planet) at the same location and within just a few hours of a lightning detection (on the night side). We estimate that the total vertical transport of heat by storms like the one observed here is of the same order as the planet's internal heat source. We therefore conclude that moist convection-similar to large clusters of thunderstorm cells on the Earth-is a dominant factor in converting heat flow into kinetic energy in the jovian atmosphere.

Moist convection as an energy source for the large-scale motions in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo Imaging Team

Jupiter's dominant large-scale weather patterns (dimensions approximately 10,000 km) are zonal jets and long-lived ovals. The jets have been flowing east and west at constant speeds of up to 180 m s(-1) for over 100 years. These jets receive energy from small-scale eddies, which pump eastward momentum into the eastward jets and westward momentum into the westward jets. This momentum transfer was predicted by numerical models before it was observed on Jupiter. The large ovals roll between the jets in an anticyclonic direction-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere--where they regularly assimilate small anticyclonic eddies. But from where the eddies receive their energy has been an open question. Here we argue that the eddies, which ultimately drive both the jets and the ovals, receive their energy from moist convection. This hypothesis is consistent with observations of jovian lightning, which is an indicator of moist convection. It also explains the anticyclonic rotation and poleward drift of the eddies, and suggests patterns of upwelling and downwelling that resemble the patterns of large-scale axisymmetric overturning in the Earth's atmosphere.

Yeast Golgi SNARE interactions are promiscuous.

The transport of proteins between various compartments of the secretory pathway occurs by the budding of vesicles from one membrane and their fusion with another. A key event in this process is the selective recognition of the target membrane by the vesicle and the current view is that SNARE protein interactions likely play a central role in vesicle-target recognition and or membrane fusion. In yeast, only a single syntaxin (Sed5p) is required for Golgi transport and Sed5p is known to bind to at least 7 SNARE proteins. However, the number of Sed5p-containing SNARE complexes that exist in cells is not known. In this study we examined direct pair-wise interactions between full length soluble recombinant forms of SNAREs (Sed5p, Sft1p, Ykt6p, Vti1p, Gos1p, Sec22p, Bos1p, and Bet1p) involved in ER-Golgi and intra-Golgi membrane trafficking. In the binding assay that we describe here the majority of SNARE-binary interactions tested were positive, indicating that SNARE-SNARE interactions although promiscuous are not entirely non-selective. Interactions between a number of the genes encoding these SNAREs are consistent with our binding data and taken together our results suggest that functionally redundant Golgi SNARE-complexes exist in yeast. In particular, over-expression of Bet1p (a SNARE required for ER-Golgi and Golgi-ER traffic) and can bypass the requirement for the otherwise essential SNARE Sft1p (required for intra-Golgi traffic), suggesting that Bet1p either functions in a parallel pathway with Sft1p or can be incorporated into SNARE-complexes in place of Sftp1. None-the-less this result suggests that Bet1p can participate in two distinct trafficking steps, cycling between the ER and Golgi as well as in retrograde intra-Golgi traffic. In addition, suppressor genetics together with the analysis of the phenotypes of conditional mutations in Sft1p and Ykt6p, are consistent with a role for these SNAREs in more than one trafficking step. We propose that different combinations of SNAREs form complexes with Sed5p and are required for multiple steps in ER-Golgi and intra-Golgi vesicular traffic. And that the apparent promiscuity of SNARE-SNARE binding interactions, together with the requirement for some SNAREs in more than one trafficking step, supports the view that the specificity of vesicle fusion events cannot be explained solely on the basis of SNARE-SNARE interactions.

Galileo's First Images of Jupiter and the Galilean Satellites

The first images of Jupiter, Io, Europa, and Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft reveal new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) and the surfaces of the Galilean satellites. Features similar to clusters of thunderstorms were found in the GRS. Nearby wave structures suggest that the GRS may be a shallow atmospheric feature. Changes in surface color and plume distribution indicate differences in resurfacing processes near hot spots on Io. Patchy emissions were seen while Io was in eclipse by Jupiter. The outer margins of prominent linear markings (triple bands) on Europa are diffuse, suggesting that material has been vented from fractures. Numerous small circular craters indicate localized areas of relatively old surface. Pervasive brittle deformation of an ice layer appears to have formed grooves on Ganymede. Dark terrain unexpectedly shows distinctive albedo variations to the limit of resolution.

A SNARE-like protein required for traffic through the Golgi complex.

The secretory pathway of eukaryotic cells comprises several distinct membrane-bound compartments which are interconnected by transport vesicles that pinch off from one membrane and fuse with the next. Targeting of these vesicles is mediated in part by interactions between integral membrane proteins on the vesicles and target organelles (soluble NSF attachment protein receptors (SNAREs)), termed v-SNAREs and t-SNAREs, respectively. SNAREs required for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi transport and for fusion of vesicles with the plasma membrane are already known. Here we identify two yeast membrane proteins that show genetic interactions with Sed5p, which is the t-SNARE for ER-Golgi traffic. One of these membrane proteins, Sft1p, is structurally similar to the known v-SNAREs and is required for transport from an early to a later Golgi compartment. Our results indicate that a single t-SNARE can control more than one transport step, and provide the first candidate for a SNARE involved in intra-Golgi traffic.

Localization of Sed5, a putative vesicle targeting molecule, to the cis-Golgi network involves both its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains.

The yeast Sed5 protein, which is required for vesicular transport between ER and Golgi complex, is a membrane protein of the syntaxin family. These proteins are thought to provide the specific targets that are recognized by transport vesicles. We have investigated the mechanism by which Sed5 protein is itself localized. Expression of epitope-tagged versions of the yeast, Drosophila and rat Sed5 homologues in COS cells results in a perinuclear distribution; immuno-EM reveals that the majority of the protein is in a tubulo-vesicular compartment on the cis side of the Golgi apparatus. A similar distribution was obtained with a chimeric molecule consisting of a plasma membrane syntaxin with the Drosophila Sed5 transmembrane domain. This indicates that the membrane-spanning domain contains targeting information, as is the case with resident Golgi enzymes. However, alterations to the transmembrane domain of Drosophila Sed5 itself did not result in its mistargeting, implying that an additional targeting mechanism exists which involves only the cytoplasmic part of the protein. This was confirmed by modifying the transmembrane domain of the yeast Sed5 protein: substitution with the corresponding region from the Sso1 protein (a plasma membrane syntaxin homologue) did not affect yeast Sed5 function in vivo.