The Noise Model of the SEIS Seismometer of the InSight Mission to Mars

• Published in: Space science reviews Vol. 211; no. 1-4; pp. 383 - 428
• Main Authors: Mimoun, David, Murdoch, Naomi, Lognonné, Philippe, Hurst, Kenneth, Pike, William T., Hurley, Jane, Nébut, Tanguy, Banerdt, William B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aerospace Technology and Astronautics; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Earthquake construction; Environmental impact; Mars; Measuring instruments; Noise; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Planetology; Seismology; Seismometers; Space exploration; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Tectonics; Noise model; Mars; Environment; Seismometer; SEIS; InSight
• ISSN: 0038-6308; 1572-9672
• DOI: 10.1007/s11214-017-0409-x

The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) instrument on board the InSight mission to Mars is the critical instrument for determining the interior structure of Mars, the current level of tectonic activity and the meteorite flux. Meeting the performance requirements of the SEIS instrument is vital to successfully achieve these mission objectives. The InSight noise model is a key tool for the InSight mission and SEIS instrument requirement setup. It will also be used for future operation planning. This paper presents the analyses made to build a model of the Martian seismic noise as measured by the SEIS seismometer, around the seismic bandwidth of the instrument (from 0.01 Hz to 1 Hz). It includes the instrument self-noise, but also the environment parameters that impact the measurements. We present the general approach for the model determination, the environment assumptions, and we analyze the major and minor contributors to the noise model.