Persona: Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro
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Centro de Astrobiologia
El Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) es un centro mixto de investigación en astrobiología, dependiente tanto del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) como del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).
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Vicente Retortillo
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Álvaro
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Publicación Acceso Abierto Lander and rover histories of dust accumulation on and removal from solar arrays on Mars(Elsevier, 2021-11-01) Lorenz, R. D.; Martínez, Germán M.; Spiga, A.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Newman, C. E.; Murdoch, N.; Forget, F.; Millour, E.; Pierron, T.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR); Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737The degradation in electrical output of solar arrays on Mars landers and rovers is reviewed. A loss of 0.2% per Sol is typical, although observed rates of decrease in ‘dust factor’ vary between 0.05% and 2% per Sol. 0.2%/Sol has been observed throughout the first 800 Sols of the ongoing InSight mission, as well as the shorter Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix missions. This rate was also evident for much of the Spirit and Opportunity missions, but the degradation there was episodically reversed by cleaning events due to dust devils and gusts. The enduring success of those rover missions may have given an impression of the long-term viability of solar power on the Martian surface that is not globally-applicable: the occurrence of cleaning events with an operationally-useful frequency seems contingent upon local meteorological circumstances. The conditions for significant cleaning events have apparently not been realized at the InSight landing site, where, notably, dust devils have not been detected in imaging. Optical obscuration by dust deposition and removal has also been observed by ultraviolet sensors on Curiosity, with a similar (but slightly higher) degradation rate. The observations are compared with global circulation model (GCM) results: these predict a geographically somewhat uniform dust deposition rate, while there is some indication that the locations where cleaning events were more frequent may be associated with weaker background winds and a deeper planetary boundary layer. The conventional Dust Devil Activity metric in GCMs does not effectively predict the different dust histories.Publicación Acceso Abierto Dust Devil Frequency of Occurrence and Radiative Effects at Jezero Crater, Mars, as Measured by MEDA Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS)(GU Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2023-01-17) Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Lemmon, M. T.; Gómez Martín, L.; Montoro, F.; Hueso, R.; Newman, C. E.; Smith, Michael D.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Martínez, Germán M.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Carrasco, I.; Yela González, Margarita; Jiménez Martín, Juan José; García-Menéndez, Elisa; Navarro López, Sara; Gómez Elvira, J.; Harri, Ari-Matti; Polkko, J.; Hieta, M.; Genzer, María; Murdoch, N.; Sebastián, E.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Gobierno VascoThe Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, onboard the Perseverance rover, is a meteorological station that is operating on Mars and includes, among other sensors, the radiometer Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS). From RDS irradiance observations, a total of 374 dust devils (DDs) were detected for the first 365 sols of the mission (Ls = 6°–182°), which along with wind and pressure measurements, we estimated a DD frequency of formation at Jezero between 1.3 and 3.4 DD km−2 sol−1 (increasing as we move from spring into summer). This frequency is found to be smaller than that estimated at the Spirit or Pathfinder landing sites but much greater than that derived at InSight landing site. The maximum in DD frequency occurs between 12:00 and 13:00 local true solar time, which is when the convective heat flux and lower planetary boundary layer IR heating are both predicted to peak in Jezero crater. DD diameter, minimum height, and trajectory were studied showing (a) an average diameter of 29 m (or a median of 25 m) and a maximum and minimum diameter of 132 ± 63.4 and 5.6 ± 5.5 m; (b) an average minimum DD height of 231 m and a maximum minimum-height of 872 m; and (c) the DD migration direction is in agreement with wind measurements. For all the cases, DDs decreased the UV irradiance, while at visible or near-IR wavelengths both increases and decreases were observed. Contrary to the frequency of formation, these results indicate similar DD characteristics in average for the studied period.Publicación Acceso Abierto Dust Lifting Through Surface Albedo Changes at Jezero Crater, Mars(Advancing Earth and Space Science (AGU), 2023-03-22) Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Martínez, Germán M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Hueso, R.; Johnson, J. R.; Sullivan, Robert; Newman, C. E.; Sebastián, E.; Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Munguira, A.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Murdoch, N.; Gillier, M.; Stott, A.; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Bertrand, T.; Tamppari, L. K.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Comunidad de Madrid; Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We identify temporal variations in surface albedo at Jezero crater using first-of-their-kind high-cadence in-situ measurements of reflected shortwave radiation during the first 350 sols of the Mars 2020 mission. Simultaneous Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) measurements of pressure, radiative fluxes, winds, and sky brightness indicate that these albedo changes are caused by dust devils under typical conditions and by a dust storm at Ls ∼ 155°. The 17% decrease in albedo caused by the dust storm is one order of magnitude larger than the most apparent changes caused during quiescent periods by dust devils. Spectral reflectance measurements from Mastcam-Z images before and after the storm indicate that the decrease in albedo is mainly caused by dust removal. The occurrence of albedo changes is affected by the intensity and proximity of the convective vortex, and the availability and mobility of small particles at the surface. The probability of observing an albedo change increases with the magnitude of the pressure drop (ΔP): changes were detected in 3.5%, 43%, and 100% of the dust devils with ΔP < 2.5 Pa, ΔP > 2.5 Pa and ΔP > 4.5 Pa, respectively. Albedo changes were associated with peak wind speeds above 15 m·s−1. We discuss dust removal estimates, the observed surface temperature changes coincident with albedo changes, and implications for solar-powered missions. These results show synergies between multiple instruments (MEDA, Mastcam-Z, Navcam, and the Supercam microphone) that improve our understanding of aeolian processes on Mars.Publicación Acceso Abierto The sound of a Martian dust devil(Nature, 2022-12-13) Murdoch, N.; Stott, A. E.; Gillier, M.; Hueso, R.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martínez, Germán M.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Toledo, D.; Lorenz, R. D.; Chide, B.; Munguira, A.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Newman, C. E.; Maurice, Sylvestre; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Bertrand, T.; Banfield, D.; Navarro López, Sara; Marín, M.; Torres, J.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Jacob, Xavier; Cadu, A.; Sournac, A.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Mimoun, D.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Comunidad de Madrid; Gobierno Vasco; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Los Alamos National Laboratory; Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Dust 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.Publicación Acceso Abierto Seasonal Variations in Atmospheric Composition as Measured in Gale Crater, Mars(American Geophysical Union: Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2019-11-12) Trainer, M. G.; Wong, Michael H.; McConnochie, Timothy; Franz, H. B.; Atreya, S. K.; Conrad, Pamela G.; Lefèvre, F.; Mahaffy, Paul R.; Malespin, C. A.; Manning, H. L. K.; Martín Torres, Javier; Martínez, Germán M.; McKay, Christopher P.; Navarro González, R.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Webster, Christopher R.; Zorzano, María-Paz; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); Zorzano, M. P. [0000-0002-4492-9650]; Navarro González, R. [0000-0002-6078-7621]; Martín Torres, J. [0000-0001-6479-2236]; Vicente Retortillo, A. [0000-0002-4553-7624]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover measures the chemical composition of major atmospheric species (CO2, N2, 40Ar, O2, and CO) through a dedicated atmospheric inlet. We report here measurements of volume mixing ratios in Gale Crater using the SAM quadrupole mass spectrometer, obtained over a period of nearly 5 years (3 Mars years) from landing. The observation period spans the northern summer of MY 31 and solar longitude (LS) of 175° through spring of MY 34, LS = 12°. This work expands upon prior reports of the mixing ratios measured by SAM QMS in the first 105 sols of the mission. The SAM QMS atmospheric measurements were taken periodically, with a cumulative coverage of four or five experiments per season on Mars. Major observations include the seasonal cycle of CO2, N2, and Ar, which lags approximately 20–40° of LS behind the pressure cycle driven by CO2 condensation and sublimation from the winter poles. This seasonal cycle indicates that transport occurs on faster timescales than mixing. The mixing ratio of O2 shows significant seasonal and interannual variability, suggesting an unknown atmospheric or surface process at work. The O2 measurements are compared to several parameters, including dust optical depth and trace CH4 measurements by Curiosity. We derive annual mean volume mixing ratios for the atmosphere in Gale Crater: CO2 = 0.951 (±0.003), N2 = 0.0259 (±0.0006), 40Ar = 0.0194 (±0.0004), O2 = 1.61 (±0.09) x 10‐3, and CO = 5.8 (±0.8) x 10‐4.Publicación Acceso Abierto The diverse meteorology of Jezero crater over the first 250 sols of Perseverance on Mars(Nature Publishing Group, 2023-01-09) Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Hueso, R.; Martínez, Germán M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Newman, C. E.; Munguira, A.; Hieta, M.; Tamppari, L. K.; Polkko, J.; Toledo, D.; Sebastian, D.; Smith, Michael D.; Jaakonaho, I.; Genzer, María; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Ramos, Miguel; Saiz López, A.; Lepinette Malvitte, A.; Wolff, Michael; Sullivan, R. J.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Conrad, P.; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Murdoch, N.; Arruego, Ignacio; Banfield, D.; Boland, J.; Brown, Adrian Jon; Ceballos Cáceres, J.; Domínguez Pumar, M.; Espejo, S.; Fairén, A.; Ferrándiz Guibelalde, Ricardo; Fischer, E.; García Villadangos, M.; Giménez Torregrosa, S.; Gómez Gómez, F.; Guzewich, Scott; Harri, Ari-Matti; Jiménez Martín, Juan José; Jiménez, V.; Makinen, Terhi; Marín Jiménez, M.; Martín-Rubio, Carolina; Martín Soler, J.; Molina, A.; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Navarro López, Sara; Peinado, V.; Pérez Grande, I. ; Pla García, J.; Postigo, M.; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Rafkin, Scot C. R.; Richardson, M. I.; Romeral, J.; Romero Guzmán, Catalina; Savijärvi, H.; Schofield, J. T.; Torres, J.; Urquí, R.; Zurita, S.; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA); European Commission (EC); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); California Institute of Technology (CIT); Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737NASA’s Perseverance rover’s Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer is collecting data at Jezero crater, characterizing the physical processes in the lowest layer of the Martian atmosphere. Here we present measurements from the instrument’s first 250 sols of operation, revealing a spatially and temporally variable meteorology at Jezero. We find that temperature measurements at four heights capture the response of the atmospheric surface layer to multiple phenomena. We observe the transition from a stable night-time thermal inversion to a daytime, highly turbulent convective regime, with large vertical thermal gradients. Measurement of multiple daily optical depths suggests aerosol concentrations are higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Measured wind patterns are driven mainly by local topography, with a small contribution from regional winds. Daily and seasonal variability of relative humidity shows a complex hydrologic cycle. These observations suggest that changes in some local surface properties, such as surface albedo and thermal inertia, play an influential role. On a larger scale, surface pressure measurements show typical signatures of gravity waves and baroclinic eddies in a part of the seasonal cycle previously characterized as low wave activity. These observations, both comPublicación Acceso Abierto Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures(Springer Nature, 2024-11-20) Toledo, D.; Rannou, P.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Rodríguez Veloso, Raúl; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Arruego, Ignacio; Martínez, Germán M.; Tamppari, L. K.; Munguira, A.; Lorenz, Ralph; Stcherbinine, Aurélien; Montmessin, F.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Patel, P.; Smith, Michael D.; Lemmon, M. T.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Newman, C. E.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Hueso, R.; Bertrand, T.; Pla García, J.; Yela González, Margarita; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Gobierno Vasco; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Instituto de Astrofísica de Cantabria, MDM-2017-0765The formation of water ice clouds or hazes on Mars imposes substantial limitations on the vertical transport of water into the middle-upper atmosphere, impacting the planet’s hydrogen loss. Recent observations made by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance rover have shown a marked decline in water ice abundance within the mesosphere (above 35-40 km) when Mars is near its aphelion (near the northern summer solstice), notably occurring during solar longitudes (Ls) between Ls 70∘ and 80∘. Orbital observations around the same latitudes indicate that temperatures between ~ 30-40 km reach a minimum during the same period. Using cloud microphysics simulations, we demonstrate that this decrease in temperature effectively increases the amount of water cold-trapped at those altitudes, confining water ice condensation to lower altitudes. Similarly, the reinforcement of the cold trap induced by the lower temperatures results in significant reductions in the water vapor mixing ratio above 35–40 km, explaining the confinement of water vapor observed around aphelion from orbiters.Publicación Acceso Abierto Hexagonal Prisms Form in Water-Ice Clouds on Mars, Producing Halo Displays Seen by Perseverance Rover(AGU Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2022-10-03) Lemmon, M. T.; Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Wolff, Michael; Patel, P.; Guzewich, Scott; Colaprete, A.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Tamppari, L. K.; Montmessin, F.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Maki, Justin N.; McConnochie, Timothy; Brown, Adrian Jon; Bell, James; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Arizona State University (ASU); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Gobierno Vasco; European Research Council (ERC); Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Observations by several cameras on the Perseverance rover showed a 22° scattering halo around the Sun over several hours during northern midsummer (solar longitude 142°). Such a halo has not previously been seen beyond Earth. The halo occurred during the aphelion cloud belt season and the cloudiest time yet observed from the Perseverance site. The halo required crystalline water-ice cloud particles in the form of hexagonal columns large enough for refraction to be significant, at least 11 μm in diameter and length. From a possible 40–50 km altitude, and over the 3.3 hr duration of the halo, particles could have fallen 3–12 km, causing downward transport of water and dust. Halo-forming clouds are likely rare due to the high supersaturation of water that is required but may be more common in northern subtropical regions during northern midsummer.Publicación Acceso Abierto In Situ UV Measurements by MSL/REMS: Dust Deposition and Angular Response Corrections(Springer Link, 2020-07-21) Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Martínez, Germán M.; Rennó, N. O.; Lemmon, M. T.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Gómez Elvira, J.; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Retortillo, A. V. [0000-0002-4553-7624]; Gómez Elvira, J. [0000-0002-9068-9846]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Measurements by the REMS/UV sensor onboard the MSL Curiosity rover constitute the first in situ dataset of UV radiation flux at the surface of Mars. Due to its position on the Curiosity deck, the UV sensor has been directly exposed to dust deposition. Inaccuracies in the original angular response calibration functions have led to discrepancies between measured and physically-expected UV fluxes when the solar zenith angle (theta) relative to the rover frame is between 20 degrees and 55 degrees. Here we present a methodology to correct UV fluxes when theta < 55 degrees for both effects, and show results of the corrected data set for the first 2003 sols (similar to 3 Martian Years, MY) of the MSL mission, from L-s similar to 151 degrees in MY 31 to L-s similar to 149 degrees in MY 34. Close to noon, when. values are typically < 30 degrees, relative differences between corrected and original UV fluxes are similar to 35 - 40% on average. Outside hours close to noon, when theta is typically > 30 degrees, relative differences are greater than 100%. Measurements acquired when 20 degrees < theta < 55 degrees represent similar to 45% of the whole dataset with theta < 90 degrees. UV fluxes generated in this study are available in the NASA Planetary Data System (https://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/mslrem_1001/DATA_UV_CORRECTED/), and are important to study the effect of UV radiation on the variability of atmospheric constituents, to recreate accurate UV doses for biological laboratory experiments, to perform combined analyses of satellite and ground-based measurements, and to allow comparisons of the UV radiation environment at different locations with the upcoming ExoMars 2020 and Mars 2020 missions.Publicación Acceso Abierto Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Studies of the Martian Atmosphere Over Jezero From Pressure Measurements(AGU Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2022-11-01) Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Hueso, R.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Martínez, Germán M. ; Harri, Ari-Matti; Genzer, María; Hieta, M.; Polkko, J.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Lemmon, M. T.; Pla García, J.; Toledo, D.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Munguira, A.; Tamppari, L. K.; Newman, C. E.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Guzewich, Scott; Bertrand, T.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Wolff, Michael; Banfield, D.; Jaakonaho, I.; Mäkinen, T.; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Universities Space Research Association (USRA); Gobierno Vasco; Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737The 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 Ls ∼ 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 Ls ∼ 155°.
