InSight Auxiliary Payload Sensor Suite (APSS)

NASA’s InSight mission to Mars will measure seismic signals to determine the planet’s interior structure. These highly sensitive seismometers are susceptible to corruption of their measurements by environmental changes. Magnetic fields, atmosphere pressure changes, and local winds can all induce apparent changes in the seismic records that are not due to propagating ground motions. Thus, InSight carries a set of sensors called the Auxiliary Payload Sensor Suite (APSS) which includes a magnetometer, an atmospheric pressure sensor, and a pair of wind and air temperature sensors. In the case of the magnetometer, knowledge of the amplitude of the fluctuating magnetic field at the InSight lander will allow the separation of seismic signals from potentially interfering magnetic signals of either natural or spacecraft origin. To acquire such data, a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer was installed on the deck of the lander to obtain magnetic records at the same cadence as the seismometer. Similarly, a highly sensitive pressure sensor is carried by InSight to enable the removal of local ground-surface tilts due to advecting pressure perturbations. Finally, the local winds (speed and direction) and air temperature are estimated using a hot-film wind sensor with heritage from REMS on the Curiosity rover. When winds are too high, seismic signals can be ignored or discounted. Herein we describe the APSS sensor suite, the test programs for its components, and the possible additional science investigations it enables.