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Mapping the Atmosphere on Mars Can Help Advance Science on Our Own Planet

April 13, 2022·17 min·1 clip

Mars once had an atmosphere like Earth's—understanding its loss might predict our planet's fate.

The episode focuses on the Emirates Mars Mission, known as the HOPE probe, and its goal to map the Martian atmosphere. Host Laurel Ruma interviews Mariam Youssef, a data analyst for the mission, about its scientific objectives and broader impact. The HOPE probe aims to be the first to provide a complete global picture of the Martian atmosphere across its layers. A primary objective is to characterize the Martian lower atmosphere to understand climate dynamics and create a global weather map. The mission also seeks to correlate lower atmosphere conditions with the upper atmosphere to explain how weather affects the escape of hydrogen and oxygen into space. A third goal is to understand the structure and variability of hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere to learn why Mars is losing these gases. The probe uses a unique 25-degree elliptical orbit, collecting high-resolution data and images of the atmosphere every 9.5 days. Its three instruments include the Emirates Exploration Imager, a digital camera capturing 12-megapixel images and measuring water-ice and ozone. The EMIRS instrument is an infrared spectrometer measuring atmospheric and surface temperatures, plus water ice and dust optical depths. The EMUS instrument is a far-ultraviolet spectrometer measuring oxygen, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen variability in the upper atmosphere. Mariam Youssef analyzes data from EMIRS to study how atmospheric conditions affect the thermophysical properties of the Martian surface. An unexpected discovery involved the sensitive EMUS instrument detecting a discrete aurora on Mars's nightside in over 60% of about 400 observations. The mission also captured never-before-seen images of Martian dust storms and remarkable concentrations of oxygen and carbon monoxide. All data from the HOPE probe is being released publicly to over 200 universities and research institutes to foster collaborative scientific analysis. Youssef transitioned into her role from a biomedical engineering background by learning Python through online courses and mentorship from U.S.-based experts. She finds dust storms particularly fascinating, drawing parallels to the tropical desert environment of the UAE. The mission's success is fueling further UAE space initiatives, including an astronaut program and an interplanetary mission to Venus and the asteroid belt. An Emirates lunar mission, launching a rover by the end of the year, is also in development. The tone is educational and conversational, highlighting both technical mission details and personal career journeys. The style is interview-based, with the host guiding the discussion to explore scientific goals, data analysis, and broader implications. This episode would appeal to listeners interested in space exploration, planetary science, data analytics, and international STEM collaboration. Those seeking highly technical debates or critiques of space policy might find the content too introductory or celebratory in tone.

As heard by us

A measured Mars mission interview that treats space data as practical evidence.

Business Lab presents the Emirates Mars mission as a practical study of what space data can show once it is analyzed, not simply collected. Laurel Ruma keeps the focus on the HOPE probe, while Mariam Youssef describes a mission designed to map Mars' atmosphere layer by layer and…

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Hear how HOPE turns Mars atmosphere data into a practical science problem.

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