Application:

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ON MARS
NASA WILL MEASURE ATMOSHPERIC PRESSURE ON MARS

As part of the NASA Phoenix project to send another Mars lander in 2007, MDA in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, through the support of the Canadian Space Agency, will be supplying various measuring sensors and systems.

One of those sensors is to measure the atmospheric pressure on Mars. To do this, MDA, in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute, has developed their own pressure sensor with a range of 5 to 12 hPa Absolute and with a resolution of 0.1 Pa.

In order to calibrate this very low pressure sensor, MDA is using the new Mensor APC600 Automatic Pressure Controller.

The APC600 supplied is a single channel controller equipped with one dual range transducer with ranges of 20 and 10 psia and one single range transducer with a range of 5 psia. With the APC600, one control channel can accept up to two transducers, and each transducer can have two ranges. The resulting ranges ( 20, 10 & 5 psia) allow MDA to perform all the necessary tests either automatically or manually with a total uncertainty of 0.01% of each range. Of particular interest is that the 5 psia transducer is designed to withstand the overpressure of normal atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia).

The combination of high level accuracy and a control stability of 0.003% of each range provides MDA with the capability to efficiently and quickly calibrate their sensors.

Mensor's distributor in Canada, Technel Engineering, provided local support to MDA both before and after the sale.