46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2015) 1735.

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TUNABLE SUPERCONDUCTING GRAVITY GRADIOMETER FOR MARS CLIMATE, ATMOSPHERE,

AND GRAVITY FIELD INVESTIGATION C. E. Griggs1, H. J. Paik1, M. V. Moody1, S.-C. Han2,3, D. D. Row-
lands3, F. G. Lemoine3, P. J. Shirron4, X. Li4, 1Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
20742, USA, 2Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2300, Aus-
tralia, 3Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA,
4
Cryogenics and Fluids Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.

Introduction: We are developing a compact tensor measure linear and angular accelerations in the other
superconducting gravity gradiometer (SGG) for obtain- two axes, the common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR)
ing gravimetric measurements from planetary orbits. A in this device will be limited to 105. Under the present
new and innovative design gives a potential sensitivity PICASSO program, we will expand this instrument to
of ~10–4 E Hz–1/2 (1 E ≡ 10–9 s–2) in the measurement three axes and apply residual balance to improve the
band up to 0.1 Hz (suitale for short wavelength static CMRR by a factor of 103 to 108, with a goal to advance
gravity) and of ~10–5 E Hz–1/2 in the frequency band the TRL from 3 to 4.
less than 1 mHz (for long wavelength time-variable Principle of Gravity Gradiometry: The second
gravity) from the same device with a baseline just over spatial derivatives of the gravitational potential φ(xi, t)
10 cm. The measurement band and sensitiy can be op- form a gravity gradient tensor Γij. Γij is symmetric and
timally tuned in-flight during the mission by changing its trace is proportional to the local mass density ρ due
resonance frequencies, which allows meaurements of to the inverse-square law. An in-line-component gradi-
both static and time-variable gravity fields from the ometer can be constructed by differencing signals be-
same mission. tween two linear accelerometers whose sensitive axes
Significant advances in the technologies needed for are aligned along their line of sight. Likewise, a cross-
space-based cryogenic instruments have been made in component gradiometer can be constructed by differ-
the last decade. In particular, the use of cryocoolers encing signals between two concentric angular accel-
will alleviate the previously severe constraint on mis- erometers whose moment arms are orthogonal to each
sion lifetime imposed by the use of liquid helium, ena- other. [2,3,4,5]
bling mission durations in the 5 – 10 year range. Magnetic Levitation and Tensor SGG: Figure 1
The original SGG, fully developed in the 1990’s, is a perspective view of two Nb test masses levitated
had mechanically suspended test masses, which limited by a current along a single horizontal Nb tube. Each
the sensitivity at 1 mHz to ~ 10–2 E Hz–1/2 with a base- test mass has two wings 180º apart, which provide a
line nearly 20 cm [1]. Magnetic levitation gives a moment arm about the tube axis (x). A balancing screw
number of advantages. The resulting magnetic spring is provided at the end of each wing to adjust the center
is much more compliant and gives two degrees of free- of mass position and bring it to the rotation axis. The
dom to each test mass. Hence a tensor gradiometer can current flowing along the tube provides stiff suspen-
be constructed with only six test masses, and the 10–4 - sion in the radial directions (y and z), but leaves the
10–5 E Hz–1/2 sensitivity can be achieved with a device test masses to move freely along the axis and rotate
miniaturized by an order of magnitude in volume and freely about the same axis. By sensing the differential
mass from the existing device. linear and angular acceleration of the two masses, one
Even with the static measurement mode of 10–3 E can measure an in-line (Γxx) and a cross-component
–1/2
Hz sensitivity up to 0.1 Hz, the present resolution of gradient (Γyz) simultaneously.
the global gravity field from decades of Doppler track-
ing data (l ~110 for Mars, where l is the maximum
degree of gravity coefficients) could be substantially
improved by using SGG data (l ~220) from a single
spacecraft only within 100 days. It would be similar
with or even better than the expected resolution (l
~180) using satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST) from
two co-orbiting spacecrafts. With the time-variable
mode of ~10–5 E Hz–1/2 up to 1 mHz, the SGG should
also enable mapping the regional scale (~400 km) of
time-variable gravity variations due to seasonal mass Figure 1. Two superconducting test masses
transport of CO2, dust, and water cycle every month. levitated around a single superconducting tube.
The development of a single-axis SGG with levi-
tated test masses started in 2012 with support from All components for a full tensor SGG have been
NASA’s Earth Science Division. Without provision to manufactured, including machining Nb test masses and
46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2015) 1735.pdf

housings. Critical Nb components have been polished (JAXA) and JWST (NASA) have resulted in mature
in order to maximize Q. In addition, sensing coils and cryocooler technologies that can reach the temperature
heat switches have been constructed. A levitated SGG required for the SGG.
with a single translation and a single rotation axis is Mars Static and Time-Variable Gravity Field
currently being assembled. A cryostat isolation system Recovery: Figure 3 presents the amplitude of the Mars
has been constructed, and means of applying excita- static gravity field at various spatial scales. Presently,
tions in six degrees of freedom are complete. the static field is resolved at the spatial resolution of
Tunable Sensitivity: Figure 2 shows the intrinsic 100 km from the analysis of several decades of Dop-
instrument noise spectral density of the tensor SGG pler tracking data. Using SGG, it could be improved
with the DM resonance frequency fD tuned to 20 mHz down to 50 km only within a few months. The simula-
(solid blue line). The noise level of the diagonal tion based on NASA/Ames Mars General Circulation
components is better than 2 × 10–4 E Hz–1/2 in the 0.001 Model shows the time-variable gravity signals are ~104
to 0.1 Hz frequency band. This represents two orders times smaller than the static signal over the spatial
of magnitude improvement over the performance of scale of a few hundreds km or larger. Presently, the
the Gravity and Ocean Circulation Experiment Doppler tracking data constrain only the planetary
(GOCE) gradiometer over a wider bandwidth [6]. The scale (~4000 km) of time-variable gravity limited to
frequency band and sensitivity is optimized for the very low degree harmonics such as J2. SGG will open
high-resolution static gravity recovery. Another attrac- new opportunity to understand Mars climate, polar ice
tive feature of our SGG is the tunability of fD in flight cap, and CO2, dust and water cycles at the spatial scale
by changing persistent currents stored. The intrinsic down to 400 km by measuring the time-variable grav-
noise at f ≤ 1 mHz could be improved by a factor of 30 ity fields every month or less.
by lowering fD to 0.2 mHz (solid red line) [7]. It will
be useful for the analysis of time-variable gravity at the
spatial resolution of ~400 km every month or so.

Figure 3. Degree amplitude of the Mars static and time-

variable gravity field recovery.
Figure 2. SGG instrument noise spectral density.
Acknowledgement: This work was supported by
SGG Cryogenic System: The SGG requires sta- NASA grants NNX12AK18G and NNX14AI43G.
ble cooling to ≤ 6 K. For planetary missions, requiring References: [1] Moody, M. V., Paik, H. J. and Ca-
potentially a long cruise phase and extended orbital navan, E. R. (2002), Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 3957-3974.
observations, the cryogenic system will consist of a [2] Chan, H. A. and Paik, H. J. (1987), Phys. Rev. D
small, highly efficient dewar and a low temperature 35, 3551-3571. [3] Moody, M. V. (2011), Rev. Sci.
mechanical cryocooler. The dewar will structurally Instrum. 82, 094501-094513. [4] Paik, H. J. (1976), J.
contain the instrument, using low thermal conductance Appl. Phys. 47, 1168-1178. [5] Moody, M. V., Chan,
supports and internal shields to minimize heat leak H. A. and Paik, H. J. (1986), J. Appl. Phys. 60, 4308.
from the warm spacecraft environment to the cold in- [6] Drinkwater, M. R. et al. (2003), Earth Gravity
strument. The cryocooler(s) will provide direct cooling Field from Space − from Sensors to Earth Sciences,
of the instrument at ≤ 6 K, and the internal shields. Space Sciences Series of ISSI, Vol. 18, pp. 419-432.
Over the past two decades, development efforts for [7] Griggs, C.E., et al. (2014), A paper presented at
missions such as Planck and Herschel (ESA), Astro-H International Workshop on Instrumentation for Plane-
tary Mission (IPM-2014), Greenbelt, MD.