Proton pitch angle distributions in the Martian induced magnetosphere: A survey of Tianwen-1 Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer observations

The pitch angle distributions of ions and electrons can be affected by various processes;thus,they can serve as an important indicator of the physical mechanisms driving the dynamics of space plasmas.From observations from the Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer onboard the Tianwen-1 orbiter,we calculated the pitch angle distributions of protons in the Martian induced magnetosphere by using information from the magnetohydrodynamically simulated magnetic field,and we statistically analyzed the spatial occurrence pattern of different types of pitch angle distributions.Even though no symmetrical features were seen in the dataset,we found the dominance of the field-aligned distribution type over the energy range from 188 to 6232 eV.Maps of the occurrence rate showed the preferential presence of a trapped-like distribution at the lower altitudes of the surveyed nightside region.Although our results are more or less restricted by the adopted magnetic field,they indicate the complexity of the near-Mars proton pitch angle distributions and infer the possibility of wave–particle interactions in the Martian induced magnetosphere.

Tianwen-1 MINPA observations in the solar wind

The Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer(MINPA)is one of the three scientific instruments onboard the Tianwen-1 orbiter to investigate the Martian space environment.During Tianwen-1’s transfer orbit to Mars,the MINPA was switched on to measure the solar wind ions.Here,we present the first results of the MINPA observations in the solar wind.During cruise,nearly half of the MINPA ion field-of-view(FOV)was blocked by the lander capsule;thus only the solar-wind ions with azimuthal speeds pointing towards the unblocked FOV sectors could be detected.We perform a detailed comparison of the MINPA’s solar wind observations with data from Earth-based missions when MINPA reached its count-rate peak,finding a general consistency of the ion moments between them.The blocking effect due to the lander is evaluated quantitatively under varying solar-wind velocity conditions.Despite the blocking effect,the MINPA’s solar wind measurements during the transfer orbit suggest a good performance.

Theoretical analysis of the electric potential and the electrostatic dust transport around the Shackleton crater in the Lunar south pole region

In recent years,the Lunar south pole region(SPR)has become the focus of future explorations due to its special illumination condition and the possible water ice in permanently shadowed craters around it.The Shackleton crater locates almost exactly at the Moon’s south pole and has become the hottest destination for several landing missions,including the Chang’E-7 mission.However,people still know little about the electric potential and the dust environment around this crater.In this paper,we develop an analytical model to study the surface potential and the electrostatic dust transport around the crater.It is found that the crater’s floor can be negatively charged due to the topographic shielding,and the surface potential is as low as-175 V on the leeward crater wall.Accordingly,a large number of charged dust grains can be emitted from the leeward crater wall,with a maximum height of about 10 km and a horizontal distance of about 40 km,which brings a local dust cloud around the crater.Both the topographic shielding and the local dust cloud are qualitatively verified by a numerical simulation,in which a typical dust density of 10^(4)-10^(5)m^(-3)is found near the crater.Our results are important to the environmental assessment for future explorations near the crater.Furthermore,the results are helpful to understand the surface charging and the electrostatic dust transport on the other airless bodies.

Key Questions of Solar Wind-Moon Interaction

Key questions on solar wind-Moon interaction are reviewed.As the nearest celestial body to Earth,Moon’s space environment is distinctive to Earth’s mainly because of lack of a significant atmosphere/ionosphere and a global magnetic field.From a global respective,solar wind can bombard its surface,and the solar wind materials cumulated in the soil record the evolution of the Solar System.Many small-scale remanent magnetic fields are scattered over the lunar surface and,just as planetary magnetic fields protect planets,they are believed to divert the incident solar wind and shield the local lunar surface beneath,thus producing unique local surface environment that is critical to activities of human beings/facilities,thus providing unique landing sites to explore the origins of lunar swirls and remanent magnetic fields.Evidences have hinted that this local interaction,however,may be also distinct with the interacting scenario on planets,and the specific process has not been revealed because of lack of in situ observations in the near-Moon space or on the ground.The global and local solar wind interactions of the Moon represent 2 types of characteristic interaction of celestial bodies with stellar wind in deep space,i.e.,the interactions of nonmagnetized bodies and of small-scale magnetized bodies,both of which may occur on asteroids and Mars.The deep-space celestial bodies,either difficult or impossible to reach for human beings or artificial satellites,are hard to measure,and the exploration of the Moon can reveal the mystery of stellar wind interaction on these bodies.