Local water-rich areas on Mars found by the FREND neutron telescope onboard ExoMars TGO

• DOI: 10.5194/epsc2020-961
• Publication Date: 2020-10-08T15:52:33Z
• Authors: Alexey Malakhov; Igor Mitrofanov; Maxim Litvak; Anton Sanin; Dmitry Golovin; Artem Anikin; Maya Djachkova; Denis Lisov; Nikita Lukyanov; Sergey Nikiforov
• Keywords: Regolith

Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector (FREND) is an instrument onboard ExoMars' Trace Gas Orbiter. Its measurements of epithermal neutron flux on orbit provide data hydrogen (and thus, water) content in the 1-m thick near-surface regolith layer. Similar experiments have been performed before, sounding a well-established technique for estimating water celesital body's soil. FREND's chatacteristic feature its collimator - massive body surrounding detectors and narrowing their field view substantially, thus providing very high spatial resolution, around 60 to 200 km, depending measurement conditions. Such resolution allows identifying local water-rich features with relief other geomorphological features, assess small ellipses future landing sites.In this study we present latest findings based FREND data, containing number surprisingly "wet" equatorial band. Water or ice not stable at surface Mars, regions especially, that why locating areas enhanced subsurface much interest both scientists purpose planning exploration missions.