HABIT (HabitAbility: Brine, Irradiation and Temperature)

HABIT (HabitAbility, Brine Irradiation and Temperature) is an instrument selected to fly on the ExoMars 2018 mission. It will be mounted on the landing platform and will evaluate some aspects of the habitability of Mars.^[1] It was developed by an international research team led by Professor Javier Martín-Torres and Professor María-Paz Zorzano at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.,.^[1][2]

The instrument will study the process of brine formation on Martian ground, which is influenced by perchlorates, a kind of chlorine salts with a high hygroscopic capability, meaning that they are able to capture water vapour from the environment up to the point of becoming dissolved in it through a phenomenon known as deliquescence. Since the freezing temperature of the solution (eutectic temperature) is considerably lower to that of pure water, under Martian conditions its permanence in liquid phase is possible during certain periods of the diurnal cycle, whose duration depends on the latitude.

Objectives

The objectives of HABIT are:^[1][3]

• to investigate (and quantify) the habitability of the landing site in terms of availability of water, ultraviolet radiation, and temperature ranges
• to investigate the atmosphere/regolith water interchange, the subsurface hydration, as well as the ozone, water and dust atmospheric cycle, and the convective activity of the boundary layer
• to demonstrate an in situ resource utilization technology for future Mars exploration

The HABIT instrument will use salts to absorb 5 millilitres of water from the atmosphere each day, and can hold 25 ml in total. If the process works as expected, the technology could be scaled up to provide water for future crewed missions.^[4]

References

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