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Lunar impact flash (LIF) observations typically occur in R, I, or unfiltered light, and are only possible during night, targeting the night side of a 10-60% illumination Moon, while >10{\deg} above the observers horizon. This severely limits the potential to observe, and therefore the number of lower occurrence, high energy impacts observed is reduced. By shifting from the typically used wavelengths to the J-Band Short-Wave Infrared, the greater spectral radiance for the most common temperature (2750 K) of LIFs and darker skies at these wavelengths enables LIF monitoring to occur during the daytime, and at greater lunar illumination phases than currently possible. Using a 40.0 cm f/4.5 Newtonian reflector with Ninox 640SU camera and J-band filter, we observed several stars and lunar nightside at various times to assess the theoretical limits of the system. We then performed LIF observations during both day and night to maximise the chances of observing a confirmed LIF to verify the methods. We detected 61 >5{\sigma} events, from which 33 candidate LIF events could not be discounted as false positives. One event was confirmed by multi-frame detection, and by independent observers observing in visible light. While this LIF was observed during the night, the observed signal can be used to calculate the equivalent Signal-to-Noise ratio for a similar daytime event. The threshold for daylight LIF detection was found to be between Jmag=+3.4+-0.18 and Jmag=+5.6+-0.18 (Vmag=+4.5 and Vmag=+6.7 respectively at 2750 K). This represents an increase in opportunity to observe LIFs by almost 500%.

The InSight mission has measured Mars' seismicity since February 2018 and has allowed to investigate tectonics on another planet. Seismic data shows that most of the widely distributed surface faults are not seismically active, and that seismicity is mostly originating from a single graben structure, the Cerberus Fossae. We show that both major families of marsquakes characterized by low and high frequency content, LF and HF events respectively, are located on central and eastern parts of this graben system. LF hypocenters are located at 15-50 km depth and the spectral character suggests a structurally weak, potentially warm source region consistent with recent volcanic activity at those depths. HF marsquakes occur in the brittle, shallow part of the crust and might originate in fault planes associated with the graben flanks. Estimated magnitudes are between 2.8 and 3.8, resulting in a total seismic moment release within Cerberus Fossae of 1.4-5.6 $\times10^{15}$ Nm/yr, or at least half of the observed value of the entire planet. Our findings confirm that Cerberus Fossae represents a unique tectonic setting shaped by current day volcanic processes, with implications for minimum local heat flow., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, Nature Astronomy (2022)

The Lunar Geophysical Network (LGN) mission is proposed to land on the Moon in 2030 and deploy packages at four locations to enable geophysical measurements for 6-10 years. Returning to the lunar surface with a long-lived geophysical network is a key next step to advance lunar and planetary science. LGN will greatly expand our primarily Apollo-based knowledge of the deep lunar interior by identifying and characterizing mantle melt layers, as well as core size and state. To meet the mission objectives, the instrument suite provides complementary seismic, geodetic, heat flow, and electromagnetic observations. We discuss the network landing site requirements and provide example sites that meet these requirements. Landing site selection will continue to be optimized throughout the formulation of this mission. Possible sites include the P-5 region within the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT; (lat:$15^{\circ}$; long:$-35^{\circ}$), Schickard Basin (lat:$-44.3^{\circ}$; long:$-55.1^{\circ}$), Crisium Basin (lat:$18.5^{\circ}$; long:$61.8^{\circ}$), and the farside Korolev Basin (lat:$-2.4^{\circ}$; long:$-159.3^{\circ}$). Network optimization considers the best locations to observe seismic core phases, e.g., ScS and PKP. Ray path density and proximity to young fault scarps are also analyzed to provide increased opportunities for seismic observations. Geodetic constraints require the network to have at least three nearside stations at maximum limb distances. Heat flow and electromagnetic measurements should be obtained away from terrane boundaries and from magnetic anomalies at locations representative of global trends. An in-depth case study is provided for Crisium. In addition, we discuss the consequences for scientific return of less than optimal locations or number of stations., Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, 1 appendix. Accepted manuscript, The Planetary Science Journal

Before deploying to the surface of Mars, the short-period (SP) seismometer of the InSight mission operated on deck for a total of 48 hours. This dataset can be used to understand how deck-mounted seismometers can be used in future landed missions to Mars, Europa, and other planetary bodies. While operating on deck, the SP seismometer showed signals comparable to the Viking-2 seismometer near 3 Hz where the sensitivity of the Viking instrument peaked. Wind sensitivity showed similar patterns to the Viking instrument, although amplitudes on InSight were ~80% larger for a given wind velocity. However, during the low wind evening hours the instrument noise levels at frequencies between 0.1 and 1 Hz were comparable to quiet stations on Earth, although deployment to the surface below the Wind and Thermal Shield lowered installation noise by roughly 40 dB in acceleration power. With the observed noise levels and estimated seismicity rates for Mars, detection probability for quakes for a deck-mounted instrument are low enough that up to years of on-deck recordings may be necessary to observe an event. Because the noise is dominated by wind acting on the lander, though, deck-mounted seismometers may be more practical for deployment on airless bodies, and it is important to evaluate the seismicity of the target body and the specific design of the lander. Detection probabilities for operation on Europa reach over 99% for some proposed seismicity models for a similar duration of operation if noise levels are comparable to low-wind time periods on Mars., Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted to Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

The atmospheric pressure fluctuations on Mars induce an elastic response in the ground that creates a ground tilt, detectable as a seismic signal on the InSight seismometer SEIS. The seismic pressure noise is modeled using Large Eddy Simulations of the wind and surface pressure at the InSight landing site and a Green's function ground deformation approach that is subsequently validated via a detailed comparison with two other methods based on Sorrells' theory (Sorrels 1971; Sorrels et al. 1971). The horizontal acceleration as a result of the ground tilt due to the LES turbulence-induced pressure fluctuations are found to be typically ~2 - 40 nm/s^2 in amplitude, whereas the direct horizontal acceleration is two orders of magnitude smaller and is thus negligible in comparison. The vertical accelerations are found to be ~0.1 - 6 nm/s^2 in amplitude. We show that under calm conditions, a single-pressure measurement is representative of the large-scale pressure field (to a distance of several kilometers), particularly in the prevailing wind direction. However, during windy conditions, small-scale turbulence results in a reduced correlation between the pressure signals, and the single-pressure measurement becomes less representative of the pressure field. Nonetheless, the correlation between the seismic signal and the pressure signal is found to be higher for the windiest period because the seismic pressure noise reflects the atmospheric structure close to the seismometer. In the same way that we reduce the atmospheric seismic signal by making use of a pressure sensor that is part of the InSight APSS (Auxiliary Payload Sensor Suite), we also the use the synthetic noise data obtained from the LES pressure field to demonstrate a decorrelation strategy.

The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) instrument onboard the InSight mission to Mars is the critical instrument for determining the interior structure of Mars, the current level of tectonic activity and the meteorite flux. Meeting the performance requirements of the SEIS instrument is vital to successfully achieve these mission objectives. Here we analyse in-situ wind measurements from previous Mars space missions to understand the wind environment that we are likely to encounter on Mars, and then we use an elastic ground deformation model to evaluate the mechanical noise contributions on the SEIS instrument due to the interaction between the Martian winds and the InSight lander. Lander mechanical noise maps that will be used to select the best deployment site for SEIS once the InSight lander arrives on Mars are also presented. We find the lander mechanical noise may be a detectable signal on the InSight seismometers. However, for the baseline SEIS deployment position, the noise is expected to be below the total noise requirement >97% of the time and is, therefore, not expected to endanger the InSight mission objectives., Comment: 32 pages, 16 figures

Ice-covered ocean worlds possess diverse energy sources and associated mechanisms that are capable of driving significant seismic activity, but to date no measurements of their seismic activity have been obtained. Such investigations could probe their transport properties and radial structures, with possibilities for locating and characterizing trapped liquids that may host life and yielding critical constraints on redox fluxes, and thus on habitability. Modeling efforts have examined seismic sources from tectonic fracturing and impacts. Here, we describe other possible seismic sources, their associations with science questions constraining habitability, and the feasibility of implementing such investigations. We argue, by analogy with the Moon, that detectable seismic activity on tidally flexed ocean worlds should occur frequently. Their ices fracture more easily than rocks, and dissipate more tidal energy than the <1 GW of the Moon and Mars. Icy ocean worlds also should create less thermal noise for a due to their greater distance and consequently smaller diurnal temperature variations. They also lack substantial atmospheres (except in the case of Titan) that would create additional noise. Thus, seismic experiments could be less complex and less susceptible to noise than prior or planned planetary seismology investigations of the Moon or Mars., Comment: 53 pages, 3 tables, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astrobiology, 11/7/16: corrected lunar seismic dissipation number and associated reference; corrected radiogenic heat for Enceladus; no change to main arguments of the paper, 11/10/16: added figures omitted from previous revision, 06/12/17: substantially revised version accepted by Astrobiology

We report seismic signals on a desert playa caused by convective vortices and dust devils. The long-period (10-100s) signatures, with tilts of ~10$^{-7}$ radians, are correlated with the presence of vortices, detected with nearby sensors as sharp temporary pressure drops (0.2-1 mbar) and solar obscuration by dust. We show that the shape and amplitude of the signals, manifesting primarily as horizontal accelerations, can be modeled approximately with a simple quasi-static point-load model of the negative pressure field associated with the vortices acting on the ground as an elastic half space. We suggest the load imposed by a dust devil of diameter D and core pressure {\Delta}Po is ~({\pi}/2){\Delta}PoD$^2$, or for a typical terrestrial devil of 5 m diameter and 2 mbar, about the weight of a small car. The tilt depends on the inverse square of distance, and on the elastic properties of the ground, and the large signals we observe are in part due to the relatively soft playa sediment and the shallow installation of the instrument. Ground tilt may be a particularly sensitive means of detecting dust devils. The simple point-load model fails for large dust devils at short ranges, but more elaborate models incorporating the work of Sorrells (1971) may explain some of the more complex features in such cases, taking the vortex winds and ground velocity into account. We discuss some implications for the InSight mission to Mars., Comment: Contributed Article for Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Accepted 29th August 2015