SEIS experiment for recording marsquakes
SEIS experiment for recording marsquakes
The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument is a seismometer for measuring movements in the Martian soil at different frequencies and consists of a total of six sensors. The instrument was developed under the leadership of the French space agency CNES. The heart of the SEIS experiment consists of two sets of three extremely sensitive pendulums that register even the smallest movements of the Martian surface. The biggest problem for reliable measurements on Mars is the large temperature differences between day and night and between summer and winter. Because materials expand when warm and contract when cold, SEIS is equipped with a sophisticated thermal protection system in the form of several insulated shells – comparable to a ‘Matryoshka doll’. These covers compensate for the temperature differences so that the instrument has stable measurement conditions. SEIS is protected from the effects of the Martian wind and the dust transported with it by a hemispherical dome consisting of several separate layers.
