First Results from the Emirates Mars Mission: A Global Perspective on the Martian Atmosphere

Abstract: The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) began its science phase on May 23, 2021 and is actively succeeding in its objective of exploring the global scale dynamics of the Martian atmosphere, measuring most latitudes and all longitudes and local times across a full Mars year. From its weather-satellite-like orbit with a period of 55 hours, the Hope Probe is using its infrared, visible, and ultraviolet remote sensing instruments to provide a unique set of measurements that are improving our understanding of circulation and weather in the Martian lower and upper atmosphere, as well as their vertical coupling and the impact of lower atmospheric dynamics on the escape of light species to space. In this seminar I will review the first round of scientific results from the mission, with emphasis on over a dozen papers that are now published in a Geophysical Research Letters special collection.