An electromagnetic system for planetary geophysical exploration

Abstract

The paper presents a study, carried out in the context of TESEO project (Sistema di prospezione TDEM per l’Esplorazione Geofisica dei pianeti), for the design of a TDEM (Time Domain Electromagnetic Method) system suitable for planetary subsurface exploration. The TDEM technique has been selected since it is based on the parameter of electrical conductivity, which is generally capable of discriminating geological layered structures in a fully non-invasive manner, down to depths ranging several hundred meters. Furthermore, TDEM doesn’t need any material sample and intrinsically satisfies the planetary protection and cross contamination requirements. Finally, since the TDEM is a time-domain technique, it is in principle possible to retrieve information from different depths with single measurement. This last peculiarity makes the TDEM technique much more expeditious and flexible than analogous techniques operating in the frequency domain. The paper describes the purposes of TESEO project, the requirements due to space application and the preliminary system design.