A ground penetrating radar for Mars exploration, the GPR experiment on Netlander

Several missions are planned which should deposit on Mars a number of landers that will perform detailed observations of the planet´s surface, subsurface and atmosphere. The CNES Netlander mission aims at establishing a network of 4 geophysical stations. They will offer a unique opportunity to explore the interior of Mars, its subsurface, atmosphere and ionosphere from 4 landing sites representing different geophysical conditions. One of the most important objectives is the investigation of the underground geological entities and the search for water reservoirs in the form of ground ice or even liquid water. The GPR experiment on Netlander, Berthelier et al. (2000), Ney et al. (2002), Ciarletti et al. is a ground penetrating radar that has been proposed to perform such observations. It is based on a new concept that will allow to explore the subsurface from a fixed position with the goal of achieving a 3D imaging of the underground. Features of instrumentation are discussed.