Monitoring of density and temperature at the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere of Mars by the Mars Aurora and dust Camera (M-AC) onboard M-MATISSE mission: a feasibility study

The upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere of Mars (70–150 km altitude) are regions of significant scientific interest, however, measurements within this altitude range remain limited. The Mars Aurora and Dust Camera (M-AC) aboard the M-MATISSE mission is designed to study the green aurora on the nightside of Mars. Additionally, it has the capability to monitor the OI 557.7 nm dayglow emission, which can be utilized to derive temperature and density profiles at altitudes within the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. A key advantage of this approach is the ability to simultaneously obtain temperature and density data across varying local times, longitudes, and latitudes by imaging the emission line. In this presentation, we will discuss the feasibility of this method based on insights from our previous study using the TGO/NOMAD dataset.