Environmental Characterization of Three Forks and Estimation of Water-related Properties of the Regolith Sample Collected by the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

In preparation for Mars Sample Return, ten sample tubes were deposited by the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover at Three Forks between sols 652 and 690 (Ls 357°–16°; Fig. 1, top). A regolith sample named Crosswind Lake was deposited as part of this depot ([1]; Fig. 1. bottom). Using observations from the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer onboard Perseverance and the Finnish Meteorological Institute Single Column Model [2], we simulate the thermal and radiative environment at Three Forks during the aphelion season (Ls 0°–180°), and the moist properties of the regolith sample (e.g., its water content as a function of depth). Our results provide important constraints in preparation for Mars Sample Return and future analyses of the returned sample on Earth. References: [1] Hausrath, E. M., et al., 2024. Collection and in situ analyses of regolith samples by the Mars 2020 rover: Implications for their formation and alteration history. JGR:Planets (in press). [2] Martínez, G. M., et al, 2023. Surface energy budget, albedo, and thermal inertia at Jezero Crater, Mars, as observed from the Mars 2020 MEDA instrument. JGR:Planets 128.2: e2022JE007537.