Reflection seismology systems for planetary geology: A feasibility study

A feasibility study is conducted to determine whether reflection seismology systems can be used for planetary geology research. The focus is on systems with up to 20,000 seismic detectors, such as used today in Earth geological research and energy companies. The study follows a top-down systems engineering end-user approach starting with the identification of possible applications of a seismic system. These applications (scenarios) have been determined with the help of geologists. These scenarios are transformed into system requirements using geophysicists' methods. Among these methods are simulations where the seismic image was simulated of subsurface structures based on models. Concepts are created based on current reflection seismology technologies and key areas, which require improvements for a space application. To keep the end result as broadly applicable as possible, no specific mission or scenario was used as reference. Instead, a set of possible missions was drafted. Suitable concepts will be selected for each mission type. At the time of writing (September 2009), the system requirements are determined and various concepts are created.