Modeling the wind flow around the REMS instrument on board the Curiosity rover on Mars.

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) is part of the payload of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, better known as the Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in August 2012. REMS is composed of a suite of sensors, including two wind sensors. These sensors are based on hot film anemometry and are installed in two small booms which are located in the rover’s Remote Sensor Mast. Measuring winds on a complex structure like a rover requires to know as best as possible the influence of the rover on the wind fluid stream.