Instruments for the Magnetic Properties Experiments on Mars Pathfinder

The paper gives a description of two instruments, the Magnet Array (MA) and the Tip Plate Magnet (TPM), that are part of the Magnetic Properties Experiments on board the U.S. Mars Pathfinder spacecraft, which was launched 4 December 1996, and is expected to land on Mars 4 July 1997. Both instruments consist of permanent magnets of varying strength that are designed to capture airborne dust. The instruments will be imaged by the Lander camera and the pictures transmitted to Earth. The pictures are the data on which conclusions about the magnetic properties of the Martian dust will be based. As an addition to the description of the construction of the instruments, we give a brief discussion of the background for the interpretation of the results of the Magnetic Properties experiment.