Characterizing both the CO2 distribution and wind dynamics in the Martian mesosphere and lower thermosphere is vital for planetary atmospheric science and mission planning. In this work, we propose a novel dual-channel passive limb-viewing imaging system designed to simultaneously observe partial CO2 column density and line-of-sight (LOS) wind speed from ultraviolet and visible airglow emissions under dayside and terminator illumination conditions. A dichroic beam splitter separates the ultraviolet and visible channels, ensuring high optical throughput and independent optimization of both subsystems. The ultraviolet channel targets O(1S) 297.2 nm emission, a well-established Martian limb emission driven by CO2 photodissociation under solar Lyman-α flux. By applying narrow-band imaging and brightness inversion, this channel provides quantitative constraints on CO2 column density with a stable and well-defined response function. In the visible channel, we introduce a lens array-based compact static Michelson interferometer optimized for the O(1S) 557.7 nm green line emission, which has been observed in the Martian dayside limb, providing Doppler wind measurements in the 60–180 km altitude range. Radiative transfer simulations using Mars Climate Database indicate retrieval precisions of ±6~8% for CO2 column density and better than ±5 m/s for wind speed within the primary emission layer (approximately 60–160 km) under representative dayside limb conditions. This dual-parameter remote sensing concept simultaneously constrains the composition and dynamics of the Martian mesosphere and lower thermosphere region, addressing a long-standing observational gap. The compact and modular design of the system makes it well suited for future Mars orbiter payloads under nominal dayside and terminator observation geometries, providing critical data for validating global circulation models and supporting future entry, descent, and landing system design.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.