  Seismic measurements are an important tool for exploration of planetary
interiors, but may not be included in missions due to perceived complexity in
placement of sensitive instruments on the surface. To help address this
concern, we assess the fidelity of recordings of ground motion by an instrument
placed on the deck of the engineering model of the Mars Science Laboratory
compared with an identical instrument placed on the ground directly beneath.
Comparison of the recordings reveals clear recordings of teleseismic
earthquakes on both instruments. The transfer function between the instruments
demonstrates the deck instrument is affected by resonance frequencies of the
lander, and does not faithfully record ground motion at these frequencies or
higher. In addition, additional decoherence is observed near 1 Hz during
periods of strong airflow due to air conditioning cycling. However, excellent
coherence and a transfer function near 1 can be observed in the important
seismic band between 2 and 30 seconds at all times and extending up to the
lander resonances during the night time when air conditioning was not running.
This suggests a deck-mounted seismic instrument may be able to provide valuable
science return without requiring additional deployment complexity.
