Orbital Elements of Mars, Derived from Cape Heliometer Observations, 1899-1924

PLANETARY SCIENCE Dust observations at orbital altitudes surrounding Mars

Dust is common close to the martian surface, but no known process can lift appreciable concentrations of particles to altitudes above ~150 kilometers.We present observations of dust at altitudes ranging from 150 to above 1000 kilometers by the Langmuir Probe and Wave instrument on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft. Based on its distribution, we interpret this dust to be inte...

Solar Flux Variability and Mars’ Thermosphere Densities Derived from Orbital Tracking Data

The Nature of Hydrated Minerals on Mars: Linking Orbital and Rover Observations to Constrain the Climatic Evolution of Mars

Background: Orbital remote sensing observations over the past decade have shown Mars to host a great diversity of hydrous minerals, including clays, sulfates, zeolites, and opaline silica [1-3]. Though certain regions of Mars contain vast exposures of these minerals (e.g., clay minerals in Mawrth Vallis and Nili Fossae and sul-fates in the interior layered deposits of Valles Mari-neris), many o...

Terrain physical properties derived from orbital data and the first 360 sols of Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover observations in Gale Crater

Physical properties of terrains encountered by the Curiosity rover during the first 360 sols of operations have been inferred from analysis of the scour zones produced by Sky Crane Landing System engine plumes, wheel touch down dynamics, pits produced by Chemical Camera (ChemCam) laser shots, rover wheel traverses over rocks, the extent of sinkage into soils, and the magnitude and sign of rover...

Modeling Mars’ ionosphere with constraints from same‐day observations by Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express

[1] We have analyzed a brief period of same‐day observations of the Martian ionosphere using data obtained in December 2004 from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Express (MEX) radio occultation experiments. These data were taken shortly after sunrise under solstice conditions in both hemispheres, with MGS in the summer (northern) hemisphere at high latitudes while MEX was in the winter (...