Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996dps....28.0316h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #28, #03.16; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 28, p.1067
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Monitoring of the martian atmosphere by professional and amateur astronomers during the 1997 opposition is important for the Mars Pathfinder project because the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) sequence can be fine-tuned based on updated knowledge of the opacity and density structure of the atmosphere. The atmospheric models that have been used to develop Pathfinder EDL and surface scenarios are based on Viking Lander data, but it has been recognized that the martian atmosphere has recently been significantly colder and clearer than during the Viking missions. On the martian surface, lander and rover power depend on the insolation at the surface and radiative transfer in the atmosphere. Power is needed both to keep electronics warm during the cold martian night and for telecommunications. Hence, the amount of data that can be returned to Earth, and therefore operational scenarios, will depend on the temperature and amount of dust in the martian atmosphere. In addition, observations of Mars during Pathfinder surface operations with the landing site near the sub-Earth point would allow Pathfinder observations to be placed in a global context. Conversely, Pathfinder data will be useful in calibrating telescopic observations of Martian atmospheric opacity and temperatures. Observing time has been allocated for microwave observations of Mars from Kitt Peak and WF/PC2 imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope during the Pathfinder mission. Planning is also underway among amateur astronomers worldwide: for more information, see the MarsWatch home pages at the following URLs: http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/marswatch.html http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/marsnet/mnhome.html
Anderson Robert C.
Bell James Francis III
Golombek Matthew P.
Herkenhoff Ken E.
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