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First Atmospheric Science Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers Mini-TES.

Author(s): Alan Budney, James B. Whitney, D K Banfield, Jeffrey Smith, Wayne Landis, Amitabha Ghosh, M. Wolff, Nicole Spanovich, Peter Smith, Jan P. Christensen, J M Lemmon, S W Squyres, R Clancy

Publication date: 2004-12-03

Journal: Science (New York, N.Y.)

Keywords: Algorithms, Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, Extraterrestrial Environment, Mars, Seasons, Spectrum Analysis, Temperature, Water

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Abstract

Thermal infrared spectra of the martian atmosphere taken by the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) were used to determine the atmospheric temperatures in the planetary boundary layer and the column-integrated optical depth of aerosols. Mini-TES observations show the diurnal variation of the martian boundary layer thermal structure, including a near-surface superadiabatic layer during the afternoon and an inversion layer at night. Upward-looking Mini-TES observations show warm and cool parcels of air moving through the Mini-TES field of view on a time scale of 30 seconds. The retrieved dust optical depth shows a downward trend at both sites.

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The Mars Pathfinder Atmospheric Structure Investigation/Meteorology (ASI/MET) Experiment

J. T. Schofield, J. R. Barnes, D. Crisp … (1997)

The Mars Pathfinder atmospheric structure investigation/meteorology (ASI/MET) experiment measured the vertical density, pressure, and temperature structure of the martian atmosphere from the surface to 160 km, and monitored surface meteorology and climate for 83 sols (1 sol = 1 martian day = 24.7 hours). The atmospheric structure and the weather record are similar to those observed by the Viking 1 lander (VL-1) at the same latitude, altitude, and season 21 years ago, but there are differences related to diurnal effects and the surface properties of the landing site. These include a cold nighttime upper atmosphere; atmospheric temperatures that are 10 to 12 degrees kelvin warmer near the surface; light slope-controlled winds; and dust devils, identified by their pressure, wind, and temperature signatures. The results are consistent with the warm, moderately dusty atmosphere seen by VL-1.