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Results for “MARS ATMOSPHERE”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1966

The atmosphere of Mars

Effects of Mariner IV ionospheric data on Mars atmosphere composition predictions

MARS ATMOSPHERE↗
NASA NTRS1967

The atmosphere of Mars.

Mars atmosphere surface pressure, radiative equilibrium temperatures, sunlight resonance scattering distribution, etc

SURFACE PRESSURE↗
NASA NTRS1966

Atmosphere of Mars - Mariner IV models compared.

Mariner IV models of three Mars atmospheric layers analogous to terrestrial E, F-1 and F-2 layers, considering relative mass densities, temperatures, carbon dioxide photodissociation and ionization profile

MARS ATMOSPHERE↗
NASA NTRS1984

The atmosphere of Mars - Resources for the exploration and settlement of Mars

This paper describes methods of processing the Mars atmosphere to supply water, oxygen and buffer gas for a Mars base. Existing life support system technology is combined with innovative methods of water extraction, and buffer gas processing. The design may also be extended to incorporate an integrated greenhouse to supply food, oxygen and water recycling. It is found that the work required to supply one kilogram of an argon/nitrogen buffer gas is 9.4 kW-hr. To extract water from the dry Martian atmosphere can require up to 102.8 kW-hr per kilogram of water depending on the relative humidity of the air.

Meyer, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Unique, Non-Earthlike, Meteoritic Ion Behavior in Upper Atmosphere of Mars

Abstract Interplanetary dust particles have long been expected to produce permanent ionospheric metal ion layers at Mars, as on Earth, but the two environments are so different that uncertainty existed as to whether terrestrial-established understanding would apply to Mars. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission made the first in situ detection of the continuous presence of Na+, Mg+, and Fe+ at Mars and indeed revealed non-Earthlike features/processes. There is no separation of the light Mg+ and the heavy Fe+ with increasing altitude as expected for gravity control. The metal ions are well-mixed with the neutral atmosphere at altitudes where no mixing process is expected. Isolated metal ion layers mimicking Earths sporadic E layers occur despite the lack of a strong magnetic field as required at Earth. Further, the metal ion distributions are coherent enough to always show atmospheric gravity wave signatures. All features and processes are unique to Mars.

Meteoritic↗
NASA NTRS1998

Detection of atomic deuterium in the upper atmosphere of Mars

High-resolution spectroscopy of Mars' atmosphere with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the deuterium Lyman alpha line at an intensity of 23 +/- 6 rayleighs. This measured intensity corresponds to HD/H2 = 1.5 +/- 0.6 x 10(-4), which is smaller by a factor of 11 than HDO/H2O. This indicates that fractionation of HD/H2 relative to that of HDO/H2O is not kinetically controlled by the rates of formation and destruction of H2 and HD but is thermodynamically controlled by the isotope exchange HD + H2O left and right arrow HDO + H2. Molecular hydrogen is strongly depleted in deuterium relative to water on Mars because of the very long lifetime of H2 (1200 years). The derived isotope fractionation corresponds to an estimate of a planetwide reservoir of water ice about 5 meters thick that is exchangeable with the atmosphere.

Flight Experiment↗
NASA NTRS1982

Post-Viking models for the structure of the summer atmosphere of Mars

A model for the Mars atmosphere up to 100 km altitude and between the 60 deg latitudes is presented. Seasonal variations are considered as induced by variations in surface temperature, using data supplied by the Viking lander and Mars 6 probe. The temperature profile is provided in 2 km intervals, noting a large temperature gradient in the first 2.5 km above the surface in wintertime. An average summer pressure is calculated at 7.3 mb with a variance of about 0.5. Viking spectrometer readings indicated a 0.995 mole fraction CO2 atmosphere with a mean molecular weight of 43.49. Gravitational acceleration is determined to vary from 3.73-3.19 m/sec sq in going from surface to 100 km, and atmospheric pressure is shown to vary by 5 orders of magnitude in the same interval. Finally, the thermal tides induced by the expansion and contraction cycle in the atmosphere near the surface are described.

Seiff, A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Post-Viking models for the structure of the summer atmosphere of Mars

A reference model is proposed for the structure of the Mars atmosphere up to 100-km altitude. Based on Viking data, the model incorporates the mean temperature structure, mean surface pressure, mean molecular weight and gas constant, and pressure and density profiles. Model profiles with Viking and Mars 6 data are compared, and attention is given to warm and cool models. The thermal boundary layer is considered along with the role of thermal tides.

Seiff, A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Dynamics of the atmosphere of Mars: Review of some outstanding problems

Theoretical and modeling studies based on fragmentary data are responsible for our current level of understanding of the dynamics of Mars' atmosphere at the planetary scale. Largely because the boundary conditions and governing parameters are such that the large-scale circulation regime is similar to that or Earth, it has been possible to derive a remarkable amount of information from a relatively small number of observations. Nevertheless, the level of detail available from theoretical and modeling studies far exceeds the validation capability of existing data. Global observations from Mars Observer instruments are expected to go far to remedy this mismatch. This review will present and examine several outstanding dynamical questions, which Mars Observer measurements should help to answer. These include the following: What are the temporal and three-dimensional spatial distributions of thermal tides? What is the distribution of momentum flux divergence due to internal gravity waves? Are normal modes an important component of the general circulation? If so, how do they vary with season? Do normal modes contribute to the initiation of planetary-scale dust storms? What are the details of the global circulation response to large and rapid injections of dust? Current understanding of these problems, the potential role of Mars Observer observations for addressing them, and the implications of answers for our understanding of the present climate and past climate regimes will be discussed.

Leovy, Conway B.↗