Published December 17, 1976
| public
Journal Article
Composition and Structure of the Martian Upper Atmosphere: Analysis of Results from Viking
- Creators
- McElroy, M. B.
- Kong, T. Y.
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Yung, Y. L.
- Nier, A. O.
Abstract
Densities for carbon dioxide measured by the upper atmospheric mass spectrometers on Viking 1 and Viking 2 are analyzed to yield height profiles for the temperature of the martian atmosphere between 120 and 200 kilometers. Densities for nitrogen and argon are used to derive vertical profiles for the eddy diffusion coefficient over the same height range. The upper atmosphere of Mars is surprisingly cold with average temperatures for both Viking 1 and Viking 2 of less than 200°K, and there is significant vertical structure. Model calculations are presented and shown to be in good agreement with measured concentrations of carbon monoxide, oxygen, and nitric oxide.
Additional Information
© 1976 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 12 November 1976. Work at the University of Minnesota and at Harvard University was supported under NASA contracts NAS-1-9697 and NAS-1-10492, respectively.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 49492
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20140909-101158778
- NAS-1-9697
- NASA
- NAS-1-10492
- NASA
- Created
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2014-09-09Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences