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Atmosphere and climate studies of Mars using the Mars Observer pressure modulator infrared radiometerStudies of the climate and atmosphere of Mars are limited at present by a lack of meteorological data having systematic global coverage with good horizontal and vertical resolution. The Mars Observer spacecraft in a low, nearly circular, polar orbit will provide an excellent platform for acquiring the data needed to advance significantly our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its remarkable variability. The Mars Observer pressure modulator infrared radiometer (PMIRR) is a nine-channel limb and nadir scanning atmospheric sounder which will observe the atmosphere of Mars globally from 0 to 80 km for a full Martian year. PMIRR employs narrow-band radiometric channels and two pressure modulation cells to measure atmospheric and surface emission in the thermal infrared. PMIRR infrared and visible measurements will be combined to determine the radiative balance of the polar regions, where a sizeable fraction of the global atmospheric mass annually condenses onto and sublimes from the surface. Derived meteorological fields, including diabatic heating and cooling and the vertical variation of horizontal winds, are computed from the globally mapped fields retrieved from PMIRR data.
Document ID
19920059644
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Mccleese, D. J.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Haskins, R. D.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Schofield, J. T.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Zurek, R. W.
(JPL Pasadena, CA, United States)
Leovy, C. B.
(Washington, University Seattle, United States)
Paige, D. A.
(California, University Los Angeles, United States)
Taylor, F. W.
(Oxford, University United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
May 25, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 97
Issue: E5, M
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Spacecraft Instrumentation
Accession Number
92A42268
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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