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Latest Results from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)The first MOLA data were acquired in Sept. 1997 shortly after the arrival of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) at Mars and before the start of aerobraking. Subsequently, data were obtained during several months in the spring and summer of 1998. All these data were obtained over the northern hemisphere. At the beginning of March 1999 the mapping phase of the MGS mission began in the designed 400 km near circular, near polar orbit and MOLA began collecting continuous global data. By the end of 1999 MOLA had acquired over 250 million altimeter measurements of the radius of the planet at accuracies of the order of a few meters radially and about 100 meters horizontally. These observations revealed the detailed structure of the Martian surface, the form of the polar caps, as well as the shape of the planet. The early results provided a unique view of the north polar cap and subsequently of the south polar cap from which an estimate of the total volume of present-day surface water ice of 3.2 to 4.7 million cubic km was obtained. To obtain full coverage of the polar caps it was necessary for MOLA to be pointed off nadir approximately 20 degrees and on several occasions MGS has performed a roll maneuver to make these observations. It is hoped that these off-nadir observations of the central region of the cap (MGS only reaches to latitudes plus or minus 86.5) will assist in the detection of the seasonal deposition of CO2 since it is believed that these high latitudes regions may be the accumulation zone.
Document ID
20000033862
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Smith, David E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Zuber, Maria T.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA United States)
Solomon, Sean C.
(Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington, DC United States)
Phillips, Roger J.
(Washington Univ. Saint Louis, MO United States)
Head, James W.
(Brown Univ. Providence, RI United States)
Gavin, James B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Frey, Herbert V.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Muhleman, Duane O.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Pettengill, Gordon H.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA United States)
Zwally, H. Jay
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: 31st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: Houston, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 13, 2000
End Date: March 17, 2000
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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