Mars gravity field model from Mariner 9, Viking 1 and 2 dataEarth artificial satellite methods are extended by means of two way Doppler data, to the computation of very accurate orbiter trajectories around another planet, and to the determination of its gravity field. It is reported that in the case of Mars, all observations collected by 10 Deep Space Network stations located at three different sites during the Mariner 9 and Viking 1 and 2 missions have been processed and used to compute a full twelfth degree and order spherical harmonic model of the gravitational potential. It is concluded that the aeroid derived from the model shows very large correlations with the Martian topography, raising questions as to the deep structure of the planet which cannot be interpreted on the basis of topographic and isostatic considerations alone.
Document ID
19800053556
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Balmino, G. (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales Toulouse, France)
Moynot, B. (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales Groupe de Recherches de Geodesie Spatiale, Toulouse, France)
Christensen, E. J. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)
Roucher, P. (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales Toulouse, France)
Vales, N. (Informatique Internationale S.A., Toulouse, France)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1979
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: The use of artificial satellites for geodesy and geodynamics. Volume 2