Open AccessMeasuring solar wind interactions in Mars's exosphere
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo460021
Subject(s) - exosphere , mars exploration program , astrobiology , atmosphere (unit) , satellite , planet , spacecraft , solar wind , remote sensing , environmental science , astronomy , geology , meteorology , physics , ion , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
On 14 September 1997, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft dipped into the red planet's thin atmosphere, the first of many passes meant to shorten the satellite's orbital path. For the next 5 months, the satellite periodically cruised through the thicker layers of the upper atmosphere and the wispy exosphere. The satellite's elongated orbit gave its sensors a good look at a broad swath of Mars's extended hydrogen exosphere.