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Sykes, M. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Sykes, M. J..

7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

S-band occultation experiment: A summary

The objectives and requirements of the experiment are described. The Martian atmosphere and ionosphere, and the radius and shape of Mars are discussed.

Kliore, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

S-band radio occultation measurements of the atmosphere and topography of Mars with Mariner 9: Extended mission coverage of polar and intermediate latitudes

Radio occultation measurements from Mariner 9 orbits around Mars show that the radius of Mars changes by only about 2 km from a latitude of 65 deg to the north pole, that the north polar area is about average in elevation, and that polar temperature profiles are indicative of the possibility that the remnant north polar cap may be at least partially composed of water ice. It is also found that Mars, in addition to being asymmetrical equatorially, is also significantly asymmetrical in the north and south direction with the Southern Hemisphere lying 3 to 4 km higher. Temperature gradients in the clear Martian atmosphere of only about one-half of the adiabatic gradients of 5 deg K/km suggest the importance of dynamical processes.

Kliore, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Approximations to the mean surface of Mars and Mars atmosphere using Mariner 9 occultations

When the Mariner 9 spacecraft passed behind Mars in its orbiting phase, the radio beam was cut off by some physical feature. These occultations occurred during the months of November and December 1971 and again in April and May 1972. The fairly good global spread of these data was used to estimate the shape of the Martian globe, as definable by mathematical shapes (ellipsoidal and spherical harmonic). The refraction profiles allowed the estimation of pressure near the occultation point; these, corrected back to an arbitrary fixed value of pressure, chosen to be 6.1 mb, were used as radii to an isobaric surface. Preliminary results showed a figure displacement from the mass center with a best fit southeast by 2.85 km. There was also an equatorial displacement in the direction of about 100 deg W. Atmospheric approximations for the mass center to 6.1-mb pressure distances were fit to an ellipsoid.

Cain, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The atmosphere of Mars from Mariner 9 radio occultation measurements.

Mariner-9 S-band radio occultation measurements conducted during November and December 1971 are described in terms of new information that was obtained about the shape and atmosphere of Mars. The arrival of the spacecraft coincided with a severely obscuring global dust storm, and the effect of the dust in the atmosphere was reflected in the reduced temperature gradients that were measured in the daytime near-equatorial atmosphere, indicating (1) heating of the atmosphere by solar radiation absorbed by dust and (2) simultaneous cooling of the surface. In general, surface atmospheric pressures measured in the equatorial regions are in very good agreement with previous radio-occultation and earth-based measurements. A global disparity in pressures strongly suggests that the physical shape of Mars is more oblate than the shape of its gravitational equipotential surface.

Kliore, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The shape of Mars from the Mariner 9 occultations.

The extinction time of the radio signal, as the Mariner 9 spacecraft was occultated by Mars, together with an accurate ephemeris of the spacecraft were used to determine radii from the mass center to the occulting feature. Similarly estimations were made of the radius to a point where the pressure reached a certain fixed value. Several simple models were proposed to fit both sets of radii data.

Cain, D. L.↗