astronomy

The Mars Global Surveyor : 

The Mars Global Surveyor By Amber Orlino

The Mars Global Surveyor wasLaunched November 7, 1996 : 

The Mars Global Surveyor wasLaunched November 7, 1996 Fulfilled six scientific objectives plus much more.

First Objective : 

First Objective To show us the detail and geological processes of Mars. The Surveyor completed this goal by capturing high quality images of Mars even before it arrived in its orbit. Some of these images that were taken over time identified twenty impact craters that had not been present seven years prior. This helped us estimate the age of the planetary surfaces.

Second Objective : 

Second Objective To determine the physical properties of the surface including the minerals, rocks, and ice of the planet The Surveyor discovered that Mars’ surface is a layered crust that is ten kilometers thick.

Third Objective : 

Third Objective To gather information of Mars’ topography. (shape and gravitational field) The Surveyor helped produce a global topographic map of Mars, which revealed a vast amount of buried craters and mapped canyons within the polar ice caps.

Fourth Objective : 

Fourth Objective To determine the nature of the magnetic field and map the crustal remnant field. It found localized remnant magnetic fields, which showed that Mars had a global magnetic field similar to Earth's.

Fifth Objective : 

Fifth Objective To monitor the planet’s weather and thermal structure of its atmosphere As well as successfully monitoring the weather, it discovered climate change on Mars by observing deposits of carbon-dioxide ice near Mars' South Pole for three consecutive Mars’ summers. These carbon-dioxide ice deposits shrunk from each of the previous year's size thus proving climate change

Sixth Objective : 

Sixth Objective To observe surface features, polar caps that expand and recede, the polar energy balance, and dust and clouds as they migrate over a seasonal cycle in order to study the relationship of the surface and Mars’ atmosphere. The Surveyor sent back images of the dust clouds and more to help determine the relationship between Mars and its atmosphere.

A Noteworthy Discovery : 

A Noteworthy Discovery The Mars Global Surveyor found gullies which appeared to be formed by recent water activity on the planet

Slide 10: 

The Mars Global Surveyor Lost contact with Earth on November 2, 2006. It is considered the most successful U.S Mars mission because of all of its scientific discoveries and how long it lasted.

The Mars Global Surveyor : 

The Mars Global Surveyor By Amber Orlino The End