The MARS Journal Vol 2, pp 10-20 - Prediction of the structure of the martian upper atmosphere for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission

MRO aerobraking predicted densities at 120 km as a function of latitude. Density units are kg/km³.
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Prediction of the structure of the martian upper atmosphere for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission

Stephen W. Bougher¹, James R. Murphy², Jared M. Bell¹, and Richard W. Zurek³
¹Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
²Dept. of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
³Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA

Citation: Mars 2, 10-20, 2006; doi:10.1555/mars.2006.0002

History: Submitted: April 3, 2006; Reviewed: April 28, 2006; Revised: May 26, 2006; Accepted: May 30, 2006; Published: June 16, 2006

Summary: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft will undergo aerobraking from April through September 2006 in order to achieve the desired mapping orbit. This aerobraking process requires knowledge of the structure of the Mars upper atmosphere, which is provided through General Circulation Model predictions summarized in this paper.

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Last Updated: July 11, 2008 The MARS Journal is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.