Structure and composition of the neutral upper atmosphere of Mars from the MAVEN NGIMS investigation.

ABSTRACT: The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) provides sensitive detections of neutral gas and ambient ion composition. NGIMS measurements of nine atomic and molecular neutral species, and their variation with altitude, latitude, and solar zenith angle are reported over several months of operation of the MAVEN mission. Sampling NGIMS signals from multiple neutral species every several seconds reveals persistent and unexpectedly large amplitude density structures. The scale height temperatures are mapped over the course of the first few months of the mission from high down to midlatitudes. NGIMS measurements near the homopause of ⁴⁰Ar/N₂ ratios agree with those reported by the Sample Analysis at Mars investigation and allow the altitude of the homopause for the most abundant gases to be established.

SUBMITTER: Mahaffy PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5020595 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature