O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> . --. THE INTERNATIONAL MARS WATCH ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER . ..../ | -------------------------------------------------- :::::: :::::: Volume 1; Issue 5 (file imw.nov94) :::: 30 November 1994 <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O SUBJECT Line Number ------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Introductory remarks 25 Special Announcements 34 Observing deadlines and facility instrument status 95 Observing plans 104 Recent Results 117 Ephemerides and/or Satellite Orbital Elements 142 Recent Publications and Meetings 153 ************************************************************************ INTRODUCTORY REMARKS ************************************************************************ Mars is now 8.6 arcsec in apparent diameter, at a distance of 1.1 AU from Earth. Many different groups have begun their 1994-1995 opposition observing campaigns. If you wish to inform others of your plans or progress, please send a short paragraph to jimbo@anarchy.arc.nasa.gov. ************************************************************************ SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ************************************************************************ From Daniel.T.Lyons@jpl.nasa.gov Mon Nov 21 11:04:58 1994 Subject: Mars Global Surveyor & Dust Storms Dick Simpson told me that you were organizing a Mars Watch to coordinate observations of Mars. I believe that Mars Watch can help the Mars Global Surveyor project survive the aerobraking phase that is part of Mars Orbit Insertion during the last quarter of 1997. What we will need are *daily* reports of dust storm activity on Mars. The dust absorbs solar energy causing the atmosphere to expand and the density to increase at the altitudes we will be flying through (about 105 km at periapsis). We can raise and lower periapsis, but we are concerned that a dust storm could change the density faster than we could respond, especially during the initial 48 hour orbit. Higher densities mean higher aerodynamic heating. We do not have a heat shield and the thermal margins are relatively small. To make life more interesting, the aerobraking phase overlaps dust storm season. Would Mars Watch be able to include a note in the next issue requesting help in real-time monitoring for dust storm activity from Sep. 97 through Jan. 98? Daniel.T.Lyons @ jpl.nasa.gov [Ed. Note: Maybe the various planetary monitoring program people (Lowell, NMSU, ALPO,...) could respond to the feasibility of this request? Mars is very hard to observe from Sep. 97 to Jan. 98, but maybe some baseline studies during the 95 opposition would help?] -------- From: jimbo@anarchy.arc.nasa.gov Merry Christmas Mars Observers! At the DPS Mars Observing Workshop held on November 2 in Bethesda, it was discovered that a number of us have Mars time on large telescopes on or about December 26. (Yes, this is probably because we planetary types will take whatever time we can get---even Christmas!) I would like to put in a plug to try to synthesize the results of these various programs at a later date, at least for this one night of data. Keep this in mind while you're dreaming of sugarplums... -------- From Sushil.K.Atreya@um.cc.umich.edu Mon Nov 21 13:56:44 1994 Symposium announcement: IAMAS/IUGG SYMPOSIUM ON MARS AND JUPITER: Boulder, CO, July 10-11, 1995 Organizing Comm.: S.K. Atreya (Chair),J.Barnes,D.McCleese,T.Owen,F.Taylor Abstract Deadline: February 1, 1995 This symposium will consist of two parts: one on the atmosphere of Mars and the other on the atmosphere of Jupiter. The Mars part of the symposium will focus on composition and structure of the present atmosphere, circulation, transport of dust and water, surface-atmosphere interaction, and the evolution and stability of the Martian atmosphere. Papers on all these topics are solicited. The Jupiter part of the symposium will have as its theme, "Jupiter on the Eve of Galileo." It will consist of a series of talks on the current state of Jupiter's atmosphere before the observations of this planet by Galileo orbiter and probe instruments in late 1995 and predictions for Galileo observations. Papers on particularly intriguing scientific results of interest to Galileo investigations are solicited. The Symposium will be organized as a part of IUGG/IAMAS General Assembly to be held in Boulder, Colorado, July 2-14, 1995. Co-sponsors include AGU, COSPAR and IAA. The symposium has been given a number: M10. Information on submitting abstracts is contained in EOS, April 5, 1994 issue. For further information on the scientific program, contact atreya@umich.edu ************************************************************************ OBSERVING DEADLINES AND FACILITY INSTRUMENT STATUS ************************************************************************ Observatory Deadline Telescope and Time Period ----------- ----------- -------------------------------------------- Mauna Kea Jan. 31 U. Hawaii 2.2m and 0.6m, for Apr-Jul 95 McDonald Feb. 1 2.7m, 2.1m, 0.9m, 0.8m for Apr-Jul 95 ************************************************************************ OBSERVING PLANS ************************************************************************ From u32fe@lepvax.gsfc.nasa.gov Mon Oct 17 07:27:18 1994 (Fred Espenak) I've applied for IRTF telescope time for March 1995 to measure and globally map the distribution of ozone in the atmosphere of Mars. I will be using the GSFC infrared heterodyne spectrometer to measure ozone abundances at about 9.7 microns in high spectral resolution. This instrument is capable of fully resolving individual lines which are then inverted via equations of radiative transfer to infer abundances. The technique has been successfully used during Mars oppositions in 1988 and 1992. ************************************************************************ RECENT RESULTS ************************************************************************ From blaney@kookaburra.Jpl.Nasa.Gov Tue Nov 29 09:41:33 1994 Just wanted to let you know I got some data using CSHELL in K and M band on 20Nov. 1994, and 23 Nov. 1994 UT. There was significant amounts of cirrus around on the 20th, but the 23 was mostly clear. Seeing was variable (between 1-2 arc seconds). Am currently in the processes of evaluating the data. My next run will be Jan 18 and 19 UT, where I hope to get better spectral coverage. From jimbo@anarchy.arc.nasa.gov We had two moderately successful IRTF Mars observing runs on Sep. 30 and Oct. 31 using NSFCAM. Images of Mars at 5 and 6 arcsec diameter were obtained in 32 wavelengths from 1.5 to 4.1 microns. Seeing ranged from 1 to 2 arcsec under light cirrus. We noticed that the IRTF image quality was very good when Mars was in the West, but much poorer when it was in the East. Imaging near 3 microns reveals an extensive north polar hood, and during future observations we hope to be able to watch the hood dissipate and perhaps detect the polar cap below the hood. Additional images will be obtained on Dec. 26-27, Jan. 13, and Jan. 30-31. We are still waiting to hear about our time allocation for the Feb-July period. ************************************************************************ EPHEMERIDES AND/OR SATELLITE ORBITAL ELEMENTS ************************************************************************ From rsimpson@magellan.Stanford.EDU Fri Sep 23 11:39:45 1994 Subject: EPhemeris Program for Mars Satellites The NAIF group at JPL has a development version of their solar system calculator. Contact Chuck Acton (cha@naif.jpl.nasa.gov) regarding what it can do for satellites and whether you might be able to get a copy. ************************************************************************ RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND MEETINGS ************************************************************************ Special DPS Mars Workshop: The Mars Workshop at the 1994 AAS/DPS meeting in Bethesda was well attended and 10 people gave presentations about the plans that they and colleagues have for 1994-1995 observing. Briefly, here is a summary: Jim Bell: IRTF near-IR imaging campaign and MarsNet Amateur project Diana Blaney: IRTF CSHELL K,M band spectroscopy plans Dave Crisp: HST opposition plans for dust, O3, surface Fe minerals Michael DiSanti: GSFC plans for IRTF CSHELL atmos. H2O, HDO observations Arie Grossman: program of microwave observations of atmospheric H2O Phil James: HST Cycle 4 and 5 plans for meteorology in Syrtis region Leonard Martin: Lowell Obs. plans for visible to near-IR imaging Jeff Moersch: Cornell/Palomar plans for mid-IR imaging and spectra Marty Slade: JPL radar observation plans and request for targets Ann Sprague: LPL program of high-res spectroscopy for atmospheric water These individuals can be contacted for more details about their specific observing and data reduction/interpretation efforts. ----------- Recent Mars-related papers published: JGR-PLANETS: "Spectral variability in the seasonal south polar cap of Mars," W.M. Calvin and T.Z. Martin, JGR, 99, 21143-21152. ICARUS: "Dust deposits on Mars: The Parna analog," R. Greeley and S.H. Williams, Icarus, 110, 165-177. "Assessment of antipodal impact terrains on Mars," D.A. Williams and R. Greeley, Icarus, 110, 196-202. "Spectroscopy of Mars from 2.04 to 2.44 um during the 1993 opposition: Absolute calibration and atmospheric vs. mineralogic origin of narrow absorption features," J.F. Bell III, J.B. Pollack, T.R. Geballe, D.P. Cruikshank, and R. Freedman, Icarus, 111, 106-123. "A photochemical model of the martian atmosphere," H. Nair, M. Allen, A.D. Anbar, Y.L. Yung, and R.T. Clancy, Icarus, 111, 124-150. "Geology of the small Tharsis volcanoes: Jovis Tholus, Ulysses Patera, Biblis Patera, Mars," J.B. Plescia, Icarus, 111, 246-269. OTHER: "White Rock: An eroded Martian lacrustine deposit?" S.H. Williams and J.R. Zimbelman, Geology, 22, 107-110. "What we have learned about Mars from SNC meteorites," H.Y. McSween, Meteoritics, 29, 757-779. (review paper) ************************************************************************ Editor: Jim Bell NASA Ames Research Center Space Science Division, M/S 245-3 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 USA phone: 415-604-0324 fax: 415-604-6779 email: jimbo@anarchy.arc.nasa.gov ---------------------------END--------------------------------------