ATMOSPHERE OF MARS ANALYZED BY INTEGRAL INVERSION OF MARINER 4 OCCULTATION DATA

The aim of this paper is to present results of a detailed analysis of the Mariner IV radio occultation data, using the data as directly as possible with a minimum number of assumptions and interpretations. Integral inversion of the basic measurements is used to obtain height profiles of refractivity over the immersion and emersion points on Mars. For the upper atmosphere this yields directly the ionospheric profile, for which a profile representing plasma temperature divided by mean molecular mass is derived assuming either diffusive or photoionization equilibrium conditions. Molecular number density, temperature, and pressure profiles for the lower atmosphere are derived for two constituent models assuming only mixed, non-polar molecules in hydrostatic equilibrium. It is believed that rather high precision has been obtained for conditions at the immersion point, but that the emersion results are less precise due to a change in the mode of operation of the radio system. © 1968.