Development of an SwRI Mars Atmosphere Model.docVIP

Chris, Geoff and others: make sure the final printed version has apostrophes (they’re lost in my version) and that Rick’s equations print OK. Development of an SwRI Mars Atmosphere Model Principal Investigator: Geoff Crowley (15) Co-Investigators: Christopher J. Freitas (18), Mark Bullock (15), Leslie Young (15), Walter Huebner (15), Dan Boice (15), Randy Gladstone (15), David Grinspoon (15), Richard Link (15). External Unfunded Collaborators: Steve Bougher (U.Arizona) - Mars upper atmosphere Steven Clifford (LPI, Houston) - Mars hydrology, volatiles James Brad Dalton (NASA-Ames) - Mars balloon missions 1. Introduction The exploration of Mars is currently the centerpiece of NASA planetary research. This has been driven in recent times by the possibility that this planet was once more Earth-like than it is today. This possibility raises questions as to what processes and forces have modified the Martian environment and created the planet we observe today. In addition, the possibility of biological life on Mars, at sometime in its history, based on fossil records in meteorites has also spurred plans for significant planetary missions to Mars and the funding of supporting scientific research. The early exploration phase of Mars is somewhat complete, and over the short term (of a few years) a focus will be on the detailed interpretation of existing data and its use in the performance of modeling activities to support scientific understanding. These activities will be necessary and essential to support the design of future missions to Mars. There are two primary questions that scientists wish to answer in the context of Mars. First, what processes and forces shaped the development of the present-day atmosphere and resulted in the presumed loss of water? And, second, did biological life develop on Mars? In this proposed effort, we plan on initiating the development of a computational tool, a General Circulation Model (GCM), which will support research