Planets and Moons  ID: 12181

Mars Gravity Map

Story by NASA Viz Team | Visualizations by Ernie Wright Released on March 22, 2016
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Scientists have used small fluctuations in the orbits of three NASA spacecraft to map the gravity field of Mars.
If Mars were a perfectly smooth sphere of uniform density, the gravitational pull experienced by an orbiting spacecraft would be exactly the same everywhere on the planet. But like other rocky bodies in the solar system, including Earth, Mars has both a bumpy surface and a lumpy interior. This causes the gravitational pull felt by a spacecraft to change ever so slightly as it circles Mars. For example, the pull will be a bit stronger over a mountain, and a little weaker over a canyon. Using small fluctuations in the orbital data from three NASA spacecraft—Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter—scientists created a new map of Mars' gravity field. The map is the most detailed to date, and provides a revealing glimpse into the hidden interior of the Red Planet. Watch the video to learn more.
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Explore what the new gravity map reveals about Mars in this video.
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In this gravity map of Mars, white and red are areas of higher gravity; blue indicates areas of lower gravity.
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The white areas in the center of this image are higher-gravity regions produced by Mars’ massive Tharsis volcanoes.
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The dark blue areas in the center of this image are low-gravity regions produced by Valles Marineris, a 2,500-mile-long Martian canyon.
 

Source Material

GMM-3 Mars Gravity Map

For More Information

NASA.gov

Story Credits

Lead Visualizer/Animator:
Ernie Wright (USRA)

Video Editor:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Scientists:
Antonio Genova (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Erwan M. Mazarico (NASA/GSFC)

Writers:
William Steigerwald (NASA/GSFC)
Ernie Wright (USRA)

Lead Writer:
NASA Viz Team

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12181

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons