Mars Gravity Map

Scientists are developing new methods to mine data, including mapping Mars' gravity field using satellite data. NASA's team at Goddard Space Flight Center has used orbital data to create a detailed gravity map of Mars, revealing features like low gravity canyons and high gravity mountains. This map helps estimate Mars' crustal thickness and confirms a molten outer core. It also shows seasonal changes in the polar caps' mass, with significant carbon dioxide cycling. The gravity map will aid future missions by improving orbital precision.

What can cause a satellite to deviate slightly from its orbit around a planet?

• Solar flares

• Massive planetary features

• Atmospheric pressure

• Magnetic fields

What did NASA's team use to map the gravity field of Mars?

• Radio signals from Earth

• Mars rover samples

• Orbital data from three spacecraft

• Surface temperature data

What geological feature of Mars was highlighted by the new gravity map?

• Vallis Marineris

• Olympus Mons

• Gale Crater

• Hellas Basin

What does the new gravity map suggest about Mars' outer core?

• It is gaseous

• It is frozen

• It is molten

• It is solid

How much carbon dioxide cycles annually between Mars' poles?

• 1 trillion tons

• 2 trillion tons

• 3 trillion tons

• 4 trillion tons