This artist's concept of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Mars
features one of its instruments -- the Mars Climate Sounder -- in action.
Using nine channels across the visible and thermal infrared ranges of the
spectrum, the Mars Climate Sounder looks first at space through the
atmosphere above the horizon of Mars to get a vertical profile with
temperature, pressure, dust and water vapor concentration measurements
every 5 kilometers (3 miles) vertically from the ground to about 80
kilometers (about 50 miles) high. It also looks down onto the planet to
get surface temperature and column abundances of dust and water vapor
between the spacecraft and the surface.
These "profiles" and surface measurements are combined into daily,
three-dimensional global weather maps for both daytime and nighttime.
Observations will be made through the martian year to characterize the
large seasonal variations in atmospheric dust loading, humidity and
thermal structure, providing scientists with the same type of information
meteorologists use to understand and predict weather and climate here on
Earth.