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A. F. C. Haldemann, R. F. Jurgens, M. A. Slade (JPL/Caltech), F. Rojas (Univ. Arizona), T. W. Thompson (JPL/Caltech)
Since the 1988 Mars opposition 84 delay-Doppler radar tracks have been obtained across the Martian surface by the Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) facility. The ranging information provided by these data is similar to that offered by earlier delay-Doppler experiments [1,2] from the 1970s. The improved data quality of the more recent data allows analysis of the scattering behavior which can be related to surface roughness and rock coverage. A few of the tracks were analyzed in some detail in aid of the Mars Pathfinder landing site selection process [3]. Most of the tracks however, have only been briefly examined to ascertain data quality. In aid of the landing site selection process for future missions in the Mars Surveyor program a comprehensive effort has been undertaken to present the entire 10 years of data in a coherent form. The data have now been used for initial landing site assessment: regions and locations with appropriate elevations within the radar data set have been identified, and their radar scattering properites documented. As a whole, the data set provides an opportunity to correlate roughness parameters with regional geologic interpretations across Mars. Web access to the data is planned, with a URL to be provided at the meeting.
[1] Downs et al., \it Icarus, \rm \bf 26, \rm 273-312, 1975. [2] Downs et al., \it Icarus, \rm \bf 33, \rm 441-453, 1978. [3] Haldemann et al., \it J.\ Geophys.\ Res., \rm \bf 102, \rm 4097-4106, 1997.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: albert@dasdev.jpl.nasa.gov