Solar Wind Interaction with Mars' Ionosphere

Dr. Dana Crider
Catholic University
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Mars Global Surveyor Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer has provided great insight into the solar wind interaction with Mars. The spacecraft spent over 1 year in an elliptic orbit that carried it out into the solar wind and down to altitudes within the ionosphere. We take this magnetic field data a rotate each orbit into a coordinate system that is aligned with the upstream IMF direction. Then we bin the magnetic field data. Using this data set, we address issues including the position of plasma boundaries and parameters that influence them. In addition, we quantify the draping geometry of the IMF on the dayside of Mars. Further, we investigate the structure of the induced magnetotail of Mars. We find that the draped picture works for Mars at high altitudes. However, crustal fields do affect all of the above results at low altitude.