The recent observations were made via SOFIA`s airborne location, flying between 37,000 feet and 45,000 feet above most of the infrared-blocking moisture in Earth`s atmosphere. "Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure," said Pamela Marcum, SOFIA project scientist. "To observe the far-infrared wavelengths needed to detect atomic oxygen, researchers must be above the majority of Earth`s atmosphere and use highly sensitive instruments, in this case a spectrometer. SOFIA provides both capabilities."
Scientists will continue to use SOFIA, a giant airplane with a 245-centimeter diameter telescope, to study these variations to help better understand the atmosphere of Mars. It is a joint project between NASA and the German Aerospace Center. NASA is aiming for a human mission to Mars in the 2030s. "If we think of the 2030s as the potential for human exploration, I think this 2020 rover and the other things we might be able to do in the 2020s as a synergistic collaboration between science and human spaceflight. There are a lot of cool things we can do," John Grunsfeld, the U.S. space agency`s associate administrator for science, said.
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