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Science 24 September 2004:
Vol. 305. no. 5692, pp. 1933 - 1936
DOI: 10.1126/science.1101860
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Research Articles

Solar Wind-Induced Atmospheric Erosion at Mars: First Results from ASPERA-3 on Mars Express

R. Lundin,1* S. Barabash,1 H. Andersson,1 M. Holmström,1 A. Grigoriev,1 M. Yamauchi,1 J.-A. Sauvaud,2 A. Fedorov,2 E. Budnik,2 J.-J. Thocaven,2 D. Winningham,3 R. Frahm,3 J. Scherrer,3 J. Sharber,3 K. Asamura,4 H. Hayakawa,4 A. Coates,5 D. R. Linder,5 C. Curtis,6 K. C. Hsieh,6 B. R. Sandel,6 M. Grande,7 M. Carter,7 D. H. Reading,7 H. Koskinen,8 E. Kallio,8 P. Riihela,8 W. Schmidt,8 T. Säles,8 J. Kozyra,9 N. Krupp,10 J. Woch,10 J. Luhmann,11 S. McKenna-Lawler,12 R. Cerulli-Irelli,13 S. Orsini,13 M. Maggi,13 A. Mura,13 A. Milillo,13 E. Roelof,14 D. Williams,14 S. Livi,14 P. Brandt,14 P. Wurz,15 P. Bochsler15

The Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA) on board the Mars Express spacecraft found that solar wind plasma and accelerated ionospheric ions may be observed all the way down to the Mars Express pericenter of 270 kilometers above the dayside planetary surface. This is very deep in the ionosphere, implying direct exposure of the martian topside atmosphere to solar wind plasma forcing. The low-altitude penetration of solar wind plasma and the energization of ionospheric plasma may be due to solar wind irregularities or perturbations, to magnetic anomalies at Mars, or both.

1 Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 812, S-98 128, Kiruna, Sweden.
2 Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, BP-4346, F-31028 Toulouse, France.
3 Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228–0510, USA.
4 Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamichara, Japan.
5 Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK.
6 University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
7 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK.
8 Finnish Meteorological Institute, Box 503 FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland.
9 Space Physics Research Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–2143, USA.
10 Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, D-37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany.
11 Space Science Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720–7450, USA.
12 Space Technology Limited, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.
13 Instituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetari, I-00133 Rome, Italy.
14 Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723–6099, USA.
15 University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rickard.lundin{at}irf.se

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Martian Atmospheric Erosion Rates.
S. Barabash, A. Fedorov, R. Lundin, and J.-A. Sauvaud (2007)
Science 315, 501-503
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Plasma acceleration above martian magnetic anomalies..
R. Lundin, D. Winningham, S. Barabash, R. Frahm, M. Holmstrom, J.-A. Sauvaud, A. Fedorov, K. Asamura, A. J. Coates, Y. Soobiah, et al. (2006)
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