17 h 7 nov 1996 ans - Mars Global Surveyor (obiter)

Description:

an American robotic spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996.

Mars Global Surveyor achieved the following science objectives during its primary mission:[2]

1. Characterize the surface features and geological processes on Mars.
2. Determine the composition, distribution and physical properties of surface minerals, rocks and ice.
3. Determine the global topography, planet shape, and gravitational field.
4. Establish the nature of the magnetic field and map the crustal remnant field.
5. Monitor global weather and the thermal structure of the atmosphere.
6. Study interactions between Mars' surface and the atmosphere by monitoring surface features, polar caps that expand and recede, the polar energy balance, and dust and clouds as they migrate over a seasonal cycle.