Distributions of hot oxygen for Venus and Mars

Abstract

Hot atomic oxygen velocity distributions and corresponding profiles of density and temperature have been calculated for the Venus and Mars exospheres by Monte Carlo simulation. The Venus results are realistically based on well‐established models of the Venus atmosphere and ionosphere that were derived from Pioneer Venus orbiter measurements near solar maximum. The confidence level is lower for Mars because the only viable data come from Viking entry measurements in daytime at solar minimum, and the global morphologies of the atmosphere and ionosphere are poorly understood. What is clear is that planetary differences arise because the exothermal velocities of hot oxygen created by dissociative recombination of O 2 + are below satellite speeds on Venus and greater than escape on Mars. As a result, the distribution of velocities on Venus tends to be nearly isotropic, whereas it is grossly anisotropic on Mars, favoring the vertical with increasing distance from the planet. The calculated lower bound for the Martian oxygen escape rate indicates that the lifetime of CO 2 in the Mars atmosphere is probably less than 10 Myr.