MARS CORRECT: CRITIQUE OF ALL NASA MARS WEATHER DATA David Alexander Roffman, PhD, Physics Web site: http://Davidaroffman.com E-mail [email protected] and Barry S. Roffman Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard - Retired Web site: http://MarsCorrect.com/cgi/wp/ E-mail: [email protected] 27 February 2021 ROFFMAN & ROFFMAN Mars Correct: Critique of All NASA Mars Weather Data This Report is dedicated to the memory of our uncle, Eugene Roffman, the first great scientist in our family. When he was 92 years old, on the last day that we saw him alive, he gave us the key to the door hiding one of the great mysteries of the universe. He then asked us to unlock it and reveal to the world what would be found. This father and son work is the fruit of our twelve-year journey to fulfill his request. May it forever distract humanity from the petty squabbles that threaten to destroy our species. ii ROFFMAN & ROFFMAN Mars Correct: Critique of All NASA Mars Weather Data TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents………………………………………………………….. iii List of Illustrations…................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………… 1 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….......................... 2 1.1 Comparison of Martian and terrestrial dust devils……………..……………………… 5 1.1.1 Geographic Occurrences and the Greenhouse and Thermophoresis Effect……… 5 1.1.2 Seasonal Occurrences and Electrical Properties………………….……………… 6 1.1.3. Size and Shape ………………………………………………………………………….. 6 1.1.4. Diurnal Formation Rate and Lifetime……………………………………………….. 6 1.1.5 Wind Speeds…………………………………………………………………………….. 4 1.1.6 Core Temperature Excursions…………………………………………………………. 6 1.1.7 Dust Particle Size – The Problem of Martian Dust <2 Microns and Wind Speeds. 6 1.1.8. Core Pressure Excursions……………………………………………………………… 7 1.2. NASA Ames Test of Martian Pressures and Dust Devils …………………………… 10 2. OVERVIEW OF PRESSURE INSTRUMENTATION PROBLEMS…................... 11 2.1 Viking 2 and Gay-Lussac’s Law…………………………………………………………. 13 2.2 Pathfinder and Phoenix Pressure Issues…………………………………………. 18 2.3. Which Transducers Were Used?………………………………………………… 21 2.4. Issues Raised by the FMI 23 2.5. DID ANY TAVIS OR VAISALA TRANSDUCERS PEG OUT AT THEIR MAXIMUM PRESSURES?..................................................................................................... 27 2.5.1 How extraordinary was the (temporary) 1,149 Pa pressure spike of MSL Sol 370? 27 2.5.2. The importance of gleaning data from identification of our web site readers. 28 2.5.3 Why is it so wrong to alter data to fit an expected curve? 35 2.6 The Dust filter on Viking………………………………………………………….. 40 2.6.1. The issue of Viking pressure reports and digitization………………………………… 40 2.6.2. The issue of daily pressure spikes at consistent time-bins. 40 2.7. MSL Weather Reporting Fiasco 46 3. CAVES ON AND SPIRAL CLOUDS ABOVE ARSIA MONS AND OLYMPUS MONS ON MARS. 49 4. THE ISSUES OF SNOW, WATER ICE, AND CARBON DIOXIDE ON MARS. 51 4.1. Annual Pressure Fluctuations Recorded by Viking 1, Viking 2, and Phoenix - Maximum Pressure in the Northern Winter?..................................................................... 51 4.1.1. Ls of minimum pressure……………………………………………………… 52 4.1.2. Ls of maximum pressure………………………………………………………………….. 52 5. RADIO OCCULTATION……………………………………………………………. 65 5.1 Shifting Standards – The Relationship of the MOLA Topography of Mars to the Mean Atmospheric Pressure. 67 6. SPECTROSCOPY PRESSURE READINGS BY MARS EXPRESS ORBITER. 71 7. MARTIAN WIND PROBLEMS….............................................................................. 72 7.1 Anemometer/Telltale Wind Speed Issues………………………………………………… 73 7.2 Martian Bedforms – Too Much Movement of Sand Dunes and Ripples for 6.1 mbar 74 7.2.1 Issues Raised by the paper on Planet-wide sand motion on Mars by Bridges et al. (2012) 75 8. DO DOWNRANGE LANDINGS MEAN THINNER OR THICKER AIR?........... 81 iii ROFFMAN & ROFFMAN Mars Correct: Critique of All NASA Mars Weather Data 9. DUST OPACITY AND PRESSURE…...................................................................... 85 10. EXCESSIVE DECELERATION DURING AEROBRAKING OPERATIONS 92 10.1 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)…………………………………………………………… 92 10.2 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)…………………………………………… 93 11. THE GLOBAL DUST STORM OF 2018 94 11.1 Pressures Claimed for the 2018 Global Dust Storm 97 11.2 Brief Summary of 2018 Dust Storm Data 108 11.3 Possibility of a Biological Factor in Lifting Dust 108 11.3.1 Martian Dust Storm Seasons 109 11.4 Martian Dust Storm Paths and Radioactive Areas 109 12. MARS PATHFINDER PRESSURES 111 13. THE POTENTIAL PRESSURE ON MARS……………………………………… 113 13.1 Did NASA ever publicly back 20 mbar on Mars? 113 13.2 Biology, Methane, and a Possible Hint of the Real Martian Air Pressure….................... 114 13.3 Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL), Perchlorates and Running Water on Mars…........... 118 13.3.1 Length of daylight where RSL are found……………………………………………….. 118 13.3.2 Latitudes, times and temperatures for evidence of running water…………………. 120 13.3.3 The role of perchlorates in RSL………………………………………………………… 121 13.3.3.1. RSL: Could they be sand rather than water?..................................................... 121 13.4 Other Water on Mars – the Frozen Sea at Utopia Planitia 124 13.5 The High End of Pressure Estimates for Mars…...................................................... 127 13.6. Pressure Drop as MSL Climbs Mt. Sharp vs. Scale Height Predictions. 131 14. RELATIVE HUMIDITY 140 15. TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT CONCERNS 145 15.1. Ground Temperature Problems 152 15.2. Winter Ground Temperatures above freezing in MSL Year 2 152 15.3. Why the early winter ground temperatures are so important and possible life seen on Sol 1185 152 15.3.1 Evidence of Life on Mars. 154 15.4. MSL Air and Ground Temperature Differences. 158 15.4.1. Oxygen Solubility in near-surface Martian environments and aerobic life. 160 15.5. MSL Diurnal Temperature Variations……………….. 161 15.5.1. Why does the temperature fall more degrees at MSL in summer nights than winter nights? 166 15.6. Probable Failure of the Ground Temperature Sensor or Personnel Issues? 167 15.6.1 Failure of the Temperature Sensor. 173 15.6.2 Personnel Issues. 173 15.6.3 Mixed messages about the range and sensitivity of pressure sensors sent to Mars. 175 15.6.4. A Possible Excuse for REMS Errors. 181 15.7 Temperature, Pressure and Albedo 182 16. ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION AND CLOUD COVER AT MSL. 186 16.1 Solar Longitude for sols at MSL with very high and low ultraviolet radiation. 188 17. CRASH OF THE EXOMARS 2016 SCHIAPARELLI LANDER 197 17.1 ESA gets smarter – Raises ExoMars orbit due to excessive density of Mars’s atmosphere 200 iv ROFFMAN & ROFFMAN Mars Correct: Critique of All NASA Mars Weather Data 18. SUMMARY OF CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS……………………………………… 201 18.1. Dust Devils 202 18.2 Accuracy of instrument descriptions 202 18.3 Data management 202 18.4 The crash of the ExoMars 2016 202 18.5 During Viking 1 and 2 Year 1, pressures varied closely with Gay-Lussac/ Amonton’s Law-based predictions for a gas trapped in a closed container 202 18.6 Data digitization Issues and stuck pressure readings 203 18.7 Pressure readings affected by heat generating internal events 203 18.8 Inconsistent reports about the maximum pressures measurements possible with FMI transducers 204 18.9 Timing of pressure spikes 204 18.10. Annex F and how the time of day affects the accuracy of pressure prediction 204 18.11. Mariner Pressure Results 204 18.12. Landing Pressure Capabilities 204 18.13. Deliberate use of flawed sensors 204 18.14. Innocent Mistakes? 205 18.15. Effects of Dust storms 206 18.16. Altitude and pressure changes seen 207 18.17. Effects on Aerobraking 207 18.18. Diurnal pressure fluctuation 207 18.19. Organic chemicals found on Mars 207 18.20. Evidence for life on Mars 207 18.21. Problems with transducer design and testing 208 18.22. Failure to replicate dust devils 208 18.23. Sand movement not possible at NASA’s claimed Martian air pressure 208 18.24. Lower than expected ultraviolet radiation 208 18.25. Stratus clouds at high altitudes 208 18.26. The real pressure on Mars? 208 19. RECOMMENDATIONS…............................................................................................ 209 20. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……................................................................................. 210 AFTERWORD: What difference could this all possibly make? ……………… 212 21. REFERENCES…............................................................................................................... 217 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE BASIC REPORT FIGURE TOPIC PAGE 1 Arsia Mons dust devils 3 2 Utah dust devil pressure drop 5 3 Pressure drops at Phoenix and Pathfinder 6 4 Relative magnitude of 0.62 mbar increase in pressure for Viking 1 at its sol 332.3 and pressure drops or 79 convective vortices/dust devils at Mars pathfinder 7 5A First photo from the surface of Mars and dust kicked up 10 5B Rocks on the deck of the MSL Curiosity 10 6 Pressure calculator with Gay-Lussac Pressure Law and Viking 2 results. 12 v ROFFMAN & ROFFMAN Mars Correct: Critique of All NASA Mars Weather Data 7 Prediction success totals per time-bin and corresponding % of successful predictions. 13 8 Sample of Annex F – Viking 1 daily pressure predictions & measurements with cyclic accuracies for pressure predictions 14 9A-9C Relationship of temperature changes to pressure changes on Viking 2 15 10A Tavis Viking CAD Diagram 10011 17 10B Tavis Pathfinder CAD Diagram 10484 18 10C Three different Tavis transducers 19 10D Tavis was used on both Pathfinder and Insight 20 11A Vaisala 10484 pressure transducer on Phoenix and MSL 21 11B Relative size of dust filters for Mars landers 22 12A Pressure and Temperatures Recorded by Phoenix 23 12B Except for Sol 370 the black MSL pressure curve is suspiciously too close to the Viking 2 curve above it and the Viking 1 curve below it. 24 13 Quality control Individuals test. 27 14A MSL sensor pegged out at max pressure 30 14B MSL pressure sols 369-371 29 14C The REMS team alters the critical MSL Sol 370 pressure data 31 14D Ashima Research has not yet altered the critical MSL Sol 370 pressure 31 data 14E REMS also alters pressures for Sols 1160 and 1161.