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Mars Global Surveyor was a global mapping mission that examined the entire planet -- from the ionosphere (an envelope of charged particles surrounding Mars) down through the atmosphere to the surface, and deep into Mars' interior. As part of the larger Mars Exploration Program, Mars Global Surveyor performed atmospheric monitoring for sister orbiters during aerobraking, and it helped rovers and lander missions by identifying potential landing sites and relaying surface telemetry.

Goals: Mars Global Surveyor contributed to meeting the four main science goals of the Mars Exploration Program:

Goal 1 image Determine whether life ever arose on Mars
Goal 2 image Characterize the climate of Mars
Goal 3 image Characterize the geology of Mars
Goal 4 image Prepare for human exploration


Objectives: Learn about Mars Global Surveyor's unique contributions to these science goals through its science objectives.

Science Instruments: For a description of how Mars Global Surveyor collected data in support of these goals and objectives, please see the science instruments in the Mission Section.

Scientific Data: To conduct searches and downloads of any Mars Global Surveyor or other NASA planetary data set, visit the Planetary Data System data set search site.

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