Mars: Book Review, Martian Propagation, Martian Moons as VHF Repeater Sites

In SolderSmoke #224 I mentioned the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.   I found a book review in The New Yorker (see below).   In Red Mars they mention that there is no ionospheric propagation on Mars.  W1PJE and K1RID point out that this is incorrect -- there is ionospheric propagation on Mars.  K1RID provides a link to a really detailed NASA study of this question (it includes discussion of the effect on propagation of Martian dust storms -- good to know!). Finally, 2E0CHK suggests placing VHF repeaters on the two moons of Mars.  I found a good article about the overhead passes of these moons.   See below for all.  

AND REMEMBER: THE ELSER-MATHES CUP REMAINS UNCLAIMED! 


Here's a review from The New Yorker: 

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/our-greatest-political-novelist

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Hello Pete and Bill,

Listened to your latest SolderSmoke podcast. Enjoyable as always. But you should correct the record: Mars does have an ionosphere!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2017/04/mars-ionosphere-cold-lifeless-filled-heavy-metals/amp

The peak daytime electron density ("M2 layer") is low in altitude - perhaps 130+ km, about our E region - and density is like our E region too (5-10x lower than our F region). So for the Mark Watneys carrying their Homebrew rig and inverted V, probably only a few hundred km to the first skip zone. More NVIS flavor than anything else.

Fun to think about. You should go and test it out!

73

Phil W1PJE

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BTW, this made the rounds in our club last year:

https://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/propagation/mars/MarsPub020318.pdf

dit dit

73 de Ed, K1RID
Newburyport Electronics & Radio Society
www.K1YRD.org

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2E0CHKAugust 1, 2020 at 4:04 PM

Hey Bill,
No skip on Mars ?
No ionosphere ?
Every cloud has a silver lining, even if Mars doesn't have any clouds ;)
Mars has two moons.
Could be paradise for Moon Bounce aficionados. No ionosphere or F layer to get in the way. VHF can get around corners after all.

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Here is an article describing the overhead passes of the two Martian moons: 

https://www.space.com/28403-astronauts-mars-skywatching-phobos-deimos.html#:~:text=So%20an%20observer%20on%20the,and%20set%20in%20the%20west.