The implications of the orbital characteristics of the European Kepler project

The proposed ESA Kepler mission will involve sending a probe into orbit around Mars to examine the atmospheric structure, the global energy balance, the gravitational field, the magnetic field, and the topography.A July 1988 launch will place the spacecraft in orbit in January 1989. The orbit will be inclined 92 deg with respect to the equatorial plane, and will be altered to 150 x 7075 km with a period of 298 min. It is shown that the orbit will permit mapping of all latitudes in both hemispheres except at the poles and the equator. Additionally, large scale spectroscopic surveys will be possible near the planetary limb.