The interior of Mars as deduced by Mars Pathfinder. Click on
image for full size Image from: NASA/JPL The Interior of Mars,
from Mars Pathfinder Many missions have returned data on the
shape of Mars. These data first showed that Mars had a bulge,
now called the Tharsis Ridge. Mars Pathfinder took better data
data on the shape of Mars, and a more accurate measurement of
the Polar Moment of Inertia, which contributes to an
understanding of a planet's interior structure. These data
suggest that Mars has a large solid core, as shown in the figure
to the left. (The figure is a rough drawing and is not meant to
show the detailed shape of the core). These findings help
address questions which remain about Mars, and contribute to the
overall results returned by the Mars Pathfinder mission.
Scientists used to think that because the Martian surface
contained so much iron, and the Martian magnetic field was weak,
that the early history of Mars was not sufficiently warm for
Mars to differentiate, and form a large solid i