From: g_d_pusch_remove_underscores@xnet.com   
      
   Explorer8939@yahoo.com (Explorer8939) writes:   
      
   > Is it possible to be in Mars orbit and collide with Olympus Mons?   
      
   No. The summit of Olympus Mons is about 27 km above datum. The scale height   
   of the martian atmosphere is about 11.1 km, and the pressure at "datum" is   
   61 millibars, so the pressure at the summit is about 0.5 millibars, which   
   corresponds to the pressure (and density) at an altitude of only 55 km   
   on Earth --- barely out of the stratosphere, and well below the exosphere.   
   Hence, the atnospheric density at the top of Olympus mons is far too high   
   for a stable orbit.   
      
   For a second reality check, google on "mars atmospheric entry," and quickly   
   learn that peak heating for the Mars Pathfinder probe occurred at around   
   40 km above datum, and that the Mars Climate Orbiter burned up because   
   the english-versus-metric screwup meant that it had a closest approach   
   of about 57 km above datum instead of the planned 145 km above datum.   
      
      
   -- Gordon D. Pusch   
      
   perl -e '$_ = "gdpusch\@NO.xnet.SPAM.com\n"; s/NO\.//; s/SPAM\.//; print;'   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)