A Detector for the Argon Abundance in the Martian Atmosphere

The atmosphere of Mars is assumed to consist of a mixture of argon, nitrogen and carbon dioxide with other gases appearing only in trace amounts. A capsule descending through the Martian atmosphere, containing instruments to measure the pressure, density and temperature, would make possible the determination of the total pressure and mean molecular weight. One more measurement would then be necessary to determine the partial pressures of the three gases. This measurement could be made with an ionization chamber containing an Fe55 xray source. In such a chamber the current would be linearly related to the argon content of the atmosphere.