David E. Smith

TL;DR: The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) has been used to measure the topography, surface roughness, and 1.064-μm reflectivity of Mars and the heights of volatile and dust clouds as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: Elevations measured by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter have yielded a high-accuracy global map of the topography of Mars, which includes the low northern hemisphere, the Tharsis province, and the Hellas impact basin.

TL;DR: The strength of the lithosphere beneath the ancient southern highlands suggests that the northern hemisphere was a locus of high heat flow early in martian history and the thickness of the elastic lithosphere increases with time of loading in the northern plains and Tharsis.

TL;DR: The Mars Observer laser altimeter (MOLA) was used to determine globally the topography of Mars at a level suitable for addressing problems in geology and geophysics as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: The release of carbon dioxide and water accompanying the emplacement of Tharsis magmas may have sustained a warmer climate than at present, enabling the formation of ancient valley networks and fluvial landscape denudation in and adjacent to the large-scale trough.