The Planet Mars Survey of Astronomy Astro1010-lee.com [email protected] Chapter 9.
34
The Planet Mars Survey of Astronomy A s t r o 1 0 1 0 - l e e . c o m [email protected] om Chapte r 9
-
Upload
sophia-capers -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of The Planet Mars Survey of Astronomy Astro1010-lee.com [email protected] Chapter 9.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
Christian Huygens (1659)
W. R. Dawes (1864 – 1865)
Giovanni Schiaparelli (1888)
Early observers did not have photography and had to draw what they saw.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9In the years from about
1890 to about 1910 Percival Lowell became enamored with the observations of Schiapereli. Canali for him were canals. He believed in canals and the intelligent life forms needed to dig them. He spent many years talking and writing about them.
Perc
ival
Low
ell
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 8Mars Facts
Dist from Sun=1.5+ or app. 1.6 AU (T-B)Year = 1.88 Earth yearsSol (Mars day) = 24h 37 mAxis inclination = 25+ degDia = .533 Earth diaSurface gravity = .38 EarthSurface Temp = -140 deg C to 20 deg C
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10
Earth Venus Mars N2 0.79 2 3 x 10-4 O2 0.20 < 0.001 10-7 Ar 0.01 0.005 2 x 10-4 CO2 0.0003 64 0.009 H2O ~ 0.02 ~ 0.01 ~10-6 Total 1.00 90 0.01
Comparison of the Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
The interior of Mars has not been studied by seismic waves. Surface clues indicate that the interior as shown is likely correct. Over time the interior has cooled and vulcanism has ceased.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9Surface Features
The surface of Mars has been imaged and mapped at least as thoroughly as the Earth.
No liquid water has been found although there is much evidence that there has been standing and flowing water in the past.
The Southern Hemisphere is somewhat higher in elevation and covered with craters appearing much like The Moon.
The lower Northern Hemisphere is much more earthlike. It has giant volcanoes and canyons.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10This topo-
graphical map of the Tharsis Rise shows giant volcanoes, a giant canyon, apparent dry river beds and a dry ocean
Tharsis Bulge
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9 Olympus MonsIf this giant
volcano were on Earth is would stand three times higher than Mount Everest and would completely cover the State of Utah
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
An image of a dry watershed
An image of a dry river bed
A topographic map of the mouth of a dry river entering a dry ocean
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9 A canyon land
region called South Candor
A panoramic view of a rocky rolling valley
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9 The North Polar Cap seems
to have water ice with much dry ice covering it. There is much information in the apparent layers that have accumulated over eons.
The South Polar Cap seems to have less water ice and less layering.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
TodayColdDry
AncientlyWarmWet
Mars
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
Robots to MarsFrom the Mariner Probes in the early ‘60s to the extremely successful Phoenix Lander 2010 mankind has sent variety of robot orbiters and landers to prepare the way for a future manned mission to the exotic Red Planet.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9Viking Program
Two Identical SystemsOrbiterLander
Mid 70’sSearch for Living LifeChemical not biological resultsRed color is iron oxide
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9
A view from the Viking 2 Lander in summer and winter. The occasional frost layer only lasts until Sun up.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9 The Mars Global Surveyor
took images in visible and infrared of the entire planet every day for one full Mars year. Among its discoveries was this of recent gullies
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9One of the trickiest parts
of the Mars Exploration is actually getting the rovers to Mars in working condition.Imagine trying to drop a sophisticated robot about 11-12 stories without breaking it (or even dropping an ordinary DVD player)
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9When the Pathfinder lander
and the Sojourner rover arrived in 1997 they began the era of faster, cheaper spacecraft. Sojourner can be seen examining the rock “Yogi”
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9The next gener-
ation Rovers were two, called the Spirit and Opportunity.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9Spirit’s landing place was similar to the Vikings’; this is a
360° panoramic view
Spirit View west from the Columbia Hills
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9This is a view from Opportunity down into
Victoria Crater. It spent nearly a full Earth year finding the best way down into the crater and this is it. Opportunity has now left Victoria Crater in search of another crater to explore.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 9Here we see the robotic arm
at work. It cleans the rock, examines it then analyses it for elements.
This is the Instrument complex with the RAT, Imager and Spectrographs
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10
Discoveries– Layering as if by water
deposit– Spherical pebbles such
as in a stream– Rust (color) same as
the red iron oxide as in Southern Utah
Adventures- Stuck in sand dune
– Covered by dust in a storm
– Uncovered by a whirl wind
– Lived through a long Mars winter
– Are still going strong (four times as long as expected)
Intrepid Geologists
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10
The Pheonix scooped up icy dirt that gave off liquid water when warmed.
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10
Each Rover has become more become bigger and more complex as we have learned how to build them and use them
Spirit Sojourner Cuiriosity
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10Mars Pathfinder (Success)
Mars Global Surveyor (Success)Actively taking pictures and gathering data
Mars Polar Lander (Failed)Mars Atmosphere Observer (Failed) 2001 Mars Odyssey
-arrived Oct 24. 2001-gathering data today
Landers (Future) -biology and geology Laboratory
-to gather rocks and return them to Earth
Su
rvey o
f A
stro
nom
yAstro1010-lee.com
Chapter 10Phobos (Fear) is the large
of the two. They are both tiny and badly scarred by impacts but Phobos looks like it was nearly shattered.
The Japonese are planning to send a robot to pick up dirt and rock samples from Diemos (Terror) to return them to Earth
