Mars

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Mars
Easily observed characteristics - Ice
caps Seasonal surface variations Different
surface markings An atmosphere Length of day
24 hour, 37 minutes Tilt 24 degrees
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Martians!!!!
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But seriously, what is Mars really like? To find
out you must explore it. 1976 - Viking I, II -
orbiter, lander, surface analysis, weather
data 1997 - Pathfinder and the Sojourner rover -
surface chemical analysis, weather data 2001 -
Mars Odyssey - high quality images, chemical
analysis 2003 Mars Express 2004 - Opportunity -
Spirit - surface images, chemical analysis 2006
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter And more on the way
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Weather on Mars
Depends upon your location and the season Mars
orbit effects the weather
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Near Perihelion - Summer in the Southern
Hemisphere Large day-night temperature
variations Winds develop Dust picked up - global
dust storms
Early June
Late July
Late September
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Atmospheric Characteristics Composition 95
CO2 3 N2 0.15 O2 0.03 H2O Chemically like
Venus, but pressure is 1/100 Earths
(remember Total Recall?) The temperature like
Antarctica, with some extremes. Fogs, clouds
Water can not exist in liquid on the surface -
only as a gas or solid
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Internal Structure
Lower density than the Earth - less of a metal
core. Magnetic field is weak and unorganized.
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Mars Surface Features
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North Volcanic Low South Cratered High
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Craters
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Happy Face Crater
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Polar Ice CapsWater Ice Carbon Dioxide Ice
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Ice - Dirt Layering
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Tharsis BulgeVallis Marineris Region
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Tharsis Bulge - Volcanos
2-3 times taller than Earth Volcanos
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Olympus Mons
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Other Volcanos
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Valles Marineris
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Valles Marineris is a RIFT (a crack) - not a
water (erosion) feature
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Images from Mars
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River deltas? How can this be?????
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Surface Studies
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Pathfinder - Sojourner Images
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2004 Rover Images
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Rocky outcrop
360 view
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Where did the water go?
Could be lost to space (low gravity) Could be
frozen in the soil (permafrost)
Why did it go?
Change in atmosphere due to volcanism? Change in
magnetic field? Change in planets tilt?
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Current Scientific Results
Water features present - evidence for large scale
floods More Earth-like in the past Current water
erosion possible Rocks - many volcanic in origin
- more andesite like Other rocks appear to be
sedimentary - water produced
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The Moons of Mars
Discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877 Most likely
captured asteroids
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Deimos Panic
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Phobos Fear