The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission Evidence for Water and Prospects for Life

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The 2004 Mars ExplorationRover Mission Evidence
for Water and Prospects for Life
Dr. John Grotzinger Hot Science - Cool Talks
Volume 38
Produced by and for the Hot Science Cool Talks
Outreach Lecture Series of the Environmental
Science Institute. We request that the use of
any of these materials include an acknowledgement
of Dr. John Grotzinger, and the Hot Science
Cool Talks Outreach Lecture Series of the
Environmental Science Institute of the University
of Texas at Austin. We hope you find these
materials educational and enjoyable.
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The 2004 Mars ExplorationRover Mission
Evidence for Water andProspects for Life
John Grotzingeron behalf of MER Athena Science
Team
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Mars Science Strategy
Mars Science Strategy Follow the Water!
Common Thread
LIFE
CLIMATE
GEOLOGY
HUMAN
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The Athena Science Payload
The Athena Science Payload
Remote Sensing Package Pancam Mast Assembly
(PMA) Pancam Mini-TES
Magnetic Properties Experiment
In-Situ Package Instrument Deployment Device
(IDD) Microscopic Imager Alpha Particle
X-Ray Spectrometer Mössbauer Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool
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The Team
The Team
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Mars Pathfinder
Mars Pathfinder
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The MER Rover
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Wrap it up and cram it in
Wrap it up and cram it in
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The Three Challenging Mission Phases
The Three Challenging Mission Phases
Launch Cruise
Entry, Descent Landing
Egress Surface Operations
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Video by Dan Mass
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Opportunity at Meridiani Planum
2000 km
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Hematite Mineralogic Beacon
Hematite Distribution Map from Tes Data
5oN
0
6oS
10oW
0
2oE
15 hematite
0
(Figure based on Christensen et al., (2001) JGR,
v. 106(E10), Plate 2, p.23,877.)
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Meridiani Landing Site
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Hole in One
Eagle Crater
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Backshell and Parachute
Backshell and Parachute
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You are here
You are here
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A Martian Eclipse
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Short-Timescale Temperature Excursions
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Red hot Purple cold Red to purple is 2 K
(degrees Kelvin)
0.8
0.6
Height Above Surface (km)
0.4
0.2
0
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25
27
26
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29
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Minutes past 1000 hours (sol 12)

• Largest temperature variations confined to
  lowest 100 meters or so
• Appears that temperature perturbations propagate
  upward

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Dust Devils
Dust Devils
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Opportunity View from Lander
Spirit View from Lander
5 metres
5 metres
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The first rock investigated by Opportunity
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Schematic representation of the Mössbauer
Spectrometer
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Mössbauer Spectrum of El Capitan
Mössbauer Spectrum of El Capitan Meridiani
Planum Jarosite (K, Na, X1)Fe3(SO4) (OH)6
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Rio Tinto, Spain
Andy Knoll
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Spherules
Spherules
5 mm
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The Berry Bowl
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Mössbauer on the Berry Bowl
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Sediment Bedforms
Sediment Bedforms (e.g. Ripples)
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Ancient Terrestrial Ripples
Ancient Terrestrial Ripples 1.4 Billion Years
Old
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Ripple Cross-Bedding in 3-D
Ripple Cross-Bedding in 3D
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Bedforms in Flowing Water
Bedforms in Flowing Water
Antidunes
2.0
Upper Plane Beds
1.0
Lower Plane Beds
Dunes
0.6
Mean flow velocity (m sec-1)
Ripples
No Sediment Movement
0.2
V. Fine Sand
V. Coarse Sand
0.1
0.5
1.0
2.0
Median grain diameter (mm)
Southard and Bouchwal,1990
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Current Ripples in Water
Current Ripples in Water
6 hours of ripple migration
Image is 60x40 cm
Flume experiments by Dave Rubin and Jon Nelson,
USGS
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Current Ripples in Cross Section
Simulation by Dave Rubin, USGS
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Festoon Cross-Bedding on Earth
Festoon Cross-Bedding on Earth
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Festoon Cross-Bedding on Mars
Festoon Cross-Bedding on Mars
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Burns formation
Burns formation (Endurance crater)
2.0 m
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Burns Stratigraphy
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Burns Stratigraphy
Interdune/Playa Festoon Cross-lamination Wavy
Bedding Translatent Strata
Lower Unit
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Whatanga Contact
Zone of Recrystallization Capillary Fringe of
Water Table?
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Eolian Sand Sheet Translatent Strata Low-Angle
Strata
Lower Unit
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3
Wellington Contact
Deflation Surface Water Table Controlled?
2
Eolian Dune Field Cross-Bedded Sandstone
Lower Unit
1
m
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Modern Sand Dunes on Mars
Modern Sand Dunes on Mars
50 cm
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Interdune Surface
Interdune Surface
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Interdune Deflation Surface
Interdune Deflation Surface
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Modern Mars Analog
Modern Mars Analog Um Asamin
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Formation of evaporite salts
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Modern Interdune Depression
Modern Interdune Depression
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Endurance Chemostratigraphy
50 cm
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Ratio to surface rock average
Depth in crater
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Changes Down Section Texture
Ontario
Diamond Jenness
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• Meridiani environment appears to have been
  acidic, hypersaline, and only intermittently wet.
• Life exists at such extremes on Earth.
• But Meridiani data suggest potential challenges
  to origin as well as persistence of life.

Rio Tinto Extremophiles
Andy Knoll
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The Good News

• Evidence of any life that might have existed
  might well be preserved in chemical sediments and
  concretions.
• Chemical and textural details of Meridiani salts
  and iron oxides likely to reveal much about
  environmental history.

• All this favors Meridiani Planum as a target for
  sample return.

Andy Knoll
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Summary

• Rovers have
• Operated for over 1200 days
• Returned over 100,000 images
• Analyzed dozens of rocks and soils

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Summary

• Evidence for water
• Mössbauer detection of jarosite
• Crystal molds, concretions, diagenesis
• Festoon ripple cross-bedding
• Stratigraphic succession of environments

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Summary

• Prospects for Life
• Preservation potential is good
• But did life originate under such extreme
  conditions?

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Dr. John Grotzinger
Fletcher Jones Professor of Geology California
Institute of Technology
John Grotzinger is a field geologist interested
in the co-evolution of surficial environments and
life on Earth and Mars. His research addresses
the chemical development of the early oceans and
atmosphere, and the environmental context of
early evolution. Field mapping studies are the
starting point for more topical laboratory-based
studies involving geochemical, paleontological,
and geochronological techniques. Currently, his
research is focused on the reconstruction of
environmental conditions associated with the
Cambrian radiation of animals in Oman, Namibia
and Siberia. In 2004, he served as a member of
both the Geology and Long Term Planning Groups
for the Mars Exploration Rover mission.