Why explore Mars? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Why explore Mars?

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Why explore Mars? To better understand planets in our Solar System and thus how the Solar System formed To better understand the likelihood of planets around other stars – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Why explore Mars?


1
Why explore Mars?
  • To better understand planets in our Solar System
    and thus how the Solar System formed
  • To better understand the likelihood of planets
    around other stars
  • To establish in the future another home for
    humans.
  • Our history tells us we are explorers!
  • To answer the question

2
Are we alone? In Search of Life
3
Have we found life? Well, no, not yet
Cydonia Region Viking 1 1976
Global Surveyor April 2001
4
Mariner 4 1965Mariner 6 7 1969Mariner 9
1971
5
Mars Two Views
6
Mars Vital Stats
7
The two Martian moons resemble asteroids
  • Mars has two small, football-shaped satellites
    that move in orbits close to the surface of the
    planet
  • They may be captured asteroids or may have formed
    in orbit around Mars out of solar system debris

8
Mars Up Close
9
Clouds Above Mars Volcanos
10
The Volcano Olympus Mons
11
Viking 1976
12
Viking 1 First Images
13
Winter Frost _at_ Viking 2
14
Pathfinder and Sojourner 1997
15
Pathfinder 1997
16
Mars Global Surveyor 1996 - 2006
17
Mars Odyssey 2001
18
Mars The Case for Water
19
Gustev Crater from Mars Odyssey March 2003
20
Spirit and Opportunity 2004
21
All around Spirit
22
Spirit Panorama in Gustev Crater
23
Up Close from Spirit
24
on Mars
25
Opportunity
26
Mars here and there
27
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2005 -)
28
A Martian Avalanche from MROFebruary 2008 North
Polar Area
29
York U on Mars 2008 NASA Phoenix Mission
30
Phoenix objectives/instruments
  • Study the history of water by examining water ice
    beneath the Martian surface (north polar region).
  • Determine if the arctic Martian soil could
    support life.
  • Instruments MET, Robotic Arm, Surface
    Stereoscopic Imager (SSI), Thermal and Evolved
    Gas Analyzer (TEGA), Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)
    Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity
    Analyzer (MECA).

31
Where is Phoenix?
32
Going down
33
On the surface at the North Pole
34
At the North Pole
35
Digging for ice on Mars
36
Instruments on Phoenix
37
Temperatures at the North Pole
38
Snow on Mars using Lidar
39
The Near Future
40
The More Distant future
41
Any Questions?
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