Download Presentation on 2005 Opposition of Mars

Mars-2005
Two Reasons Why Mars is of
Interest Now
• It is prominent in the night sky (brightest on
November 5)
• There have been major new discoveries
about Mars in the past 10 years.
• Where is Mars in the solar system?
Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system
Mars is the most Earth-like of the
other planets
But not too Earthlike
Reasons why scientists are
interested in Mars
• Mars is the best “test case” for the origin of
life on another astronomical object.
• Either life arose there in the early history of
the solar system or it didn’t. The
significance of a negative result depends on
Martian conditions at that time.
• The central issue is water on Mars.
For Mars, the main scientific
question is the existence of water
in the remote past
Mars Explorations Rovers (“Spirit” and
“Opportunity” are extensively studying two
regions on the surface of Mars, both chosen for
possibility of water
We are on the way to the answer,
thanks to robotic spacecraft
The MER (Mars Exploration
Rover) Mission
• Mobile, remote-controlled
spacecraft
• Have self-contained labs
and instruments
• Both have been on Mars
since January, 2004
• They are in 554 Martian
day of operation, 464 MD
past “warranty”
MER landing sites chosen to be
places that seemed to be sites of
water
• “Spirit”: Gusev crater:
crater with apparent
ancient river flowing into
it.
• “Opportunity”: Meridiani
Planum: site with
signature of mineral
hematite, mineral which
forms in the presence of
water on Earth
How the MER spacecraft (and others)
have changed our view of Mars
From this
To This..
The View From “Spirit” (MER-1)
Aquatic past of Opportunity
landing site from detailed
analysis of rock outcropping
Scientific Conclusions from
MER analysis
(1) Landing site described as once being “soaking
wet”
(2) Deposits of hydrated sulfur salts
(3) Presence of mineral jarosite (forms in presence
of water on Earth)
(4) Pockmarks in rocks believed due to mineral
pockets dissolved…rocks were submerged
(5) Ripple patterns in rocks indicating past lakes or
oceans
What have we learned?
The Mars Exploration
Rovers have strengthened
evidence that there was
extensive surface water on
Mars billions of years ago.
Future missions will further
elucidate the geological and
biological (?) history of
Mars.
See Mars in the Sky this Summer
and Fall!