MISSIONS TO MARSProbing the Red Planet

Mars in Books, Movies, TV, Radio

Planets of Our Solar System Scaled to Size (above) and Orbits (below)

Inner (Terrestrial) Planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, MARS Outer Planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

MARS BASICS

Similar to Earth: day, seasons, polar ice caps

Different: dry, cold, thin atmosphere (CO2)

Mars Probe Highlights1965 – First FLYBY (Mariner 4)

1971 – First ORBITER (Mariner 9)1976 – First LANDER (Viking)

1997 – First ROVER (Sojourner)

Later Rovers Opportunity (2004)

Curiosity (2012)

1965 – First FLYBY (Mariner 4)

many impact craters, no signs of civilization (but limited resolution, limited area seen)

From 1971 (Mariner 9) on – detailed views of entire surface of Mars from several ORBITERS

NORTH POLAR ICE CAPgrows & shrinks with seasons – mix of dry ice (CO2) & water ice (H2O)

OLYMPUS MONS (Mount Olympus) Extinct Volcano – 14 miles high

(highest mountain in solar system)

VALLES MARINERIS Valley 2500 miles long, 12 miles wide, 4.5 miles deep (largest in the solar system)

HELLAS CRATEROne of the largest impact craters in the solar system

(1400 miles wide, over 4 miles deep)

GULLIES IN CRATER WALL (evidence of water flow in planet’s past?)

PROBABLE DRIED RIVERBEDS Many surface markings on Mars suggest former presence of liquid water

(suggests planet was warmer and wetter in distant past)

Topographical map – colors show heights, letters show location of NASA landers & rovers

Landers - V=Viking (1976) , P=Phoenix (2008)Rovers – Soj = Sojourner (1997), Sp = Spirit (2004),

Opportunity (2004), Curiosity (2012)

VIEW FROM FIRST LANDER (1976 – VIKING 1) Viking also dug into soil for evidence of life (found no incontrovertible evidence)

1997 - FIRST ROVER (SOJOURNER) LEAVING LANDER Lander (Pathfinder) made bounce landing on airbags

SOJOURNER EXAMINING “YOGI” ROCK Rover carried scientific equipment to identify minerals in rocks

BIGGER AND BETTER – OPPORTUNITY (2004) COMPARED TO SOJOURNER (1997)

The larger Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) landed in 2004

Spirit lasted until 2010, Opportunity still going!

OPPORTUNITY LEAVING EAGLE CRATER Bounce landing into Eagle Crater (about 25 yards wide, 1 yard deep)

After examining rock outcrops in Eagle Crater, rover moved on to other craters

BURNS CLIFF INSIDE ENDURANCE CRATER(400 feet wide, 66 feet deep)

Believed to be Sedimentary Rock Deposited in Ancient Lake

OPPORTUNITY LEAVING VICTORIA CRATER (2008) The Rover spent two years at this crater, first studying rocks along the rim - and later the interior

WATER ON MARS

No liquid water on surface today(perhaps some underground)

Surface water ice at poles LOTS of water ice below the surface

Much evidence of liquid water in distant past(surface markings, sedimentary rocks, minerals known to form from water)

BIGGER AND BETTER YET ROVER CURIOSITY (2012) VS. OPPORTUNITY (2004)

Earlier rovers powered by solar panels Curiosity powered by radioactivity (plutonium)

CURIOSITY Bigger and heavier (2000 pounds)

with more scientific equipment than earlier rovers (to measure composition of rocks, look for evidence of past water, livability of Mars)

SPACECRAFT CARRYING CURIOSITY (Mars Science Laboratory)

MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (with nose cone ) Nose cone reduces air resistance during launch

LAUNCH ON ATLAS ROCKET –November 26, 2011Launch of over a million pounds (mostly rocket and fuel), space ship to

Mars over 8,000 pounds – all to land 2,000-pound rover Curiosity

GETTING FROM EARTH TO MARS(from a fast-moving object to a fast-moving object)

Spaceship typically travels about 300 million miles and about 8 months to reach Mars

LANDING OF CURIOSITY – August 6, 2012

Slowed by parachute and downward-directed rockets, lowered on “sky crane”

GALE CRATER - LANDING SPOT OF CURIOSITY Plans to explore Mount Sharp, mountain in center of crater

(layered rock, thought to be sedimentary)

PICTURES FROM CURIOSITY!south towards Mount Sharp – north towards crater wall

ROCK LAYERS ON MOUNT SHARPCuriosity landed about 5 miles from Mount Sharp, and will be

gradually heading there to analyze the layered rocks

CURIOSITY TRACKS ON MARS!Photo taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from about 200 miles above

CURIOSITY FINDS REMAINS OF MARTIAN STREAMBEDRocks were rounded by tumbling in flowing water

(Curiosity tweets “a river ran through it”)

PLANNED FIRST TRIP FOR CURIOSITY (MSL)View from orbiter also shows location of other parts of spacecraft

ASTRONAUTS TO MARS?

Spiro Agnew (1969): “next major space goal should be a manned landing on Mars by the end of the century”

George H. W. Bush (1989): “a manned mission to Mars”George W. Bush (2004): “human missions to Mars”

Barack Obama (2010): “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely

to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it.”

NASA? European Space Agency? China? Private capital?