Surface of Mars - Avery Casey

Surface of Mars Lab

Avery Casey

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was for students to observe the features on the surface of Mars, investigate the causes for those features, and research NASA missions to Mars to determine what has been learned about the surface of Mars.

Introduction

     Since the invention of the telescopes, humans have been keen to observe the features on the surface of Mars. Before 1965, observations were skewed by viewing the surface of Mars through both the Earth's atmosphere and Mars' making observations unreliable to say the least. Since 1965, the curiosity (space pun intended) as to the surface of Mars is largely focused on the similarities between Earth and Mars and the presence or previous presence of liquid water on the planet.

Experimental Methods
Students investigated the surface of Mars using Google Mars and wikipedia to observe the features of Mars and answer questions

Results and Discussion

A)

Elevation Map of Mars' Surface

Hubble Space Telescope Picture of Mars

   
When Percival Lowell's observed Mars 100 years ago, he was able to see darker regions on the surface of Mars. These he interpreted as canals built by an advanced civilization. During this time in history (1916 and before), transportation was largely by boat, which is why Lowell likely interpreted these regions as canals. What Percival Lowell was actually seeing, however, was elevation variation on Mars' surface.



B)

Image of Mars taken from the surface of Earth.

 
1. In this photo, the main features you can see are darker and lighter regions likely denoting varying topography. It is hard to say from this photo but it looks as if there may be craters in this photo.
2. Images from the ground look more blue and blurry. This is likely caused by viewing the surface of Mars through the Earth's atmosphere and also Mars' atmosphere. The view from the Hubble space telescope is much clearer without looking through the Earth's atmosphere revealing much greater detail of the surface of Mars. The dark spots seem to be changing elevation. The view of Mars from Earth changes with your position on Earth.
3. Compared to the Moon and Mercury, there are far fewer craters on the surface of Mars, denoting a younger body.

6. The picture above shows Mars' apparent path across the sky as the year goes on. This pattern is called retrograde motion and occurs as Earth "laps" Mars' orbit.

C)
1. In the above pictures, the June 26 image shows distinct light and dark patches on the surface of Mars. In the image from September, however, the atmosphere of Mars seems opaque. In both images, there appears to be ice at the poles.
2. The atmosphere is relatively transparent in June 26, and seems opaque in September.
3. There is likely a dust storm occurring in the September picture.

D)
1. The highest features on Mars appear to be volcanoes, which would indicate volcanic activity on the planet in the present or past.
2. The northern hemisphere of Mars is smooth, while the southern portion is more varied. This likely shows that there was volcanic activity in the northern hemisphere and that the southern hemisphere is older.
3.The southern hemisphere appears to have more impact craters.

Hellas Planitia

4. The largest impact crater, Hellas Planitia, occurs in the bottom right quadrant of Mars.

Spacecraft Landing sites on Mars

5.  Both the Viking I and II landers landed in relatively low regions of the planet. Viking 1 with varied terrain and Viking 2 surrounded by smooth terrain. These regions were likely selected for ease of landing and to learn more about the terrain types on Mars.
6. The Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity spacecraft landed in the southern, more cratered regions of Mars. This was likely to study the older terrain on Mars.
7. 

The transmission from this Mars 3 Lander stopped after 14.5 seconds in 1971, likely because it fell over due to the rough terrain pictured above.

E)
1.

Gusev Crater

Meridiani Terra

2. Gusev Crater is a smooth crater with bands of dark material at the bottom. Meridiani terra is smooth, mostly light color with dark material mostly at the edges. These sites were likely chosen to determine the causation of discoloration in these features.

3.

Meridiani Terra viewed in infrared.

3. When the Meridiani Terra is viewed in infrared, there appears to be a darker band of material which flows similarly to water.
   
4.

The Niger Valles appears to show dunes and ripples caused by erosion suggesting liquid flow on the surface of Mars.

F) If I were to send a spacecraft to Mars I would want to investigate harvesting water from Mars to support further space missions.


Conclusion
    Formerly, observations about the surface of Mars were difficult to obtain and largely misunderstood. With advances in technology, we now have a detailed picture of the surface of this planet.