docMars – The Red Planet from Canals to Curiosity
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Mars – The Red Planet from Canals to Curiosity
Mars – The Red Planet from Canals to Curiosity John Anderson Mars Data Parameter Mars Earth Diameter km 6792 13476 Orbital period days 686 365 Day length hours 24.65 24 Gravity g 0.38 1 Atmospheric pressure mbar 6.3 ~1000 Atmosphere 95% CO2 3% N2 78% N2 21% O2 Surface temp. deg C -89 to -20 -40 to + 45 Moons 2 Phobos & Deimos Highest point Olympus Mons 21 km 1 Mt Everest 8.8 km Phobos & Deimos Mars Retrograde Motion Percival Lowell 1855 -1916 Percival Lowell Wealthy American business man and astronomer Heard of features on Mars observed by Schiaparelli described as “canalli” Built his own telescope in Flagstaff Arizona Spent 15 years obsessively studying Mars and making sketches Became convinced that the features he could see were canals to take water from the polar ice caps to dry regions Published 3 books on Mars including “Mars and its Canals” in 1906 Lowell’s sketches of Canals Other astronomers failed to see Lowell’s “canals” This is a photograph taken on the Mount Wilson 60” telescope Probes to Mars Since 1960 over 40 Mars probes have been launched More than 20 were failures for various reasons In 1965 Mariner 4 sent back the first pictures of the surface of Mars Viking Landers 1976-77 In 1976 the NASA Viking Landers were successful and sent back detailed pictures of the Martian surface Viking Landers 1976-77 More pictures followed: Map of Mars showing location of landers Curiosity Rover Curiosity Hi Res Images Mars is now a cold, rocky alien world with a thin atmosphere. But it was not always so. There is evidence that water was once much more abundant. Although the ice caps at the polar regions are mostly frozen CO2, there is probably water ice beneath the surface. Mars may once have had a much thicker atmosphere and consequently been warmer What happened to Mars’ atmosphere? Earth has a strong magnetic field which protects us from the solar wind – the stream of charged particles from the Sun What happened to Mars’ atmosphere? The magnetic field on Mars has declined over time with the result that the solar wind has stripped away much of its atmosphere When is Mars Visible ? At the moment it is entering opposition so not visible In early August 2013 it will appear in the early morning sky Before sunrise in early August The stark beauty of the Martian landscape from a recent Curiosity photograph
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