Lecture 4: Mars, the red planet

Further reading

There are an unbelievable number of websites out there devoted to Mars. Here are a few I found useful as starting-out points:

• Mars is now available in Google Earth! Check out http://earth.google.com/mars/
• There is an excellent interactive map of Mars at "The Solar System in Pictures – The Planet Mars" by Alwyn Botha: http://www.the-planet-mars.com/map-of-mars/map-mars.html
• If you need to find out what all that Latin means in Martian place names, take a look at the USGS "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature", Appendix 5: Descriptor Terms http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append5.html
• There's a very nice series of articles about the Martian terrain, written for students and teachers, by one of the scientists for the Mars Global Surveyor team, at "Essays Written for the Planetary Society Marslink Project" by Mike Caplinger, http://www.msss.com/http/ps/intro.htm
• The various missions and instruments all have their own web-sites, often with their own "Image of the Day". They're all linked at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ - just find the mission you want and you'll be pointed to the home page. The NASA Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html is the easiest way to find images.
• The MGS topographic map is available many places, but usually at reduced resolution. If you want the whole thing, you can get it at http://ssed.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/mercat.jpg, but beware! it's enormous: 12000 × 7000 pixels.
• Check out the "Phobos Arts and Crafts" page, where you get the plan for an assemble-your-own Phobos: http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001348
• We didn't have time to discuss the possibilities for Mars exploration by humans, but if you're interested, "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin with Richard Wagner (Touchstone, 1997) is the blueprint for the "Mars Direct" mission. It's a bit of a polemic, but makes for interesting reading, including a bit about the "Mars Underground" that I liked. (You can even join, if you want!). There's a discussion of the Mars Direct plan on the web at "Mars Direct: Headquarters for the Mars Direct Manned Mars Mission" http://www.marssociety.org/, plus a Scientific American article by Robert Zubrin in the March 2000 issue: "The Mars Direct Plan" http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00087E38-5B46-1C75-9B81809EC588EF21

Source for images

• Background image: Image of the "grand canal" (Valles Marineris) of Mars from "Pictures of Mars and its Satellites" in "The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System" by Bill Arnett http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/pxmars.html
• Missions to Mars: A complete list can be found at http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars_missns/mars-mod.html. The pictures of the various missions come from this page or links therein.
• MOLA scans: MOLA Press Release 20 November 1997 http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/sci/mola/data1/mola_press.html
• MOC picture example: MOC narrow-angle image R22-01670 http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r22_s04/images/R22/R2201670.html
• Mars/Earth comparison: from Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Classroom, poster comparing Earth and Mars, http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/
• Mars seasons: from Adler Planetarium http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/cyberspace/planets/mars/seasons.html
• Phobos: APOD 2008 April 10 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080410.html and 2008 April 14 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080414.html
• Moons from Spirit: NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06340
• Martian atmosphere: from "SpaceKids: Mystery of Mars" http://www.spacekids.com/spacenews/mystery_mars_991201.html
• Structure of Martian atmosphere: from Jim Brau: Astronomy 121 http://physics.uoregon.edu/~jimbrau/astr121/Notes/Exam2rev.html
• Clouds: Mars Global Surveyor release MOC2-118 http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/4_11_99_tharsis/
• Dust storm: Planet-wide dust storm, using observations from the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor. From "Astronomy Picture of the Day", 2001 July 27 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010727.html
• Dust storms on Mars and Earth: from "Mars Global Surveyor: Recent Mars and Earth Dust Storms Compared", MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-249, 12 September 2000 http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/9_12_00_dust_storm/
• Dust devil: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09260
• Sky panorama: Astronomy Picture of the Day 2006 October 17 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061017.html
• Mars temperatures: NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02014
• Water pressure-temperature diagram: from Mars Polar Lander: Volatiles, http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/mvacs/overview/volatiles.html
• Magnetism: from MGS MAG/ER Publications http://mgs-mager.gsfc.nasa.gov/publications/pnas_102_42_connerney/
• Mariner image: NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02979
• Valles Marineris hemisphere: mosaic of Viking images, from http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html. Dust storm in Hellas: Science@NASA 9 July 2003 http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/09jul_marsdust.htm
• Topographic image of Mars: taken by the Mars Global Surveyor. From the NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mars, image PIA02031: Maps of Mars Global Topography.
• Landing sites: http://jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix/images-all.php?fileID=5296
• Two hemispheres: from "Seeing the martian crustal dichotomy" by Mike Caplinger http://www.msss.com/http/ps/di.html
• Channels in Hellas: MOC narrow-angle image M20-00092 http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/m19_m23/images/M20/M2000092.html
• Dunes in Hellas: MOC Release MOC2-537, 7 November 2003 http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/11/07/
• Image of the crater Yuty: NASA/Viking Orbiter image 3A07. Colour version from http://www.nirgal.net/crater.html
• Craters: from Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Topic Gallery: Craters
• Bacolor Crater: from Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Feature image http://themis.asu.edu/features/bacolorcrater
• Water map of Mars: from Astronomy Picture of the Day, 2004 September 4, http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040904.html
• Network of streams: from "Views of the Solar System" by Calvin Hamilton, http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/network.htm
• Islands: from "Views of the Solar System" by Calvin Hamilton, http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/islands.htm
• Tharsis topography: from Tharsis and the Early Climate of Mars http://ssed.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/tharsis_paper.html
• Viking view of Tharsis: from NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02987
• Olympus Mons: from "Views of the Solar System" by Calvin Hamilton: Martian Volcanoes http://www.solarviews.com/eng/marsvolc.htm
• 3D view of Olympus Mons: from NASA's "Mars Exploration Program: Olympus Mons" http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/science/olympus_mons.html
• Crater counting in calderas: from Neukum et al. 2004, Nature 432, 971, news article from PSRD: Recent activity on Mars - Fire and Ice by Linda Martel, http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Jan05/MarsRecently.html
• Valles Marineris: full-globe view from "Mars Exploration" http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html
• Labelled Valles Marineris map and rendering: from http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/vm_renders.html
• Coprates Chasma: Mars Express image http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/marsexpress/191-170505-0449-6-nd-01-Coprates_H.jpg
• Flight Through Mariner Valley: from NASA Planetary Photojournal http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02892
• NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/news/mro-20080303.html
• Phoenix: from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(spacecraft) and APOD 2008 November 12 http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081112.html
• Possible ancient shorelines: from Head et al. 1999, Science 286, 2134; figures available at http://ssed.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/ocean_paper.html
• Proposed shorelines on the Cydonia plains: from Clifford & Parker 2001, Icarus 154, 40
• Vastitas Borealis Formation: from "Ancient Floodwaters and Seas on Mars" by Linda Martel, http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/July03/MartianSea.html
• Layers in Schiaperelli: Mars Global Surveyor release MOC2-403 http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/06/26/
• Layers in Holden Crater: Mars Global Surveyor release MOC2-262 http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/dec00_seds/holden/index.html
• Delta in Holden Crater: Mars Global Surveyor release MOC2-543 http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/11/13/
• New gully deposits: from NASA Mission News 6 December 2006 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/mgs-20061206.html
• Water flows in Newton crater: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&newsid=1144; see also the BBC story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14408928
• Images from Spirit and Opportunity rovers: all images from NASA Planetary Photojournal: Mars, http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mars
• South polar ice cap: from Views of the Solar System: South Polar Cap http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/southpol.htm
• Layers at the pole: from Views of the Solar System: Polar Laminated Terrain http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/layers.htm
• Water at the south pole: ESA News 15 March 2007 http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMSWJQ08ZE_0.html
• Ages of Martian surfaces: from Malin Space Science Systems: Determining the age of surfaces on Mars http://www.msss.com/http/ps/age2.html
• Location of channels: from Malin Space Science Systems: Mars Channels and Valleys http://www.msss.com/http/ps/channels/channels.html
• Ocean on Mars: from NASA Astrobiology Institute http://nai.nasa.gov/news_stories/news_detail.cfm?article=old/marshypothesis.htm
• Mars obliquity variations: from Laskar et al., Paleoclimats martien, http://www.obspm.fr/actual/nouvelle/oct02/mars.en.shtml
• Methane on Mars: from http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090119.html
• Hot springs: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212112829.htm
• Caves: from http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070528.html and http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070928.html
• Cliffs at Echus Chasma: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080723.html
• Elongated crater: from ScienceShot: Mars crater gouged by multiple impacts, http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/scienceshot-mars-crater-gouged-b.html
• Sedimentary stairs: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-227; image from "Quasi-Periodic Bedding in the Sedimentary Rock Record of Mars" by Lewis et al., Science 322, 1532 (2008)
• Mariner 9 images: from http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mars?subselect=Spacecraft%3AMariner+9%3A

Mars Rover humour:

• Mars Rover Beginning to Hate Mars
• Spirit

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Last updated 22 September 2011