Intro to phys
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NASA has sent multiple spacecraft to Mars to search for evidence of water and potential life. The Viking landers in 1976 tested soil and atmosphere for signs of microbial life. Photos from 1997 showed evidence of flash flooding, and samples from rovers in 2004 indicated past water presence. Curiosity rover findings in 2015 showed aqueous environments, while Opportunity found iron-rich rocks suggesting water circulation. Overall findings point to seasonal water flows leaving dark streaks, and hydrated soil salts with trapped water molecules, suggesting contemporary water forms the streaks. NASA plans to explore these findings further with a 2020 mission.
Intro to phys
- 1. W A T E R O N M A R S D A N N Y R O D R I G U E Z
- 2. T H E M A R T I A N P L A N E T • In 1976 NASA landed two Viking Spacecrafts onto Mars. • The purpose of this mission was to test soil and the atmosphere to see if there was any forms of life similar to the bacteria on Earth.
- 3. E V I D E N C E I N 1 9 9 7 • In 1997 we began taking photographs of the surface on Mars using a high definition camera courtesy of the Mars Global Surveyor aircraft. • Evidence from the photographs suggest that areas on the surface were once subject to forms of flash fooding.
- 4. S P I R I T A N D O P P O R T U N I T Y R O V E R S • In 2004 NASA launched two rovers onto Mars, The Spirit and Opportunity to explore the surface and collect more samples. • The samples collected indicated that Mars had a presence of water in the past moving us forward on our search for forms of life.
- 5. T H E C U R I O S I T Y • In 2010 photographs by graduate student Lujendra Ojha document long dark streaks on the planet using NASA’S orbital camera, The HiRise. • Lead NASA to sending their most technologically advanced piece of geochemistry equipment, The Curiosity Rover.
- 6. T H E C U R I O S I T Y ’ S F I N D I N G S • It was sent to explore a site in the Gale crater where a broad diversity of materials were observed from Orbit. • In September of 2015 findings in the environment have in fact had exposure to aqueous surroundings. • The Opportunity rover which was exploring the Endeavor crater also found rocks which had a presence of Iron indicating that there was also fluid circulation and aqueous interactions before and after the crater was formed.
- 7. O V E R A L L F I N D I N G S • Photographs taken by the HiRise camera indicate that the dark lines and streaks on the planet are from water flowing and trickling down sloped areas seasonally as they appear and reappear. • The streaks vary in size and visibility throughout time. • Samples collected from the rovers direct us to hydrated salts in the soil with water molecules being trapped into the crystal structures. • The presence of hydrated salts is presumably caused by contemporary water forming those streaks. • NASA would eventually like to send a spacecraft to further explore these findings in 2020