Planetary Missions Moonpoints of interest Luna - Soviet Lunar Missions ( )20 successful missions; orbiters and landers Apollo - NASA Manned Lunar Program ( )1st men on Moon Ranger - NASA Lunar Impact Missions ( )photographic impact missions Zond - Soviet Lunar Missions ( )orbit and return; precursors to manned missions Lunar Orbiter - NASA Lunar Mapping Missions ( ) Surveyor - NASA Lunar Lander Missions ( )check out soil conditions prior to manned missions Hiten - ISAS (Japan) Flyby and Orbiter Mission to the Moon (1990)test of technologies for future lunar missions Clementine - DoD/NASA Lunar Mapping Mission (1994) Lunar Prospector - NASA Global Orbiter Mission to the Moon (1998)search for polar ice deposits SMART 1 - ESA Orbiter to the Moon (2003)testing of technologies for future lunar missions Kaguya (SELENE) - JAXA (Japan) Orbiter to the Moon (2007)because I can Chang'e 1 - CAST (China) Orbiter to the Moon (2007)ditto Chandrayaan-1 - ISRO (India) Orbiter to the Moon (2008)ditto Chang'e 2 - CAST (China) Orbiter to the Moon (2010)take that, Japan and India!

Mercury MESSENGER - NASA Orbiter to Mercury (2004)actual orbit March 2011; mission about to end Venus Mariner 2 - NASA Venus flyby (1962)major discoveries Mariner 5 - NASA Venus flyby (1967) Venera - Soviet Missions to Venus ( )flybys, orbiters, landers (6 or 7) Mariner 10 - NASA Mission to Venus and Mercury (1973) Pioneer Venus - NASA Orbiter/Probes to Venus (1978) Magellan - NASA Venus Radar Mapping Mission (1989)SAR mapping of surface; 100 m resolution Venus Express - ESA Orbiter to Venus (2005)magnetometers and spectrometers; still operational

Mars Mariner 4 - NASA Mars flyby (1964) Mariner 6 - NASA Mars flyby (1969) Mariner 7 - NASA Mars flyby (1969) Mariner 9 - NASA Mars orbiter (1971)first spacecraft to orbit another planet Viking - NASA Orbiters/Landers to Mars (1975)two landers; both successful; no evidence of life Phobos - Soviet Missions to Mars (1988)failed attempts to land on Phobos Mars Observer - NASA Mission to Mars (1992)failed orbiter Mars 96 - Russian Orbiter and Lander Mission to Mars (1996)did not make it out of Earth orbit Mars Pathfinder - NASA Environmental Survey Mission to Mars (1996)bounce landing; Sojournor rover Mars Global Surveyor - NASA Global Orbiter Mission to Mars (1996)spectrometers; surface mapping laser altimeter Mars Climate Orbiter - NASA Orbiter Mission to Mars (1998)failed; metric unit problem Nozomi (Planet-B) - ISAS (Japan) Orbiter Mission to Mars (1998)poor orbit; frozen fuel Deep Space 2 - NASA Penetrator Mission to Mars (1999)penetrating probes; failed mission Mars Polar Lander - NASA Lander Mission to Mars (1999)failed communications; landing may have occurred 2001 Mars Odyssey - NASA Orbiter Mission to Mars (2001)still functioning Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity - NASA Rover Mission to Mars (2003)still functioning Mars Exploration Rover Spirit - NASA Rover Mission to Mars (2003)recently shut down Mars Express - ESA Mars Orbiter and Lander (2003)Beagle2 lander; lost signals Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - NASA Orbiter Mission to Mars (2005)high-res imaging; spectrometry Mars Phoenix Lander - NASA lander near Mars' north pole (2007)spectroscopy; imagers Mars Science Laboratory - NASA Rover Mission to Mars (2011)landing scheduled for Aug, 2012

Jupiter Pioneer 10 - NASA Jupiter flyby (1972) Pioneer 11 - NASA Jupiter flyby (1973) Galileo - NASA Mission to Jupiter (1989)source of most of our good data Ulysses - NASA/ESA Mission to study the solar wind via Jupiter (1990) Juno - NASA Mission to study Jupiter's atmosphere (2011)arrival in July, 2016 Saturn Cassini - NASA/European Space Agency Mission to Saturn (1997)source of most of our good data Huygens - NASA/European Space Agency Mission to Saturn's satellite Titan (1997) lander; measured atmosphere and ground conditions

Asteroids/Comets Sakigake - Japanese ISAS mission to Comet Halley (1985) Suisei - Japanese ISAS mission to Comet Halley (1985) Giotto - ESA Mission to Comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup (1985) NEAR - NASA Rendezvous Mission to Near-Earth Asteroid (1996) asteroid Eros (13x13x33 km); orbit 2000; soft landing unplanned Deep Space 1 (DS1) - NASA Flyby Mission to asteroid 1992 KD (1998) Stardust - NASA Coma Sample Return Mission to Comet P/Wild 2 (1999)Dec '03-Jan '04 encounter; successful CONTOUR - NASA Fly-by Mission to three Comet Nuclei (2002) Hayabusa (Muses-C) - ISAS (Japan) Sample Return Mission to Asteroid Itokawa (2003)partial success Rosetta - ESA Rendezvous Mission to Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (2004)rendezvous in May 2014 Deep Impact - NASA Rendezvous and Impact with Comet Tempel 1 (2005)impact on July 4, 2005; observe impact debris New Horizons - NASA Pluto Kuiper Belt Flyby (2006)arrival in July, 2015 Dawn - NASA Asteroid Ceres and Vesta Orbiter (2007)at Vesta now; leaving for Ceres in August; arrive 2015 Multi-purpose Mariner 10 - NASA Mission to Venus and Mercury (1973) Voyager - NASA Missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and beyond (1977) still going today; outside of our solar system; Star Trek I's "V'ger" ICE (ISEE-3) - NASA Mission to Comet Giacobini-Zinner (1978(1985)) Vega 1 - Soviet mission to Venus and Comet Halley (1984) Vega 2 - Soviet mission to Venus and Comet Halley (1984) Miscellaneous Genesis - NASA Solar Wind Sample Return (2001)sample return vehicle crashed; possible success

A Review of Chapters 5 and 6 Details about the elements of our solar system

What have we learned? What are terrestrial planets like on the inside? – All terrestrial worlds have a core, mantle, and crust. – Denser material is found deeper inside. What causes geological activity? – Interior heat drives geological activity. – Radioactive decay is currently main heat source. Why do some planetary interiors create magnetic fields? – Requires motion of charged particles inside a planet

What have we learned? What processes shape planetary surfaces? – Cratering, volcanism, tectonics, erosion How do impact craters reveal a surface’s geological age? – The amount of cratering tells us how long ago a surface formed. Why do the terrestrial planets have different geological histories? – Differences arise because of planetary size, distance from Sun, and rotation rate.

What have we learned? What geological processes shaped our Moon? – Early cratering is still present. – Maria resulted from volcanism. What geological processes shaped Mercury? – Had cratering and volcanism similar to Moon – Tectonic features indicate early shrinkage.

What have we learned? How did Martians invade popular culture? – Surface features of Mars in early telescopic photos were misinterpreted as “canals.” What are the major geological features of Mars? – Differences in cratering across surface – Giant shield volcanoes – Evidence of tectonic activity

What have we learned? What geological evidence tells us that water once flowed on Mars? – Some surface features look like dry riverbeds. – Some craters appear to be eroded. – Rovers have found rocks that appear to have formed in water. – Gullies in crater walls may indicate recent water flows.

What have we learned? What are the major geological features of Venus? – Venus has cratering, volcanism, and tectonics but not much erosion. Does Venus have plate tectonics? – The lack of plate tectonics on Venus is a mystery.

What have we learned? How do we know that Earth’s surface is in motion? – Measurements of plate motions confirm the idea of continental drift. How is Earth’s surface shaped by plate tectonics? – Plate tectonics is responsible for subduction, seafloor spreading, mountains, rifts, and earthquakes.

What have we learned? Was Earth’s geology destined from birth? – Many of Earth’s features are determined by its size, distance from Sun, and rotation rate. – The reason for plate tectonics is still a mystery.

What have we learned? Are jovian planets all alike? – Jupiter and Saturn are mostly H and He gas. – Uranus and Neptune are mostly H compounds. What are jovian planets like on the inside? – Layered interiors with very high pressure and cores made of rock, metals, and hydrogen compounds – Very high pressure in Jupiter and Saturn can produce metallic hydrogen.

What have we learned? What is the weather like on jovian planets? – Multiple cloud layers determine colors of jovian planets. – All have strong storms and winds. Do jovian planets have magnetospheres like Earth’s? – All have substantial magnetospheres. – Jupiter’s is the largest by far.

What have we learned? What kinds of moons orbit the jovian planets? – Moons come in many sizes. – The level of geological activity depends on a moon’s size. Why are Jupiter’s Galilean moons so geologically active? – Tidal heating drives geological activity, leading to Io’s volcanoes and ice geology on other moons.

What have we learned? What is special about Titan and other major moons of the solar system? – Titan is only moon with thick atmosphere. – Many other major moons show signs of geological activity. Why are small icy moons more geologically active than small rocky planets? – Ice melts and deforms at lower temperatures, enabling tidal heating to drive activity.

What have we learned? What are Saturn’s rings like? – They are made up of countless individual ice particles. – They are extremely thin with many gaps. How do other jovian ring systems compare to Saturn’s? – The other jovian planets have much fainter ring systems with smaller, darker, less numerous particles. Why do the jovian planets have rings? – Ring particles are probably debris from moons.

What have we learned? Have we ever witnessed a major impact? – The most recent major impact happened in 1994, when fragments of comet SL9 hit Jupiter. Did an impact kill the dinosaurs? – Iridium layer just above dinosaur fossils suggests that an impact caused mass extinction 65 million years ago. – A large crater of that age has been found in Mexico.

What have we learned? Is the impact threat a real danger or media hype? – Large impacts do happen, but they are rare. – They cause major extinctions about every 100 million years. How do the jovian planets affect impact rates and life on Earth? – Jovian planets sometimes deflect comets toward Earth but send many more out to Oort cloud.