Jaclyn Allen Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science at Johnson Space Center Planetary Terrestrial Surfaces and Exploring Mars
Terrestrial Planets to scale
Characterize the Geology Determine if Life Ever Arose on Mars Characterize the Climate Prepare for Human Exploration WATERWATER When? Where? Form? Amount? Common Thread LIFE CLIMATE GEOLOGY HUMAN MARS SCIENCE STRATEGY: Follow the Water! Or Salts!
Mars and Earth both formed 4.5 billion years ago. Did Mars once have a warm, wet environment for life?
Impact Craters-- Simple Craters Crater on northern Elysium Planitia. Meteor crater in Arizona
Impact Craters – Mars & Earth Yuty Crater, Mars is located at 22 degrees North and 34 degrees West.
Dunes in Proctor Crater and Saudi Arabia These dune and ripple features are found inside Proctor crater, Al Hibak
Yardangs Aorounga impact crater, wind eroded grooves southeast of the Tibesti Plateau, Chad. Yardang field, Argyre Planitia
Wind Streaks Wind vortices generate bright wind streaks downwind of most impact craters on the SW slopes of Pavonis Mons Bright streaks of salt and clay dust are strung out downwind of dry lake beds in Patagonia.
Deltas and river features Detail of cut-off meander A mosaic of high resolution images acquired between 8/2000 and 10/2003.
Terrestrial Examples of Meanders Meanders in Rio Purus, Brazil.
Flowing water? Analogous gullies in Greenland 500 m long Gullies 900 m long in Nirgal Vallis Mars
Slope failure Massive landslides inside Ganges Chasma. Slump on the north wall of the Qattara Depression, Egypt.
Horizontal layering Strata in the wall of Ius Chasma. North scarp of the Qattara Depression, Egypt.
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January 2004
Berry Bowl
2005
2007
2009
201?
20??
Human Exploration TBD
Lava Layering –Making and Mapping Volcanoes Making and Mapping Volcanoes Destination Mars! Students are introduced to lava layering as they construct a volcano. Then they investigate an “unknown” volcano to record its history. (NOTE: In workshops this is often divided into two activities using the first part to introduce planetary processes and the second part when studying plane surface exploration.)