1. Mars Student Imaging Project MSIP
Lakewood High School
Mars Student Imaging Project MSIP

2. Can we identify places on Mars where life could be possible?
Big Picture Question
Can we identify places on Mars where life could be possible?
Our class has been studying Mars and is very interested in how life could be possible on Mars. Our question is can we identify places on mars where life could be possible?

3. Big Picture Question
Can we identify places on Mars where life could be possible?
If bacteria can survive in an Earth like environment, then life can survive on Mars because Earth houses several bacterias.
Scientists have evidence that water has been on Mars in the past. If water has previously been on Mars, then that might give us proof that life has lived on Mars in the past because some microorganisms can survive in water.
For the big picture question we’ve been looking to see if bacteria would be able to survive in an environment similar to Earth’s, that is located on Mars, then it should also be able to survive on Mars. Scientist also have evidence of water being on Mars in the past, therefore there could have been life on Mars. If water has previously been on Mars then that can provide us with proof that life is or once was present on Mars.

4. Introduction
We have been researching whether or not life can survive on Mars.We started our research with the polar ice caps. Knowing that the ice could melt and be a good survival source for life, but we had to find more possible ways for life to survive. We do know that Mars and Earth have many similarities including rocks/minerals, polar ice caps, and we have found landforms that could have only been made by water or some other liquid. Seeing all of these landforms we wondered if life really could live on Mars. Our class started to do our research based on where life could live on Mars and how it could survive.
We already knew that Mars and Earth have many similarities including landforms that look very similar to landforms on Earth that were formed by water. Once we found these we could very well assume they were made by water as well, or by another form of liquid. So we wondered if life could really live on Mars, and if it could, where would it live and how could it survive?

5. Background Why we are interested in life on Mars:
Mars shows many similarities to earth, like day length, landforms, and rocks/minerals.
Water is on Mars, and there is a lot of evidence that shows proof of water, like materials Mars Rovers have discovered, landforms with water traits, and the polar ice caps on the North and South Pole of Mars.
Although water makes us question the possibility of life, radiation is much more intense on Mars, making it seem like living conditions are too extreme.
Temperature and minerals available also makes the living conditions extreme, but there are some natural materials for life to rely on.
Some life has been put through tests to see if they can survive Mars’ extreme climate, and some lichens and cyanobacteria can survive.
Many factors have interested us in researching life on mars, one being the water that has been proven through channels, landforms, polar ice caps, and materials that formed from water. This proof of water intrigued our interest in life on mars and made us do more research on the living conditions. We found that many things such as radiation, temperature, and minerals make the possibility of life seem extreme from warmer spots around Mars, not just the whole planet. However, scientists have found that life can still survive in mars-like conditions.

6. Background
Rovers found evidence of past water, like mudstone found by the Curiosity rover.
We saw water channels on the surface of Mars that are very intriguing and interesting, making us wonder if life can live in these areas where water was once present.
Organic minerals like carbon have been found in Mars meteorites. ALH 8400 even had a bacterial shape inside the rock which was possibly a fossil of ancient martian life.
Other ideas that interested our class in the possibility of life are the channels that are clearly seen on Mars’ surface. These could have been caused by water, which is the essential part of life. Rovers and meteorites have recovered minerals that show necessities of life like mudstone, which is proof of water, and carbon, a major element for life.

7. Research Question and Hypothesis
Research question: Can we identify places on Mars where life is possible?
Hypothesis: If there are any Earth-like environments on Mars, then we could find bacteria in that environment because Earth is already home to many bacterias.
Why the hypothesis should be supported: In our opinion, we think that the hypothesis should be supported because in earlier research we found that some types of bacteria can survive in extreme conditions on Earth, such as deserts, which suggests that it could survive on Mars without too much help.
We knew that we needed to look at the factors such as the environment, so our hypothesis is that if there were any Earth-like environments on Mars, then we believe that bacteria should be able to survive in that Earth-like area, because it is already known that Earth is home to many thriving bacterias.

8. Methods Data Collection Plan
In order to try and locate areas on Mars where life is possible we must have guide lines in which there are components of life. The guide lines we chose are:
Find areas with high amounts of water on JMARS by using the HEND Fast layer we will also use the Hematite layer to find more evidence of previous water.
Find areas with high surface temperature on JMARS by using the Themis Stamps Investigate layer.
We will also use the 2012 Glacier Like Form Database to find areas that can contain a lot of possible water because Mars glaciers are thought to be a lot like Earth glaciers.
The next layer was the Cl Concentration layer also found on JMARS because life is attached to chloride.
Use pre-determined points to compare the environments.
Our job was to find layers and plan what to look for on JMARS that will help to find places where life can be sustainable. We used layers of high water amounts, surface temperature, and glacial activity to find areas on Mars sustainable for life. The first layer we used was the HEND Fast and Hematite layers to find possible areas with water and to detect ancient water. The next layer we used was the THEMIS Stamps Investigate layer. The other layer we used was 2012 Glacier Like Form Database to find glaciers because water is more likely to be near/ part of glaciers. The final layer we used was the Cl Concentration layer found on JMARS to find chloride. Chloride is more likely to be found with life. This layer was essential to determining the answer to our hypothesis. In order to try and locate areas on Mars where life is possible we must have guide lines, in which there are components of life. The guide lines we chose were:
1)Finding areas with high amounts of water on JMARS by using the HEND Fast layer. We will also use the Hematite layer to find more evidence of previous water.
2) Find areas with high surface temperature on JMARS by using the Themis Stamps Investigate layer.
3)We will also use the 2012 Glacial Like Form Database to find areas that contain a lot of possible water because Mars glaciers are thought to be a lot like Earth glaciers.
4) The next layer was the CL Concentration layer also found on JMARS because life is attached to chloride.
5) Use pre-determined points to compare the environments.

9. Methods Control Methods used to control this experiment:
Water and temperature were both constants in the graphs made for the experiment. In order to control the data that was collected, the Hend Fast, NS Thermal layers, TES Sulfate Abundance and the Themis Stamps-Investigate layer were used to ensure that the data is collected in the same way without introducing outside variables. In the JMARS Data table three different locations were chosen for data collection: (351.5E, 5.88N), (0E, -87S), (353.91E, -2.41S). The images were also retrieved from Themis Images, JMARS Screenshots, and Google Images.
The constants that we decided to maintain were the water and temperature found on different locations on Mars. We used the Hend Fast, NS Thermal layers, TES Sulfate Abundance and the Themis Stamps-Investigate layer to make sure that the data was collected in the same way in the three different locations.

10. This layer can be found on JMARS
This layer can be found on JMARS. It is known as the HEND Fast layer, which provides us with
insight to the amount of water in a specified area. The more amount of water found in these areas, the more it is likely that life is present, which shows purple having the most amount of water and red having the least amount of water, thus making the poles the most likely place to find and sustain water.

11. This is the TES Sulfate Abundance
This is the TES Sulfate Abundance. It is used to find sulfate, a main component of salt because life is more likely to live in an area with a high abundance of salt. Therefore we have decided to use this layer to show areas with potential sodium chloride.

12. This is a hybrid layer of the Themis Stamps and the Investigate Layer used to find the surface temperature on Mars. This helps us to find life on Mars because life is more common in warm climates and needs warmer temperatures to develop on.

13. This is the 2012 Glacier-Like Form Database
This is the 2012 Glacier-Like Form Database. This layer is used to find glacier-like forms on the surface of Mars that show where life could possibly exist. These glacier-like forms have vast amounts of ice that could hold microbial life, and be an important source of water.

14. Method
Criteria
Hot springs are placed in deep craters that have steep slopes. They are similar looking to mounds and have particular minerals from Earth.
This THEMIS false-color image shows the difference between mineral composition on Mars.
The blue marks on the left image represent chloride minerals in the Southern Highlands on Mars. On the right shows compared hotspring remnants from both Earth and Mars.
Hot springs are unique because they show signs of past water. They are often confused with mounds, but if you compare the hot springs here on Earth to the hot springs on Mars, they obviously look similar. In the photos, the top photo is a picture from Mars and the bottom is a picture taken in Arizona.

15. Method
Criteria
The picture to the right is an insight into how much Hematite is near the ancient hot spring found on Mars. The red shows the hematite on the layer.
Hematite is a mineral that is strongly connected to water sources. It is typically found in standing water or in mineral hot springs. This connects it to the ancient hot springs that we found through research. The image on the right shows how much hematite is found near the ancient water source, displaying the obvious connection between water and Mars.

16. Method Criteria
Hydrothermal vents shoot out mainly very fine-grained sulfide, which cools and solidifies as black chimney-like sculptures. White chimneys form from deposits of barium, calcium, and silicon.
Longitude : E
Latitude:
(bottom red mass)
On Earth, hydrothermal vents predominantly shoot out very fine-grained sulfide which cools and solidifies as black chimney-like sculptures. White chimneys will form from deposits of barium, calcium, and silicon. The image on the left shows the concentration of silicon on Mars; red being the highest and purple being the lowest amounts. We think that if we find silicon and barium on Mars we will also find oxygen because silicon and barium are most commonly found with oxygen, making silicon dioxide and barium oxide. On Earth silicon is found in most of our water, atmosphere and commonly found in most rocks and sands as well. The longitude and latitude show the coordinates of the silicon-rich area on the bottom.

17. Methods Sample Data Table
JMARS Data
E, N
Valles Marineris
E, N
Greg Crater
655.5E, 6N
Vernal Crater (past hot spring)
Temperature (Themis Stamps, Investigate Layer)
Water (Hend fast)
2012 Glacier Like Form Database
TES Hematite Abundance Layer
This is our sample data table, it shows what layers on JMARS we are using and coordinates of locations that contain what we are looking for. We are using layers to find life sustaining temperatures, water and salt levels. When we get our data, the data team will be able to use this table and plug the information in on another graph.

18. Methods Data Table JMARS Data JMARS Layers: 287.188E, -6.063N
Valles Marineris
E, N
Greg Crater
655.5E, 6N
Vernal Crater (past hot spring)
Temperature (Themis Stamps, Investigate Layer)
Kelvins
(Second Highest Temp.)
Kelvins
(Highest Temp.)
Kelvins
(Lowest Temp.)
Water (Hend fast)
Lime green: Medium amount
Yellow-orange: Medium low amount
Orange-yellow: Medium low amount
2012 Glacier Like Form Database
Very low concentration of glacial like forms
High concentration of glacial like forms
Moderate concentration of glacial like forms
TES Hematite Abundance Layer
Mostly light blue, some green: Medium low amount
All dark blue, some light blue: Low amount
All blue: Low amount
This is our data table, it shows what layers on JMARS we are using and coordinates of locations that contain what we are looking for. We are using layers to find life sustaining temperatures, water, glacial like forms and hematite concentration.We have chosen these 3 specific points because of the following reasons: past evidence of water, certain landforms created by water sometime in the past, and all these points have a researchable beginning. First, for example, Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system and it was carved most likely by water making it more likely to sustain life because it had past water. The other point we chose was Greg Crater. This area has the highest temperature

19. Data highest middle lowest
We graphed a comparison of temperature, water, and chloride in different places on Mars. We found that water and chloride were closely related in abundance, aside from one location. This provides us with our evidence of water being present.

20. Data

21. Data Analysis
Our data relates to our big picture question because hematite is a good indication of water which is a necessity to life. Hematite is a mineral that is typically found in standing water or hot spring on earth. Out of the three coordinates we chose Greg crater because it has the highest temperature . It's good to analyze the hematite, temperature and water on Mars because they are good indications of where life could be most likely to survive.
Restate the hypothesis/purpose...

22. Data Analysis

23. Error analysis Misinterpreted JMARS layers Limited data
Not enough/false research of our coordinates because of new findings
Imperfect measurements
Measurement levels
JMARS system errors
Miscommunication about JMARS in general
Mistyped coordinates
Incorrect layers
Better focus on life aspect than the water aspect
Throughout the whole project errors have occurred and made difficulties within our data, research and just about every aspect of the project.
Error is a huge possibility in this project. Here are the error analysis our class came up with:
-Misinterpreted JMARS layers
-Limited data
-Not enough/false research of our coordinates because of new findings
-Imperfect measurements
-JMARS system error
-Miscommunication about JMARS in general
-Mistyped coordinates
-Incorrect layers
-Better focus on the life aspect rather than the water aspect
Human and mechanical errors are to be expected in a project as big as this one, but we managed to narrow down what may have gone wrong. As for research, some of the information we collected may be outdated, incorrect, or misinterpreted. It is also possible that we mistyped information such as coordinates and measurements. We all tried our best to work collectively as a class but there were many things to cover so miscommunication is also another possibility. We used the system JMARS as a reliable source but it may have not always been correct. Coordinates may have been incorrectly mistyped. Our big picture question focused more on the life aspect of the project rather than water. This could have been avoided more by making our main focus life and not just water. For all these reasons errors have become a huge part of this project but we managed work through the difficulties and conclude our project on a good note.

24. Next steps? Send a rover to research more areas
Collect more data for what chemicals are needed for life to form
Look for more places with high temperatures and water/past water
Analyze the given points we studied by satellite
Research more components of life
Research different layers

25. References
Salt deposits found in Martian highlands." Salt deposits found in Martian highlands | Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS. N.p., n.d. Web Mar
Leibach, Julie. "To Survive on Mars, BYO Bacteria." Science Friday. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar
US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is a hydrothermal vent?" NOAA's National Ocean Service. N.p., 01 Feb Web. 31 Mar
Editor, Andrea Thompson OurAmazingPlanet Managing. "More Details Emerge on Possible Mars Hot Springs." Space.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr
"Chloride salts on Mars may have preserved past life." New Scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr
JMARS - Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr
Dunbar, Brian. "NASA Rover Finds Conditions Once Suited for Ancient Life on Mars." NASA. NASA, 19 Nov Web. 23 Mar
“The Lure of Hematite”. NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 26 Apr