1. The Mars Rover and Beyond

2. Warm-Up Questions CPS Questions (1-2)
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

3. Lesson Overview The history of the Mars Rover Expedition
The results of the Mars Rover Expedition
The goals for future rover expeditions
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

4. (Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Quick Write
If you could name a spacecraft or a rover, what would you name it and why?
(Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

5. The History of the Mars Rover Expedition
Spirit and Opportunity: A pair of twin rovers
Mission’s main goal would be to determine if water activity existed, or had ever existed on the planet
Mars came closer to Earth in August of 2000
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Cornell University

6. The Challenges of the Flight to Mars
Several course corrections during their voyages
Wrapped inside intricately designed packages
Entered the Martian atmosphere going nearly 12,000 miles per hour
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA

7. The Basic Features of the Mars Rovers
Panoramic camera – Fourteen different filters
Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer – views in infrared wavelengths
Mossbauer Spectrometer – looks for iron deposits
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA

8. The Basic Features of the Mars Rovers, cont.
Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer – measures the concentrations of major elements in the rocks and soil
Microscopic Imager – helps scientists look at the fine-scale details of Martian rocks and soils
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

9. The Anticipated Duration of the Mars Rover Expedition
Expected missions to last 90 days
Sand trap snared Spirit in 2009
Opportunity has not encountered the same problems
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

10. The Results of the Mars Rover Expedition
Four main science goals of Mars Exploration Program 1
To determine whether life ever existed on Mars 2
To learn about Mars’ climate 3
To learn about Mars’ geology 4
To prepare for human exploration of Mars
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

11. The Results of the Mars Rover Expedition, cont.
Sent the Opportunity to the Meridiani Planum, discovered the presence of hematite – an iron oxide that on Earth usually forms in an environment containing liquid water
Spirit landed in the Gusev Crater
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Cornell

12. The Findings of Spirit
Evidence that liquid water – and perhaps life – once existed on Mars
Uncovered evidence of a long-ago explosion at a bright, low plateau called Home Plate in 2006
Scientists discovered silica, a white compound made of crystals that occurs naturally on Earth as quartz, sand or flint, and is the main ingredient of window glass
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

13. The Findings of Opportunity
Strongest evidence yet that liquid water once existed on Mars’ surface
Layered rocks indicated that sediments were deposited in this region by wind, water, or volcanic ash
First to dig a trench on Mars
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

14. The Challenges of Operating the Rovers
Two of the biggest challenges facing the rovers are dust and sand
Models of the rovers on Earth
Scientists have been very successful in handling the challenges Mars presents
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA/JPL

15. The Goals for Future Rover Expeditions
The Goals of the Planetary Science Program
NASA has designed a planetary science program to seek answers to these and other questions:
How did the Sun’s family of planets and minor bodies originate?
How did the Solar System evolve to its current diverse state?
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

16. The Goals for Future Rover Expeditions, cont.
The Goals of the Planetary Science Program, cont.
What characteristics of the Solar System led to the origin of life?
How did life begin and evolve on Earth and has it evolved elsewhere in the Solar System?
What are the hazards and resources in the Solar System environment that will affect establishing a human presence in space?
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

17. The Goals for Future Rover Expeditions, cont.
NASA’s program addresses the following Research objectives:
To understand the history and future of habitability in the Solar System
To determine if there is or ever has been life elsewhere in the Solar System
To explore the space environment to discover potential hazards to humans
To search for resources that would enable a human presence beyond Earth
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

18. The Goals for Future Rover Expeditions, cont.
Primary goal is to conduct future missions using sophisticated robots
Potential targets include Jupiter’s moons, various asteroids, and other bodies
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

19. The Juno and Europa Jupiter System Missions
Jupiter’s formation is essential to understanding processes that led to development of Solar System
Juno will measure the amount of water and ammonia in Jupiter’s atmosphere and determine if the planet actually has a solid core
Europa Jupiter System Mission would use two robotic orbiters
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
Courtesy of NASA

20. The Three Types of Planetary Missions
DISCOVERY MISSION
NEW FRONTIERS MISSION
FLAGSHIP MISSION
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

21. Learning Check CPS Questions (3-4)
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

22. Activity 1: Mars Rover Family Feud
Support your team by answering Family Feud style review questions!
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

23. Activity 2: Comparing Spirit and Opportunity
Use the Venn diagram to compare/contrast the Spirit and Opportunity missions.
Use the area where the circles overlap to write down similarities between Spirit and Opportunity.
Use the left circle for writing down specific information regarding Spirit, and in the right circle, write down specific information about Opportunity.
You may refer to your textbook.
Be prepared to share your answers.
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

24. Activity 3: NASA Research Objectives
In your group, review the goals of the planetary science program and the four research objectives of the NASA program on page 505 of your textbook.
Then analyze and discuss the questions on your worksheet as a group.
Record your thoughts on the sheet and be prepared to share them with the class
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

25. Technology Enrichment: Mars Exploration Rover Mission Update
Search for current information on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Research each of the following:
Current location of both rovers
Latest press release about the Mars Exploration Rover Mission
New findings of the Spirit rover
New findings of the Opportunity rover
Current operational status of both rovers
Build a PowerPoint presentation to share your findings with other groups
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

26. Review
In 2004 Spirit and Opportunity began a robotic exploration of Mars, giving NASA more insight into its history and providing clues to the ultimate question: Is there or was there ever life on Mars?
The fact that the rovers have long outlived their expected life spans demonstrates that NASA engineers and scientists have been very successful in handling the challenges Mars presents
Potential targets for robotic missions in the next 30 years or so include Jupiter’s moons, various asteroids, and other bodies
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

27. Review Questions CPS Questions (5-6)
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

28. Summary The history of the Mars Rover Expedition
The results of the Mars Rover Expedition
The goals for future rover expeditions
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

29. Next… Done – The Mars Rover and Beyond
Next – Private Industry Enters Space
Chapter 12, Lesson 2
©2010 Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic