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Mars: Earths little brother Slide 2 What are the similarities and differences you notice? Slide 3 Marss axis is tilted at 25 deg. What are seasons on Mars like? Slide 4 Marss axis tilt changes dramatically. What happens when the tilt is less/more? Slide 5 Artists depiction of an icy Mars Slide 6 Do the Earth and Mars have similar interiors? Why? How do we even know whats inside a planet? Slide 7 Atmospheres: Are they similar? Why? Nitrogen: 78% Oxygen: 21 % Argon: 0.9% Water: > 1% Carbon Doxide: 0.002% Carbon Doxide: 95.% Nitrogen: 3% Argon: 2% Oxygen: 0.1% Water: > 0.03% Constituents: Slide 8 Is there water on Mars? Why or why not? Slide 9 Marss south pole Slide 10 Is there water on Mars? Why or why not? Slide 11 Phase Diagram of Water Mars Earth Partial Pressure of Water Temperature Slide 12 Is geology on Mars similar to that on Earth? Slide 13 What kind of geologic processes can you see evidence for? Does this look like the Earth? Slide 14 Notice any big impact craters? Slide 15 Olympus Mons: The biggest volcano in the solar system Slide 16 Is this similar to volcanoes on Earth? Slide 17 Valles Marineris: The solar systems biggest canyon Slide 18 Slide 19 Our grand canyon Slide 20 Mars or Earth? Slide 21 Columbia Hills, Mars Atacama Desert, Chile Mars or Earth? Slide 22 Slide 23 Kilauea Volcanoe, HawaiiOlympus Mons, Mars Slide 24 Mars or Earth? Slide 25 Dubai, UAEEndurance Crater, Mars Mars or Earth? Slide 26 What is the evidence for past water on Mars? Slide 27 Mars or Earth? Slide 28 Djado Plateau, NigerValles Marineris, Mars Mars or Earth? Slide 29 Slide 30 Holden Crater NE, MarsLena Delta, Argentina Slide 31 Mars or Earth? Slide 32 Yemen Mars Mars or Earth? Slide 33 Slide 34 Niger Mars Mars or Earth? Slide 35 Seven minutes of terror Curiosity descent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZX5GRPnd4U Google Mars Slide 36 Mars: Take-away messages Although smaller than Earth, Mars and Earth are similar in many ways. Mars and Earth have similar interiors, although Mars has no liquid outer core, and so no magnetic field. Mars geology is/was formed by cratering, volcanism, tectonics and erosion by wind AND WATER! (Plate tectonics doesnt seem to have been important) Marss atmosphere is very different from Earths - lower mass, and full of CO2. Marss small atmosphere and low temperature makes liquid water unstable at its surface (at least right now). Slide 37 Percival Lowells Mars Lowells Map of Mar published in 1895 Slide 38 Vikings Mars 1976 Slide 39