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C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Boldly Going Where No Geographer Has Gone Before: The Martian Classroom The Los Angeles Geographical Society (7 September.

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Presentation on theme: "C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Boldly Going Where No Geographer Has Gone Before: The Martian Classroom The Los Angeles Geographical Society (7 September."— Presentation transcript:

1 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Boldly Going Where No Geographer Has Gone Before: The Martian Classroom The Los Angeles Geographical Society (7 September 2007) Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue California State University, Long Beach Former President of the LAGS (1988)

2 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Imagined  How have you imagined Mars?

3 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Imagined  How has science imagined Mars?  Schiaparelli’s canali (1877-1886)

4 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Imagined  How has science imagined Mars?  Lowell’s canals

5 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Imagined  How has science imagined Mars?  Viking’s dead, dry Mars (1976-1982)

6 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Imagined  How has science imagined Mars?  1990s/2000s: could Mars once have been warm and soggy?

7 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  The tallest volcano in the solar system  Olympus Mons: 24 km tall, 500 km wide, a 6 km cliff at its base: Everest is not quite 9 km tall! (Viking)

8 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  The longest and deepest canyon in the solar system  Valles Marineris: 4,000 km long, 2-7 km deep (Viking)

9 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  The mother of all impact craters  Hellas Planitia: 6 km deep, 2,500 km in diameter (MGS MOLA)

10 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  Some spectacularly old impact-battered surfaces  Some of these may be older than 3.5 billion years old  Mariner 6 1969 flyby (Sinus Sabaeus & Deucalionis Regio)

11 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  Unpleasant atmosphere  Density varies: less than one half of one percent of Earth’s

12 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  Unpleasant atmosphere  Windy, dusty place

13 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Planet of Extremes  Unpleasant atmosphere  Really COLD place (MGS TES)

14 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars Geographers  A few of the many geographers active in the study of Mars  Mary C. Bourke, Oxford Geography Department  M. Buchroithner, Inst für Kartographie, Dresden  Ed Cloutis, Geography, University of Winnipeg  Bethany L. Ehlmann, Oxford Geography M.Sc. 2007, going on for Ph.D. in Geology at Brown University  Julie Laity, Geography, CSUN  K. Maria D. Lane, Geography, UT Austin  Ruth Mugford, Ph.D. student, Cambridge Geography  Richard J. Pike, M.A. Geography, Ph.D. Geology, U.S.G.S.  John Pitlick, University of Colorado, Boulder  Wayne H. Pollard, McGill University  Andrew J. Russell, Physical Geography, Keele University, UK  Richard Soare, Concordia University

15 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Course Outline http://www.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/mars/  In this class, we went over:  What does GEOgraphy have to do with Mars?  The history of Mars exploration  The basics of remote sensing  Spacecraft and their sensors  Mars as a planet in the solar system  The landscapes of Mars  The climates and weather of Mars  Mars as it affects human imagination

16 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB So, on to Mars!

17 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars in Space  Size  Mars’ and Earth’s relative sizes compared  Radius: ~3,400 km Mars vs. 6,400 km Earth  Volume: Mars is ~ 15% of Earth  Mass: Mars is ~ 10% of Earth  Gravity: Mars has ~38% of Earth's

18 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars in Space  Orbital Characteristics  Mars’ and Earth’s distance from the Sun  Mars is about 227,936,640 km from the Sun averaged along the semi-major axis  Earth is 149,597,890 km 22  Solar irradiance at Mars is about 590 W/m 2 versus 1,350 W/m 2 at Earth (~44%)

19 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Vastitas (vastitates) : An extensive, vast plain

20 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Planum (plana) : A plateau or high plain  Meridiani Planum seen from Opportunity’s Pancam

21 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Planitia (planitiæ) : A low-lying plain or lowland  Elysium Planitia (ESA Mars Express HRSC): pack ice?

22 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Terra (terræ) : An extensive land mass  Arabia Terra (NASA Marsoweb server)

23 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Chaos: an area of broken or blocky terrain  Aram Chaos (ESA Mars Express HRSC)

24 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Chasma (chasmata): a deep, elongated, steep-sided depression  Ganges Chasma: eastern end of Valles Marineris system NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS nighttime temperature image)

25 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Vallis (valles): a valley or canyon  Ma’adim Vallis (Viking image)  (and Gusev Crater, where Spirit landed)

26 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Fossa (fossæ): a long, narrow depression  Claritas Fossæ, in Solis Planum (ESA Mars Express HRSC)

27 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Labes: landslide  Valles Marineris (Viking)

28 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Labyrinthus (labyrinthi): complex of intersecting valleys or ridges  Noctis Labyrinthus map (west of Valles Marineris, east of Pavonis Mons)

29 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Crater: a circular depression or impact feature  Crater with ice in Vastitas Borealis, Mars Express  Hellas, MOLA  Phobos, Stickney Crater

30 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Catena (catenæ): a line or chain of craters  Coprates Catenæ: impacts or pitting? (Mars Express HRSC)

31 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Mensa (mensæ): mesa or flat-topped prominence with steep sides  Ausonia Mensa in southwest Hesperia Planum (Mars Express HRSC)

32 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Colles: small hills or knobs  Ariadnes Colles in Cimmeria, MGS MOC, possibly eroded remnants of deposits on crater floor

33 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Tholus, tholi: small conical mountain or hill  Uranius Tholus, Tharsis (Viking)

34 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Mons (montes): large mountain (as in really large, on Mars)  Olympus Mons (Viking)

35 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Patera (pateræ): an irregular crater or volcano with scalloped edges  Alba Patera (MGS MOLA)  Apollinaris Patera (MGS MOC)

36 C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Nomenclature  Mars Features  Undæ: dunes  Sand Hills of Nili Patera, Syrtis Major (MGS Mars Orbiter Camera or MOC)


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