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Exploring Mars

Exploring Mars. Part 3 The Future. Mr. K. NASA/GRC/LTP. Preliminary Activities

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Exploring Mars

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  1. Exploring Mars . Part 3 The Future • Mr. K. NASA/GRC/LTP

  2. Preliminary Activities Imagine that you are part of a team planning for an eventual human landing on Mars. You require a knowledge of the history of space exploration. Use an encyclopedia or the web sites referenced at the end of this lesson to be certain that you have all necessary information. 1. You are the principal investigator for a precursor sample return mission. How would you handle rocks brought back from Mars? Remember, they MIGHT contain living Martian organisms!

  3. 2. You are a ‘geographer’ responsible for planning a landing site. What concerns might govern the decisions that you make (e.g., interesting landforms such as the Mariner’s Valley vs uncertainties in surface topology)? 3. You are a nutritionist planning for a piloted, 2-year mission. What concerns might govern the decisions that you make? (e.g., Can you transport enough water and food to sustain a crew for 2 years? Are there alternatives to taking the water and food with you?)

  4. 4. As mission administrator, you must recommend a series of steps to achieve an eventual human landing on Mars. Prioritize the following milestones in the order you think best. Eliminate those you consider unnecessary. • Martian sample return • Cargo mission (unpiloted) • Manned Lunar outpost • Ground-based research in human survivability • Pathfinder-type rovers, autonomous landers, planes, other robotics • Earth orbiting space station(s) • Resource mining and processing (e.g., H2O) • Robotic exploration of Mars • Piloted mission(s)

  5. Step 1: An Outpost in Space...

  6. All in a day’s work!

  7. Docking ... Departure ... Mars Moon

  8. Step 2: Return to the Moon

  9. Old Friend

  10. Outpost

  11. Lava Tube!

  12. Step 3: And Onward to Mars

  13. Arrival...

  14. Morning Terminator -Tarsus

  15. Dry River Beds

  16. Could there have been life on Mars? What might await you in the Martian dry river valleys?

  17. ““One small step…”

  18. Setting up Solar Collectors

  19. Rappelling at Dawn

  20. Dust Storm!

  21. Outposton Mars

  22. Sunrise, Sunset...

  23. Follow-Up Activities 1. Make a list of physical and mental requirements necessary to become a Martian astronaut. 2. If you could go to the surface of Mars, what specialty (science) areas might interest you most? (Martian ‘geology’? Local meteorology? Etc. …) 3. If you remained in orbit, what specialty (science) areas might interest you most? (Cartography? Planetary-scale meteorology? Etc. …)

  24. 4. If you could go to the surface, what specialty (engineering/technical) areas might interest you most? (Power generation? Water hydrolysis? Etc. …) 5. If you remained in orbit, what specialty (engineering/technical) areas might interest you most? (Spacecraft navigation and control? Communications? Etc. …) 6. If you remained behind on Earth (as most of us will!), what specialty (science or engineering/technical) areas might interest you most?

  25. Web Sites for Further Exploration http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/PAO/html/marspath.htm http://marsnt3.jpl.nasa.gov http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ http://mars.sdsc.edu/mgs/index.html

  26. joseph.c.kolecki@grc.nasa.gov

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