The Mars Rover Exploration Mission

June 18, 2011 Leave a Comment

In 2003, NASA embarked on a mission to explore the planet Mars with the use of two land rovers. The primary purpose of the mission was to analyze the past presence of water on the red planet and to see if any water was currently present. The rovers would collect pieces of rock and use specialized equipment to analyze the material. This information would then be sent back to NASA scientists on Earth.

Artist's rendering of a Mars Exploration Rover. 

Image via Wikipedia

When the rovers landed on Mars, they were deployed from the ship in two different places. One rover was deposited at Gusev Crater and the other was deposited at Meridiani Planum, which was on the opposite side of Mars. Scientists thought this was the best way to get an accurate sample of the rocks and minerals on the planet.

Rover Analyzing Equipment

Both of the rovers were equipped with highly-specialized equipment for the collection of specimens and exploration. Here is a list of some of the equipment.

  • Panoramic camera.
  • Microscopic imager for close-up photos of rocks and minerals.
  • Tools for rock abrasion. This is so the rovers could remove dust and other particles so that they could examine things better.
  • Spectrometer tools to measure thermal emissions and take x-rays.
  • Magnets to collect dust particles that are magnetic.

There was no set ending date for the Mars Rover Exploration Mission as of 2011, and the land rovers will probably never be collected. This was also not the first attempt to explore Mars. Some previous rovers have disappeared or lost contact with Earth for various different reasons. The whole exploration of Mars is going to be a slow process.

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NASA Website is a Wealth of Space Information

December 29, 2010 Leave a Comment

ContentSpace is where dreams lie. Space is where imagination lives. Space is magical and mystical. Space holds mystery, power, and inspiration for many people, from astronauts and astronomers to parents and children. Anyone who loves all things space must check out NASA’s website.

The NASA website is a space lovers dream. Not only can visitors feast their eyes on amazing photographs from outer space, but this website has everything from mission briefs, information on our solar system, and interesting tidbits about the latest space technology.

There are special pages geared towards educators, students, media, policymakers, and employees. These are along the top menu bar. On the right side of the home page, website visitors will see picture links to information about the space shuttles and the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars, the solar system, the universe, NASA’s history, and more.

There is a picture of the day displayed right on the home page, which is always a breathtaking treat. The picture will change very few seconds to continuously delight your eyes. Below that are blocks of various NASA related information and images. There are fun things on here too, such as the ability to send astronauts messages while they are in space.

A favorite spot on the NASA website for many internet surfers are the pictures. The pictures of celestial bodies posted on the website look surreal, amazing, and literally out of this world. Most people would agree that they have never seen pictures like these before. Time will zoom by as you are sucked into the natural beauty of space.

Another great reason to visit the NASA website is that you can learn about all the wonderful space related discoveries taking place every day. You rarely hear about this stuff on the news, but it is very fascinating. With amazing photos and videos, website visitors will learn a lot about the final frontier.

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Universe Facts: A Look At Mars

November 12, 2010 Leave a Comment
Solar System Planets.
Image via Wikipedia

The Red Planet. The one that is portrayed in movies as the planet that all aliens and space creatures come from. It’s the fourth planet from the sun and it’s the planet of Mars!

This red planet is probably one of the most unique and special planets in the whole solar system. There are a lot of facts and information out there on Mars and it is one of the most researched and looked at planets by space programs all over the world.

Here are some of the basic facts about Mars to help you better understand the red planet.

Red Color. Mars has a reddish tint to it. This is caused by the iron oxide that is present on the whole planet. This gives it a red look to the human eye and even to that of space shuttles and telescopes.

Surface Features. Mars is what is known as a terrestial planet. That means that the features are very similar to that of Earth. The surface of Mars is a mix of craters that can be found on the Earth’s moon and volcanoes, ice caps, valleys, desserts and other features that make Earth special.

Moons. Mars has two moons that orbit around it. These moons are known as Phobos and Deimos. Each of these moons are unlike the Earth’s moon. They are an irregular shape which makes them unique to the solar system.

Largest Solar Systems Mountain. The solar system’s largest mountain is located on Mars. The Olympus Mons is the largest mountain found on any of the eight planets of the solar system.

Largest Valley. Mars is also home to the largest canyon. This canyon covers over 70% of the planet’s surface and is known as the Valles Marines. This canyon is 4000 kn wide and 7km deep, making it the largest in the whole solar system.

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Why Movies and Science Fiction Books Choose Venus and Mars

October 30, 2010 Leave a Comment

Science fiction is widely known for the amount of times that people jump into space crafts and travel to unknown worlds. Usually when an author picks a place for these people to travel and explore they are planets that are found right here in the very solar system that you live in.

The most popular planets that are used in science fiction movies and novels are that of the planets Venus and Mars. Why is that?

For starters, Venus is very similar in structure and area to Earth. The continent is made of similar particles and also known as a terrestrial planet which means that there is atmospheres and areas where humans could live in. Because of these similarities it is not hard to understand why someone would choose the planet of Venus as a place for humans to live on if they were doing space exploration and choosing a planet to live on.

Mars is the second choice of planets for where people chose to live and explore. Mars is another planet that is very similar to earth. It has the surface structure and elements that are very similar to that of Earth’s. Mars is also a very interesting and exciting planet all to itself. It is red, cloudy and has huge mountains and canyons. If humans were to ever land on Mars there are certainly huge areas where people could explore and check out areas.

While there are plenty of fictional accounts of space travel and exploration that chose other planets, the similarity to Earth’s structure makes Mars and Venus a more probable choice of where humans would chose to live.

If space exploration or human life were to expand to other planets the first two planets humans would go to would be that of Venus and Mars. Of course the Moon is always a choice but the moon is only an orbiting satallite object and not a planet.

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