WednesdayOctober 10, 2012

(Mars; Video Segment – Journey to the Edge of the

Universe)

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

What, most likely, created the asteroid belt?

The asteroid belt was most likely created because chunks of debris from the formation of the Solar System could not come together

to make a planet. This would have been caused by the strong gravitational influence of nearby

Jupiter.

Identify this object

.

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

Mercury

Identify this object

.

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

Landscape on Venus

Identify this object

.

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

Radar image of

surface of Venus

Identify this object

.

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

Mercury

Identify this object

.

The Launch PadWednesday, 10/10/12

Visible light photo of clouds

surrounding Venus

Announcements

Happy Autumn

Assignment Currently Open

Summative or

Formative?Date Issued Date Due Date Into

GradeSpeed Final Day

Quiz 6 S1 10/5 10/5 10/19

Recent Events in ScienceHow Pulsars Slow Down With Age

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121008091556.htmRead All About

It!Researchers at the University of Southampton have developed a model which explains how the

spin of a pulsar slows down as the star gets older.

A pulsar is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star which was formed from the remains of a

supernova -- an explosion which happens after a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel. A pulsar

emits a rotating beam of electromagnetic radiation, rather like that of a lighthouse. This beam can be detected by powerful telescopes when it points towards and sweeps past Earth.Pulsars rotate at very stable speeds, but slow

down as they emit radiation and lose their energy. Professor Nils Andersson and Dr Wynn Ho, from the University of Southampton, have now found a way to predict how this 'slowing'

process will develop in individual pulsars.

MarsFacts about the “Red Planet” Mars’ atmosphere is only 1% as

dense as Earth’s, and is composed primarily of carbon dioxide.

It’s very cold at the poles – about –193ºF

The polar caps are composed of water ice, covered by a thin layer of frozen carbon dioxide.

Mars has extensive dust storms, with winds up to 170 miles per hour.

MarsMars’ surface contains

numerous large volcanoes.The largest is Olympus Mons, with a height of nearly 14 miles. This makes it the tallest

mountain on any planet in the Solar System. It stands almost three times as tall as Mount Everest's height

above sea level.

MarsThe surface of Mars in

cut by several large canyons.

Some of these are larger than Earth’s

Grand Canyon.The largest is Valles

Marineris, which would nearly cross the entire

United States.

MarsMars’ surface shows “stream

drainage” patterns found in some valleys.

However , no bodies of liquid surface water are found on the

planet.Possible origins of the dry

riverbeds are runoff from past rainfall, or surface material

collapse as the subsurface ice melted.

Exploring Mars’ Surface

Figure 22.14

Spirit Mars Exploration Rover

Spirit Mars Exploration Rover is a robotic rover on Mars, active from

2004 to 2010. It was one of two rovers of NASA's ongoing Mars

Exploration Rover Mission. It landed successfully on Mars at

04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin,

Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet. Its

name was chosen through a NASA-sponsored student essay

competition. The rover became stuck in late 2009, and its last

communication with Earth was sent on March 22, 2010.

Opportunity Mars Exploration RoverOpportunity Mars Exploration Rover is a robotic rover on the planet Mars, active since 2004. Launched from Earth on July 7,

2003, it landed on Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004. This was three weeks after its twin Spirit touched down on

the other side of the planet. Its twin became immobile in 2009

and in 2010 ceased communications, but MER-B is still active as of 2012, having already exceeded its planned

90 day duration of activity by 8 years, 166 days.

Curiosity Mars Exploration RoverThe Curiosity rover is a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale

Crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL).

Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral on November

26, 2011 and successfully landed on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater on Mars on August 6,

2012. The Bradbury Landing site was less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the

center of the rover's touchdown target after a 350,000,000 mile journey.

Curiosity Mars Exploration RoverCuriosity's goals include:

investigation of the Martian climate and geology;

assessment of whether the selected field site inside

Gale Crater ever has offered environmental conditions

favorable for microbial life, including investigation of

the role of water; and planetary

habitability studies in preparation for future

human exploration.

MarsMars’ Moons

Mars has two moonsPhobosDeimos

They are probably captured asteroids

Video Segment