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Using Earth to Explore Mars |
Comparative planetology!
The Using Earth to Explore Mars web seminar, produced
in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Arizona State University
Mars Education Program, was held on Thursday, November 16, 2006, from 6:30 p.m.
to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. The presenters were Dr. Josh Bandfield, Research Specialist
at the Mars Spaceflight Facility at Arizona State University, and Brian Grigsby,
Assistant Director of the Mars Education and Outreach Program within the Mars Spaceflight
Facility, School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. The
presentation focused on comparisons of features, like canyons, volcanoes, the poles,
sand dunes, dust storms, etc., present on both Earth and Mars. The program ended
with an update on NASA's Mars exploration program.
Twenty-eight (28) participants were present in addition to the presenters and the
NSTA staff. Participating educators represented the states of Arizona, California,
Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
In this presentation Dr. Josh Bandfield used photos of features found on Earth and
Mars to compare the planets. The images included volcanoes, canyons, deltas, polar
regions, sand dunes, planet-wide dust storms, dust devils, gullies, etc. Mars is
very similar to Earth, but some things are different. Mars is smaller than Earth.
Olympus Mons on Mars, an inactive volcano, is as big as the state of Arizona. Mariner
Valley, a canyon on Mars, is as long as the United States is wide, approximately
3,000 miles! During the seminar participants asked many questions regarding the
formation of Martian geologic features, water, and global dust storms. Brian Grigsby
ended the program with an update on current and future NASA's missions to Mars.
All participants received a copy of NSTA's SciGuide about NASA's Exploration: Moon,
Mars & Beyond, grades 5-8.
Here are some comments provided by the participants at the end of the Web Seminar:
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"I liked the update on the future Mars explorations. It was interesting the way
Josh compared the size of Olympus Mons with the state of Arizona and the
canyons
with the size of the United States."
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"Great seminar! I like the quick pace of this one. I enjoyed that there were
many
images and good explanations. I had not heard of or seen pictures
of the ice fog
that forms on Mars."
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"Enjoyed the clarity of images highlighted by the presenter. Streaming
questions
and comments during the session. Carbon dioxide collected at
the poles sublimates
into Mars's atmosphere. This process is cyclic."
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"First one I have attended. I can't say enough about how well it was organized
and
presented. It was great that you took the time to help us newbies
learn how to work
the system. I learned that scarps are landslides, but
not known if submarine or
not."
Thanks to the participants and the presenters for the learning opportunity, the
interactions, and a job well done!
Web Seminar: Using Earth to Explore Mars - Resources
Archive
See a recorded
version of the Web Seminar.
PowerPoint Presentation
- PC Download: To view online select link below to display in browser.
To download PowerPoint slides to your desktop right click on the link below and
select "save target as" from the drop down menu.
- MAC Download: To download PowerPoint slides to your desktop control
+ click on the link below and select "Save Linked File As..."
- Download File Web Seminar: Using Earth to Explore Mars
PowerPoint Presentation (8.68 MB)
Websites
For more information contact webseminars@nsta.org
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Underwritten by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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