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Earth Mars Comparisons

Earth Mars Comparisons. Space Questions. Should space exploration be continued? Should the government continue funding space exploration?. Overview.

brady-rogers
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Earth Mars Comparisons

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  1. Earth Mars Comparisons

  2. Space Questions Should space exploration be continued? Should the government continue funding space exploration?

  3. Overview Scientists have found clues that indicate water may have existed at one time on Mars. Past NASA missions have returned data that has helped scientists draw these conclusions. As photographs of Mars were returned to Earth, scientists were able to compare landforms and geographic features on Mars to features on Earth. A glacial lake system shaped the topography of western Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. From this lake system a series of cataclysmic events sent torrents of tremendous amounts of water, which created unique geological landscapes. This unique set of features may hold the key to understanding the surface of Mars. With the ongoing study of the topography on both Mars and Earth, scientists have a better understanding of what may be waiting on the red planet.

  4. Glacial Lake Missoula There is much evidence to suggest that there was once a catastrophe referred to as the Lake Missoula Floods. The geography that was shaped by these floods has not changed much in the last 15,000 years. Scientists are now using these unique features to locate evidence of water on Mars.

  5. Information about Glacial Lake Missoula • Purcell Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet blocked the flow of the Clark Fork River near the present day site of Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. • Lake water came from the Clark Fork River, its tributaries, and glacial runoff. • The original ice dam was estimated to be 610 meters thick and approximately 30 to 40 kilometers wide. • Volume – 2220 km3 or 540 mi3 or as much water as Lakes Erie and Ontario combined • Depth – at the dam site it was estimated to be 600 meters or 1,968 feet and at the present day location of Missoula it was estimated to be 300 meters or 984 feet • Surface area – estimated to be 7,510 km2 or 2,900 square miles. • When did this occur? – Approximately 17,000 to 11,000 years ago. • How long did the event last? – Approximately 2,500 years. • Average intervals between filling of the lake was approximately 50 years. • It is thought that the lake has refilled at least 36 times.

  6. Why are scientists interested in Mars? The geological processes found on Mars are similar to those found on Earth. Many of these features were formed as a result of water. Did water exist on Mars in the past? Is there evidence of water on Mars now?

  7. Scablands Ripples Polar Ice Caps Coulees Deltas Braiding Common Features of Earth & Mars The existence of these geological processes on Mars indicates that water was present on the planet at some time.

  8. Ripples on Earth and Mars Mars ripples Lake Missoula Ripples Look at the similarities between these photographs?

  9. Can you identify these geological features on Earth and Mars? Scablands Boulder Fields near Missoula, Montana - the water spreads (fans) and slows and deposits the large boulders seen here.

  10. More geological features on Earth and Mars that resemble each other. Echus Chasma - Mars One of the largest water source regions on Mars Grand Coulee, Montana Coulees constitute the largest channels and are among the most spectacular erosional features in the scablands.

  11. One of the most impressive geological features that resemble each other on Earth and Mars. Mars Scablands - Eastern Washington

  12. Polar Ice Caps Earth Mars What similarities do you see between the two planets in these photographs?

  13. Summary Scientists are currently looking at pictures that might indicate water may have existed at one time on Mars. Remarkably, they are able to compare landforms and geographic features on Mars to features on Earth. With the ongoing study of the topography on both Mars and Earth, scientists are gaining a better understanding of what may be waiting on the red planet. The unique set of features found in western Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon may hold the key to understanding the surface of Mars. The topography of both planets are so similar that NASA and the Europeans have tentative plans for future missions. They hope to bring back Martian rock and eventually search with human hands and eyes. Reading the rocks may provide extraordinary evidence of flowing water and the enthusiasm to place humans on the surface of Mars.

  14. References European Space Agency http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM4CATHKHF_0.html Accessed January 21, 2009. NASA http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/specialEffects/spirit/ Accessed June 20, 2008. Pictures of Earth http://www.nineplanets.org/pxearth.html Accessed June 20, 2008.

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