Ultra-Fast Radio Burst: Perseverance and Mars Explorations.
Some Basic Facts about Mars:
- 4th Planet in the solar system
- It takes about 687 days for one orbit around the sun with a martian day being 24hr 37 mins.
- Fun fact: if you weigh 100kgs on Earth, you only weigh 38 kgs on Mars because of the low gravity.
- Most of the atmosphere (which is very little) consists of CO2 and water vapor
- Avg. temperature -62 degrees Celsius max on 35C
- The Red color because of metallic rust
- Tallest Mountain in the solar system: Mount Olympus towering 21 km
First missions to Mars:
- Started with Mariner 3&4 in 1964 -- earlier than the Moon Landing. The Mariner series was planned to study the inner planets. Mariner 3 didn’t make it but Mariner 4 made it and lasted an unexpected 3 years and took the first close-up pictures.
- Mariner 6, 8, & 9ook the first close-up photographs, study solar wind environment and make coordinated measurements with Mariner 5 to Venus in 1967. Mariner 9 became the first to map 100% of the Martian surface in 1971.
- The first lander to Mars occurred in 1976 with the Viking 1&2 orbiter and lander. It took photographs and conducted various science experiments -- Seismic (Viking 2), 3 biological experiments, studies the composition of the Martian atmosphere and soil.
- First Rover was called the “Sojourner” as a part of the Mars pathfinder missions. Landed on the surface in 1997. For landing, this was the first mission that was assisted by a parachute to slow its descent through the thin Martian atmosphere and a giant system of airbags to cushion the impact.
- Sojourner studied martian geology proved that Mars was warm and had liquid water.
- It also found that airborne dust is magnetic, and its characteristics suggest the magnetic mineral is maghemite, a very magnetic form of iron oxide, which may have been freeze-dried on the particles as a stain or cement. An active water cycle in the past may have leached out the iron from materials in the crust.
Links to Science Outreach Material:
Special thanks to Colin Vendromin for the music also thanks to Zac Kenny for the logo!