What If the Mars Rover Does Find Lostgenius Whomerits Aplaceon Thepodium

Thursday, August 30, 2012 THE IRISH TIMES 11 ScienceScience EditorTodayDick Ahlstrom e-mail [email protected] CORMAC Ó What if the Mars Rover does find RAIFEARTAIGH Lost genius Proof of who merits a place on the podium Who knows about Vesto Slipher, life? the astronomer who inspired the work of Edwin Hubble? NE OF the great surprises of 20th century science was the discovery that Oour universe is expanding. The finding caused a paradigm shift in cosmology and eventually led to today’s “Big Bang” model of the origin of the universe. It is therefore quite puzzling that a scientist who played a key role in the discovery remains virtually unknown to scientists and the general public alike. Step forward Vesto Slipher, the American astronomer who first established that the most distant objects in the sky are moving away from one another at high speed. Vesto Melvin Slipher was born in the US state of Indiana in 1875. He was educated at Indiana University and took up a position at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona after receiving his degree in 1901. There, he showed himself to be an astronomer of exceptional talent. In particular, he pioneered a method of measuring the motion of stars with the use of a spectrograph, an instrument that analyses the spectrum of light emitted by a body. Slipher used his new technique to study the attempting to answer questions “A laser on Curiosity’s mast cre- many details about the analysis of Is there anything out there? An Kevin Nolan, lecturer in physics at most enigmatic astronomical objects of the BECCA WILSON about Martian life. “We have tan- ates small pulses of plasma on data recently received from Curi- artist’s illustration of the Mars the Institute of Technology Tal- day, indistinct aggregations of gas and stars talising evidence from previous rock surfaces which are analysed osity, but confirms, “We are now Rover Curiosity on the surface laght and author of the book, known as the nebulae. Exactly 100 years ago, Nasa engineers are pleased with spacecraft and Martian meteor- by the ChemCam spectrometers getting a stream of exciting data of Mars. Photograph: Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Stone. he discovered that the spectrum of light the performance of the Curiosity ites for a warmer, wetter past on to determine compositions of ele- and images. Hopefully the MSL Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG Via “Things that stand out with MSL emitted by the Andromeda nebula was Mars when life might have ments including hydrogen,” mission will last several years or Getty Images are the combination of its sophisti- significantly “Doppler-shifted”, indicating that Rover, but will it find evidence existed,” says Dr John Bridges, explains Bridges. more and there is much more to cation and its size.” it was moving at high speed. reader in planetary science at the “From this we can determine come.” The development of new In physics, the Doppler effect is a that Mars had the ability to University of Leicester. what the water temperatures, MSL builds on the decades of landing systems such as the “sky well-known phenomenon whereby the light harbour current or past life on Bridges is a member of the acidity and composition were and preceding Mars missions and crane” – remotely winching down measured by an observer is affected by the MSL science team and is leading a thus whether it was habitable.” advances in technology. “MSL is a a probe from a rocket-powered relative motion of source and observer: the Mars? group of scientists from the UK Nasa has released some anal- mission of our time, we couldn’t hovering platform – make it pos- light is measured as shifted in frequency and France that will study images yses from ChemCam, after Curi- have done it five years ago,” says sible to deliver larger rovers to a towards the higher (blue) end of the spectrum and data collected by the rover. osity zapped a rock with its laser planet’s surface. if the source is moving towards the observer, “MSL may provide the ‘ground for the first time. Initial data from This has meant that MSL has and towards the lower (red) end if the source SPY with my little eye – but truth’ necessary to accurately the multi-wavelength camera con- been able to take the most sophisti- is moving away. By 1917, Slipher had what does Curiosity see? determine how long water existed firms that the “Coronation” rock cated analytical equipment from established that the light from many of the Last week Nasa’s Curiosity on the surface of Mars, what the is basalt, a volcanic rock that is Earth laboratories to Mars for the distant nebulae was significantly red-shifted; rover – the largest and most composition of brines were, and common on Mars. first time. they were moving away at speeds of up to high-tech space exploration thus whether Mars was habit- A compilation of 30 laser-shot ❝ MSL is a landmark mission in 1,000km per second. Irobot ever made – opened up its able.” analyses also detected the pres- our history of solar system explo- The discovery that the distant nebulae were “eyes, ears and nose” to examine Bridges has a particular ence of carbon from the carbon ration. Nolan likens it to the mile- receding at high speed was a great surprise to the surface of Mars. interest in the Alpha Proton X-ray dioxide-rich atmosphere. Studies of some of the hardiest life stones that were the Apollo pro- science and it was the first hint that the The rover is part of Nasa’s Mars Spectrometer and ChemCam Hydrogen was also found in the forms on Earth tell us that Mars may gramme, with MSL sure to leave a nebulae might constitute distinct galaxies of Science Laboratory (MSL) mis- instruments that are built into the first but not subsequent shots. “good legacy for the future of stars outside of the Milky Way. This was sion, with the prime goal of Curiosity. This equipment deter- This suggests that the element, a have been able to support life back space exploration”. confirmed a few years later, when the answering the question of mines the quantity and variety of constituent of water, is only astronomer Edwin Hubble used a new whether ancient Mars had the major elements in Martian rocks present on the outer surface of the then, and possibly even still today, Becca Wilson is a British Science method of measuring astronomical distance to capability to host microbial life. and soil, giving clues to the rock. Association Media Fellow on place- show that many of the nebulae lay far beyond Final and absolute confirma- ancient Martian environment. Bridges is unable to divulge underground ment at The Irish Times our own galaxy. Combining his own tion that life either exists or used measurements of distance with Slipher’s to exist on Mars raises profound measurements of motion, Hubble made an questions about life and its poten- even more astonishing discovery: the more tial to exist here and elsewhere. distant a galaxy, the faster it was speeding So the Curiosity is going to be away! answering some very big philo- Dutch company has reality TV plan for contestants on Mars Over the next few years, Hubble and his sophical and biological questions. assistant, Milton Humason, measured As life was just emerging on our distances and redshifts for more than 40 own planet 3.5 billion years ago, HUMAN SETTLEMENT on Mars, advisers, is that we feel it is time highly ambitious project has to the Martian surface.” galaxies. All obeyed the simple velocity/ Mars also contained liquid water as portrayed in the film Total that humans go to Mars,” says find solutions to a range of Kevin Nolan, a lecturer in distance relation above and, in time, it became on its surface. Recall (right), may only be a Mars One co-founder Bas problems that seem physics at the Institute of known as Hubble’s law. However, it should “In many respects Mars is a decade away. Dutch company Lansdorp. “It is the spirit of insurmountable, from ensuring Technology Tallaght and author really be called the Hubble-Slipher law, as very Earth-like world, or at least it Mars One wants to put members exploration that drives us. Mars the psychological well-being of of Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Slipher was the first to detect the motion of was billions of years ago. When of the public on the surface of One is a purely private endeavour, astronauts to the effect on the Stone, is more cautious. He the galaxies and, indeed, Hubble used life was first getting started on Mars by 2023 – filming this one- because we feel that it will be up human body of space flight. acknowledges that space is a free Slipher’s measurements to derive the relation. Earth we see extensive evidence way mission as a reality TV show. to private companies to take this “MSL is the first landing domain, that shouldn’t only be Today, one often reads that “Hubble for liquid water across the face of This may seem like a movie next giant leap.” mission to Mars to carry a explored by national discovered the expansion of the universe”, Mars,” says Dr Lewis Dartnell, plot, but the project is a reality. It There are distinct advantages radiation detector,” says Dr Lewis governments. while Slipher’s contribution is largely research fellow in astrobiology at is supported by some of the of private enterprise leading Dartnell, an astrobiologist at While private-sector space forgotten. In fact, the statement is doubly University College London.

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