DOCSLIB.ORG

Simulating Mars

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

5 Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica “E. De Giorgi” Dottorato in Fisica e Nanoscienze 10 XXXII CYCLE PHD THESIS (SSD: FIS/05) SIMULATING MARS: 15 GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS AND SURFACE REFLECTIVITY MAPS 20 Supervisors: Prof. Giorgio DE NUNZIO Prof. Vincenzo OROFINO 25 Prof. Giovanni ALOISIO PhD Student: Alessandro De Lorenzis 30 35 40 45 50 55 2 60 65 To my parents 70 75 80 85 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 CHAPTER 1 PRESENT MARS CLIMATE CONDITIONS: LANDERS/ROVERS 90 OBSERVATIONS 9 1.1 Exploring Mars 10 1.2 Landing site climate situations 12 1.3 Viking 1 and Viking 2 12 1.4 Mars Pathfinder 14 95 1.5 Spirit and Opportunity (MER rovers) 15 1.6 Phoenix 17 1.7 Curiosity 18 1.8 InSight 20 CHAPTER 2 REPRODUCING MARS CLIMATE: SOFTWARE SIMULATORS 100 AND GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS (GCMs) 23 2.1 An excursus on the GCMs applied to simulate present Mars climate conditions 24 2.2 Simulation of the ancient Mars climate: a challenging task 27 2.3 General description of the two GCMs compared 28 105 2.4 GCM-LMD 30 2.5 MarsCAM-NCAR 31 2.6 The MCD database derived from GCM-LMD 32 2.7 MarsCAM-NCAR simulations on the CMCC Athena cluster 33 CHAPTER 3 LANDERS/ROVERS DATA AND GCMs OUTPUT MANIPULATION 34 110 3.1 Scenarios/Runs considered for the comparison 35 3.2 Set of the initial physical parameters used in the simulations 37 3.3 Initial computational settings used to perform simulations 38 3.4 Changing albedo, thermal inertia and dust OD: impact on surface and 115 near-surface temperatures 39 3.5 Data collection: observational and GCMs output data 41 3.5.1 Landers/rovers observations 41 3.5.2 Keeping time on Mars 44 3.5.3 GCMs output 45 120 3.6 Managing of observational data: preparing lander/rover measurements for the comparisons 45 3.7 Managing of MarsCAM-NCAR output: CMCC Ophidia tool 47 3.7.1 Working with Ophidia terminal 51 3.7.2 An example of an Ophidia WF to process GCMs output 53 125 3.8 Import of NetCDF files into Matlab 54 4 CHAPTER 4 TG AND TSA COMPARISONS: SEASONAL/ANNUAL TRENDS (GROUP 1) AND DIURNAL CYCLE (GROUP 2) 57 130 4.1 Comparisons: Group 1, seasonal and annual trends 58 4.2 Group 1 58 4.3 Comparisons criteria 64 4.4 Modified Borda-Count (MBC) method 66 135 4.5 An example of the MBC for Group 1a and Group 1b 68 4.6 Exceptions for Group 1 analysis 71 4.7 Comparisons: Group 2, daily trends 71 4.7.1 Group 2: features 72 4.7.2 Diurnal data processing 76 4.7.3 Statistical approaches applied for Group 2 77 140 4.7.4 Cross-checks performed for Group 2 77 CHAPTER 5 RESULTS OF THE COMPARISONS BETWEEN GCM-LMD AND MARSCAM-NCAR OUTPUT WITH TG/TSA OBSERVATIONAL DATA 79 145 5.1 Discussion of the results obtained 80 5.2 Group 1 results 80 5.2.1 Evidences for Group 1a 80 5.2.2 Evidences for Group 1b 83 5.3 Group 2 results 86 150 5.3.1 Evidences for Group 2a 86 5.3.2 Evidences for Group 2b 89 5.4 Discussion 92 CHAPTER 6 REPRODUCTION OF OTHER CLIMATIC VARIABLES WITH GCMs 95 155 6.1 MarsCAM-NCAR output: further analyses 96 6.2 Running MarsCAM-NCAR with different spatial resolutions 96 6.3 Comparisons with 1-D model output 101 6.4 Surface pressure 102 160 6.5 Air temperature profiles and sub-surface temperatures 107 CHAPTER 7 GLOBAL REFLECTIVITY MAPS OF MARS BY MEANS OF THE MARSIS SIMULATOR 112 165 7.1 Research stay at INAF (Bologna) 113 7.2 The discover of liquid water on Mars 113 7.3 The radar equation 122 7.4 The MARSIS radar: description and data features 124 7.5 Simulating radar echoes: the MARSIS simulator 126 5 170 7.6 Installation of the MARSIS simulator on the CMCC Athena cluster 129 7.7 Reflectivity maps 131 7.7.1 Physical parameters 131 7.7.2 Mars global reflectivity maps 133 7.8 Discussion of the results obtained 134 175 CONCLUSIONS 139 BIBLIOGRAPHY 145 Appendix A 158 Appendix B 161 Appendix C 167 180 Appendix D 176 Appendix E 183 Appendix F 185 Appendix G 191 Appendix H 204 185 190 195 200 6 INTRODUCTION 205 During the last decades, Mars was visited by many spacecrafts in order to learn more about the composition of its surface and its atmosphere. The goals of each mission were multiple, covering different fields of research (astronomy, chemistry, physics, astrobiology, geology, space engineering, climatology), all to be considered simultaneously in order to reveal the secrets of the Red Planet. One of the main targets of all the principal national and international space agencies is 210 to plan, in the next future, a human exploration able to land on the planet: in order to achieve this ambitious result, it is fundamental to know as much as possible about the present climate of Mars. The chance to perform in situ experiments, already “robotically” performed by some of the landers/ rovers that visited Mars, could be also a turning point to verify the hypothesis according to which Mars in the past could have host conditions to support life. The indications are multiple: the 215 detection of methane in the atmosphere of the planet (Krasnopolsky et al., 2004; Formisano et al., 2004; Mumma et al., 2009; Webster et al., 2015; Giuranna et al., 2019; discussion about the biological provenience of this gas: Atreya et al., 2007; Yung et al., 2018); the numerous geological evidences of the activity of liquid water on the surface of the ancient Mars, in the form of rivers, lakes and maybe oceans (Howard et al., 2005; Irwin et al., 2005; Fasset and Head, 2008; Di Achille 220 and Hynek, 2010; Matsubara et al., 2013); the recent discovery of a lake of salty liquid water in the southern polar cap of Mars (Orosei et al., 2018). My PhD research activity was mainly focused on the reproduction of present climate situations of Mars by means of numerical simulations, performed with 3-D General Circulation Models 225 (hereinafter, GCMs), in order to analyze the space/time distribution of atmospheric and surface variables. The main topics can be summarized as follows: • installation and configuration of the MarsCAM-NCAR GCM on the Athena cluster of the “Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici” (CMCC) and optimization of the big-data managing CMCC Ophidia tool used for the first time to manipulate output data 230 referred to Mars; • study of the present Mars climate conditions with the MarsCAM-NCAR software by comparing climatic variables with landers/rovers observations; • installation of the Martian Climate Database (MCD) derived from GCM-LMD (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique), validation with spacecraft measurements and comparisons 235 with MarsCAM-NCAR output; • porting of the MARSIS simulator to the Athena cluster (CMCC). Simulation of the echoes expected for some orbits and comparison with the radargrams obtained from MARSIS radar, in search for the presence of subsurface liquid water; • production of simulated surface reflectivity maps and testing with similar maps based on 240 observational data in order to identify the variations of the dielectric constant on the Martian surface. All the demanding computational tasks I performed were achieved thanks to the scientific affiliation I signed with the Advanced Scientific Computing (ASC) Division of the CMCC Foundation, unit of Lecce, covering all the 3 years of my PhD: Prot. n. 1659/CMCC/2016 for 2016/2017; Prot n. 245 268/CMCC/2018 for 2018; Prot. n. 020/CMCC/2018 for 2019. 7 The PhD thesis is structured as follows. In Chapter 1 a global description of the climate conditions of the eight lander/rover landing sites considered in this work is presented, together with the most important features of the missions. 250 Chapter 2 is dedicated to a brief historical excursus on the GCMs introduced in the literature to perform simulations able to reproduce present and past climate conditions of Mars. The two GCMs compared, GCM-LMD and MarsCAM-NCAR, are also introduced. A discussion on the most important features of the two climatic models is presented, together with some technical operations performed to install the MCD database (created by the developers starting from GCM-LMD 255 simulations) and the MarsCAM-NCAR program on the CMCC Athena cluster. In Chapter 3 a deep discussion on the initial physical parameters used by the two GCMs is provided, as well as the explanation of the features of the simulations performed with them and used in the comparing analysis. Moreover, the list of the available observational data compared (surface and near-surface temperatures), collected by the eight probes and considered as reference 260 values for the comparisons, is reported. Also model output features are presented, together with a discussion on how time is marked for Mars. The preliminary managing of both observational and model output data is described, with the procedures necessary for realizing comparisons as homogeneous as possible. In this occasion, the tool applied to manipulate MarsCAM-NCAR output, CMCC Ophidia terminal, is presented. 265 Chapter 4 introduces the two sets of tests performed on model output: Group 1, related to seasonal and annual trends, and Group 2, related to diurnal trend evolution. The statistical approaches used for the comparisons (Modified Borda Count method, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Chebyshev distance, Mean Signed Deviation and maximum and minimum residual, with sign) are also shown. 270 In Chapter 5 a detailed list of the findings obtained is reported, both from a global (i.e.
Recommended publications
  • MSS/1: Single‐Station and Single‐Event Marsquake Inversion

    MSS/1: Single‐Station and Single‐Event Marsquake Inversion

    RESEARCH ARTICLE MSS/1: Single‐Station and Single‐Event 10.1029/2020EA001118 Marsquake Inversion Special Section: Mélanie Drilleau1,2 , Éric Beucler3 , Philippe Lognonné1 , Mark P. Panning4 , InSight at Mars 5 4 6,7 8 Brigitte Knapmeyer‐Endrun , W. Bruce Banerdt , Caroline Beghein , Savas Ceylan , Martin van Driel8 , Rakshit Joshi9 , Taichi Kawamura1, Amir Khan8,10 , Key Points: Sabrina Menina1 , Attilio Rivoldini11 , Henri Samuel1 , Simon Stähler8 , Haotian Xu6 , • In the framework on the InSight 3 8 8 1 12 mission, a synthetic seismogram Mickaël Bonnin , John Clinton , Domenico Giardini , Balthasar Kenda , Vedran Lekic , 3 2 13 4 using a 3‐D crust and a 1‐D velocity Antoine Mocquet , Naomi Murdoch , Martin Schimmel , Suzanne E. Smrekar , model below is proposed Éléonore Stutzmann1 , Benoit Tauzin14,15 , and Saikiran Tharimena4 • This signal is used to present inversion methods, relying on 1Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, CNRS F‐7500511, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France, different parameterizations, to 2ISAE‐SUPAERO, Toulouse University, Toulouse, France, 3Laboratoire de Planétologie et de Géodynamique, Université constrain the 1‐D structure of Mars 4 • The results demonstrate the de Nantes, Université d'Angers, Nantes, France, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, feasibility of the strategy to retrieve CA, USA, 5Bensberg Observatory, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, 6Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space 7 8 VS in the crust, and a fairly good Sciences,
  • Bayesian Analysis of the Astrobiological Implications of Life's

    Bayesian Analysis of the Astrobiological Implications of Life's

    Bayesian analysis of the astrobiological implications of life's early emergence on Earth David S. Spiegel ∗ y, Edwin L. Turner y z ∗Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540,yDept. of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ 08544, USA, and zInstitute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The Univ. of Tokyo, Kashiwa 227-8568, Japan Submitted to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Life arose on Earth sometime in the first few hundred million years Any inferences about the probability of life arising (given after the young planet had cooled to the point that it could support the conditions present on the early Earth) must be informed water-based organisms on its surface. The early emergence of life by how long it took for the first living creatures to evolve. By on Earth has been taken as evidence that the probability of abiogen- definition, improbable events generally happen infrequently. esis is high, if starting from young-Earth-like conditions. We revisit It follows that the duration between events provides a metric this argument quantitatively in a Bayesian statistical framework. By (however imperfect) of the probability or rate of the events. constructing a simple model of the probability of abiogenesis, we calculate a Bayesian estimate of its posterior probability, given the The time-span between when Earth achieved pre-biotic condi- data that life emerged fairly early in Earth's history and that, billions tions suitable for abiogenesis plus generally habitable climatic of years later, curious creatures noted this fact and considered its conditions [5, 6, 7] and when life first arose, therefore, seems implications.
  • Curriculum Vitae - 24 March 2020

    Curriculum Vitae - 24 March 2020

    Dr. Eric E. Mamajek Curriculum Vitae - 24 March 2020 Jet Propulsion Laboratory Phone: (818) 354-2153 4800 Oak Grove Drive FAX: (818) 393-4950 MS 321-162 [email protected] Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mamajek/ Positions 2020- Discipline Program Manager - Exoplanets, Astro. & Physics Directorate, JPL/Caltech 2016- Deputy Program Chief Scientist, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, JPL/Caltech 2017- Professor of Physics & Astronomy (Research), University of Rochester 2016-2017 Visiting Professor, Physics & Astronomy, University of Rochester 2016 Professor, Physics & Astronomy, University of Rochester 2013-2016 Associate Professor, Physics & Astronomy, University of Rochester 2011-2012 Associate Astronomer, NOAO, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 2008-2013 Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy, University of Rochester (on leave 2011-2012) 2004-2008 Clay Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 2000-2004 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arizona, Astronomy 1999-2000 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Arizona, Astronomy 1998-1999 J. William Fulbright Fellow, Australia, ADFA/UNSW School of Physics Languages English (native), Spanish (advanced) Education 2004 Ph.D. The University of Arizona, Astronomy 2001 M.S. The University of Arizona, Astronomy 2000 M.Sc. The University of New South Wales, ADFA, Physics 1998 B.S. The Pennsylvania State University, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Physics 1993 H.S. Bethel Park High School Research Interests Formation and Evolution
  • Scientific Rationale and Requirements for a Global Seismic Network on Mars

    Scientific Rationale and Requirements for a Global Seismic Network on Mars

    SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR A GLOBAL SEISMIC NETWORK ON MARS MARS Model AR 90 EARTH 180 (NASA-CR-188806) SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE AND N92-14949 REQUIREMENTS FOR A GLOBAL SEISMIC NETWORK ON MARS (Lunar and Planetary Inst.) 48 p CSCL 03B Unclas G3/91 0040098 LPI Technical Report Number 91-02 LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE 3303 NASA ROAD 1 HOUSTON TX 77058-4399 LPI/TR-91-02 SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR A GLOBAL SEISMIC NETWORK ON MARS Sean C. Solomon, Don L. Anderson, W. Bruce Banerdt, Rhett G. Butler, Paul M. Davis, Frederick K. Duennebier, Yosio Nakamura, Emile A. Okal, and Roger J. Phillips Report of a Workshop Held at Morro Bay, California May 7-9, 1990 Lunar and Planetary Institute 3303 NASA Road 1 Houston TX 77058 LPI Technical Report Number 91-02 LPI/TR-91-02 Compiled in 1991 by the LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE The Institute is operated by Universities Space Research Association under Contract NASW-4574 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Material in this document may be copied without restraint for library, abstract service, educational, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any portion requires the written permission of the authors as well as appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. This report may be cited as: Solomon S. C. et al. (1991) Scientific Rationale and Requirements far a Global Seismic Network on Mars. LPI Tech. Rpt. 91-02, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. 51 pp. This report is distributed by: ORDER DEPARTMENT Lunar and Planetary Institute 3303 NASA Road 1 Houston TX 77058-4399 Mail order requestors will be invoiced for the cost of shipping and handling.
  • Annual Report 2016–2017 AAVSO

    Annual Report 2016–2017 AAVSO

    AAVSO The American Association of Variable Star Observers Annual Report 2016–2017 AAVSO Annual Report 2012 –2013 The American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO Annual Report 2016–2017 The American Association of Variable Star Observers 49 Bay State Road Cambridge, MA 02138-1203 USA Telephone: 617-354-0484 Fax: 617-354-0665 email: [email protected] website: https://www.aavso.org Annual Report Website: https://www.aavso.org/annual-report On the cover... At the 2017 AAVSO Annual Meeting.(clockwise from upper left) Knicole Colon, Koji Mukai, Dennis Conti, Kristine Larsen, Joey Rodriguez; Rachid El Hamri, Andy Block, Jane Glanzer, Erin Aadland, Jamin Welch, Stella Kafka; and (clockwise from upper left) Joey Rodriguez, Knicole Colon, Koji Mukai, Frans-Josef “Josch” Hambsch, Chandler Barnes. Picture credits In additon to images from the AAVSO and its archives, the editors gratefully acknowledge the following for their image contributions: Glenn Chaple, Shawn Dvorak, Mary Glennon, Bill Goff, Barbara Harris, Mario Motta, NASA, Gary Poyner, Msgr. Ronald Royer, the Mary Lea Shane Archives of the Lick Observatory, Chris Stephan, and Wheatley, et al. 2003, MNRAS, 345, 49. Table of Contents 1. About the AAVSO Vision and Mission Statement 1 About the AAVSO 1 What We Do 2 What Are Variable Stars? 3 Why Observe Variable Stars? 3 The AAVSO International Database 4 Observing Variable Stars 6 Services to Astronomy 7 Education and Outreach 9 2. The Year in Review Introduction 11 The 106th AAVSO Spring Membership Meeting, Ontario, California 11 The
  • March 21–25, 2016

    March 21–25, 2016

    FORTY-SEVENTH LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS MARCH 21–25, 2016 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center The Woodlands, Texas INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Universities Space Research Association Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Draper, NASA Johnson Space Center Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute PROGRAM COMMITTEE P. Doug Archer, NASA Johnson Space Center Nicolas LeCorvec, Lunar and Planetary Institute Katherine Bermingham, University of Maryland Yo Matsubara, Smithsonian Institute Janice Bishop, SETI and NASA Ames Research Center Francis McCubbin, NASA Johnson Space Center Jeremy Boyce, University of California, Los Angeles Andrew Needham, Carnegie Institution of Washington Lisa Danielson, NASA Johnson Space Center Lan-Anh Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center Deepak Dhingra, University of Idaho Paul Niles, NASA Johnson Space Center Stephen Elardo, Carnegie Institution of Washington Dorothy Oehler, NASA Johnson Space Center Marc Fries, NASA Johnson Space Center D. Alex Patthoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cyrena Goodrich, Lunar and Planetary Institute Elizabeth Rampe, Aerodyne Industries, Jacobs JETS at John Gruener, NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Johnson Space Center Justin Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey Carol Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lindsay Hays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Paul Schenk,
  • Magnitude Scales for Marsquakes

    Magnitude Scales for Marsquakes

    Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Vol. XX, No. XX, pp. –, – 2018, doi: 10.1785/0120180037 Ⓔ Magnitude Scales for Marsquakes by Maren Böse,* Domenico Giardini, Simon Stähler, Savas Ceylan, John Francis Clinton, Martin van Driel, Amir Khan, Fabian Euchner, Philippe Lognonné, and William Bruce Banerdt Abstract In anticipation of the upcoming 2018 InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Discovery mission to Mars, we calibrate magnitude scales for marsquakes that incorporate state-of-the-art knowledge on Mars interior structure and the expected ambient and instrumental noise. We re- gress magnitude determinations of 2600 randomly distributed marsquakes, simulated with a spectral element method for 13 published 1D structural models of Mars’ interior. The continuous seismic data from InSight will be returned at 2 samples per second. To account for this limited bandwidth as well as for the expected noise conditions on Mars, we define and calibrate six magnitude scales: (1) local Mars mag- MMa nitude L at a period of 3 s for marsquakes at distances of up to 10°; (2) P-wave mMa mMa magnitude b ; (3) S-wave magnitude bS each defined at a period of 3 s and cali- MMa brated for distances from 5° to 100°; (4) surface-wave magnitude s defined at a MMa MMa period of 20 s, as well as (5) moment magnitudes FB ; and (6) F computed from the low-frequency (10–100 s) plateau of the displacement spectrum for either body waves or body and surface waves, respectively; we calibrate scales (4)–(6) for dis- tances from 5° to 180°.
  • Pre-Mission Insights on the Interior of Mars Suzanne E

    Pre-Mission Insights on the Interior of Mars Suzanne E

    Pre-mission InSights on the Interior of Mars Suzanne E. Smrekar, Philippe Lognonné, Tilman Spohn, W. Bruce Banerdt, Doris Breuer, Ulrich Christensen, Véronique Dehant, Mélanie Drilleau, William Folkner, Nobuaki Fuji, et al. To cite this version: Suzanne E. Smrekar, Philippe Lognonné, Tilman Spohn, W. Bruce Banerdt, Doris Breuer, et al.. Pre-mission InSights on the Interior of Mars. Space Science Reviews, Springer Verlag, 2019, 215 (1), pp.1-72. 10.1007/s11214-018-0563-9. hal-01990798 HAL Id: hal-01990798 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01990798 Submitted on 23 Jan 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Open Archive Toulouse Archive Ouverte (OATAO ) OATAO is an open access repository that collects the wor of some Toulouse researchers and ma es it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author's version published in: https://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/21690 Official URL : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-018-0563-9 To cite this version : Smrekar, Suzanne E. and Lognonné, Philippe and Spohn, Tilman ,... [et al.]. Pre-mission InSights on the Interior of Mars. (2019) Space Science Reviews, 215 (1).
  • Mars Insight Launch Press Kit

    Mars Insight Launch Press Kit

    Introduction National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mars InSight Launch Press Kit MAY 2018 www.nasa.gov 1 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction 4 Media Services 8 Quick Facts: Launch Facts 12 Quick Facts: Mars at a Glance 16 Mission: Overview 18 Mission: Spacecraft 30 Mission: Science 40 Mission: Landing Site 53 Program & Project Management 55 Appendix: Mars Cube One Tech Demo 56 Appendix: Gallery 60 Appendix: Science Objectives, Quantified 62 Appendix: Historical Mars Missions 63 Appendix: NASA’s Discovery Program 65 3 Introduction Mars InSight Launch Press Kit Introduction NASA’s next mission to Mars -- InSight -- will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as early as May 5, 2018. It is expected to land on the Red Planet on Nov. 26, 2018. InSight is a mission to Mars, but it is more than a Mars mission. It will help scientists understand the formation and early evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth. A technology demonstration called Mars Cube One (MarCO) will share the launch with InSight and fly separately to Mars. Six Ways InSight Is Different NASA has a long and successful track record at Mars. Since 1965, it has flown by, orbited, landed and roved across the surface of the Red Planet. None of that has been easy. Only about 40 percent of the missions ever sent to Mars by any space agency have been successful. The planet’s thin atmosphere makes landing a challenge; its extreme temperature swings make it difficult to operate on the surface. But if a spacecraft survives the trip, there’s a bounty of science to be collected.
  • Mathematics for Input Space Probes in the Atmosphere of Gliese 581D

    Mathematics for Input Space Probes in the Atmosphere of Gliese 581D

    Parana Journal of Science and Education, v.2, n.5, (6-13) July 14, 2016 PJSE, ISSN 2447-6153, c 2015-2016 https://sites.google.com/site/pjsciencea/ Mathematics for input space probes in the atmosphere of Gliese 581d R. Gobato1, A. Gobato2 and D. F. G. Fedrigo3 Abstract The work is a mathematical approach to the entry of an aerospace vehicle, as a probe or capsule in the atmosphere of the planet Gliese 581d, using data collected from the results of atmospheric models of the planet. GJ581d was the first planet candidate of a few Earth masses reported in the circum-stellar habitable zone of another star. It is located in the Gliese 581 star system, is a star red dwarf about 20 light years away from Earth in the constellation Libra. Its estimated mass is about a third of that of the Sun. It has been suggested that the recently discovered exoplanet GJ581d might be able to support liquid water due to its relatively low mass and orbital distance. However, GJ581d receives 35% less stellar energy than the planet Mars and is probably locked in tidal resonance, with extremely low insolation at the poles and possibly a permanent night side. The climate that demonstrate GJ581d will have a stable atmosphere and surface liquid water for a wide range of plausible cases, making it the first confirmed super-Earth (2-10 Earth masses) in the habitable zone. According to the general principle of relativity, “All systems of reference are equivalent with respect to the formulation of the fundamental laws of physics.” In this case all the equations studied apply to the exoplanet Gliese 581d.
  • The Search for Exoplanets

    The Search for Exoplanets

    The Search for Exoplanets W Dietsch Ph.D. Formation of Solar Systems • Our solar system is not unique. • Similar processes most likely have occurred around other stars. • Assuming similar events have happened around other stars, it is useful to mention current thinking regarding the formation of a solar system. Interstellar Cloud Interstellar Cloud Collapse • Cloud begins to condense. • Can be caused by the gravity of nearby galaxies or stars. • Shock waves from supernovae can also contribute. • Collapse is slow at first but accelerates rapidly. Rotating Disk Formation • If the cloud was rotating (has angular momentum), as it concentrates it will rotate faster. • The rotation flattens the cloud and concentrates the mass in the center forming a disk. Protostar • The loss of gravitational potential energy causes heating. • Gravity compresses gas and dust in the center. • Pressure and heat increase. Fusion Begins • Heat and pressure increase. • Fusion of hydrogen to helium begins. • Solar radiation in the form of light and other EM radiation begins. Planetesimals Form • Substances condense to solid, liquid and gas depending on their proximity to the young star. • Accretion occurs and forms planetesimals. • Further growth occurs when they collide and merge. Gas Giant Formation • Usually the first planets to form. • Icy planetesimals, gas and dust accrete to form the gas giants. • Gas giants form equatorial disks which condense to form moons. Inner Planet Formation • Also formed by merging of planetesimals. • Composed primarily of refractory elements and are rocky and dense. • Most of the gas in this area accretes to the sun. Terrestrial Planets • Close to the size of Earth and have solid, rocky surfaces.
  • Final Thoughts

    Final Thoughts

    Contents Part I Common Themes 1. The Discovery of Extraterrestrial Worlds........................ 3 Introduction ...................................................................... 3 Radial Velocity: The Pull of Extrasolar Planets .............. 5 Transit: The Shadow of a Planet Cast by Its Star ........... 11 Microlensing: The Ghosts of Hidden Worlds .................. 20 Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Formalhaut B and Beyond ................................................ 24 What Worlds Await Us? ................................................... 27 Conclusions ...................................................................... 38 2. The Formation of Stars and Planets ................................ 39 Introduction ...................................................................... 39 Gravity’s Role in Star and Planet Formation .................. 40 The Effects of Neighboring Stars ..................................... 43 Brown Dwarfs ................................................................... 44 The Planets of Red Dwarfs ............................................... 46 Alternative Routes to Rome ............................................ 47 Energy and Life ................................................................. 50 Planetary Heat .................................................................. 51 Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere ....................... 58 Conclusions ...................................................................... 60 3. Stellar Evolution Near the Bottom of the Main Sequence