NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain NASA’S Most Advanced Mars Rover Curiosity Has Landed on the Red Planet

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain NASA’S Most Advanced Mars Rover Curiosity Has Landed on the Red Planet Summer 2012 - A Quarterly Publication Huge Crowd at Ames Celebrates Historic Mars Landing BY RA C H E L HO O V E R A huge crowd of more than 7,000 excited space enthusiasts gathered at NASA’s Ames Research Center Sun- day, Aug. 5, 2012, to witness history in the making as NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft carrying the Cu- riosity rover embarked on a new era of Mars exploration. Spread in lawn chairs, sleeping bags, blankets and pacing the pave- ment, the audience paused and held its collective breath to hear the two words they had been waiting for: “Touchdown confirmed.” NASA’s most ambitious planetary rover mission to the surface of the Red Planet had of- ficially begun at 10:32 p.m. PDT. When they heard NASA engineers confirm the spacecraft’s successful en- try and landing, the crowd went wild. “Go NASA!” exclaimed Rosalba NASA photo by Eric James Bonaccorsi, an environmental scientist and SETI Institute principal investiga- More than 7,000 NASA enthusiasts came to Ames to celebrate the Curiosity rover’s landing. continued on page 2 NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain NASA’s most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket backpack, touched down onto Mars on Sunday Aug. 5, 2012 to end a 36-week flight and begin a two-year investigation. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft that carried Curiosity succeeded in every step of the most complex landing ever attempted on Mars, including the final severing of the bridle cords and flyaway maneuver of the rocket backpack. “Today, the wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for hu- man footprints on Mars. Curiosity, the most sophisticated rover ever built, is now on the surface of the Red Planet, where it will seek to answer age-old questions about whether life ever existed on Mars -- or if the planet can sustain life in the future,” said NASA NASA photo by Dominic Hart Administrator Charles Bolden. “This is an amazing achievement, made pos- The parachute decelerator system for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft un- sible by a team of scientists and engi- derwent extensive testing at Ames in support of the design and flight-qualification of the final neers from around the world and led MSL parachute canopy design. The basic design of the canopy is called the disc-gap band by the extraordinary men and women parachute, dating back to the 1970s, and has been used for all NASA spacecraft planetary of NASA and our Jet Propulsion Labo- entries to date. The MSL parachute is the largest ever built to fly on an extraterrestrial mis- sion. continued on page 2 www.nasa.gov Huge Crowd at Ames Celebrates Historic Mars Landing continued from page 1 ear to ear and giving an enthusiastic sprinkled throughout the crowd, as tor at Ames working with the Natural thumbs-up as the crowd bustled and jubilant mission controllers described and Cultural Resources Management cheered around him. the spacecraft’s successful entry into office of Death Valley National Park in Before the final moments of Curi- the Martian atmosphere. support of a science instrument on Cu- osity’s journey to Mars, visitors were “I was impressed so many people riosity. “For this, it is okay to cry,” she treated to an opportunity to interact came out to see the landing,” said Ivy added while watching the broadcast of with Ames engineers, scientists, Deliz, a software developer at Ames, relieved mission controllers wipe their researchers and developers to learn who worked on the software scientists eyes and brace trembling lips in reac- about their contributions to crucial use to plan Curiosity’s tasks on Mars. tion to the fantastic news. aspects of the mission. Children also “It’s great to see people and specially Moments later, the first image could build Mars rovers out of paper, kids interested in what I think it such taken by one of the rover’s cameras see Mars in 3D, and participate in a an amazing, mind-boggling mission.” appeared on the giant video screens variety of other hands-on activities. As the NASA devotees departed, erected on the lawn – proof that Curi- As the daylight began to fade, “That was so cool” and “When is the osity had safely landed. the crowd’s attention turned to the next mission to Mars?” and “I love “This mission marks the beginning live broadcast of the NASA TV feed NASA!” could be heard among the of the next chapter in Mars explora- from Mission Control at NASA’s Jet homeward bound crowd. It was quite tion,” said Chris McKay, senior scien- Propulsion Laboratory. From then a night and one that won’t be forgot- tist at Ames and co-investigator of two until Curiosity’s landing, bursts of ten. instruments on Curiosity, grinning from excited applause and nervous laughter NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain continued from page 1 - - ratory. President Obama has laid out a bold vision for sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030s, and today’s landing marks a significant step to- ward achieving this goal.” Curiosity landed at 10:32 p.m. Aug. 5, PDT, near the foot of a moun- tain three miles tall and 96 miles in diameter inside Gale Crater. During a nearly two-year prime mission, the rover will investigate whether the re- gion ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life. “The Seven Minutes of Terror has turned into the Seven Minutes of Tri- umph,” said NASA Associate Admin- istrator for Science John Grunsfeld. “My immense joy in the success of this mission is matched only by over- whelming pride I feel for the women NASA photo by JPL-Caltech and men of the mission’s team.” Curiosity returned its first view of This mosaic of the Curiosity rover is made of 20 images, each 1,024 by Mars, a wide-angle scene of rocky 1,024 pixels, taken late at night on Aug. 7, 2012 PDT (early morning Aug. ground near the front of the rover. 8, 2012 EDT). More images are anticipated in the next several days as the mission blends observations of the landing nications relayed by NASA’s Mars tory instruments inside the rover. site with activities to configure the Odyssey orbiter and received by the To handle this science toolkit, Cu- rover for work and check the perfor- Canberra, Australia, antenna station riosity is twice as long and five times mance of its instruments and mecha- of NASA’s Deep Space Network. as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity. The nisms. Curiosity carries 10 science in- Gale Crater landing site places the “Our Curiosity is talking to us struments with a total mass 15 times rover within driving distance of layers from the surface of Mars,” said MSL as large as the science payloads on of the crater’s interior mountain. Ob- Project Manager Peter Theisinger of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportu- servations from orbit have identified NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in nity. Some of the tools are the first of clay and sulfate minerals in the lower Pasadena, Calif. “The landing takes their kind on Mars, such as a laser-fir- layers, indicating a wet history. us past the most hazardous moments ing instrument for checking elemental The mission is managed by JPL for this project, and begins a new and composition of rocks from a distance. for NASA’s Science Mission Director- exciting mission to pursue its scien- The rover will use a drill and scoop ate in Washington. The rover was tific objectives.” at the end of its robotic arm to gather designed, developed and assembled Confirmation of Curiosity’s suc- soil and powdered samples of rock at JPL. interiors, then sieve and parcel out 2 Astrogram Summer 2012 Ames Public Affairs Summer Intern Shares Her Experience BY DEENA KH A T T A B In the eight weeks I spent as a Public Affairs Intern, I have come to one very simple conclusion: Ames’ Public Affairs Office is really, really cool. In honor of this whirlwind of a summer at Ames, I thought I would share some of the special moments that made the NASA communications geek inside of me squeal with delight (in no particular order). 1. When nasaimages.org froze. As I spent a considerable amount of time Best photo ever. photo NASA extracting historic images from our archives and uploading them onto the vast amount of people that had made me star struck. It also is excit- Flickr, I ran into this screen numerous “upvoted”(liked) it. I was amazed that ing, because The Economist’s lack of times. Instead of being frustrated with a single image taken more than 70 bylines makes its staff seem anony- technology (which typically occurs years ago that had sat in the images mous and elusive. Thus, a visit from whenever a website freezes on me), I archive unnoticed for ages, suddenly one of the editors feels to me almost was filled with joy that NASA Images was becoming popular, reminding as rare as finding life on Mars. generate enough viewers to overload people of NASA’s rich history. the server. (In other words, we are 6. Curiosity on Mars: When Curios- popular!) 4. Best Photo Ever: When I uploaded ity landed on Mars, and one out of the onto Flickr what is possibly the most 7,000 people gathered on the lawn 2. Becoming NASA Ames: When beautiful space image anyone has started quietly singing “This Land Is I became NASA Ames Research ever seen.
Recommended publications
  • USGS Open-File Report 2005-1190, Table 1
    TABLE 1 GEOLOGIC FIELD-TRAINING OF NASA ASTRONAUTS BETWEEN JANUARY 1963 AND NOVEMBER 1972 The following is a year-by-year listing of the astronaut geologic field training trips planned and led by personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Branches of Astrogeology and Surface Planetary Exploration, in collaboration with the Geology Group at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas at the request of NASA between January 1963 and November 1972. Regional geologic experts from the U.S. Geological Survey and other governmental organizations and universities s also played vital roles in these exercises. [The early training (between 1963 and 1967) involved a rather large contingent of astronauts from NASA groups 1, 2, and 3. For another listing of the astronaut geologic training trips and exercises, including all attending and the general purposed of the exercise, the reader is referred to the following website containing a contribution by William Phinney (Phinney, book submitted to NASA/JSC; also http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ap-geotrips.pdf).] 1963 16-18 January 1963: Meteor Crater and San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, Arizona (9 astronauts). Among the nine astronaut trainees in Flagstaff for that initial astronaut geologic training exercise was Neil Armstrong--who would become the first man to step foot on the Moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969! The other astronauts present included Frank Borman (Apollo 8), Charles "Pete" Conrad (Apollo 12), James Lovell (Apollo 8 and the near-tragic Apollo 13), James McDivitt, Elliot See (killed later in a plane crash), Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10), Edward White (later killed in the tragic Apollo 1 fire at Cape Canaveral), and John Young (Apollo 16).
    [Show full text]
  • The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933-1942: an Administrative History. INSTITUTION National Park Service (Dept
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 266 012 SE 046 389 AUTHOR Paige, John C. TITLE The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933-1942: An Administrative History. INSTITUTION National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, D.C. REPORT NO NPS-D-189 PUB DATE 85 NOTE 293p.; Photographs may not reproduce well. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) -- Historical Materials (060) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Conservation (Environment); Employment Programs; *Environmental Education; *Federal Programs; Forestry; Natural Resources; Parks; *Physical Environment; *Resident Camp Programs; Soil Conservation IDENTIFIERS *Civilian Conservation Corps; Environmental Management; *National Park Service ABSTRACT The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) has been credited as one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's most successful effortsto conserve both the natural and human resources of the nation. This publication provides a review of the program and its impacton resource conservation, environmental management, and education. Chapters give accounts of: (1) the history of the CCC (tracing its origins, establishment, and termination); (2) the National Park Service role (explaining national and state parkprograms and co-operative planning elements); (3) National Park Servicecamps (describing programs and personnel training and education); (4) contributions of the CCC (identifying the major benefits ofthe program in the areas of resource conservation, park and recreational development, and natural and archaeological history finds); and (5) overall
    [Show full text]
  • Impact Crater Collapse
    P1: SKH/tah P2: KKK/mbg QC: KKK/arun T1: KKK March 12, 1999 17:54 Annual Reviews AR081-12 Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1999. 27:385–415 Copyright c 1999 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved IMPACT CRATER COLLAPSE H. J. Melosh Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; e-mail: jmelosh@lpl.arizona.edu B. A. Ivanov Institute for Dynamics of the Geospheres, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 117979 KEY WORDS: crater morphology, dynamical weakening, acoustic fluidization, transient crater, central peaks ABSTRACT The detailed morphology of impact craters is now believed to be mainly caused by the collapse of a geometrically simple, bowl-shaped “transient crater.” The transient crater forms immediately after the impact. In small craters, those less than approximately 15 km diameter on the Moon, the steepest part of the rim collapses into the crater bowl to produce a lens of broken rock in an otherwise unmodified transient crater. Such craters are called “simple” and have a depth- to-diameter ratio near 1:5. Large craters collapse more spectacularly, giving rise to central peaks, wall terraces, and internal rings in still larger craters. These are called “complex” craters. The transition between simple and complex craters depends on 1/g, suggesting that the collapse occurs when a strength threshold is exceeded. The apparent strength, however, is very low: only a few bars, and with little or no internal friction. This behavior requires a mechanism for tem- porary strength degradation in the rocks surrounding the impact site. Several models for this process, including acoustic fluidization and shock weakening, have been considered by recent investigations.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of Sexual Abuse Claims in Chapter 11 Cases of Boy Scouts of America
    Summary of Sexual Abuse Claims in Chapter 11 Cases of Boy Scouts of America There are approximately 101,135sexual abuse claims filed. Of those claims, the Tort Claimants’ Committee estimates that there are approximately 83,807 unique claims if the amended and superseded and multiple claims filed on account of the same survivor are removed. The summary of sexual abuse claims below uses the set of 83,807 of claim for purposes of claims summary below.1 The Tort Claimants’ Committee has broken down the sexual abuse claims in various categories for the purpose of disclosing where and when the sexual abuse claims arose and the identity of certain of the parties that are implicated in the alleged sexual abuse. Attached hereto as Exhibit 1 is a chart that shows the sexual abuse claims broken down by the year in which they first arose. Please note that there approximately 10,500 claims did not provide a date for when the sexual abuse occurred. As a result, those claims have not been assigned a year in which the abuse first arose. Attached hereto as Exhibit 2 is a chart that shows the claims broken down by the state or jurisdiction in which they arose. Please note there are approximately 7,186 claims that did not provide a location of abuse. Those claims are reflected by YY or ZZ in the codes used to identify the applicable state or jurisdiction. Those claims have not been assigned a state or other jurisdiction. Attached hereto as Exhibit 3 is a chart that shows the claims broken down by the Local Council implicated in the sexual abuse.
    [Show full text]
  • ANIC IMPACTS: MS and IRONMENTAL P ONS Abstracts Edited by Rainer Gersonde and Alexander Deutsch
    ANIC IMPACTS: MS AND IRONMENTAL P ONS APRIL 15 - APRIL 17, 1999 Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Germany Abstracts Edited by Rainer Gersonde and Alexander Deutsch Ber. Polarforsch. 343 (1999) ISSN 01 76 - 5027 Preface .......3 Acknowledgements .......6 Program ....... 7 Abstracts P. Agrinier, A. Deutsch, U. Schäre and I. Martinez: On the kinetics of reaction of CO, with hot Ca0 during impact events: An experimental study. .11 L. Ainsaar and M. Semidor: Long-term effect of the Kärdl impact crater (Hiiumaa, Estonia) On the middle Ordovician carbonate sedimentation. ......13 N. Artemieva and V.Shuvalov: Shock zones on the ocean floor - Numerical simulations. ......16 H. Bahlburg and P. Claeys: Tsunami deposit or not: The problem of interpreting the siliciclastic K/T sections in northeastern Mexico. ......19 R. Coccioni, D. Basso, H. Brinkhuis, S. Galeotti, S. Gardin, S. Monechi, E. Morettini, M. Renard, S. Spezzaferri, and M. van der Hoeven: Environmental perturbation following a late Eocene impact event: Evidence from the Massignano Section, Italy. ......21 I von Dalwigk and J. Ormö Formation of resurge gullies at impacts at sea: the Lockne crater, Sweden. ......24 J. Ebbing, P. Janle, J, Koulouris and B. Milkereit: Palaeotopography of the Chicxulub impact crater and implications for oceanic craters. .25 V. Feldman and S.Kotelnikov: The methods of shock pressure estimation in impacted rocks. ......28 J.-A. Flores, F. J. Sierro and R. Gersonde: Calcareous plankton stratigraphies from the "Eltanin" asteroid impact area: Strategies for geological and paleoceanographic reconstruction. ......29 M.V.Gerasimov, Y. P. Dikov, 0 . I. Yakovlev and F.Wlotzka: Experimental investigation of the role of water in the impact vaporization chemistry.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Resource Condition Assessment
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/SCPN/NRR—2018/1837 ON THIS PAGE Desert globemallow. Photo Credit: NPS ON THE COVER A view of yellow sunflowers with Sunset Crater Volcano in the background. Photo Credit: NPS Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/SCPN/NRR—2018/1837 Author Name(s) Lisa Baril1, Patricia Valentine-Darby1, Kimberly Struthers1, Paul Whitefield2 , Kirk Anderson3, Mark Brunson1 1Utah State University Department of Environment and Society Logan, Utah 2National Park Service Flagstaff Area National Monuments Flagstaff, Arizona 3Museum of Northern Arizona Flagstaff, Arizona Editing and Design Kimberly Struthers1 December 2018 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Payload Development and Performance in Flight
    Space Sci Rev (2012) 167:23–69 DOI 10.1007/s11214-011-9753-4 The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Payload Development and Performance in Flight Kimberly Ennico · Mark Shirley · Anthony Colaprete · Leonid Osetinsky Received: 8 October 2010 / Accepted: 25 January 2011 / Published online: 19 February 2011 © US Government 2011 Abstract The primary objective of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was to confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shad- owed region (PSR) at a lunar pole. LCROSS was classified as a NASA Class D mission. Its payload, the subject of this article, was designed, built, tested and operated to support a condensed schedule, risk tolerant mission approach, a new paradigm for NASA science missions. All nine science instruments, most of them ruggedized commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), successfully collected data during all in-flight calibration campaigns, and most im- portantly, during the final descent to the lunar surface on October 9, 2009, after 112 days in space. LCROSS demonstrated that COTS instruments and designs with simple interfaces, can provide high-quality science at low-cost and in short development time frames. Building upfront into the payload design, flexibility, redundancy where possible even with the science measurement approach, and large margins, played important roles for this new type of pay- load. The environmental and calibration approach adopted by the LCROSS team, compared to existing standard programs, is discussed. The description, capabilities, calibration and in- flight performance of each instrument are summarized. Finally, this paper goes into depth about specific areas where the instruments worked differently than expected and how the flexibility of the payload team, the knowledge of instrument priority and science trades, and proactive margin maintenance, led to a successful science measurement by the LCROSS payload’s instrument complement.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductions Supplied by EDRS Are the Best That Can Be Made from the Original Document
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 366 927 CS 011 606 AUTHOR Guthrie, John T.; And Others TITLE Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction: An Integrated Curriculum To Develop Motivations and Strategies for Reading. Reading Research Report No. 10. INSTITUTION National Reading Research Centur, Athens, GA.; National Reading Research Center, College Park, MD. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 94 CONTRACT 117A20007 NOTE 40p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Comparative Analysis; Grade 5; Instructional Effectiveness; Integrated Curriculum; Intermediate Grades; Program Effectiveness; *Reading Comprehension; *Reading Improvement; *Reading Instruction; Reading Research; *Reading Strategies IDENTIFIERS Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1; Prince Georges County Public Schools MD; Reading Motivation ABSTRACT A project designed and implemented a framework of conceptually oriented reading instruction to foster students' amount and breadth of reading, intrinsic motivations for reading, and strategies of search and comprehension. The framework emphasizes five phases of reading instruction in a content domain: observing and personalizing, searching and retrieving, comprehending and integrating, communicating to others, and interacting with peers to construct meaning. Instruction was implemented in .1 year-long curriculum with a multicultural population of fifth-grade students in a Chapter 1 school in Prince George's County,Maryland. Measures of learning suggested that students who had Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) for 4 months surpassed a comparison classroom in amount and breadth of reading and intrinsic motivations forreading. The CORI students gained significantly in the cognitive strategiesof search and comprehension during the 4 months. CORI instruction was contrasted to experience-based teaching and strategies instructionin terms of their support for motivational and cognitive development.
    [Show full text]
  • Programme Book
    EPSC2018 European Planetary Science Congress 2018 16–21 September 2018 TU Berlin | Berlin | Germany Programme Book © TU Berlin/Dahl access to access to cafeteria area first floor area Information & registration Jupiter room Ground floor area H0104 Ground floor area EPSCEuropean Planetary Science Congress Mars Venus Saturn Uranus Neptune room room room room room H0112 H0111 H0110 H0107 H0106 access to ground floor area Cafeteria area Cafeteria area EPSCEuropean Planetary Science Congress Mercury Press conference Press room room room H2035 H2036 H2037 Second floor area Second floor area EPSCEuropean Planetary Science Congress EEuropeaPn PlanetarSy Science CCongress Table of contents 1 Welcome …………………………………2 General information …………………………………4 Exhibitors, Community events …………………………………6 Splinter meetings & workshops .………………………….….…7 Session overview ……………………………..….8 Monday – Oral programme ..……………………………….9 Tuesday – Oral programme ……………………………….19 Tuesday – Poster programme .………………………………30 Wednesday – Oral programme .……….…………………..…42 Wednesday – Poster programme .………………………………51 Thursday – Oral programme ……………………………….60 Thursday – Poster programme ……………………………….71 Friday – Oral programme ……………………………….81 Author index ……………………………….91 European Planetary Science Congress 2018 2 Welcome Message from the Organizers amateur astronomers, policy makers, the next generation of scientists and engineers, and On behalf of the Executive Committee, the planetary scientists around the world. Scientific Organizing Committee and the Local Organizing Committee, welcome
    [Show full text]
  • 117Th Parks by Congressional District
    Parks by Congressional Districts 117th Congress Note: This chart covers designated park units. It does not include NPS-managed or associated entities that are not counted as park units such as National Historic Trails and some National Scenic Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Heritage Areas, and NPS Affiliated Areas. Abbreviations NP=National Park NHS=National Historic Site NL=National Lakeshore NPRES=National NHP=National Historical Park NB=National Battlefield Preserve NM=National Monument NRA=National Recreation Area NMP=National Military Park NS=National Seashore 4/5/2021 Parks By Congressional District 117th Congress ALABAMA Senators: Richard C. Shelby (R) Tommy Tuberville (R) State/Terr. District Park(s) Representative Party AL 1st None Carl, John R AL 2nd None Moore, Barry R AL 3rd Tuskegee Airmen NHS Rogers, Mike R Tuskegee Institute NHS Horseshoe Bend NMP Freedom Riders NM AL 4th Little River Canyon NPRES Aderholt, Robert R AL 5th Russell Cave NM Brooks, Mo R Natchez Trace NST Natchez Trace Parkway AL 6th None Gary Palmer R AL 7th Birmingham Civil Rights NM Sewell, Terri D ALASKA Senators: Lisa Murkowski (R) Dan Sullivan (R) State/Terr. District Park(s) Representative Party 2 4/5/2021 Parks By Congressional District 117th Congress AK At Large Alagnak Wild River Young, Don R Aniachak NM & NPRES Bering Land Bridge NPRES Cape Krusenstern NM Denali NP & NPRES Gates of the Arctic NP & NPRES Glacier Bay NP & NPRES Katmai NP & NPRES Kenai Fjords NP Klondike Gold Rush NHP Kobuk Valley NP Lake Clark NP & NPRES Noatak NPRES Sitka NHS Wrangell-St. Elias NP & NPRES Yukon-Charley Rivers NPRES AMERICAN SAMOA State/Terr.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Concept 3: Key Planetary
    Science Concept 6: The Moon is an Accessible Laboratory for Studying the Impact Process on Planetary Scales Science Concept 6: The Moon is an accessible laboratory for studying the impact process on planetary scales Science Goals: a. Characterize the existence and extent of melt sheet differentiation. b. Determine the structure of multi-ring impact basins. c. Quantify the effects of planetary characteristics (composition, density, impact velocities) on crater formation and morphology. d. Measure the extent of lateral and vertical mixing of local and ejecta material. INTRODUCTION Impact cratering is a fundamental geological process which is ubiquitous throughout the Solar System. Impacts have been linked with the formation of bodies (e.g. the Moon; Hartmann and Davis, 1975), terrestrial mass extinctions (e.g. the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary extinction; Alvarez et al., 1980), and even proposed as a transfer mechanism for life between planetary bodies (Chyba et al., 1994). However, the importance of impacts and impact cratering has only been realized within the last 50 or so years. Here we briefly introduce the topic of impact cratering. The main crater types and their features are outlined as well as their formation mechanisms. Scaling laws, which attempt to link impacts at a variety of scales, are also introduced. Finally, we note the lack of extraterrestrial crater samples and how Science Concept 6 addresses this. Crater Types There are three distinct crater types: simple craters, complex craters, and multi-ring basins (Fig. 6.1). The type of crater produced in an impact is dependent upon the size, density, and speed of the impactor, as well as the strength and gravitational field of the target.
    [Show full text]
  • Illustrations
    G. K. Gilbert. Ralph B. Baldwin. Courtesy of Pamela Baldwin. Gene Simmons, Harold Urey, John O'Keefe, Thomas Gold, Eugene Shoemaker, and University of Chicago chemist Edward Anders (left to right) at a 1970 press conference. NASA photo, courtesy of James Arnold. Ewen Whitaker and Gerard Kuiper (right) during the Ranger 6 mission in 1964. JPL photo, courtesy of Whitaker. Eugene Shoemaker at Meteor Crater in 1965. USGS photo, courtesy of Shoemaker. Key photo centered on Copernicus (95 km, 10° N, 2 0° w) on which Eugene Shoemaker based his early geologic mapping and studies of Copernicus secondary-impact craters. Rima Stadius, a chain of secondaries long thought by most experts to be endogenic , runs roughly north-south to right (east) of Copernicus. Telescopic photo of exceptional quality, taken by Francis Pease with loa-inch Mount Wilson reflector on 15 September 1929. Mare-filled Archimedes (left, 83 km, 30° N, 4° w) and postmare Aristillus (above) and Autolycus (below), in an excellent telescopic photo that reveals critical stratigraphic relations and also led ultimately to the choice of the Apollo 15 landing site (between meandering Hadley Rille and the rugged Apennine Mountains at lower right). The plains deposit on the Apennine Bench, between Archimedes and the Apennines, is younger than the Apennines (part of the Imbrium impact-basin rim) but older than Archimedes and the volcanic mare. Taken in 1962 by George Herbig with the rzo-inch reflector of Lick Observatory. Features of the south-central near side that have figured prominently in lunar thinking, including Imbrium sculpture at Ptolemaeus (p, 153 km, 9° 5, 2° w); hummocky Fra Mauro Formation its type area north of crater Fra Mauro (FM, 95 km, 6° 5, 17° w); and Davy Rille, the chain of small craters extending left (west) of the irregular double crater Davy G (D).
    [Show full text]