From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Thu Sep 29 2005 - 18:12:55 UTC
>From: David Klassen <klassen_at_rowan.edu>
>To: marswatch_at_cobain.rowan.edu
>Subject: MarsWatch 2005 September/October Newsletter
>Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:31:12 -0400
>
>O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O-> O->
>
> THE INTERNATIONAL MARSWATCH ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
> -------------------------------------------------
> Volume 7; Issue 5
> 29 September 2005
> Circulation: 748
>
><-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O <-O
>
>(1) Opening Remarks
>(2) Ephemerides
>(3) DPS Meeting Mars Notes
>(4) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
>(5) Mars on Earth project
>
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>
>OK, so it seems that September has just breezed by and I pretty much
>missed getting a newsletter out. At the beginning of the month there
>was the meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American
>Astronomical Society (DPS) and I spent the last part of August preparing
>for it and the start of classes here at Rowan University. However
>there are all kinds of things happening on Mars and I took some time
>to process all my notes from the DPS meeting and figured this time
>around I'd just publish those in this newsletter. This is the cutting
>edge of Mars research results and although much of it has not yet
>been published in the peer reviewed journals, I still think it makes
>for an interesting read. My one caveat is this: if there are any
>errors, they are most likely mine which cropped up somewhere between
>taking my notes at the meeting sessions and finally writing them up
>into real sentences and paragraphs.
>
>Clear Skies!
> Dave
>
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>
>The following table was generated using JPL's online ephemerides site.
>Times are all UT. Dates and times are given for Mars rise (r),
>transit (t), and set (s) although these will only be approximate for
>any specific place. The N, A and * in the second column stand for
>nautical and astronomical twilight and day light, respectively. Ob-lon
>is the longitude on Mars facing the observer (commonly called CM);
>Ob-lat is the corresponding latitude.
>
>Date_(ZONE)_HR:MN R.A._(ICRF/J2000.0)_DEC APmag Ang-diam Ob-lon
>Ob-lat
>2005-Sep-29 00:55 r 03 25 44.58 +16 22 05.2 -1.63 17.577 152.19
>-10.89
>2005-Sep-29 07:55 t 03 25 46.08 +16 22 48.5 -1.63 17.616 254.52
>-10.89
>2005-Sep-29 14:54 *s 03 25 47.28 +16 23 21.8 -1.64 17.652 356.62
>-10.90
>2005-Sep-30 00:51 r 03 25 51.37 +16 24 14.3 -1.65 17.705 142.07
>-10.90
>2005-Sep-30 07:51 t 03 25 51.81 +16 24 54.8 -1.66 17.744 244.41
>-10.91
>2005-Sep-30 14:50 *s 03 25 51.94 +16 25 25.2 -1.66 17.780 346.51
>-10.91
>2005-Oct-01 00:47 r 03 25 54.54 +16 26 13.7 -1.67 17.832 131.97
>-10.92
>2005-Oct-01 07:47 t 03 25 53.91 +16 26 51.4 -1.68 17.871 234.31
>-10.93
>2005-Oct-01 14:46 *s 03 25 52.98 +16 27 18.9 -1.69 17.906 336.41
>-10.94
>2005-Oct-02 00:43 r 03 25 54.07 +16 28 03.3 -1.70 17.959 121.87
>-10.94
>2005-Oct-02 07:43 t 03 25 52.36 +16 28 38.2 -1.70 17.997 224.22
>-10.96
>2005-Oct-02 14:42 *s 03 25 50.35 +16 29 02.8 -1.71 18.032 326.32
>-10.97
>2005-Oct-03 00:39 r 03 25 49.93 +16 29 43.1 -1.72 18.084 111.79
>-10.98
>2005-Oct-03 07:39 t 03 25 47.14 +16 30 15.2 -1.73 18.122 214.14
>-10.99
>2005-Oct-03 14:38 *s 03 25 44.05 +16 30 36.9 -1.73 18.157 316.25
>-11.00
>2005-Oct-04 00:35 r 03 25 42.11 +16 31 13.2 -1.74 18.208 101.73
>-11.02
>2005-Oct-04 07:35 t 03 25 38.24 +16 31 42.4 -1.75 18.245 204.08
>-11.03
>2005-Oct-04 14:34 *s 03 25 34.06 +16 32 01.2 -1.76 18.280 306.19
>-11.05
>2005-Oct-05 00:31 r 03 25 30.60 +16 32 33.4 -1.77 18.330 91.68
>-11.06
>2005-Oct-05 07:31 t 03 25 25.64 +16 32 59.8 -1.77 18.367 194.03
>-11.08
>2005-Oct-05 14:30 *s 03 25 20.38 +16 33 15.8 -1.78 18.401 296.15
>-11.10
>2005-Oct-06 00:27 r 03 25 15.39 +16 33 43.9 -1.79 18.451 81.64
>-11.11
>2005-Oct-06 07:26 t 03 25 09.36 +16 34 07.4 -1.80 18.487 183.75
>-11.13
>2005-Oct-06 14:26 *s 03 25 03.01 +16 34 20.6 -1.80 18.520 286.12
>-11.15
>2005-Oct-07 00:22 r 03 24 56.51 +16 34 44.6 -1.81 18.569 71.37
>-11.18
>2005-Oct-07 07:22 t 03 24 49.39 +16 35 05.4 -1.82 18.605 173.73
>-11.20
>2005-Oct-07 14:22 *s 03 24 41.96 +16 35 15.6 -1.83 18.638 276.10
>-11.22
>2005-Oct-08 00:18 r 03 24 33.95 +16 35 35.6 -1.84 18.686 61.35
>-11.24
>2005-Oct-08 07:18 t 03 24 25.75 +16 35 53.6 -1.84 18.721 163.72
>-11.27
>2005-Oct-08 14:18 *s 03 24 17.25 +16 36 00.9 -1.85 18.753 266.09
>-11.29
>2005-Oct-09 00:14 r 03 24 07.74 +16 36 16.9 -1.86 18.800 51.35
>-11.32
>2005-Oct-09 07:13 t 03 23 58.49 +16 36 32.1 -1.87 18.834 153.48
>-11.34
>2005-Oct-09 14:13 *s 03 23 48.92 +16 36 36.6 -1.87 18.865 255.86
>-11.37
>2005-Oct-10 00:09 r 03 23 37.92 +16 36 48.6 -1.88 18.911 41.12
>-11.40
>2005-Oct-10 07:09 t 03 23 27.60 +16 37 00.9 -1.89 18.944 143.50
>-11.43
>2005-Oct-10 14:09 *s 03 23 16.97 +16 37 02.6 -1.89 18.975 245.88
>-11.45
>2005-Oct-11 00:05 r 03 23 04.50 +16 37 10.6 -1.90 19.019 31.15
>-11.49
>2005-Oct-11 07:04 t 03 22 53.16 +16 37 20.2 -1.91 19.052 133.29
>-11.52
>2005-Oct-11 14:04 *s 03 22 41.49 +16 37 19.0 -1.92 19.081 235.67
>-11.54
>2005-Oct-12 00:00 r 03 22 27.57 +16 37 23.1 -1.93 19.124 20.95
>-11.58
>2005-Oct-12 07:00 t 03 22 15.17 +16 37 29.9 -1.93 19.156 123.33
>-11.61
>2005-Oct-12 14:00 *s 03 22 02.47 +16 37 25.9 -1.94 19.184 225.72
>-11.64
>2005-Oct-12 23:55 Ar 03 21 47.14 +16 37 26.0 -1.95 19.226 10.75
>-11.68
>2005-Oct-13 06:55 t 03 21 33.73 +16 37 30.0 -1.95 19.256 113.14
>-11.71
>2005-Oct-13 13:55 *s 03 21 20.02 +16 37 23.2 -1.96 19.283 215.53
>-11.75
>2005-Oct-13 23:51 Ar 03 21 03.26 +16 37 19.3 -1.97 19.324 0.82
>-11.79
>2005-Oct-14 06:51 t 03 20 48.84 +16 37 20.6 -1.98 19.353 103.21
>-11.82
>2005-Oct-14 13:50 *s 03 20 34.17 +16 37 11.0 -1.98 19.379 205.36
>-11.86
>2005-Oct-14 23:46 Ar 03 20 16.03 +16 37 03.2 -1.99 19.418 350.65
>-11.90
>2005-Oct-15 06:46 t 03 20 00.63 +16 37 01.8 -2.00 19.446 93.05
>-11.94
>2005-Oct-15 13:46 *s 03 19 44.96 +16 36 49.4 -2.00 19.471 195.44
>-11.98
>2005-Oct-15 23:41 Ar 03 19 25.49 +16 36 37.7 -2.01 19.507 340.50
>-12.02
>2005-Oct-16 06:41 t 03 19 09.14 +16 36 33.5 -2.02 19.534 82.89
>-12.06
>2005-Oct-16 13:41 *s 03 18 52.52 +16 36 18.3 -2.02 19.558 185.30
>-12.10
>2005-Oct-16 23:37 Ar 03 18 31.69 +16 36 02.6 -2.03 19.593 330.60
>-12.15
>2005-Oct-17 06:36 t 03 18 14.44 +16 35 55.7 -2.04 19.618 72.75
>-12.19
>2005-Oct-17 13:36 *s 03 17 56.89 +16 35 37.8 -2.04 19.640 175.16
>-12.23
>2005-Oct-17 23:32 Ar 03 17 34.77 +16 35 18.2 -2.05 19.673 320.47
>-12.28
>2005-Oct-18 06:31 t 03 17 16.62 +16 35 08.6 -2.06 19.697 62.63
>-12.32
>2005-Oct-18 13:31 *s 03 16 58.16 +16 34 47.9 -2.06 19.718 165.03
>-12.36
>2005-Oct-18 23:27 Ar 03 16 34.79 +16 34 24.5 -2.07 19.749 310.34
>-12.42
>2005-Oct-19 06:26 t 03 16 15.75 +16 34 12.2 -2.08 19.771 52.51
>-12.46
>2005-Oct-19 13:26 *s 03 15 56.42 +16 33 48.8 -2.08 19.790 154.92
>-12.51
>2005-Oct-19 23:22 Ar 03 15 31.84 +16 33 21.5 -2.09 19.819 300.24
>-12.56
>2005-Oct-20 06:21 t 03 15 11.95 +16 33 06.6 -2.10 19.840 42.40
>-12.61
>2005-Oct-20 13:21 *s 03 14 51.78 +16 32 40.4 -2.10 19.858 144.82
>-12.65
>2005-Oct-20 23:17 Ar 03 14 26.03 +16 32 09.4 -2.11 19.884 290.14
>-12.71
>2005-Oct-21 06:16 t 03 14 05.33 +16 31 51.8 -2.12 19.903 32.31
>-12.76
>2005-Oct-21 13:16 *s 03 13 44.35 +16 31 23.0 -2.12 19.919 134.72
>-12.80
>2005-Oct-21 23:12 Ar 03 13 17.48 +16 30 48.3 -2.13 19.943 280.05
>-12.86
>2005-Oct-22 06:11 t 03 12 55.99 +16 30 28.1 -2.13 19.961 22.22
>-12.91
>2005-Oct-22 13:11 *s 03 12 34.25 +16 29 56.7 -2.14 19.975 124.64
>-12.96
>2005-Oct-22 23:07 Nr 03 12 06.31 +16 29 18.3 -2.15 19.996 269.97
>-13.02
>2005-Oct-23 06:06 t 03 11 44.09 +16 28 55.6 -2.15 20.012 12.14
>-13.07
>2005-Oct-23 13:05 *s 03 11 21.66 +16 28 21.8 -2.16 20.024 114.32
>-13.12
>2005-Oct-23 23:02 Nr 03 10 52.67 +16 27 39.8 -2.16 20.043 259.90
>-13.18
>2005-Oct-24 06:01 t 03 10 29.75 +16 27 14.6 -2.17 20.057 2.08
>-13.23
>2005-Oct-24 13:00 *s 03 10 06.64 +16 26 38.4 -2.17 20.067 104.26
>-13.28
>2005-Oct-24 22:57 Nr 03 09 36.71 +16 25 53.0 -2.18 20.083 249.84
>-13.35
>2005-Oct-25 05:56 t 03 09 13.14 +16 25 25.4 -2.19 20.095 352.02
>-13.40
>2005-Oct-25 12:55 *s 03 08 49.39 +16 24 46.8 -2.19 20.104 94.20
>-13.45
>2005-Oct-25 22:52 Nr 03 08 18.58 +16 23 58.1 -2.20 20.117 239.79
>-13.52
>2005-Oct-26 05:51 t 03 07 54.41 +16 23 28.2 -2.20 20.127 341.97
>-13.57
>2005-Oct-26 12:49 *s 03 07 30.13 +16 22 47.5 -2.21 20.133 83.91
>-13.62
>2005-Oct-26 22:47 Nr 03 06 58.47 +16 21 55.5 -2.21 20.144 229.74
>-13.69
>2005-Oct-27 05:45 t 03 06 33.80 +16 21 23.6 -2.22 20.152 331.68
>-13.75
>2005-Oct-27 12:44 *s 03 06 08.94 +16 20 40.6 -2.22 20.156 73.87
>-13.80
>2005-Oct-27 22:41 Nr 03 05 36.59 +16 19 45.8 -2.23 20.164 219.46
>-13.87
>2005-Oct-28 05:40 t 03 05 11.38 +16 19 11.7 -2.23 20.170 321.65
>-13.93
>2005-Oct-28 12:38 *s 03 04 46.09 +16 18 26.9 -2.24 20.172 63.59
>-13.98
>2005-Oct-28 22:36 Nr 03 04 13.04 +16 17 29.1 -2.24 20.176 209.43
>-14.05
>2005-Oct-29 05:35 t 03 03 47.39 +16 16 53.1 -2.25 20.180 311.62
>-14.11
>2005-Oct-29 12:33 *s 03 03 21.69 +16 16 06.4 -2.25 20.180 53.56
>-14.16
>2005-Oct-29 22:31 Nr 03 02 48.07 +16 15 06.1 -2.25 20.181 199.40
>-14.23
>2005-Oct-30 05:29 t 03 02 22.10 +16 14 28.4 -2.26 20.183 301.35
>-14.29
>2005-Oct-30 12:27 *s 03 01 56.04 +16 13 40.0 -2.26 20.181 43.30
>-14.34
>2005-Oct-30 22:26 Cr 03 01 21.87 +16 12 37.2 -2.27 20.179 189.38
>-14.42
>2005-Oct-31 05:24 t 03 00 55.59 +16 11 57.9 -2.27 20.179 291.33
>-14.47
>2005-Oct-31 12:22 *s 03 00 29.23 +16 11 08.0 -2.27 20.174 33.28
>-14.53
>2005-Oct-31 22:21 Cr 02 59 54.67 +16 10 03.1 -2.28 20.169 179.36
>-14.60
>
>-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-
>
>The 37th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences was
>held in association with the 31st Annual Meeting of the Historical
>Astronomy Division on 4--9 September 2005 in Cambridge England.
>Below are my notes from the full day of Mars realated talks. -- Dave
>
>The Mars day was opened with a talk on the history of martian dust storms.
>He noted that the first documented storm was by Maraldi in 1704 and the
>first
>planet-encircling dust storm was documented in 1909. One of the
>interesting
>points of his talk was that although there was much speculation at the
>time
>on what the observations meant (e.g.\ Lowell), that all observers appear
>to
>be quite faithful in recording their data. This means that we can use
>their
>observations in trying to understand Mars of the past.
>
>There were several talks presenting results from the Mars Exploration
>Rovers.
>As of Sol 596, Spirit had reached the summit of Husband Hill (thus it was
>at
>an altitude of about the height of Statue of Liberty, or Big Ben, above
>the
>local plains) and was looking around for a path down the other side where
>there are some interesting areas.
>
>The big result is that both of the rovers have found evidence for aqueous
>and sedimentary processes---that is liquid water must have been involved
>and
>on the surface of Mars at some point in the past. In Gusev, Spirit
>discovered
>six distinct chemical classes of rocks on the surface, each one named for
>the
>first of its type discovered. Among them are a few that show evidence of
>water alteration such as Clovis, a highly oxidized basaltic glass which
>is
>interpreted as being aqueously altered impact ejecta. Peace is a finely
>layered rock class containing pyroxene and magnetite with some calcium and
>magnesium bearing minerals which is interpreted as being a basaltic
>sandstone
>that was briefly wetted. These rock types have been analyzed not only
>through
>the PanCam images, but also with the MiniTES instrument. The most common
>rock
>in the plains of Gusev crater have an olivine component, showing that it
>is
>a fairly unweathered rock. Wishstone class rocks low on Husband Hill are
>dominated by plagioclase feldspar, although the Peace class also appear in
>this region. Along with the multiple classes of rocks, it was discovered
>that
>the soil seems to fall into two classes, one of which is less red and
>shows
>evidence of water alteration.
>
>At the Opportunity site the rocks show evidence that water played a roll
>not
>only in the formation of the minerals, but also in the their deposition.
>Most
>of the sedimentary rocks were lain down by wind processes, but there are
>rocks
>with rippled layers from which it is concluded that they were lain down by
>running water. The minerals show chemical alteration by groundwater.
>Most
>of this seems to predate the ages of all the craters explored by the
>rover.
>However, there are features that are younger than the impacts which also
>show
>some degree of water alteration. These rock coatings however suggest
>processes
>involving either low amounts of water, or contact with water over shorter
>periods of time. This seems to indicate that over time, Mars become a
>dryer,
>and colder, planet.
>
>Of course, there were all kinds of wonderful pictures, including many
>showing
>a multitude of dust devils! The dust abundance in the atmosphere can be
>measured by the rovers by imaging the Sun throughout the day. For any
>given
>day, it seems that the dust optical depth is fairly constant. However as
>the
>seasons progressed into southern spring and summer, dust activity and
>amounts
>in the atmosphere picked up The dust devil activity also picked up
>through
>these seasons. On average, these dust devils can be tens of meters in
>diameter
>and up to 1.5 km high.
>
>Images from the first 1.5 years of images from the Mars Express (MEX) High
>Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) have been used to interpret the volcanic
>history of Mars. In general, it was concluded that most of the volcanism
>on
>Mars ended about 1.5 billion years ago (1.5 Ga) except for areas on
>Elysium
>and the Tharsis plateau. On Elysium, the most recent flows appear to be
>only
>100 million years old (100 Ma) whereas on Tharsis there are flows that
>appear
>to be 500 Ma and some that are as young as 2 Ma! Further, the flow
>features
>imply that overall Mars became a dry planet about 3.5 Ga although there
>are
>regional areas which show evidence of water at around 1.5 Ga and even
>perhaps
>500 Ma.
>
>Another instrument on MEX is the OMEGA imaging spectrometer which operates
>in the visible to near-infrared. So far they have found that the much of
>the
>surface is mostly olivine and pyroxene showing little water alteration.
>Clay
>minerals (phylosilicates) are detected in very limited regions, mainly in
>old and eroded terrains. All of this indicates that water alteration is
>something of the distant past on Mars. However an area on the northern
>scarp
>of Olympus Mons seem to indicate non-volcanic movement and an enhancement
>of
>hydrated minerals --- those with OH chemically attached to them --- which
>could be due to underground ices. Based on models, this ice could be
>stable
>for most of the martian year. Other areas with sulfates and clays appear
>in
>Valles Marinaris, Nili Fossae, and Meridiani.
>
>A third MEX instrument is SPICAM which has a ultraviolet spectrometer
>which
>can measure emitted light by excited atmospheric molecules. Results
>included
>the finding NO on the night side of Mars and the as well as localized
>aurora!
>The aurora occur over an area where the crustal magnetic field is a
>maximum
>and have been seen based on UV emissions of CO at an altitude of about 129
>km.
>The SPICAM spectra also show absorptions which are indicative of ozone,
>although the amounts measured are not quite in agreement with the current
>state of modeling predictions. Finally, SPICAM has been used to look at
>the
>limb of Mars to study the atmospheric structure and look at clouds. About
>60% of the detections show that the cloud layer is detached, and often
>clouds
>appear in multi-layer structures. Some of the clouds seen are very high
>(about 100 km) where the temperature is 10--30 K less than the CO_2 ---
>this
>cloud may be made of dry ice!
>
>A couple studies were presented that are measuring the atmospheric
>circulation.
>One used accelerometer data from the aerobreaking phases of MEX, MGS, and
>Mars Odyssey. These data are combined with the Mars General Circulations
>Model (GCM) to look at seasonal differences. In particular it was found
>that the circulation between the northern and southern hemispheres is
>stronger
>during perihelion than during aphelion. The second used Odyssey Gamma-Ray
>Spectrometer (GRS) data to measure atmospheric argon. In the southern
>hemisphere, over the pole, there is an enhancement of Ar through the
>autumn,
>which is expected as the CO_2 begins to condense, however as winter
>arrives,
>the concentration of Ar drops. This could be indicative of some method of
>atmospheric motion which is moving Ar out of the area; this could be due
>to
>winds coming off of Hellas basin.
>
>There were also two studies measuring water vapor in the martian
>atmosphere.
>One of them used data from the MEX OMEGA instrument. Using the near-
>infrared,
>in much the same way as the Viking orbiters from the 1970's, they were
>able
>to create maps of water vapor amounts and compare them to the Viking and
>MGS
>results. Over the seasonal period L_S=94 to 115 degrees in low, mid, and
>high northern latitudes finds very high agreement. In general the amounts
>were 20--25 pr. micron at low latitudes, 30--50 pr. micron in mid
>latitudes,
>and about 75 pr. micron at high latitudes. Note that a pr. micron is a
>unit of abundance that is the depth the water would be at the surface of
>the planet if it were condensed out as a liquid. The second is a
>ground-based
>study using measurements from the Very Large Array (VLA) of radio
>telescopes
>in Socorro, New Mexico. This technique is useful for measuring the
>vertical
>extent and distribution of the water vapor and it is found that the water
>is very well mixed throughout its vertical extent.
>
>Another set of studies presented looked at the distribution of ozone in
>the
>Mars atmosphere. In general ozone abundance decreases as water vapor
>abundance
>increases, and vice versa. This anti-correlation follows changes in both
>season and latitude.
>
>Last year several groups announced the discovery of methane in the
>atmosphere
>of Mars; two of them were ground-based telescopic observations, the third
>was from the MEX. This year there was an update on one of the ground-
>based
>studies to refine the abundance measurements. The methane is not well
>mixed,
>but shows latitudinal variation ranging from about 63 parts per billion
>near
>the disk center of the images dropping to 52 and then 45 parts per billion
>moving northward. A complementary study this year looked into details of
>possible sources and sinks of methane. Since methane can only survive
>about
>600 years in the atmosphere before being destroyed by UV light or
>oxidized,
>there would need to be about 126 tons/year created to account for the
>amounts
>seen. Delivery by a comet seems to be less viable a source---it would
>have
>had to impacted in the past 500--2000 years and be 0.3--1 km in size.
>This
>kind of event only happens once every 62 million years according to
>currently
>measured impact rates. Another solution is that it could be biotic in
>origin,
>as is most of the methane here on Earth. This study looked at a possible
>source that does not require biology but rather through mineralogical
>chemistry. It is possible if basalt can be weathered to the mineral
>serpentine
>which over time could chemically mix with CO_2 and H_2O (from water).
>Over
>time this could make about 10^{15} kg of methane, about 2000 times more
>than needed.
>
>If you visit the MarsWatch web site (see below) you can downlaod a
>PDF version of just this report from the Newsletters page.
>
>-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-
>
>Since its launch last 12 August, things have been going quite well for
>the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It is officially in its cruise
>mode and as it moved off, it looked back to snap a picture of home
>which you can see at http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/
>calibration/
>
>On 27 August it fired all six main thursters for 15 seconds for a
>trajectory adjustment. After the successful burn, MRO returned
>to cruise mode with a new speed, relative to the Sun, of 32856 m/s
>(or 73497 mi/hr). A tad bit faster than my Chevy Malibu.
>
>There was a minor scare on 7 September when the Sun shot out a flare
>that was larger than anything seen in the last 15 years. These events
>stream high speed particles away from Sun and they can damage many
>modern electronic systems. For MRO this could be anything from
>resetting its computer to the desctruction of its entire electrical
>subsystem. Fortunately, MRO is some 160 million km (99 million miles)
>from the Sun, and getting further every minute---the damage potential
>drops significantly with distance! Also, this flare happened on a
>side of the Sun not facing the Earth or MRO. Therefore, all is
>fine for our intrepid interplanetary explorer!
>
>You can keep up with all the latest MRO information at their web site
>http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/.
>
>-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
>
>The research station at Haughton for the Mars on Earth project closed
>down for the year as of 10 August and planning has begun for next year.
>In the mean time they will be analyzing their field work and posting
>reports to their web site. They did leave the Arthur Clarke Mars
>Greenhouse up and running as it is automated. They even have a
>couple webcams set up so the experiments there can be monitored.
>
>You can keep up with the lastest at their web site is at
>http://www.marsonearth.org/
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>Questions, comments, concerns, and contributions to:
>
>David R. Klassen
>Department of Physics & Astronomy
>Rowan University
>201 Mullica Hill Road
>Glassboro, NJ 08028
>klassen_at_rowan.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.6 : Thu Sep 29 2005 - 18:18:11 UTC