[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 1 - 10:25:39 ]
Geologist Ken will address the latest weather findings by the Mars Global Survey spacecraft: martian snowfall, avalanches, dust devils and ancient oceans. To get up to speed on what this all means BEFORE the chat, Ken has asked that we post the a couple of URLs to help you PREPARE IN ADVANCE for an active discussion that is beneficial to all.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 2 - 10:27:42 ]
For recent articles on Ken activities, go to -- http://www.space.com/science/solarsystem/mars_weather_000223.html AND http://www.msnbc.com/news/372406.asp -- Ken's children's book will hit the book stores in May. To find out more, go to -- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399232141/o/qid=951513783/sr=8-1/104-415 3491-1941268

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 6 - 11:02:22 ]
Hello Everyone! Ken Edgett is here and ready to chat! Let your questions start rolling in!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 9 - 11:03:27 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Good afternoon Sandy!
Hey Stephanie! It's always great to see you in the chat room!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 10 - 11:03:38 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: Hello from Rochester NY. I am writing for my son Andres who is in school and asked me to relay to you his questions. He is very excited to communicate with a NASA scientist that used to live in Rochester.
Hi Marcello, You can tell Andres that I grew up over in Greece and went to Greece Arcadia for High School. I still have many family members in Rochester.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 11 - 11:03:50 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Good afternoon Sandy!
Hi Stephanie, how have you been?

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 16 - 11:05:45 ]
RE: [Ali] Has Al Gross started working on the spacesuit yet?
I don't know Al Gross or anything about spacesuits, sorry.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 17 - 11:07:47 ]
RE: [Ben] We are working on a project that we will send to NASA. We are trying to form a colony of humans on Mars. Where would be a good site to start a colony?
You'd want to build a colony somewhere close to a source of WATER. Humans need the water not only to drink, but to produce oxygen for breathing and for fuel. Right now, we only know 3 good sources of water--the atmosphere (not a whole lot there), and the 2 polar caps (north probably has more than south). Someday we'll have techniques to find water below the ground at places further from the poles, perhaps closer to the equator. The Gamma Ray Spectrometer to be launched in 2001 will help by looking for evidence of water in the upper 1 meter (approx 1 yard) of the surface.

[ Stephanie/Edmonton - 18 - 11:07:59 ]
Hi Ken! Remember, I chatted with you last time? We're on Spring Break now, so I'm doing just fine!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 20 - 11:10:19 ]
RE: [Ben] Is it a good idea to form a colony on Mars?
That's a good question. It would be far easier to colonize Antartica, the bottom of the oceans, or the most empty and desolate parts of Nevada. But perhaps people will colonize Mars because they don't want to disrupt the environment of places like Antarctica, or don't want to live within areas of existing governments, like Nevada. In other words, you have to look at the history of why people started colonies outside Europe in the previous 500 years... The Pilgrims started a colony for religous freedom, the English started a colony in Australia as a prison. Lots of reasons one might start a colony

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 23 - 11:11:51 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: Andres'first question is: Is there any known form of life in Mars?
There is no known life on Mars. The Vikings in 1976 (robotic landers) had experiments to detect life, including microscopic organism) that might live within the upper few inches of the surface, but came up with nothing. People are still looking, though. In the last 20 years, our understanding of what kinds of environments support life on earth--including deep underground where there is no sunlight---have led to a re-thinkig about what is possible on mars.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 24 - 11:13:20 ]
RE: [Ben] Can you tell me the name of the book you wrote so that I can find it in a library?
The book is "Touchdown Mars" by Peggy Wethered, Ken Edgett, and illustrator Michael Chesworth. It is probably not in your library yet. It is being released in May 2000. You can search at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com and see it there.

[ Melanie - 26 - 11:14:28 ]
Hi everyone. :) I'm workign on a senior geology seminar about the martian ocean research. So i'm just kind of reading until i come up with a question.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 28 - 11:14:44 ]
RE: [Ben] Can sound travel on Mars? Do you have any info. on the polar ice caps on Mars?
Sound can travel in gas, liquid, or solid. Mars has an atmosphere, so sounds can be heard there if someone were to listen. The Mars Polar Lander had a microphone that would have listened to the sounds of Mars, had the lander not gone missing on us.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 29 - 11:15:48 ]
RE: [Court] Hi Im in the Mars Millennium club and our science group made a geodesic dome on Mars. We are wondering if you could help us find a safe, soild material to build our dome on Mars? In your opinion would there be a safer building than a geodesic dome. Thank you for all your help!!!!!!
I would guess that you'd get silicon dioxide (SiO_2) out of the silicate minerals of Mars. Aluminum would also be present in these minerals, and that would make a nice frame.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 33 - 11:17:32 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Those pictures of the dust devil trails are amazing. Since they're darker than the surrounding terrain, does that mean the regolith under the surface layer is darker than the surface?
Yes. My suspicion is that the dust devil tracks are only visible in places where there is a thin coating of bright dust. This might only be as thick as a sheet of paper. The dust devil sweeps up this dust, revealing the darke substrate beneath it. Such tracks are not usually seen on Earth, probably because such thin coatings of dust don't form or dont stick around long enough (it rains here).

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 34 - 11:19:31 ]
HEY EVERYONE: EXCELLENT questions!!! It's obvious that you did your "homework" for today's chat with Ken :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 35 - 11:19:41 ]
RE: [Ben] What are some things that we need to consider when planning a colony on Mars?
Where you are going to get your water (for drinking and for oxygen), whether you need solar power (because the polar regions are in darkness for more than 300 days of a 687 day year) versus nuclear power, where is a good place for spacecraft to come and go from (equator? low elevations?), and where is the weather not usually nasty (the middle and polar latitudes can be cloudy and cold in winter, Hellas basin is socked-in with dust and haze most of the year, etc.).

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 37 - 11:21:50 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: When do you think that humans will land in Mars?
I don't know. In the early 1970s it seemed like it could happen before 2000. In recent years there has been a deep desire to see it happen by July 20, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the first humans on the Moon. On a good day, I think we can do it by 2019. On a lousy day, I think it might be more than 100 years away. It's all a matter of public will. There are no technical challenges that we don't know how to tackle---it's the cost. If it was to be done by governments (or a single government like the US), then it is paid for by tax dollars. Thus, the taxpayers have to want to do it.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 38 - 11:22:18 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Why is the southern hemisphere's crust thicker than the north's?
This is the big UNKNOWN. Solve this problem and you probably understand the basic early history of Mars.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 40 - 11:23:11 ]
RE: [Jim] Ken: regarding the "dust devils" on Mars - Do the lengths of the shadows they cast tell you how high they carry dust? Any idea on the speed of rotation and migration across the landscape? Given that they "sweep" out dark streaks where the lighter surface material is removed and the streaks are eventually "re-dusted", can you estimate how often they occur?
I'm having some trouble with this chat in my web browser, so bear with me.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 41 - 11:25:02 ]
RE: [KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor] I'm having some trouble with this chat in my web browser, so bear with me.
Yes you can use the shadow lengths to estimate how high the dust goes, though usually the vortex goes up higher but you cant see it because there's less dust up high. I don't know about the rotation and we can only guess at the speed because we can only catch a dust devil once (youd need to see the same one twice to estimate speed).

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 47 - 11:28:27 ]
RE: [Melanie] Now that the Viking evidence for the martian ocean seems to have bene eliminated, what is the next step? Will more research be done on the northern plains? Is there still ANY chance it might have been an ocean at some point?
We shoudlnt rule out the idea that Mars had oceans. I was coauthor in a study that suggests that MGS MOC images do not show evidence of shorelines, but there are others who think the images do show such evidence (I think they are wrong, but this is part of how the science process works). There are also people working with the MGS laser altimeter (MOLA) that think they see evidence for oceans, so the idea is not eliminated. Regardless, the northern plains of Mars are strange and there is plenty more to learn about them. As for whether I personally believe Mars ever had oceans, I am going to say that there is no evidence that I can point to with confidence that says there was a northern plains ocean. But the more intriguing question---what are all those layered rocks we see int he walls of Valles Marineris? Could any of THEM represent the sediments from an even OLDER ocean than would have been in the nrothern plains? Who knows

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 48 - 11:29:32 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Does Mars contain any anorthosites?
We don't have enough information to answer this question. Anorthosites are rocks dominated almost entirely by plagioclase feldspar--we do have evidence from the MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer that there are plagioclase minerals on Mars. That's as far as we know.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 51 - 11:30:49 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: Are you aware of the existence of tunnels or caves in Mars?
Viking Orbiter images show a huge zone of collapse that occurs just north of Ganges Chasma and connects to Shalbatana Vallis. This collapse suggests a tremendous cavern exists there, and is partly collapsed. There also, in volcanic regions, are probably some lava tubes big enough to walk around inside

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 52 - 11:31:07 ]
RE: [JT] When do you think we will establish the first colony on Mars?
2136 AD (plus or minus 50 yrs)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 53 - 11:32:18 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Any progress on figuring what formed the "swiss cheese", "cottage cheese" and "sponge"?
The "sponge" terrain is probably cause by sublimation of water each northern summer. The other stuff, especially in the south polar cap--- we have very few clues. Collapse seems to be involved, but what is being withdrawn or removed in the subsurface, and where does it go, so that these things can collapse?

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 54 - 11:33:41 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: My son also wanted to ask: * What color are the martian rocks?. Does the color changes during the day? * Is there any place where to take the helmet off in Mars. (He saw "Mission to Mars" movie :-) )
The rocks themselves without dust on them probably have a variety of colors and tones. The ones at the Pathfinder site I think were mostly dark brown or dark gray. It is plausible there would be rocks that are almost white elsewhere. Shades of brown and gray I think are most likely

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 58 - 11:36:03 ]
RE: [Jim] Ken: What do the bands at the south pole on Mars tell you about past and present processes?
The layers in the polar caps are like layers of rock on earth--each one represents some different period in history in which something about the deposition of material changed---perhaps the particle size changed, or the depositional process (like migration of sand dunes versus dust settling from the atmosphere), or the cementing agents (ice? carbonates?). We see layers of different thickness and resistance to erosion, indicating they have differing properties. Just what these observations mean, though, will have to await someone going to Mars and doing detailed studies of these layers.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 59 - 11:37:15 ]
EVERYONE; WE HAVE ABOUT 30 MINUTES LEFT IN WHICH TO ASK KEN **everything** you've always wanted to know about Mars! Go for it!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 60 - 11:37:21 ]
RE: [Marcelo] What is the main component of the Martian surface?
Not sure what this means. The planet has a rocky crust, the crust is probably mostly made of rock with high iron content. The surface though is dusty and sandy. In terms of chemical elements, the same ones that dominate at the Earths surface will dominate on Mars-- silcon, aluminum, oxygen.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 62 - 11:39:03 ]
RE: [Jim] Ken: I read that you really know a lot about dunes - Do you think the evidence shows the dunes on Mars are static? If not, how fast do they migrate?
We've seen no indication of dune migration. We have compared MOC images (1997-2000) with those from Mariner 9 (1972) and Viking (1976-1980) but we are limited by the lower resolution of the earlier images. We see evidence for "weak" activity-- slumps on the slip faces of dunes, some clues that sand might saltate and move around, but no evidence that any whole dunes have chagned position since the 1970s.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 65 - 11:39:51 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: Do you know if is possible to have radio communication on the martian surface? - Any known propagation issues or electromagnetic anomalies?
Sure. The Sojourner rover used a UHF antenna to communication with Mars Pathfinder. And of course the Pathfinder and Viking landers all used radio to communicate with Earth (and the Vikings also communicated with the Viking orbiters).

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 66 - 11:41:06 ]
RE: [JT] What do you think about the new movie "Mission to Mars?" Does it stay true to life?
I haven't seen the movie yet. I heard that the astronauts visit the "Face on Mars" and it was constructed by Martians. The notion that the Face on Mars is an artificial construct is so ludicrous that I have doubts that the rest of the movie was any "truer to life" than its plot.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 67 - 11:41:28 ]
RE: [JT] Where is the best place on the planet for the first colony?
Someone asked that earlier. The answer will be "where there is a good supply of water"

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 69 - 11:42:27 ]
RE: [JT] What do you think would be the best method of colonizing the planet? Once we land on the planet, how long will it be until humans can live comfortably on the surface?
Humans can't live comfortably outside on the surface at all. They need completely enclosed habitats and to go outside they need spacesuits. As for how long humans can live there, it simply depends on how good the habitats are.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 72 - 11:42:59 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Are you also interested in the geology of the moon?
Sure, the Moon is interesting but Mars is far more diverse and has had a more complex history, so it grabs most of my attention

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 73 - 11:44:16 ]
RE: [Melanie] Are there many opportunities for geologists who want to study mars and/or other planets? Or do you have to be pretty lucky to get into the field? Do you think a straight geology, or planetary science degree would be more beneficial?
My BA, MS and PhD degrees are all in Geology, not Planetary Science. If you like geology as opposed to straight chemistry, physics, or astronomy, then that is the way to go. There are many geologists involved with the exploration of the Solar System, everything from Mercury to Pluto to the asteroids and comets

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 74 - 11:44:18 ]
EVERYONE: At the end of today's chat with ken, please let us know how we did by filling out a short survey at-- http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-survey -- THANK YOU :-)

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 76 - 11:45:22 ]
ARE THERE ANYMORE QUESTIONS FOR KEN?!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 77 - 11:45:46 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: If you come to Rochester. Would you like to give a presentation at the Rochester Museum of Science or any school?. Kids will love it !! Any e-mail where we could send more questions?. Thanks
Someone from the Strasenburg Planetarium talked to me once about giving some talks there. That would be one way to do it. You could find someone there that can pay my travel and I would come and give a talk or two. Also, a school district once funded my travel to come give a bunch of talks. Anything is possible

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 79 - 11:46:21 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] ARE THERE ANYMORE QUESTIONS FOR KEN?!
Sorry if I didnt get to them all, my browser was doing strange things aabougt 25% of the time.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 80 - 11:46:47 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] I found the movie to be more philosophical in theme than of technological/scientific challenges.
I still need to see the movie, and would suggest others see it too...though my friends all told me not to pay full price

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 82 - 11:47:03 ]
RE: [JT] I havnt seen the movie either, I was just wondering. I have to go soon, thank you very much for your time Ken.
You're welcome!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 83 - 11:47:36 ]
RE: [KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor] Sorry if I didnt get to them all, my browser was doing strange things aabougt 25% of the time.
As it looks right now, you've every single question in the chat room :-) If anyone has another burning question or two, now is the time to ask it!!!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 87 - 11:49:13 ]
RE: [Melanie] Sandy> That survey addy doesn't seem to work... Both> Thank you for your time. :)
HERE'S THE SURVEY URL AGAIN-- http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-surveys

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 90 - 11:50:28 ]
RE: [Katrina] what do you do to get in nasa johnson center ? (a job)
It depends on what you want to do there. I have a friend who works in the shuttle mission control. His background is in geology and remote sensing, but he wanted to focus on spacecraft mission operations, so found a job in Houston that allowed him to work with mission control, from there, he was "in". I have other friends who work with the lunar samples and meteorites. But jobs at JSC don't all have to be astronauts or moon rock people, they have security guards and custodians, too. So, probably any kind of job you can think of has some application to the kinds of work that goes on at JSC

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 91 - 11:50:40 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Thank you for your time!!
Youre welcome!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 92 - 11:51:25 ]
RE: [Sandra] My students want to know how hard the surface is and if a subterranean colony could be supported (provided life could actually be sustained on Mars).
The hardness of the surface would depend on where you go, but in general it is like the earth. You can walk around on it, you can drive on it, build on it, etc. It's rock.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 93 - 11:51:48 ]
RE: [Katrina] what do you do to get in nasa johnson center ? (a job)
Check out the NASA homepage. There is a link to job openings at the different NASA centers. Perhaps you could look at these and then get an idea for what you will need to study in school to get a NASA-type job. As I'm sure you already know-- math, science, english/writing are biggies!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 95 - 11:52:42 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] Check out the NASA homepage. There is a link to job openings at the different NASA centers. Perhaps you could look at these and then get an idea for what you will need to study in school to get a NASA-type job. As I'm sure you already know-- math, science, english/writing are biggies!
By the way, it helps if you know someone already working there, and they want to hire you for something. But that is true everywhere, not just JSC

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 97 - 11:53:41 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] I am trying to find a good research project for Chemistry. I have thought about how a LiOH canister filters out CO2 and about how Mars' surface oxidizes. The great limitation is that we have only learned the basics of formulating and balancing equations. I am trying to find something related to space, but which processes include a simple chemical equation (ionic reactions). Any suggestions?
I honestly don't have any good suggestions here.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 98 - 11:54:56 ]
EVERYONE: BE SURE TO CHECK OUT UPCOMING MARS CHATS: Wed., April 5 with Mike Mellon/Mars Global Surveyor.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 100 - 11:55:52 ]
By the way, the MGS spacecraft is still doing great in its orbits about Mars! We get pictures every day. Right now we are in the middle of southern summer and northern winter. The northern plains are cloudy and stormy, with small dust storms occasionally heading south toward the equator. The south polar cap has shrunk almost to the smallest size it will get. The sun is starting to rise over some of the north polar dune fields, and we can sometimes see frost up there when there are breaks in the clouds. Mars is a REAL place and stuff is happening up there RIGHT NOW.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 101 - 11:56:10 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Well, thank you again Ken! Keep those pictures coming in!
You bet! Thanks!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 102 - 11:57:07 ]
Any more questions, or are we done? I must say it has been a pleasure talking with all of you.!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 103 - 11:57:31 ]
EVERYONE: It looks like this is it for questions, so we ought to let Ken get back to his "other" work! Thank you so much for your well-thought questions; they made for an interesting and informative chat session :-) Please be sure to fill out the short survey mentioned above and to join us for another Mars chat on April 5!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 104 - 11:58:01 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] EVERYONE: It looks like this is it for questions, so we ought to let Ken get back to his "other" work! Thank you so much for your well-thought questions; they made for an interesting and informative chat session :-) Please be sure to fill out the short survey mentioned above and to join us for another Mars chat on April 5!
Yeah, somebody's got to take the pictures.... ;^)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 108 - 11:59:25 ]
RE: [Melanie] OK, I have a question from the guy reading over my shoulder. What caused the Viking images to show the colored bands around the mesas and massifs that looked so much like cliffs? Was it just a product of the resolution?
I'm not sure I understand what colored bands you are refering to. A few Viking orbiter images showed bands on mesas and cliff walls that seemed to indicate that layered rock was present--this has been confirmed and amplified A LOT by the MGS camera.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 109 - 11:59:26 ]
RE: [Melanie] Thanks, bye!
You're most welcome! Thank you for your terrific questions :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 111 - 12:00:29 ]
RE: [Marcelo] Ken: Once again. What is the name of your new book?
"Touchdown Mars" by Peggy Wethered, Ken Edgett, and illustrator Michael Chesworth. Reccomended reading ages are 4-8, but any one of any age who is interested in Mars exploration will get a kick out of it. The artwork is fantastic and the story includes some of our latest knowledge about the planet

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 112 - 12:01:34 ]
RE: [Katrina] do you have to good in math, scince, read,engish,art and have a good grade in collage?
Katrina: I think if you're good in all the subjects you listed you will naturally get good grades in college! And of course coming to all the NASA QuestChats that you can will help increase your knowledge also :-)

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 113 - 12:02:33 ]
OK EVERYONE... this is it! Have a great rest of your day and join us again soon! And don't forget the SURVEY (url above).

[ Jim - 114 - 12:02:45 ]
Ken: Thank you for a great discussion!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 115 - 12:02:57 ]
RE: [Katrina] do you have to good in math, scince, read,engish,art and have a good grade in collage?
Grades will vary from person to person. Some are stronger in one area than another. You might be good at math but lousy in spelling. (or in my case, in typing really fast on a small keyboard during a webchat). I did pretty well in science but was not as good in physics as in geology. Not as good in math as many of my colleagues, but a much better writer... so it varies from person to person. You have to capitalize on your STRENGTHS, and work with others to fill-in where you have weaknesses. At some point, after collge, it boils more down to EXPERIENCE than grades you got in school.