[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 1 - 08:47:13 ]
Welcome! Today's Mars Millennium QuestChat with Mike Mellon will begin at 10 am, PDT (1 pm, EDT). Mike is a planetary scientist on the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer Team. Be sure to read Mike's bio before coming to the chatroom-- http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/team/mellon.html

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 3 - 10:08:54 ]
Everyone: Thanks for all of your questions. I'll post them momentarily. I'm sorry for the delay. Unfortunately, I cannot locate Mike at the moment. He's being paged by the university's paging system and I HOPE he'll be here momentarily... Give me a few more minutes to hunt him down...

[ Ophie - 5 - 10:09:45 ]
Hi! Just to let you know I'm already here. This is my first time to chat so please bear with me if I don't do things right. Glad you can share your valuable time to the public.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 10 - 10:12:55 ]
EVERYONE: IF for some reason I cannot locate Mike Mellon this is the plan-- Go ahead and post all of the questions that you've been working on. Then when I get my hands on Mike... er, I mean when I find Mike (!), I will have him answer all of your questions and then I post them in the chat archive. I'll leave the chat room open until half past the hour (10:30 PDT, 1:30 EDT) so that you can type in your questions. My sincere apologies for Mike's absense :-(

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 30 - 10:24:09 ]
EVERYONE: YOUR QUESTIONS SO FAR ARE AWESOME! It looks like you did your homework BEFORE coming to the chat :-) I'm sorry to say that I still haven't located Mike Mellon -- who obviously forgot to read his homework assignment about his chat today!!! I will leave the chat room open for 10 more minutes and then close it down. I will have Mike answer your questions later today and will then post the Q&A in the chat archive. Thanks for your patience!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 37 - 10:29:17 ]
RE: [john] is mike even here yet?
I'm sorry to say John, no he isn't. I'm assuming he got called away at the last moment and that's why he's not here at the moment. I'm continuing to try and track him down. I apologize for the inconvenience today.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 41 - 10:33:03 ]
RE: [Ophie] Hi Sandy! Where are you located in relation to Mike Mellon? Are you in the same building?
Hi Ophie: I'm located about 18 miles from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where Mike is supposed to be! Even though I'm not exactly "down the hall" from him, I'm on the phone at this very moment calling everyone I know at the University and trying to track Mike down.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 50 - 10:37:00 ]
EVERYONE: I know that you all know that these sorts of things happen ocassionally, but they are still frustrating experiences. I want to assure you that an expert NOT showing up for a chat is unusual. So with that said, I want to close Mike's chat room for today. I will keep searching for Mike and will make sure that he answers your questions. I will send you all email as soon as he does and I archive this chat. In the meantime, please join us next Tuesday, April 12 at 10:30 am PDT (1:30 pm, EDT) for an interesting chat with radio astronomer Jim Thieman from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 57 - 10:40:55 ]
THANK YOU SO MUCH for being patient and accommodating today, in the absence of our chat expert. I'm going to close the chat room now and will continue to hunt Mike Mellon down!!! You will hear from me as soon as he answers all of your great questions. Please join us again next week:-)

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 58 - 00:10:54 ]
Hi everyone. First I want to appologize for not making it to the chat session. I know all of you were looking forward to being able to ask questions of a Mars expert and I hope I haven't given you all a bad impression of scientists. I also want to appologize to Sandy and express my appreciation for her efforts. I enjoy these chat sessions very much and enjoy having the opportunity to answer your excellent questions. I hope Sandy can schedule me for another session soon.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 99 - 21:17:47 ]
RE: [Mark] What courses in college are important if I am interested in a space-related career?
Mark, a space-related career could be in any of many fields. College courses in math, physics, chemistry, geology, and biology are all good for becoming a space scientist. Many people in space-related careers are engineers and take mechanical and electrical enineering classes. NASA also needs machinists, accountants, and educational specialists. Generally, many people with a wide variety of skills are needed to work together for our space program to work.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 100 - 21:19:28 ]
RE: [John] What season is mars in right now?
John, The season on Mars right now is approaching mid spring in the northern hemisphere (kinda like for us who live in the Earths northern hemisphere) and approaching mid-fall in the southern hemisphere (like in Australia today). The weather is the northern hemisphere of Mars would be bitterly cold still, since even mid-summer, the temperatures rarely get above freezing.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 101 - 21:20:38 ]
RE: [Ophie] A lot of fiction writers seem to be fascinated with Martian alien in their stories. Is there a basis for this like sightings or any other clue to suggest that there is a Martian?
Ophie, Science fiction writers frequently from a combination of fact and imagination. In the case of "sightings" they are working with the collective imagination of the public. As for the possibility of martians existing. It is possible that life once existed on Mars and may still exist today, but for a variety of reasons, including the limited availability of water and energy, life on Mars probably never become more complicated than a single cell, like a bacteria or simpler. This does not preclude the possibility that intellegent life may live on the worlds around the other stars. Another star may have a world like Mars, but with more favorable conditions for life to thrive.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 102 - 21:22:44 ]
RE: [John] Do know anything about Zeta reteculi?
John, I do not know what Zeta reteculi is. It sounds like it could be the name of a star or just as easily be the name of a species of plant or something. In either case that is out of my field. I have focused my studies on the planets in our solar system and on Mars in particular.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 103 - 21:23:43 ]
RE: [Joe] Are there any new theories on what causes the "Swiss Cheese" look of the souther ice cap?
Joe, I think many scientists are puzzled about the swiss cheese look of the south polar cap of Mars. I have heard fewer theories than I have heard people remark about how unusual it looks. My best guess is that it has something to do with how water and carbon dioxide ices collect in the Mars polar regions and later heat up and evaporate. While lots of quick explanations like that will pop up, I expect that a real explanation may take some time. Solving puzzles like this can take years of patient research or perhaps a future space craft with different instruments than we are currently using.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 104 - 21:39:12 ]
RE: [Ophie] Recently we had two space mission to Mars that failed. What were the major lessons learned from these two exploration? And what does NASA plan to do about this.
Ophie, NASA's current plan, as I understand it, is to continue our exploration of the solar system and the exploration planet Mars is still a high priority. Deep space missions are inherently risky. At Mars you can't send a tow truck to pick up a broken space craft. Everything has to work. But we can and should learn from our failures. My opinion is that we are learning more about what sorts of tests are absolutely necessary before sending a space craft. And that missions need to be driven by what scientific goals we want to achieve, as apposed to sending a space craft simpley because we can. There will be more failures in the future, but there will also be spectacular successes. Mars Global Surveyor is an excellent success. It's in orbit around Mars now collecting loads of data this very moment, and will probably continue to map Mars for the next few years. Future NASA space craft will be carefully tested and scrutinized to ensure a high probability of sucess.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 106 - 21:44:42 ]
RE: [Ophie] Which of your geology and climate data collection you find very interesting?
Ophie, I find the geology of Mars more interesting, perhaps since geology is something we can touch. Of course, the geologic record of a planet can be related to it's climate. On Mars some of the geologic features we see are related to the presence of water ice and others are relatd to liquid water. Whether water is a liquid or solid depends on the climate.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 107 - 21:45:37 ]
RE: [JessicaD/RuralHall] How long have you studied Mars?
Jessica D. - I have studied Mars since I started graduate school in 1988. So that would be about 12 years. But before that I used to look at Mars through a telescope. I couldn't see much more that a reddish dot, so I wouldn;t count that as study.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 108 - 21:46:49 ]
RE: [John] how is mars effected by solar flares?
Hmmm. John, I haven't thought about solar flares reaching Mars before. I think that since Mars has a very thin atmosphere and very little magnetic field, that radiation from solar flares would be more dangerous. Radiation would more easily reach the surface, though perhaps not as easily as on the moon, where there is no atmosphere. Another aspect of solar flares is that the will be weaker at Mars since it is further from the sun than the Earth.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 109 - 21:47:48 ]
RE: [JessicaS/RuralHall] How is Mars different from our planet?
Jessica S., Mars is much colder than the Earth since it is further from the Sun it receives less than 1/2 the sunlight. It is also smaller than the Earth and has been less volcanically active over its history. A smaller planet can more easily radiate its internal heat away to space. I like to also remind myself that Mars and Earth are very similar as well. There are places in Antarctica where the climate is similarly cold (and dry). Mars also has valleys that were carved by running water, volcanoes, and sand dunes. All of which are very similar to geologic features on Earth. Mars also has clouds and weather fronts that move across the surface.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 110 - 21:48:41 ]
RE: [SherriB/RuralHall] Do you use computers in your work?
Sherri, I do use computers in my work every day. I mostly use them to do calculations of physical processes on Mars or to process data into more useable forms. I also use them to respond to a daily flood of email, write letters and articles for publications, and to keep track of lab equipment.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 111 - 21:49:46 ]
RE: [Kelsey/RuralHall] About how many people study Mars full time? Do you use computer simulations of Mars?
Kelsey, My impression is that there are several hundred scientists who study planets in our solar system. Some smaller group of them (perhaps a hundred) put most of their efforts into the study of Mars. I consider myself in that catagory, but even I also spend time studying Antarctica, and I work with other scientists who study our Moon and the moons of Jupiter. By not focusing completely on Mars I can learn something new that I can then bring to Mars research that we might not have otherwise thought of. This is what particularly interests me about my Antarctic research.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 112 - 21:50:46 ]
RE: [Michael] Would you like to study another planet besides Mars? If yes which one?
Michael, Mars ineterests me because it is so much like Earth. The other planets don't have this quality. But some of the other planets have aspects about them that I can help understand. For example, I have helped other scientists study the moons of Jupiter. These moons are coated with ices (water, carbon dioxide, methane to name a few). My studies of Mars have given me a better understanding of ices, so that I can help other scientists learn more about other worlds. This is also true for the Earth. My studies of frozen soil on Mars are more detailed than the study of some frozen soils on Earth. So my results can help us better understand how our Earth works.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 113 - 21:52:22 ]
RE: [Matthew] Does Mars have active volcanoes?
Matthew, Mars certainly has volcanoes. Some of them are the largest in the solar system. We have not seen any volcanic activity on Mars. But we still might. Mars still retains some heat in it interior, though not as much as the Earth, and this heat can still be large enough to cause a volcanic eruption.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 114 - 21:53:25 ]
Kelsey, Sorry, I didn't answer half your question. Yes, I use computer simulations of Mars. I frequently combine physics equations to calculate how things, like temperature, change on Mars throughout the day or seasons on Mars. Computer similation are a great way to gain insight about what processes (geologic or physical processes) on Mars are important and predict what will happen next.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 115 - 21:56:13 ]
RE: [Brian] hello
Hello Brian, I hope you find the questions and answers interesting. I'm sorry I missed a chance to talk to you all "in person".

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 116 - 21:57:13 ]
RE: [EvanD] If you had the chance to go to Mars, would you?
Evan, I don't think I would go to Mars at this point. It would take me away from Earth for a long time. Current estimates of a mission to Mars would be about 2 years. That's a long time to miss on Earth and all the people here. Eventually travel to Mars will become commonplace, the travel time may become much shorter, and there will be colonies there with people to visit. I might consider going then. I might even be able to take my cat along.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 117 - 21:58:26 ]
RE: [MattSantana/RUralHall] What ways do you study Mars (besides using telescopes and computers)?
Matt, I also study Mars by conducting laboratory experiments. Sometimes we can't directly measure something on Mars, because it is too difficult or expensive. An easy solution is to simulate Mars (or parts of it) in the laboratory. Then use the experimental results as an estimate of how Mars would really work.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 118 - 21:59:30 ]
RE: [Amber/RuralHall] When you were a little boy did you like to go to science fairs and did you like to make science projects?
Amber, When I was younger I did science projects for school. I remember building a seismometer (a device for measuring earthquakes) in 5th grade, but I never entered any projects in a science fair. By the way, my seismometer was not very sensitive - I doubt it would have detected any but the largest of earthquakes.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 119 - 22:02:02 ]
RE: [Carly] What evidence is there to support the theory that Mars had water at one time?
Carly, there is lots of evidence for water on Mars. There are quite a number of valleys and channels which could only be carved by liquid water. There is also a more subtle erosion of the landscape, including impact craters, which suggests liquid water was responsible. There is some types of geologic features which are best explained by water ice in the soil or on the surface. And today we see water frozen in the polar caps, as a vapor in the atmosphere, and occasionally as clouds. All together, I think this collection of evidence has most scientists convinced that water has played a critical role in the evolution of the martian landscape.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 120 - 22:03:02 ]
RE: [Chris] What new methods are you using to research mars?
Chris, The newest methods I am using in my research are new computer programs (ok, maybe not what you were hoping for), and new data from the Mars Global Surveyor space craft. New data is always important because without data we can speculate what Mars is like, but we will never really know. It also happens that new data seems to generate more questions.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 121 - 22:04:21 ]
RE: [Ophie] As a scientist, do you find yourself working a lot for long hours?
Ophie, Yes! I do find myself working long hours. I frequently work weekends too. Part of it is that there is just so much to do and I am very excited about exploring new ideas that I want to do as much research as I can. I also very much enjoy my work. But there is more to life than just work and science, ad sometimes I need to stop and remind myself of that.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 122 - 22:05:27 ]
RE: [MatthewS/RuralHall] What kinds of weather does Mars have? Do they have tornadoes, or cold or hot weather?
Matthew, Mars has a variety of weather. Mars has seasons much the same way we have seasons on Earth - hotter for half the year and colder for the other half. Although Mars' year is about twice as long as Earths. There is also wind and clouds. It has dust storms almost every year. And recently the Mars Global Surveyor imaged some dust devils, little tornadoes that kick up dust. The difference is the absence of rain on Mars, but mars dust have frosts and winter "snow" made of carbon dioxide.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 123 - 22:06:36 ]
RE: [MrTuck] Jasper R-5 6th Grade says hello.
Hello to Mr Tuck and Jasper R-5 6th grade.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 124 - 22:07:40 ]
RE: [john] what is a "EBE" ?
John, I do not know what EBE is. There are a lot of acronyms and abreviations that NASA uses. SO many that it is hard to keep track. NASA publishs tables of these acronyms to help. EBE is not one I have seen before.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 125 - 22:08:45 ]
RE: [Silder] If the face on mars has any significance?
Silder, I'm sorry to say the face on Mars is just a natural geologic landform called a mesa that has been eroded by natural processes (wind and water). It is interesting in that it has been eroded and exposes some underlying bedrock that helps us understand Mars' geologic history a bit better. On a different level, it may shed some light on human nature too. Our eyes and brains are well trained to recognize shapes and in particular human faces. We can even see faces when there is none. An day staring at clouds drifting by can usually turn up some faces too.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 126 - 22:09:42 ]
RE: [Ophie] What do you see yourself doing in 5 or more years from now?
Ophie, Oooo that's a deep question. What do I see myself doing in 5 years... I ask myself that every year. For now, since I am still fairly young in my career, I want to continue to do sceintific research and developing a program of research activities. Perhaps in the longer run I might want to do more teaching. But that may be more than 5 years away.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 127 - 22:10:40 ]
RE: [Joey] Would it be possible to drill into the surface of Mars to find out if water is present?
oey, Yes it is possible to drill into the martian surface to look for water. But it will not be easy. Mars is very cold and water near the surface will be frozen. Frozen soil is very difficult to drill into. I had a chance to do that myself when I was in Antarctica last year. Liquid water will be very deep in the martian surface. Perhaps several kilometers deep. It is difficult to drill that deep on Earth, and to do so on Mars will be even more complicated by the need for special drilling equipment and people to run that equipment. In the future, though, that may be a good way to find water for drinking and growing plants on Mars.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 128 - 22:11:43 ]
RE: [Aaron] Does Mars have "Mars"quakes as opposed to earthquakes?
Aaron, Yes, technically Mars has Marsquakes. But we as scientists are a bit loose with our terminology. Sometimes the "geo" in words like geology geocentric should be replaced by "areo" which is another term for Mars. But that makes for difficult reading so we intentionally slip and use geo. Also words we take for granted like soil technically does not apply to Mars since soil implies a biological component as is normal on Earth, but we do not have any evidence of a bioloical component of martian "soil".

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 129 - 22:12:34 ]
RE: [Katisha/RuralHall] Are you studying all of Mars or just a part of it?
Katisha, I would say that I study only part of Mars. I primarily work on geology caused by ice in the soil, climate and the connection between climate and ice on Mars, and the temperture of martian soil. It is a lot of work to understand these topics. To focus on all of Mars at once is beyond the ability of even the best of scientists.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 130 - 22:13:32 ]
RE: [Jason/RuralHall] Is Mars divided into parts or sections to help to study it, sort of like the hemispheres on earth?
Jason, Mars is divided into regions in latitude and longitude the same when we divide up the Earth. This helps a great deal in locating some feature of phenomenon by being able to identify map coordinates and correlate different things that may be related, like geologic features and surface temperature.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 131 - 22:14:36 ]
RE: [nikki/RuralHall] what kind of food do you eat in mars
Nikki, There is nothing to eat on Mars today. The surface of Mars is devoid of plants and animals. In fact we have found from space craft that the soil has no organic material at all. So any food you will need to bring with you when you travel there from Earth. I vote for pizza.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 132 - 22:15:51 ]
RE: [Shayla] When do you think we will send someone to Mars?
Shayla, I think we will send someone to Mars in the next 50 years. That may seem like a long time, but we have only sent space craft to Mars for the past 30 to 40 years.We still have a lot to learn about Mars before we can saftely send humans. And we should learn even more before we start tromping around and making a mess. It there any life on Mars that we might hurt in some way if we land on the surface?

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 133 - 22:16:58 ]
RE: [Chris] Whats the most recent research on mars?
Chris, The most recent research on Mars is also the most poorly understood. All the research being conducted using the latest space craft data is new. This involves mapping mineral on the surface, measuring the surface topography, looking for magnetic fields, and imaging the surface geology.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 134 - 22:17:55 ]
RE: [Levi] What belt do you hold in Karate?
Levi, I have a purple belt in karate. In the school I attended, that was intermediate.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 135 - 22:18:54 ]
RE: [Mike] Will Mars atmosphere ever adapt to support life in the next hundred years, and is there any means of changing it drastically so it will be able to support life.
Mike, Mars atmosphere will not change much on it's own in only 100 years. On much longer time scales the orbit of Mars does change, similar to the changes that cause Earth's ice ages. Humans could force changes in the martian atmosphere, as we are doing inadvertantly with Earth. I don't think it is in our technical grasp to control a planets climate to make it habitable. That will take a very long time for us to learn - more than 100 years.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 136 - 22:19:51 ]
RE: [MattN] What causes the red cast when you observe Mars?
Matt, The redness we see on Mars when we look at it in a telescope or up close is caused by iron oxide (rust) in the soil. The same reddish iron minerals are found on Earth too, but in varying amounts, so some soils are redder than others.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 137 - 22:49:30 ]
RE: [EricC] What causes dust storms on Mars?
Eric, the cause of dust storms on Mars is actually not fully understood. We think that dust is kicked up into the martian atmosphere by winds kicking larger sand grains across the surface. The airborn dust stays airborn until the winds die down. Why the winds are stronger and more prone to causing dust storms at some times of year and not others is still unknown.

[ MikeMellon/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 138 - 22:50:25 ]
RE: [Joe] What does a Planetary Scientist do?
Joe, a planetary scientist basically studies planets. Some times her or she might do chemistry, or geology, or physics. In a broader sense we use whatever scientific field available to gain a global sense of how planets work.