[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 0 - 08:38:43 ]
Hello! Welcome to another Mars Millennium QuestChat! Today's special guest is everyone's favorite, Ken Edgett! The chat will begin at 11 a.m., PDT. Be sure to read Ken's bio before coming to the chat-- http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/team/edgett.html

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 1 - 08:40:33 ]
Also, check out the latest at the Mars Global Surveyor site. Awesome new images that Ken will probably refer to... http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/index.html

[ Vince-Vince/Boeing - 2 - 11:01:48 ]
Hi Ken

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 3 - 11:02:33 ]
It's now 11 a.m., PDT and Ken and I are ready to go! As soon as you get to the chat room, send us your questions!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 6 - 11:03:30 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Hi Ken
Hi Vince! Glad you could make it today! We'll begin in just a couple more minutes...

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 7 - 11:04:56 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Is it felt that Mars still has a molten core of some kind?
Good question. I don't think all the data needed to solve this one are in. At the moment, I think the main question is whether there is even any melting in the mantle...and can this lead to volcanism or hydrothermal conditions...no one knows yet. The volcnaoes, though, are mostly quite old.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 9 - 11:05:29 ]
Welcome Armando and Mr. Rodriguez from Miami Killian SH!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 10 - 11:05:48 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Hi Sandy and Ken!
Hello Stephanie :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 12 - 11:06:18 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] What kind of minerals were found in the soil samples?
Soils at the Viking and Pathfinder sites were examined for their chemistry. Chemicals include Silicon, Oxygen, Aluminum, Iron. How these are arranged as minerals is largely unknown because we haven't had appropriate instruments on the surface to determine mineralogy.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 13 - 11:07:40 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Ok! I'm looking at the new images...amazing! The 'bushes' are captivating
Yes, imagine what it was like when we first saw these... "what are we looking at... bushes?"

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 16 - 11:10:34 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] If Mars evolved geologically along the same lines as Earth can we expect to find precious metals.....gold, diamonds?
Unknown. Diamonds require carbon... is there any available at depth on Mars? Gold...how did the Earth acquire it's initial amount of gold? I would guess that these types of materials might occur on Mars, but it will be a long, long time before they are found.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 17 - 11:11:51 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] Where can i find a map with coordinates of mars?
The U.S. Geological Survey produces nice maps that are printed on paper. US Geological Survey, Map Distribution, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO, 80225 USA. You could search on the web for them, too.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 21 - 11:14:18 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Will the wide-angle lens on MOC image 100% of Mars during MGS’s 2 yr. mission?
The wide angle cameras on MOC image nearly 100% of Mars each day. These are the low-resolution images for monitoring the weather and changes in surface albedo (bright/dark) patterns. The only parts they don't image are those areas occasionaly darkened for winter (the poles). The narrow-angle camera, which takes the high-resolution images... it will not even image 1% of the surface during its 2-year mission.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 22 - 11:15:14 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] By the time the Polar Lander reaches Mars, wouldn't the south polar cap have receeded from its landing position already?
That's right. It will be almost the start of summer when this lander arrives. Right now the landing zone is covered by frost, but we are seeing this frost dissappear. Over the next several months, it will all go away before the Dec 3 landing.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 24 - 11:17:48 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] At what sites are you now looking at for the 2001 lander?
People are looking at a variety of sites between 3N and 12S. There is some interest in trying to land in Valles Marineris--but the surfaces there don't look too safe. There is also interest in possible ancient lake sites, but many of these appear to be severely eroded (again, not too safe for the lander). The 2001 science team is most interested in finding a place in the martian cratered highlands--where we can examine some of the most ancient rocks on Mars. The best candidate highlands sites within the latitude and elevation constraints include the region around Amenthes and Escalante Crater, the Libya Montes (south of Isidis) and Terra Meridiani.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 26 - 11:19:02 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] since the gravity on mars is less than that of earth, wouldn't it be easier to send a "Hover" vehicle to cover more ground?
Something like a hover vehicle might require more fuel than a static lander...thus making its mass too great to send to Mars under the present cost-constraints of NASA's space program. On the other hand, if someone could do this with solar power, perhaps there would be something worth pursuing.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 27 - 11:21:34 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] What other data can be gleaned from (MOC) optical images other than the image?
In May we did a campaign with MOC wide angle red images to obtain stereo covereage for most of the planet. This-tied with the MGS MOLA topography, will eventually result in a digital terrain model for the entire planet at a grid-size of 250 meters. Pretty darn good.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 32 - 11:24:28 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] when we do land on mars, will it be done like the apollo missions, someone stays in one ship the rest go in the lander?
That is a good question, and it is something being left for the future. I think it would be done this way if the astronauts are only going to stay a few weeks before their launch window closes. Otherwise, they would be on Mars for 1 Earth year, and in that case I think they would be less likely to leave someone in orbit for a whole year. On the other hand, I can imagine leaving 2 people (out of a crew of 8 or so) in orbit and have them spend that years (a) exploring the moons of Mars by landing on them and (b) monitoring the weather of Mars from orbit.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 34 - 11:27:07 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] In your opinion, what is the strangest aspect of Mars geology?
The strangest aspect thus far is something we saw in MOC images from April 1998 of the Candor Chasma region. Here, we see layer upon layer of exposed rock. And not a crater on them. There are very few dunes, and no obvious explanation as to what has exposed the rock layers...and no obvious explanatoin as to what process destroys craters so fast that none are preserved today (i.e., in geological terms, this surface is VERY YOUNG). This is strange, because just a few thousand kilomters away is the Mars Pathfinder site, which seems by all accounts to be very old and to have experienced little change in 2 billion years. Some unknown processes must be active today to create the exposures of rock we see in Valles Marineris....puzzling.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 36 - 11:28:45 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of a polar lander when there is no ice?
The idea for the polar lander is 2-fold. Land at a time of year when the sun is up all the time (i.e., summer) because the lander is solar powered and cold not survive the cold of a polar night. Also--look for ice in the SUBSURFACe, not the surface. We already know that the surface gets ice.. It is whether there is any water in the subsurface, and what this more ancient water can tell us about past climates that is of interest.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 38 - 11:30:03 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] What gain would you get if they landed at the mouth of Olympus Mons'?
You mean the caldera (craters) at the top? I am not sure what would be learned that we couldn't already guess... that it is a volcano, that the calderas have volcanic rocks in them. It would not be the most attractive place to land, also because the altitude is so high that there isn't much atmosphere to slow the descent of the lander.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 39 - 11:30:17 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] I've read that you liked Banff and Jasper. I just live a few hours away from those places!
You are LUCKY.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 42 - 11:31:40 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] can you drink the water on mars?
If you made sure it was pure H-2-0, you could. If you could extract water from beneath the ground or from the polar caps, you would first want to make sure you take out any impurities, salts, etc. Just like you would do on earth.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 45 - 11:31:47 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Can I submit a comment rather than a question next?
Sure

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 46 - 11:32:10 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] I've read that you liked Banff and Jasper. I just live a few hours away from those places!
I grew up in Calgary and loved it! Banff and Jasper were favorite spots :-)

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 48 - 11:33:51 ]
Welcome Michael :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 49 - 11:33:57 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] What was the most important thing you learned about Mars from the latest spring pictures recently released?
We are still learning, actually. We are trying to puzzle-out what the spots on the defrosting dunes are telling us. How do they start? How fast do they grow? Do they give us insight as to how the rest of the polar cap--the part not on dune fields--retreats? We see dark spots like these forming everywhere on the seasonal south polar cap, now. this process is accelerating as spring proceeds. It is VERY exciting to watch, but will take some time to understand fully. One problem that the camera cannot solve ...what is the proporotion of Carbon dioxide versus water ice involved here?

[ Vince-Vince/Boeing - 50 - 11:34:29 ]
It would be nice if some sort of relative scale ‘image’ could be superimposed over some MOC images. Like... here’s the size of Super Dome in New Orleans or here’s the size of New York’s Central Park. They did some of that with the images of Europa and San Francisco Bay (Galileo). It’s a cool way of relating size on ‘Mars’ to familiar objects on Earth.

[ Michael-Michael/StarClass - 51 - 11:34:37 ]
Hi Sandy.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 53 - 11:36:12 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] How do we know that the ice on Mars is water ice?
We know that some of the ice is frozen water, and that some is frozen carbon dioxide. One piece of evidence comes from infrared spectra of Mars...these have been taken on every Mars spacecraft since Mariner 6 and 7 in 1969. These also showed that some of the ice is Carbon dioxide. Thermal infrared instruments also measure surface temperature, and we see temperatures cold enought to freeze water, and in some places cold enough that carbon dioxide must also be frozen. In addition, infrared obsevations have shown that water vapor comes off of the polar caps when they are retreating.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 55 - 11:39:17 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] If we planted trees on mars, would an atmostphere form
This would be harder to do than you might think. I assume you mean 'would an oxygen-rich atmosphere form?' The plants would take in the carbon dioxide of Mars' present atmosphere, and give off oxygen in return. The problems are: (1) how do you water these plants? Mars is drier than the driest desert on earth, (2) how do these plants survive the sun's ultraviolet radiation since there is no protective ozone layer (which is made of oxygen...the thing you are trying to create), and (3) are the soils adequate for plants to grow in? The Viking lander results seemed to suggest that the chemistry of the soil destroys organic molecules--so it is not clear that anythign could grow in it.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 57 - 11:41:12 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] What are the differences (if any) between the two polar regions?
The permanent polar ice cap--the one that remains during summer--is different in each polar region. The one in the north gets warm enough that all carbon dioxide goes away, leaving only water. The south cap stays cold enough that, even in summer, there is carbon dioxide there. With the camera on MGS, we are also beginnnign to see differences in the shapes of landforms in the two caps... the layers in the south polar cap are more like stair-steps, while the ones in the north are more like ridges and grooves. Don't know why, yet.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 58 - 11:41:22 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] Well, thank you for your time Ken and Sandy, but now i must go
Thanks so much!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 60 - 11:42:46 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Sorry, I have to go! Very nice chatting with you Ken. This is very exciting stuff! Thanks Sandy for your coordination.
Thanks for your questions. See you next time on one of these chats.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 61 - 11:43:10 ]
RE: [Armando-Mr.Rodriguez/MiamiKillianSeniorHigh] Well, thank you for your time Ken and Sandy, but now i must go
Goodbye Armando. Please join us again on Aug. 24 to chat with exobiologist Jack Farmer.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 62 - 11:44:21 ]
RE: [Vince-Vince/Boeing] Sorry, I have to go! Very nice chatting with you Ken. This is very exciting stuff! Thanks Sandy for your coordination.
You're welcome Vince! Pleae be sure to fill out the short chat survey at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-surveys to let us know how we're doing!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 64 - 11:47:23 ]
I'm not sure if there's anyone left in today's chat room, but if there is, here are two pieces of info for you: 1) Exobiologist Jack Farmer will be chatting on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at noon, PDT. Be sure to sign up. 2) Please let us know how we're doing with our chats by filling a very short survey at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-surveys Thank you :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 65 - 11:47:34 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] In your bio you mention that you will be helping to write proposals for new instruments and spacecraft to visit elsewhere in the Solar System. Can you expand on this?
Our company builds cameras for spacecraft. We are interested in building cameras for all kinds of projects, including Earth-orbiting satellites. NASA presently is looking for proposals for instruments to fly on an orbiter for Jupiter's moon, Europa, and also for a mission to Pluto. They are also talking about an airplane to fly over Mars in 2003. These are some examples.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 67 - 11:49:05 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] Gee ... I'm not the only one left am I?
Maybe. Fire away if you have more questions

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 72 - 11:53:23 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] How much oxygen is needed to oxidize a planet? :) Mars doesn't have much oxygen. Could a good amount of O2 have been taken away when they formed oxidized compounds with the surface?
I'm not sure how to answer this question. One thing to understand that an oxygen-rich atmosphere, like that of Earth, is thought to be quite unusual. Oxygen readily combines with things like iron and thus it is hard for a planet to have an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Our Earth didn't have this kind of atmosphere several billion years ago. Most of the oxygen that was produced by early plants when right back into the rocks... eventually some threshold was crossed, where the rocks/iron/etc could no longer take up all the oxygen that was being produced...and so some stayed in the atmosphere. Over time, some oxyen combined to make ozone which provided a protective layer from the Sun's ultraviolet light, and some organisms figured out how to use the oxygen atmosphere to breathe... then things REALLY started to happen on this planet.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 73 - 11:54:24 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] Umm... (thinking) ... When you tell people that you work on the Mars camera, do you get asked about the infamous "face"?
All the time. But you can check our web site, we took some pictures of the "face" and we will take more if/when we fly over it again. It isn't much to look at, though, just one of several thousand funky, eroded hills of the Cydonia region.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 74 - 11:55:40 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Are there any theories on why some dunes are in a uniform (snow leopard dunes) order?
The "snow leopard" effect is probably related to the ripples on the surface of the dunes..these would have a slighly larger grain size than the bulk dune sand, and thus might retain more heat and be more easily 'defrosted'...we are still thinking about all this...there is so much new data and so little time to think and study.

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 75 - 11:56:16 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Ken, could I be able to contact you through E-mail?
Only if we can give it off-line/privately. That would be fine. Sandy..can you help do this somehow?

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 76 - 11:58:17 ]
RE: [KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor] Only if we can give it off-line/privately. That would be fine. Sandy..can you help do this somehow?
Ken: I will email Stephanie your address.

[ Stephanie/Edmonton - 77 - 11:59:45 ]
Well, thank you again! I'll see if I can make it to the next chat!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 78 - 12:00:08 ]
Stephanie and Michael: It's time to let Ken get back to work so this is the end of our chat today. Thank you very much for your great questions! Please join us again in two weeks with Jack Farmer, and fill out the short survey mentioned above. Thanks :-)

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 79 - 12:00:18 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Well, thank you again! I'll see if I can make it to the next chat!
Great! Thanks for your questions. Enjoy Banff for me

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 81 - 12:01:22 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] Stephanie and Michael: It's time to let Ken get back to work so this is the end of our chat today. Thank you very much for your great questions! Please join us again in two weeks with Jack Farmer, and fill out the short survey mentioned above. Thanks :-)
Thanks, all, for being here. This is a very exciting time for Mars exploration. It is strange because MGS is such a long, drawn-out project, so you dont hear about it every day, but, believe me, the data are coming in all the time. Check our website weekly for new images. Take care!

[ KenEdgett/MarsGlobalSurveyor - 82 - 12:01:52 ]
RE: [Michael-Michael/StarClass] Yes, thanks Ken and Sandy. I do enjoy these chats even though it is 4am here in Australia.
Yowza!