curiouser and curiouser !

Curiouser and curiouser!Lecture and a Mars Landing

The Mars Curiosity Rover

Space: The Final Frontier

“These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Mars Curiosity Rover

two Marssigns of life

Mars Science Laboratory

Lasers!

Mars Rovers

Spirit / Opportunity

(2004)

Pathfinder (1997)

Curiosity

Guided entry for precision landing. Nuclear power source (at least 2 years) Much bigger than previous rovers More science tools:

Laser induced spectrometer Chemistry and mineral composition Radiation assessment Atmosphere evaluation

The Most Advanced Ever!

Gale Crater

Mount Sharp3.4 miles high

Landing SiteFormed by a meteorWater in the pastClays and sulfatesAbout the size of Connecticut

EDL: 7 Minutes of Terror

Of the 49 planned missions to Mars, only 20 have been successful.

So why do we keep going back?

Mars Is HARD!

Could Mars have ever supported life?

Is there life out there?

Why?

Philosophical: Is there life out

there? Practical:

Humans may one day need to leave Earth.

Can Mars support life?

Nothing New Under the Sun

Dear Laaf,Space exploration is a waste of money! We don’t need to spend 2.5 billion dollars sending robots to Mars. What are we looking for anyway? People need help now.I am going to boycott Mars and any company that supports Mars.Sincerely,Hater McHatesalot

Dear Hater,Space exploration and science is a worthwhile cause. The advances in technology in space development often trickle down to practical applications in our own lives.The question of what is worthwhile is not an easy question and can be asked of many endeavors. Is spending money on art worthwhile? What about spending money for the Olympics or other athletic competitions?The human spirit has been created with a desire to be creative, to be excellent, and to be curious. We should not stifle that spirit by reducing our existence to one of survival only. We should satisfy our curiosity and desire to learn by expanding our understanding of the universe. Investments in technology do not show gains and benefits immediately and take time.Go ahead and boycott pretty much every company ever, as nearly all companies have benefitted from advancements in air transportation, radio communication, and semiconductors made possible through space agency research.Sincerely,Miles

What will we be watching?

Yay Mars!