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week 7,
We are going to look at a simple, graphical interface demo model of Mars called Planet Designer: Retro Planet Red. This all got rolled into a larger app called Project SPECTRA!Links to an external site. (https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/information/k-12-educators/project-spectra/Links to an external site.) in 2021 with more interactive tools, but we are only interested in the Retro one right now. You'll need to download the app for either mac or windows, depending on your system, because Flash is no longer supported to do this directly in a browser (which used to be awesome). It may download as a zip, and then just open that (mac experience). If your mac doesn't trust this download and you don't feel like messing with your permissions, you can also get it from the apple App Store. It says it's for iPad, but it also works on a mac desktop - you can open directly from the App Store. To scroll down to 'Retro Planet Red', you need to hold your mouse button down and move the mouse at the same time - but not directly on one of the other exercises, or one of those might open (with an iPad, this would probably be more intuitively navigated by finger). For Windows, you may need to look for an .exe file to open, but maybe not. Email sab86@unh.edu if you run into trouble with this.
To start, pick the 'High School' version for this quick, fun exercise. Step through the module, watching/reading through the content as you go. When you reach the 'Makeover' screen, adjust the available atmospheric parameters to answer the questions. First: start with the 'Today's Sun' scenario. Make sure 'Atmospheric Thickness' and 'Greenhouse Strength' levels are at values corresponding to 'Mars Today'. After you answer the questions, play around a little with some extreme settings to get an idea of the possible here. Or start out doing that, and then step through the questions.
Submit responses to the following three questions, starting with:
1) What is the current atmospheric pressure on Mars?
0.0001 bar
0.0063 bar
0.6 bar
1.0 bar
0.0063 bar
What is the average surface temperature on Mars in degrees C currently? (Note that you are given values in K, so convert to degrees C; 0 degrees C = 273 K.)
-214 deg C
-51 deg C
6.9 deg C
60 deg C
-51 deg C
What form(s) does water take on Mars currently?
Note: sometimes you may have to enter the changes on the sliders and then click 'Back' and then 'Next' to refresh the surface and stable phase descriptions. When this happens, it will default to 'Today's Sun' so that will need to be changed if the questions (later) are asking about a 'Faint young Sun' scenario.
No water is present in any form/state of matter.
Frozen under the surface and at the poles; a small bit of water vapor in the atmosphere
Surface still mainly frozen but more water vapor is present in the atmosphere
Liquid water is stable on the surface during warm seasons with water vapor present in the atmosphere
Water flows continuously on the surface and is clearly present in the atmosphere
Frozen under the surface and at the poles; a small bit of water vapor in the atmosphere
Next: switch to the 'Faint Young Sun' scenario of the Retro Red Planet simulation. Give Mars an atmospheric thickness 3/4 that of our current Earth (pay attention to the number scale, not the distance on the slider, to determine what that value should be - within 0.02 is fine) AND a 'Strong' greenhouse gas strength (use the maximum strength allowed under these conditions).
Answer the following three questions, starting with:
What is the atmospheric pressure on Mars under this scenario?
(Note: we're using tildas here because in some cases the slider only allows a value near one of interest rather than exactly at a desired value.)
~0.34 bar
~0.66 bar
~0.75 bar
~1.3 bars
~0.75 bar
What is the average surface temperature on Mars in degrees C for this Faint Young Sun and somewhat thicker Martian atmosphere scenario (as detailed in the previous question)?
-73 deg C
-34 deg C
73 deg C
239 deg C
-34 deg C
What form(s) does water take on Mars under these hypothetical 'Faint Young Sun' conditions of Question 4?
* Optional: play around with other conditions for fun - see how warm you can make Mars and what water could be supported then!
No water present in any form/state of matter
Frozen under the surface and at the poles; a small bit of water vapor in the atmosphere
Surface still mainly frozen but more water vapor is present in the atmosphere
Liquid water is stable on the surface during warm seasons with water vapor present in the atmosphere
Water flows continuously on the surface and is clearly present in the atmosphere
Surface still mainly frozen but more water vapor is present in the atmosphere
Results from the MAVEN mission indicate the Martian atmosphere has evolved considerably over time. Read a brief article about these findings and view a related NASA video linked here Links to an external site. to answer the following question:
What processes have been most important in changing the Martian atmosphere to its current state?
Recombination of ions into stable gas molecules around the planet
Sputtering by solar wind/radiation that strips the Martian atmosphere
Off-gassing of CO2 to form a thick atmosphere
Loss of atmospheric CO2 and H2O by reaction with surface minerals and subsequent burial due to sedimentary deposition
Sputtering by solar wind/radiation that strips the Martian atmosphere
Which of the following processes is not associated with processes of planetary differentiation?
crust formation
core formation
volcanism
erosion
Erosion
The rock type most like that of the lunar highlands is ______.
anorthosite
granite
basalt
peridotite
Anorthosite
What evidence supports the idea that the Moon does not have a large iron core?
The Moon lacks an atmosphere.
The Moon rotates once a month.
The Moon's average density is closer to that of rock than iron.
Most maria face Earth.
The Moon's average density is closer to that of rock than iron.
Which is the currently favored scientific theory of lunar formation?
fission theory
sister (co-accretion) theory
pick-up theory
impact-induced theory
impact-induced theory
Which inner solar system body (including atmosphere) is most protected from the solar wind?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Earth
How are the bright and dark regions of the lunar landscape distinct?
rock type
age
cratering density
rock density
all of the above
none of the above
all of the above
The atmosphere of Mars consists mainly of _______.
hydrogen
carbon dioxide
nitrogen
helium
oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Which is one piece of evidence suggesting that liquid water was once present on the Martian surface?
High levels of humidity measured spectroscopically in the atmosphere
Microscopic fossil creatures found by the Martian rovers
The wobble in Mars's rotation, implying there is liquid water under an iced-over surface
Branching channels in the shape of riverbeds
Branching channels in the shape of riverbeds
In what way are the atmospheres of Mars and Venus similar to each other?
temperature
pressure
chemical composition
density
chemical composition
Why are daily temperature variations on Mars much larger than we experience on Earth?
Mars's atmosphere is too thin to insulate the surface.
Mars has smaller internal heat sources than the Earth.
Mars is much darker than the Earth, so it absorbs more sunlight.
Mars spins slowly, so its nights are very long.
Mars’s atmosphere is too thin to insulate the surface
If Mars's two moons, Phobos and Deimos, were to orbit around the Sun instead of around Mars, they would be most like:
planets
dwarf planets
asteroids
comets
Asteroids
The presence of which types of rocks/minerals on the surface of Mars might suggest water was once present?
basalt
hydroxides, clays, carbonates
olivine, clinopyroxene
anorthosite, granite, quartz
hydroxides, clays, carbonates
