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Quest_Moderator Welcome! It's good to have you all with us today. Please
be sure to limit your questions as much as possible to today's topics:
any issues you are having with TopWEB and/or questions you may have about
picking a good target to image. The chat will begin in about 50 minutes!
Akizaura_Mrs.Jamsion_s_class
<Q>And can you please answer soon?
Quest_Moderator
<A>The time here is presently 9:33. Our team members
that answer your questions join us at 10:00. We will be dealing with
the MOST appropriate questions first, so be sure that yours are about
choosing a site or using HiWeb. Thanks
Alexandra_Davatzes Hi everyone! Welcome the the HiRISE Quest Chat!
Mrs.Jamisons_class_kd
<Q>how
much ice did you all find on mars
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Well there is ice at the polar caps as well
in the subsurface of Mars.
.
jmalave
<Q>Will students be instructed on how to interpret the
images, and what level of geologic instruction is required?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>We have had students in third grade participate
in this challenge, and students in college participate in the challenge.
We will have a webchat next month when the images come in to explain
how to interpret the images. You can also take a look at some of the "Student
Images of the Week" to get an idea of what groups have done in the
past.
Miss_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>Once we have an image with
HIRISE is there a way to correlate with other instruments on the MRO
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>It depends on if CRISM or CTX coordinates
with us- you should note that you want coordination when entering your
suggestion in HiWeb. However, remember that there have been several other
spacecraft that have and are collecting data. OMEGA and TES have collected
a lot of mineralogical information already that is available for you
to look at as well.
Miss_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>Can HIRISE use
spectra to tell what minerals might be in an area?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>We can get some information from the colors
in the color swath, but CRISM uses spectra to ID minerals.
Maria_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>I
am trying to see the landing site of the Pathfinder which is 19.33 N,
33.55 W, but I only seem to be able to view 33.55 East and I think I
need 33.55 West.
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You need to change from west coordinate to east
coordinates, subtract 360 degrees from 33.5E to get get west coordinates.
Miss_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>At a resolution of 25cm / pixel,
how much detail can you see in one pixel?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>You don't see details in a single pixel,
rather in a set of pixels. You generally need a minimum of three pixels
to identify a feature
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>If we want to compare Hi-RISE with a simple digital
camera, a usual photo from Hi-RISE, how many pixels high and wide?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Full-resolution HiRISE images are 20,000 pixels
wide. The length is variable but is generally around 40,000 to 80,000pixels
long
Mrs.Jamisons_class_kd
<Q>What part of mars are most pictures
taken?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>The highest concentration is in the Valles
Marineris region, but we have a lot all over- over 3000 images so far!
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>How long and how wide the usually photos that taken
by Hi-RISE on the mars? What's the biggest range which Hi-RISE can take
a photo on mars?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>The widest is 20,000 pixels which at full-res
and an altitude of about 300km is around 4-5km on the ground
Highlander
<Q>Hi, what do you think about some possibility of finding
water in the crater pits in Arsia Mons? (sorry, my english is very bad
::laugh)
Virginia_Gulick
<A>The possibility is fairly low so far. It seems
to be a deep, steep walled pit much like we see on the flanks of some
of the Hawaiian volcanoes.
Miss_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>I was
trying to figure out how to ZOOM in on an image
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>I am not sure if you are asking how to zoom
in HiWeb or zoom in on nthe returned images....but in HiWeb you can zoom
in on the second page (once you've selected a region) using the + and
- buttons, or by clicking on an area in the map. Once you launch the
image suggestion tool, you can no longer zoom in and out.
Miss_Catalina_s_Explorers_Club
<Q>Can
we image an area that the Pathfinder covered?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Yes, however, you might want to take a look
on the HiRISE Website at the images we've already takeen of the Pathfinder
site
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>What's the principal source of spiders on the
southern hemisphere on mars?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>Probably from sublimation of ice
Miss_Catalina_Explorers_Club
<Q>There seems to be so many steps.
Is there a really easy way to follow the process?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>It does take a few steps- the minimum to
suggest a target is to follow the 10 step guide (linked on the Quest
website). It goes quickly if you know the area you want to target. If
you don't know the area you want to target, you can have fun searching
around, but that will take longer.
Shelby_Findling
<Q>Where have
you found evidence of liquid water so far?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>We have not found evidence for liquid water
on the surface during the present day. However, we have found lots of
evidence that liquid water once flowed on the surface many times throughout
Mars history. The gullies sugget that liquid water may have flowed on
the surface recently, but recent could mean hundreds of years ago or
10 years ago.
grobbel_findling
<Q>can we submit more than one image?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Yes, you may submit more that one image!
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Why
are scientists seriously searching for life on mars and not on the other
rocky planets or moons?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>Some places are better targets than others.
A lot of scientists are looking very seriously at Europa. Mars is in
the "habitable zone" Which means it is probably a better spot
to look- not too hot, not to cold. Many of the other moons and planets
are just not habitable, either because of temperature or UV...
laurel_findling
<Q>how
many sites can we request to look at?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You can submit several if you'd like!
Shelby_Findling
<Q>On the false color image of Mars, how can you
tell which craters are newer and which are older.
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>The newer ones often have rays of debris
around the craters preserved (they are not yet covered in dust). You
can go to the main HiRISE website and type in "fresh" under
image search, and some examples will come up for you to see. You don't
always need the color portion to identify them as fresh.
rex_findling
<Q>Is
there anything else we are looking for on Mars other than water?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Well, there are many things that we want to
understand better about Mars, but one of the most pressing issues is
to find out where all the water went and whether there is evidence for
water now. One of the main goals of exploring Mars is to find out whether
it ever sustained life (microbial life) . We know from studying extreme
environments on Earth that where there is water there is life.
Emily_Findling
<Q>is
there really life on mars?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>there may be life in the subsurface- we don't
know. Or there may have been life there in the past. No one knows for
sure either way.
Akizaura_Mrs.Jamsion_s_class
<Q>But doesn't the
moons of Mars control the water like Earth's moon?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Our moon influences the Earth's ocean tides,
and if there were bodies of liquid water on Mars the moons of Mars (Phobos
and Deimos) would likely have an affect as well.
Quest_Moderator We still
have time to receive questions that can help you to select a great site
for imaging. Also please let us know if you are having any trouble with
HiWeb.
Trinity_Mrs.Jamisons_Class
<Q>Have any ice caps been spotted
at all?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Yes, Mars has both a north and south polar cap.
timothyjamisonsclass
<Q>What
is the hardest area of Mars to explore?/Why?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>It depends on what you mean by hard. With
the orbiters, we can see the entire planet of mars, at least the surface.
The subsurface is probably the hardest part to explore for them...but
there are several radar experiments that are trying to "see" below
the surface.
Akizaura_Mrs.Jamsion_s_class
<Q>Can you send pictures
of each crater in Mars?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>If you go to the HiRISE website (http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/)
and type "crater" you will get hundreds of craters to look
at. We could never image them all!!!
connelly_findling
<Q>Would
it be better to look for evidence on the edges of craters or or on flat
surfaces of mars?
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>It depends on what crater and what flat surface.
The crater walls are great locations for seeing gullies. Some of the
flat areas, especially in the high latitudes, have some interesting ice-related
features.
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>What was the first activity of Dr. Firouz
Naderi in JPL about mars and what's his current job in JPL? He is our
compatriot ::smile
Quest_Moderator <A>Congratulations! Please do a search on the web.
You'll find lots of current information on where he is and what he does.
Nishant_INDIA
<Q>Can you please explain the format of the report
we have to submit by Oct. 5th?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You will need to log on to HiWeb and register
as a new user so that you can submit an image suggestion for HiRISE to
target. I would suggest looking at our tutorials on HiWeb on our website
at http://hirise.seti.org/epo.
These tutorials have step by step instructions on how to make an image
suggestion and discuss the different tools and data sets available on
HiWeb.
emilyb-findling
<Q>which side of mars would be the best to
have images from
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>All areas are interesting, but it is best
to get images where the lighting is good. It is always good near the
equator....right now the north pole is pretty dark, so we aren't taking
any images there until it gets a bit lighter.
rex_findling
<Q>Will
the pictures be in color?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>The center 20% of all HiRISE images will be
in color. So when you make your suggestion on HiWeb, make sure you place
the part that you want in color between the two green parallel lines.
Shelby_Findling
<Q>How
close will the camera get to mars when taking the pictures?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>The MRO spacecraft is orbiting at about 300km
in altitude above the surface of Mars. Remember that HIRISE is basically
a highly capable digital camera on the end of a telescope. We could probably
see your desk from orbit!
findling_marian_high_school
<Q>can we
get images of mars's moons
Alexandra_Davatzes
<A>rarely we do get some images of the mars
moons, but it is not the focus of the mission, and takes time to make
the arrangements. There was a Deimos observation made early on- last
november
thomas_findling
<Q>in the ice caps could there be evidence of life found in them?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>That's a possibility if life ever arose on Mars. However, we would likely
need a lander mission for this. In fact, the next lander mission will be Phoeenix
which is on it's way to Marsto study the habitabiity potential in the Martian
arctic ice-rich soil.
Alexandra_Davatzes Good luck to everyone!!!
emilyb-findling-- thank
you very much
findling_marian_high_school -- You too thank you for your help!!!!
rex_findling -- Thank you for answering our questions ! ::smile
Shelby_Findling -- Thank You so much!
grobbel__findling -- thank you very much for your time and advice.
Emily_Findling -- Thank You!
Nishant_INDIA -- Thanks
connelly_findling -- thanks for your help
Ms. Jamison's Class - Ms. J.
My
students had to leave prior to the end of the chat to attend their next
class, but thanks for responding to their questions and mine as well.
Quest_Moderator
<A>Thank you for joining us. Thanks to your students
for their question. We look forward to seeing their entries!
cannavo_findling
<Q>How
come we are only able to choose from a specific spot on mars for where
we want the pictures taken?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You can basically choose any interesting area
on Mars to target. HiRISE will only be able to target about 1-2% of the
surface of Mars over the next year or so. We want to make sure we are
getting the best 1-2% of Mars if possible.
Ms._Jamison_s_Class_-_Ms._J.
<Q>If
a student suggested site is not photographed, will there be a response
to their suggestion and hypothesis?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Your suggestion will remain in the target database.
When we have an opportunity to target your area we will and will let
you know.
rex_findling
<Q>How long is the HiRISE science experiment going
to last?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>HiRISE's primary science period is from Nov
2006 to Nov 2008. After that we go into extended phases of the mission.
MRO has enough fuel to last about a decade if the camera continues to
function.
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Why is there much more water ice in the polar caps
of mars as compared with the other regions?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>There is likely water beneath the surface in
other regions on Mars. It's just that ice condenses at the poles so it
serves as a sink.
Nishant_INDIA
<Q>Is it dry ice on the polar caps?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Carbon dioxide and water ice
laurel_findling
<Q>should i pick a site near a volcano or in an
open flat plain to find water?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Either place really. In the past water formed
many of the valley systems on the volcanoes. This water is now likely
in the subsurface frozen beneath the surface.
cannavo_findling
<Q>Is
it a good idea to choose spots for pictures around where the north and
south poles are?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You could choose the polar areas. However, evidence
for liquid water at least in the past would be likely in the valley,
channel, canyon, and gully systems.
Nishant_INDIA
<Q>what are the
features of Mars we need to comment on?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>We will be sending out a report form to fill
out later in the challenge. For targeting an area, you might pick out
a part of a valley, channel, or canyon system or crater with gullies
or anything else that you feel is interesting and may have once had liquid
water in the recent or more distant past.
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Is there
any reason exept the soil structure, that explain the red colHow much
is the temperature difference between the hottest and the coldest place
on mars, and what's the average temperature on this planet ?or of mars?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>There are big temperature changes on Mars, especially
between the day and night temeperatures. Temperatures can range from
around -198F to around 17F
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Why there isn't a lot of
impact craters on the surface of mars like our moon ?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>In fact there are many hundreds of thousands
of impact craters on Mars!
Quest_Moderator
We have reached the end of today's chat. Thank you for
your thoughtful questions, and thank you Ginny for maintaining double
time when Alix had to leave. I wish you all well in your submissions!
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Why are there a large number of giant mountains on
mars like olympius mons as compared with the other rocky planets or moons?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>That is an interesting question. Mars has one
third of the Earth gravity and there is little evidence that Mars experienced
plate tectonics. Therefore, the crust just sits above the magma chamber
and volcanoes can get very large compared to Earth.
hart-findling
<Q>Could
we walk on Mars one day without space suits?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>No Mars surface is not conducive to life
emilyb-findling
<Q>what
is the quality of images we will receive of our part of mars
Virginia_Gulick
<A>They should be of high quality unless we get
another dust storm! If this occurs, then we would likely retake the image.
rex_findling
<Q>How
long will the HiRISE be in orbit?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>For as long as it has fuel to burn.
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Do clouds
form in the martian sky? if so, can they hinder taking images?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Yes clouds and fog do form in the sky and can
hinder taking images.
Nishant_INDIA
<Q>which are positions on mars
that HiRise can capture?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>HIRISE can image most anywhere on the surface
of Mars.
Akizaura_Mrs.Jamsion_s_class
<Q>Can you send me a pickture
of each volcano and channels on Mars?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>You can use HiWeb to see picture of volcanoes
and channels on Mars.
thomas_findling
<Q>In the quest for water
would it be better to look in a crater or a valley or has there been
evidence in both?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>There has been evidence for gully formation
in both although there are many more gullies found in craters. Many of
the gullies likely formed by water.
astronomyteacher
<Q>I am just getting started. My students used
MGS to image certain areas of Mars. How does this compare to HiRise?
Jeff Adkins, Deer Valley High School, Antioch CA.
Virginia_Gulick
<A>HiRISE is about 5 times higher resolution than
the MGS MOC camera. HIRISE also takes the center 20% of the image in
color. HIRISE also has a higher signal to noise which means we can see
in the shadowed regions better. Using MOC images would be an excellent
way of finding interesting areas for HiRISE to image!
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Is
there any images that show the landig sites of USSR landers like mars-6
or mars-3 ?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>No not not yet. Things get dust covered pretty
quickly on Mars.
findling_marian_high_school
<Q>what areas of mars
can be photographed in color
Virginia_Gulick
<A>Any area on Mars can be imaged in color. Keep
in mind when you suggest an image for HiRISE to target that it will be
the center 20% of the image that will be returned in color.
Akizaura_Mrs.Jamsion_s_class
<Q>What
would happen if one of us found water on Mars?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>That would be fantastic! What would likely happen
is that several scientists would study the area to see if it was really
water.
emilyb-findling
<Q>how can the information that is shown by the
images from mars be helpful to launching humans onto mars?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>It could help us find regions where water and
other resources were accessible in the subsurface for humans to be able
to use.
rex_findling
<Q>If there was solid evidence of sustainable
life on Mars, what would be the next step?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>We would want to learn me about how it started
and how it survived or how it is continuing to survive.
Ehsan_Iran
<Q>Why there isn't a lot of impact craters on the surface
of mars like our moon ?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>In fact, there are several hundred thousands
of impact craters on Mars.
rex_findling
<Q>Are you planning on taking pictures of other planets?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>HIRISE is designed to take images of the surface
of Mars, however sometimes we do take images of other planetary bodies
for calibration purposes.
cannavo_findling
<Q>what other planets
are you going to search for evidence of water?
Virginia_Gulick
<A>HiRISE is only focused on taking images of the
surface of Mars. Other missions being sent to other planets and solar
system objects have thier own goals including possibly searching for
signs of water. For example, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that will
launch next year will have as one of its goals to search for polar volatiles
especially water ice.
Virginia_Gulick
Thank you for all your questions. We look forward to seeing all your
suggestions on October 5th!
Information regarding this project may be found at: http://quest.nasa.gov/challenges/hirise/index.html.
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