Qu e s t i o n #1

Tell me about the journey the Mar's Lander has taken. Start at the beginning when the Lander was sent out into space and end with the most recent noteworthy news about the discoveries the Lander has made.

Th e Ph o e n i x Ma r s La n d e r

The Phoenix Mars Lander is first off, a robotic dirt and ice digger used to gather samples of dirt and ice found on Mars in order to learn more of the planet and to discover any possible indication to conditions that may be favourable for life, whether now or once in the past.

The Phoenix spacecraft was so named after the mythical creature the Phoenix bird that rose out of the fire to be reborn. This is because it was reborn from the ashes of past craft that didn’t quite make previous missions.

J o u r n e y t o Ma r s

On Wednesday, 01st August 2007, it was scheduled to leave for Mars that morning...

Ho we v e r . . .

Due to the massive thunderstorms and lighting that preceded that day, the launch had to be rescheduled to Saturday.

On Saturday morning, August 4th 2007 at 5:26, bright and early, the Phoenix Mars Launder was launched into space in a Delta II rocket, in the Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

It hurtled through the moonlit sky aboard. For five minutes, the rocket was easily visible. A

bright orange speck could be seen after the five minutes. The fire from the Delta II rocket created an artificial sunrise along Florida’s space coast. At first it looked like a great fireball, streaking through the sky, then like a comet’s tail, sounding like continuous thunder in the distance.

Less than six hours later, the Phoenix Mars Lander was 365,000 miles from earth and was now cruising at 12,000mph.

"It's going to come in and fire engines all the way down once it comes off the parachute," said Desai. "It's a more sophisticated Lander than the landing systems that we've previously flown."

On May 25th 2008, 10 months later, it makes a safe landing on the sand of Mars.

Ne w Evi de nc e f or a We t t e r , War me r Anc i e nt Mar s

Written by Nancy Atkinson, John Mustard, a professor of planetary geology at Brown University and deputy principal investigator for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on MRO investigated the pervasive presence of phyllosilicates, clay-like minerals that preserve a record of water’s interaction with rocks.

Phyllosilicate was found deposited in and around craters, including the pointed peaks located at the centre of some of the depressions. Phyllosilicate is a silicate that is created by water.

This was an important clue to understanding the Red Planet’s potential for habitability during the Noachian period.

I n a n o t h e r p a p e r , g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t Be t h a n y Eh l ma n n

“If any microorganisms existed on ancient Mars, the watershed would have been a great place to live,” Ehlmann said. “So not only was water active in this region to weather the rocks, but there was enough of it to run through the beds, transport the clays and run into the lake and form the delta,”

Qu e s t i o n #2

Explain the process to become an astronaut for NASA.

As t r o n a u t sHo w t o b e c o me o n e ?

Ha v e y o u e v e r wo n d e r e d i f y o u h a v e wh a t i t t a k e s t o b e c o me a NAS A As t r o n a u t ?

The term "astronaut" derives from the Greek words meaning "space sailor," and refers to all who have been launched as crew members aboard NASA spacecraft bound for orbit and beyond.

Th e b a s i c q u a l i f i c a t i o n s f o r b e c o mi n g a n a s t r o n a u t

U.S. citizenship (for pilots and mission specialists) Bachelor's degree (engineering, biological sciences, physical

sciences, mathematics) from an accredited college or university Three years of related experience after obtaining the bachelor's

degree - A master's degree equals one year of experience, and a doctorate equals three years.

Passing a NASA space physical examination - Pilots need to pass a Class I physical; mission/payload specialists must pass Class II. Both are similar to civilian and military flight examinations.

More than 1,000 hours experience as pilot-in-command of a jet aircraft (pilots only)

Height of 64 to 76 inches (162.5 cm to 193 cm) for pilots, 58.5 to 76 inches (148.5 cm to 193 cm) for mission/payload specialists

If you are selected, you will report to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, for training and evaluations, which last two years.

Tr ai ni ng

During the training period, classes in basic science (math, astronomy, physics, geology, meteorology, oceanography), technology (navigation, orbital mechanics, materials processing), and space shuttle systems are taken, along with training in land and sea survival techniques, SCUBA, microgravity, high- and low-pressure environments, and space suits.

A swimming test must be past in order to continue. This is where you have to swim three lengths of a 25-meter pool in flight suit and tennis shoes, and tread water for 10 minutes.

At t h e e n d . . .

At the end of the two-year training period, you may be selected to become an astronaut.

Once you are selected for a flight, you will receive specific training for the mission at least 10 months prior to the flight.

Qu e s t i o n #3

Tell me about a constellation and all of it's history. Cover all of the aspects we've discussed this year, such as the mythology, origin, and all information important to the history.

Cons t e l l at i on Se r pe ns

Serpens ( Latin for “snake”) is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. Among the modern constellations it is unique in being split into two pieces.

S e r p e n s Ca p u t r e p r e s e n t s t h e h e a d o f t h e s n a k e

Se r pe ns Caudar e p r e s e n t s t h e t a i l o f t h e s n a k e

Ha v i n g f u n wi t h La t i n a n d Gr e e k wo r d De r i v a t i v e s

Serpens is from Latin serpere, and Greek herpeton, 'crawling animal', from herpein, to crawl or creep, Sanskrit herpo 'creep'.

It was believed that snakes had the ability to discover health-giving medicinal herbs. Herbs have chemical properties and this attribute in snakes of being able to search out herbs might be related to their ability to smell out the chemicals in the herbs. They have what is called a Jacobson's organ in their mouths that functions as a chemical receptor, a snake flicks out its tongue to taste the air and when the tongue is withdrawn into the mouth, the forks of the tongue are placed into the Jacobson's organ where the chemical (molecules) is identified

Such a claim came from the mythology story of Ophiuchus, the snake holder and its relation to Scorpius and Orion.

It starts with the great hunter, Orion who had amazing skills in hunting and killing, however, as good as he was a hunter he had an ego to match. He continually bragged about his abilities. One day while boasting to some ‘fem fatale’ the gods heard and was thoroughly annoyed. So, to set Orion straight they sent the Scorpion to earth to sting him. The Scropion succeeded.

Th i s c a n b e s e e n i n t h e s k y . As S c o r p i u s r i s e s i n t h e e a s t e r n s k y , Or i o n d i e s a n d s e t s i n t h e we s t e r n h o r i z o n .

It was on this occasion that a man named Asclepius/Ophiuchus, a great legendary healer, healed Orion and promptly ground the scorpion under his foot.

NB. The name Ophiuchus is derived from the Greek word for "serpent handler." There is no healer or god with the name Ophiuchus, but he has always been associated with Asclepius. Eventually they both became known by Ophiuchus.

The serpent is found entwined around the heads and arms of Ophiuchus. He was actually raised by the kind centaur Chiron who taught medical skills to the boy. Over time, Ophiuchus became an incredible healer. He could have even bring back the dead to life, but Hades, who ruled the underworld, complained to Zeus that his realm was threatened. Was struck down with a thunderbolt and placed him in the sky by Zeus.

S y mb o l o f t h e me d i c a l p r o f e s s i o n .

Thank you for watching

S o u r c e s

Phoenix Mars Landerhttp://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Full_Scale_Mars_Lander_To_Be_Unveiled_At_Phoenix_Mission_Event_999.htmlhttp://www.universetoday.com/2008/07/16/new-evidence-for-a-wetter-warmerancient-mars/#more-15563http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/04/tech/main3133675.shtmlhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291682,00.html http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Helping_Phoenix_Land_999.htmlhttp://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/208662.html

S o u r c e s

Astronaut for NASAhttp://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.htmlhttp://people.howstuffworks.com/question534.htmhttp://huntsville.about.com/cs/spacegeneral/ht/Be_An_Astronaut.htm

S o u r c e s

Serpenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpens

http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/horvatin/Astronomy_Facts/constellation_pages/serpens.htmhttp://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Serpens.htmlhttp://www.starryskies.com/The_sky/constellations/serpens.htmlhttp://www.starryskies.com/The_sky/constellations/ophiuchus.html

S o u r c e s

Imageshttp://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.6680/viewPage/3http://www.culturesdiary.com/article.asp?articleid=12667&The-Rod-of-Asclepiushttp://www.xtec.es/recursos/astronom/covers/portada98.htmhttp://www.slivoski.com/astronomy/serphead.htmhttp://www.astrosurf.com/sliop/Constellation%20Serpens.htmhttp://www.codycaresid.com/images/emblem.jpghttp://quest.nasa.gov/women/YWAC/sts-93/jackie.html http://www.atwillett.com/lightning_gallery.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2007-09-04-mars-exploration_N.htm

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070804.wphoenix0804/BNStory/Science/home

S i mu l a t i o n o f l a u n c h

Simulation of the launch can be seen:http://youtube.com/watch?v=_TCM43VqZ1w&feature=relatedhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=ek1vCGKG6hc&feature=related

Thought it would be interesting to watch.