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The Google guys teamed up with NASA researchers (and several other consortiums) to create one of the most detailed online scientific map and image archives ever made of Mars – Google Mars. For this lab, you will explore the data and images available on Google Mars, both in 2-D and in 3-D.

The 2-D version of Google Mars is a web page that can be run in any web browser through the website http://www.google.com/mars. As you can imagine, the “pros” of using the 2-D version are that anyone with an active internet connection can interact with and explore these maps. There are some very nice links to spacecraft locations and geologic features here. The 3-D version of Google Mars is run out of the application Google Earth. With this software (still free!), you can zoom in and around the planet just like you practiced in Google Earth. The possibilities are endless! The only downside to the 3-D Google Mars version is that you will need to have the Google Earth (version 5.0 +) installed on your computer. Your Mission: To investigate geographical and geological features on Mars and explore the history of space missions to Mars using 2-D and 3-D versions of Google Mars.

Lab 10: Google Mars

Name ___________________________

Name ___________________________

Earth Sci. Computer Applications GEOL 5303

2-D Google Mars

3-D Google Mars

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Your Task: 1. Google Mars (2-D)

• To begin, navigate to the following website:

• http://www.google.com/mars/ Note: If Internet Explorer does not properly load the page, try an alternative web browser (ie., Firefox, Safari, etc.)

• After the page finishes loading, you will see a colorful image of Mars’s

topography, similar to the screen snapshot below (without the numbers). Depending on the size of your computer screen, you may need to use the zoom in/out buttons on the left side of the website to view Mars in its entirety. Note that you can also slide the topography image around on your screen by simply clicking and dragging your mouse over the image.

• Click on the link at the top of the webpage (next to the Google sign) named “Spacecraft”.

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• A column on the left side of the website should appear, providing a list of Martian spacecraft. Clicking on any of these links will produce a pop-up balloon with more information about the spacecraft and mission.

• Using the spacecraft links on Google Mars, along with the map from the previous

page, match the numbered map locations (1-4) with the spacecraft landing sites. In the box below, also identify when each of these spacecraft were launched and how long each operated.

Map Label

Spacecraft Name Year of Launch Length of operation

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• Now click on the link at the top of the webpage (next to the Google sign) named “Canyons”. A column on the left side of the website should appear, providing a list of Martian canyons. Clicking on any of these links will produce a pop-up balloon with more information about canyons on Mars. You can also do the same for “Mountains” and “Craters”. Note that green balloons have links to online articles, while red balloons do not.

• Explore the green balloon features and choose 1 (one) Martian canyon, mountain,

and crater to report below. In the description box below, provide one brief sentence that explains why you think the feature is interesting.

Martian Feature Date Photo Taken Description

Canyon

Mountain

Crater

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2. Google Mars (3-D)

Now we’re moving on to the 3-D Google Mars application.

• Launch the Google Earth program (just like you did in Lab 3) by double clicking on the Google Earth icon on your Desktop:

• You can also find more information about Google Mars, and a link for

downloading the Google 5.0 software) at the following webpage:

http://earth.google.com/mars/

• To begin your journey to Mars, go to the top tool bar and click on the planet icon, and select “Mars” from the drop-down menu.

• You should then find yourself viewing a Google Mars layout, very similar to that of Google Earth, complete with a Search Tool and Layers boxes on the left side.

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2.1 Historical Mars • First we’ll travel back over 100 years ago to see some earlier visions of Mars.

These antique maps will show how our knowledge of Mars has changed and evolved over time.

• In the left Layers box, expand the Mars Gallery layer, and expand the Historical Maps layer. Note that you may have to flip your Mars viewer upside down in order to read the text on the maps – just rotate your globe around with your mouse.

• Click on the Nathaniel Green layer.

Challenge Question 1: When was this map created? __________________________

Challenge Question 2: Inspect the map. What do the darker regions represent in this map (globally)? Hint: Look at the names of the features!

Challenge Question 3: What do the lighter regions represent in this map (globally)?

• Next click on the Giovanni Schiaparelli map. Challenge Question 4: When was this map created? __________________________ Challenge Question 5: Why was this map so controversial?

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2.2 Present-day Mars

• To see what the planet looks like today, under the Mars Gallery layer, expand the Rovers and Landers folder, then expand the MER Opportunity Rover (USA) folder, then double click on the MER Opportunity Rover (USA) layer.

• A pop-up window should display with a few facts about MER Opportunity. If it

doesn’t, click again on the MER Opportunity Rover (USA) layer.

Challenge Question 6: When did MER Opportunity land on Mars? ______________

• Click on the Load rover waypoint data link in the pop-up box. A set of red diamonds should appear. These points make up the path that MER Opportunity has traveled on Mars. Each point represents the rover’s position on Mars when it “phoned home” back to Earth.

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• Zoom in on the crater that MER Opportunity visited to view some very high-resolution imagery on Mars.

Challenge Question 7: What do you notice about the center of the crater? Can you think of an analogy on Earth?

• Click on one of the red diamonds on the right-most side of the rover’s track along the crater, shown by the green circle in the image above. Try to click on “Sol 1153”, and a pop-up window should appear (see next page). Then click on Sol Summary Documents and a new page should load in your web browser.

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• In the webpage (left column, REPORT) click on “Data Products”. A long list of images should appear. Look for one near the bottom of the list, labeled with an “N”, and the number 1 N 230544886.

• Click on this product, then click on the top link that will appear on the right side of the web page:

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• Wait a few seconds for the image to load. What do you see? (pretty cool stuff is not a good enough answer!)

2.3 Searching Mars

• Next, back in Google Mars, use the search tool to find the Face on Mars.

• If you want to learn more, click on the green traveler’s guide icon and read an excerpt from a guidebook to Mars.

• Next travel to Valles Marineris (use the Search tool again), the largest known canyon in the solar system.

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• Under the Global Maps layer, select the Colorized Terrain buttom to view color-coded elevations.

Challenge Question 8: How big is this canyon (width and length)? Use the measure tool (ruler at the top menu) to estimate these quantities.

Challenge Question 9: How does this size compare with the Grand Canyon in Arizona? Switch back to Google Earth to help with this answer.

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What to turn in, due next Wednesday, April 4th:

1. This completed lab (Challenge Worksheet), plus with any remarks or notes on the back/in the margins regarding clarity, how you might adjust the procedure for your students, etc. (50 pts)

2. A completed Teacher Worksheet (download from website), providing one

additional exercise that compliments this lab.

3. A completed Lab Procedure document (download from website), which provides a short overview description of the activity that you completed, exercise objectives, time required to complete the exercises, materials needed, preparation notes, and any additional miscellaneous notes that you might want to remember.

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