Chapter 6 Flashcards
Mariner
These were the first fly-by missions to Mars
Viking
These missions were the first to successfully land on Mars.
Pathfinder
This was the first rover to explore the surface of Mars.
Phoenix
This was the first Mars mission to dig beneath the surface.
Curiosity
This was the largest rover ever sent to Mars.
Mars comes closer to Earth than any other planet.
false
Galileo was able to observe polar caps on Mars with his first telescope observations.
false
Some early observers thought that changes in the large dark regions on the surface of Mars were caused by
the growth of vegetation
The Plurality of Worlds
The hypothesis that other planets are actually worlds like the Earth
provides observational evidence that Mars has weather and an atmosphere
dust devils
wind streaks
eroded craters
Why does liquid water boil away when exposed to the Martian atmosphere
the low air pressure lowers the boiling point
The presence of ___________ on the surface of Mars provides additional evidence for a wet Martian past
blueberries
In many ancient cultures, the “red planet” was named after
the god of war
In the early 1900’s, it was considered common knowledge that there was intelligent life on Mars
true
The Spirit and Opportunity rover missions continued for several years despite being designed to operate for only
90 days
The Phoenix Lander found __________ just under the surface of Mars
frozen water ice
The most clear evidence for the presence of water on ancient Mars is
dried riverbeds
A respected scientist and mathematician, Carl Gauss, recommended that we build a large right triangle on the surface of the Earth in order to
communicate with Martians
Compared to the Earth, Mars is about
1/2 the size
Observing Mars is difficult because
it is so small on our night sky
The War of the Worlds
fake broadcast
after Galileo used the telescope
mars was studied
Red on Mars shows
high elevation
Blue on Mars shows
low elevation
Mars temperature too cold for
liquid water
Atmosphere protects
object surface
Volcanism
shapes object surface
Crater impact
changes object surface
