NASA MGS Mars discoveries teleconference, Sept 20

01101001 · #1 (**permalink**) 18-September-2005, 02:38 AM

Media Teleconference for Mars Discoveries -- Mars Global Surveyor

Quote:

NASA Announces Media Teleconference for Mars Discoveries

NASA's Mars Global Survey orbiter has observed some interesting changes at Mars. Researchers will announce and discuss the discoveries at a listen-and-logon news briefing at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Participants:

-- Dr. Michael Meyer, Mars Exploration Program chief scientist, NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington
-- Dr. Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif.
-- Dr. Jack Mustard, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

David Knisely · #2 (**permalink**) 18-September-2005, 06:20 AM

I wish that JPL would archive more of these talks, as I almost can never be at the computer when they are running. Clear skies to you.

01101001 · #3 (**permalink**) 20-September-2005, 06:11 PM

Sorry. This did appear on the NASA TV Schedule for a short while, but went off -- and it is not now on.

It appears instead to be a non-public conference ("listen and logon") event for journalists.

A press release is here:

ORBITER'S LONG LIFE HELPS SCIENTISTS TRACK CHANGES ON MARS

Excerpt:

Quote:

New gullies that did not exist in mid-2002 have appeared on a Martian sand dune.

That's just one of the surprising discoveries that have resulted from the extended life of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which this month began its ninth year in orbit around Mars. Boulders tumbling down a Martian slope left tracks that weren't there two years ago. New impact craters formed since the 1970s suggest changes to age-estimating models. And for three Mars summers in a row, deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near Mars' south pole have shrunk from the previous year's size, suggesting a climate change in progress.

"Our prime mission ended in early 2001, but many of the most important findings have come since then, and even bigger ones might lie ahead," said Tom Thorpe, project manager for Mars Global Surveyor at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The orbiter is healthy and may be able to continue studying Mars for five to 10 more years, he said.

Mars years are nearly twice as long as Earth years. The orbiter's longevity has enabled monitoring of year-to-year patterns on Mars, such as seasonal dust storms and changes in the polar caps. "Mars is an active planet, and over a range of timescales changes occur, even in the surface," said Dr. Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera on Mars Global Surveyor.

"To see new gullies and other changes in Mars surface features on a time span of a few years presents us with a more active, dynamic planet than many suspected before Mars Global Surveyor got there," said Michael Meyer, Mars Exploration Program chief scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington.

01101001 · #4 (**permalink**) 20-September-2005, 06:32 PM

NASA Feature:

Recent Changes on Mars Seen by Mars Global Surveyor

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode