Tag Archives: areography

Mars Mission 2016: The Crew

11 Monday Jan 2016

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Date: Year 1, Sur One, Sol 8 (1.1.8)

The finalized crew of the Mars Mission 2016 has been announced. There is still the possibility of changes in the next few weeks; however, at this time these are the 28 primary crew members that are training for the 24 February departure.MM2016 Org Chart

(NOTE:  EMT = Estimated Mission Time)

Mission Commander – Jenna Wade (EMT:  27 months)
Jenna will command all aspects of the mission and will be stationed at Mars Alpha Base (2nd Landing.)

Team

  • Lanny Deaton-Science Director
  • Roman Guzman – Engineering Director
  • Naomi Pierce – Communications Director
  • Ken Hart – Captain/Mars Port Commander
  • Wendy Stevens – Counselor
  • Kayla Summers – Physician 

Science Director – Lanny Deaton (EMT:  27 months)
Lanny will oversee all science programs for the mission and will be stationed at Mars Alpha Base (1st landing.)

Team

  • Steve Conner-Areology Officer
  • Jacob Reese-Archeology Officer
  • Alexander Rivera-Biology/Environment Officer
  • Sying Wang-Botany Specialist
  • Heidi Massey-Botany Specialist

Engineering Director – Roman Guzman (EMT:  27 months)
Roman will direct all construction, maintenance, and repair during the mission and will be stationed at Mars Alpha Base (1st landing.)

Team

  • Lanita Case-Engineering Officer
  • Jeramy Prater-Munitions Officer
  • Tory Hankins-Plant Officer
  • Ling Cho-Logistics Officer
  • Abdul Karem-Logistics Specialist

Communication Director – Naomi Pierce (EMT:  27 months)
Naomi will oversee all communications, data collection, and mission reporting and will be stationed on the Mars Port in orbit.

Team

  • Paige Flores-Comm Officer
  • John Schultz-Comm Specialist
  • Krista Parker-Comm Specialist
  • Jennifer Nagi-Data/Record Specialist

Captain ESS QEII/Sagan, Mars Port Commander – Kenneth Hart (EMT:  27 months)
Ken will Captain the ESS Queen Elizabeth II, then take command of the ESS Carl Sagan when the ships merge. Upon arrival at Mars he will become the Commander of the Mars Port and be stationed there.

Team

  • Ann Flores-First Officer/Mars Orbit Control Director
  • Dane Paris-Pilot

Mission Physician – Kayla Summers (EMT:  27 months)
Kayla oversee and monitor the health of the mission crew and she will be stationed at the Mars Alpha Base (2nd landing.)

Team

  • Jai Wong-Nurse Practitioner
  • Alberto Sowers-Nutritional Officer

Counselor – Wendy Stevens (EMT:  27 months)
Wendy will assess the mission crew on an ongoing basis and will make recommendations for crew changes, mission assignments, and crew returns. Wendy will be stationed at the Mars Alpha Base (2nd landing.)

Team

  • Ian Banks-MET Reserve
  • Peyton Rhodes-SKY Reserve

Mars Geography: Five Things To Know

10 Sunday Jan 2016

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Date: Year 1, Sur One, Sol 7 (1.1.7)

The geography of Mars is complex and unique, but there are five things every human should know about Mars.

One:  It’s Called Areography
The word ‘geo’ refers to ‘of Earth.’ The study of the surface structures of Mars is called areography after the Greek god of war, Ares, counterpart of the Roman god of war, Mars.

Two:  Mars is Two-Faced
The northern hemisphere of Mars can best be described as a big ocean bottom. Much of the northern hemisphere is a low flat plain with few craters. We don’t know for sure what happened, but the best theory is that Mars was hit by a Pluto-sized dwarf planet at about a 45° angle early in its formation.

Credit: Wikipedia/JPL/NASA
Credit: JPL/NASA

In contrast the southern hemisphere consists of elevated areas, including one of the highest mountains in our solar system, large regions of crater impacts, and surface canyon features that can be easily seen from orbit.

Three:  ‘Zero’ Altitude on Mars is Not Based on Sea Level….Obviously
On Earth we have a hypothetical average sea level based on 19 years of recordings to serve as our ‘zero’ altitude standard. On Mars there is no ‘sea level,’ so scientists developed a standard based at the air pressure level that water becomes unstable (the triple point of water.)

However, in 2001, scientists adopted a new standard based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimiter (MOLA) mission. This standard, called the datum, or datum point, cannot be explained in one paragraph. Suffice to say there is a ‘zero’ elevation on Mars, and like Earth, it is not based on any particular areographic feature, but on a hypothetical altitude determined by scientists.

Four:  Olympus Mons is Really That Big
Mars is half the size of Earth and has an extinct volcano that is twice as high as Hawai’i’s Mauna Kea (from seabed to the highest point) and three times the height of Mount Everest (Nepal’s Sagarmāthā). It is so tall that the the top of it remains in sunlight long after the Sun has set in the lower elevations surrounding it.

Mars volcano region asu

Olympus Mons at the upper left

Olympus Mons is 21 km (13 m) above the Mars global datum, or zero altitude. It is the biggest of four massive volcanoes in what is known as the Tharsis region.

Five:  The Big Hole
The equator and southern hemisphere of Mars is areographic candy store of features, but after Olympus Mons, the one that is hard to miss is Hellas Planitia.

Hellas crater

Hellas Planitia:  Almost all of the Hawi’ian Island chain could fit inside 

Hellas Planitia is a massive impact crater near the South Pole of Mars. It is about 2,100 km (1,400 m) across and is approximately 9,000 m (30,000 ft) deep. It is an uncharacteristic low spot in the southern hemisphere.