Extra Credit (10 pts) - missions on Mars
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Astronomy
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Jan 9, 2024
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Extra Credit (10 pts) - missions on Mars
Start Assignment
This is an opportunity to earn up to 10 points toward your final
point total for the class.
There are currently three active missions on the surface of
Mars,
Curiosity
Links to an external site.
,
InSight
Links to an external
site.
and most recently
Perseverance
Links to an external site.
. For this
extra credit assignment you will write a report providing an overview of each
mission. Make sure your report includes the following:
Launch date
Travel time and Mars landing date
Mission objective
A description of lander/rover including the main instruments aboard
and what they are used for
Some unexpected challenges or interesting events that have
occurred so far
Latest update on the mission
You will find the following two videos useful, both as an introduction to the
missions to Mars and as an example of what has been achieved so far.
Mars rovers (video)
Links to an external site.
- a good introduction to Mars
missions, including
Curiosity
.
InSight lander (video)
Links to an external site.
- a good overview of recent
discoveries
Your report should be at least a page long for each mission. Please watch
your grammar and make sure you proofread your final draft before you
submit it.
Additional resources:
Curiosity
(video)
Links to an external site.
- scenic overlook
Curiosity
(video)
Links to an external site.
- organic materials
InSight
(video)
Links to an external site.
- heat probe, HP
3
instrument
InSight
(video)
Links to an external site.
- heat probe, HP
3
instrument (update)
Perseverance
(article and video)
Links to an external site.
- surprising
discoveries
Perseverance
(article)
Links to an external site.
- wild winds
If you are interested and have the time, you can find more videos on the
respective NASA website of each mission. (see links at the top)
OpenStax
Astronomy
Instructor Answer Guide
the core to helium and are beginning to evolve to the supergiant stage. The lowest-mass stars
have yet to arrive on the main sequence and begin hydrogen fusion; they are still contracting
(and moving toward the main sequence as a consequence).
27. If the Sun were a member of the cluster NGC 2264, would it be on the main sequence yet?
Why or why not?
Answer
If the Sun were a member of NGC 2264, it would probably not have reached the main sequence
yet. This cluster is so young (only a few million years old) that, as Figure 22.10 NGC 2264 H-R
Diagram shows, stars with luminosities similar to that of the Sun are still contracting to the main
sequence. For reference, the Sun is estimated to have taken between 30 million to 50 million
years to reach the main sequence.
28. If all the stars in a cluster have nearly the same age, why are clusters useful in studying
evolutionary effects (different stages in the lives of stars)?
Answer
The stars in a cluster presumably have the same age and chemical composition, but they do have
different masses. The timescale for the evolutionary process depends critically on a star's mass,
with stars of larger mass going through each stage more quickly. In a cluster with many stars,
there is likely to be a good distribution of masses and so we can see stars in a variety of life
stages. Even clusters of stars with only slightly different masses can vary considerably in their
evolutionary stages. Thus, even stars in a rather small mass range can still be at different points
in an evolutionary track. These tracks can be compared with theoretical ones from our
mathematical models of how stars age.
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