WHAT DO YOU SEE ????? ?. MARS: A HISTORY A look back at Our fascination with The Red Planet.

WHAT DOYOU SEE??????

MARS: A HISTORY

A look back at Our fascination with The Red Planet.

Mars has captured the imagination of people world wide for centuries. Subject of:

Fear Wonder Humor Entertainment Myth Mystery continues to do so today.

Let’s look at the many ways how Mars has captivated society over time.

The Romanticism of Mars

ANTIQUITY: MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION

Early Romans:, God of spring, growth in nature, fertility, and the protector of cattle.“Earth god.”

As an “earth god” he became the god of death, then god of war. Also the son of Jupiter and the father to Romulus and Remus the legendary founders of Rome.

The Roman armies trained in the many sanctuaries built in tribute to Mars.

The Empire & western world:Ritual purification and cleansing ceremonies in his honor.

The month of March

Ancient Hindu:Mangala; associated with the god of war, Karittkeya.

Depicted with six heads andTwelve arms, riding a peacock (destroyer ofHarmful habits) gripping a serpent (man’s ego and desires)

ANTIQUITY: MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION

ANTIQUITY:

Additional civilizations which have associated Mars with warfare include:

Ancient China: ”The Fire Star”

Ancient Babylonia: The war god Negral

Ancient Egypt 28th Dynasty – New Kingdom: Her Desher meaning, “The Red One.” and “Horus of the Horizon.”

The mythic theme of the warrior hero still exists today, particularly in the arts.

MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION

Retrograde Motion: The apparent backward motion of an object across the sky.

http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/retrogradeRetrograde motion mystified the ancients. Traditional astronomy

of the times made a few basic incorrect assumptions: Objects moved in circles: Idea of perfection, objects moved at

steady rates.

Geocentric system: Easier, philosophical and religious reasons.

Parallax: The apparent shifting of nearby objects with respect to distant ones as the position of the observer changes. Important in astronomy for measuring distance. No stellar parallax with a geocentric system.

ANTIQUITY: What did its backward motions all mean???

SYMBOLISM

Ancient symbol of shield and spear.

The red color associated with bloodshed/war/fire/destruction.

Denotes gender in Biology and Botany.

Associated with the chemical element Iron.

Used in hardware for “male” fasteners or connections.

Used by Volvo.

Masculinity

In the pseudoscience of Astrology with Mars representing energy, action, and desire.

There have been countless scientific observations of Mars

and their subsequent discoveries, many of which have

drawn more attention and intrigue than others, especially with respect to the possibility of

life on Mars.

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

Several early observation led to conclusions of the possibility of life existing on Mars on the basis of similarity to conditions on Earth:

1659 – Christiaan Huygens observes dark regions on Mars that

moved each night, concluding that mars rotates on an axis; also believing it might be inhabited.

1669- Giovanni Cassini observes that the rotational rate is 24 hrs, 40 minutes. And that Mars has polar regions.

1698- Huygens publishes his book: Cosmotheoros about whether or not there is life on Mars.

1719- Cassini’s nephew Giacomo Filippo Maraldi observes the dark regions change shape over time; concluding that Mars has clouds that obscure the surface, changes in polar caps showed evidence of seasons,

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

1783- William Herschel confirms the change of seasons by realizing the inclination angle of Mars is similar to Earth.Dark areas referred to by Herschel as “seas,” and he was not the first to speculate they may be actual bodies of water.

1860- Emmanuel Liasis speculated that the dark regions were the changing of vegetation.

1877- Giovanni Schiaparelli makes a map of features he labels as canali (Italian for groove or naturally occurring channel)

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

Herschel's figures . Image: University of California Irvine

“It appears that this planet is not without considerable atmosphere; for besides the permanent spots on the surface, I have often noticed occasional changes of partial bright belts; and also once a darkish one... These alterations we can hardly ascribe to any other cause than the variable disposition of clouds and vapors floating in the atmosphere of the planet... Mars has a considerable but modest atmosphere, so that its inhabitants probably enjoy a situation in many respects similar to our own.”

William Herschel addresses the British Royal Society about Mars:

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

When Schiaparelli’s map and observations were translated into English, his “canali” became “canals;” a man made features which led to speculation that these Martian canals were built by extraterrestrials.

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS

Theory: Canals = advanced civilization!

Idea popularized in literature by many like French writer Camille Flammarion who wrote many books about life on other planets.

1894 - Percival Lowell, a wealthy American astronomer establishes Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona; in time to observe the 1894 opposition of Mars using 12” and 18” refractors.

MARS FEVER EMERGES: LOWELL

Many observationsPublished bookscreated maps

All detailed and labeled theSo-called canal system

Convinced that the canals were designed by intelligent beings to carry water from the polar regions throughout their dying desert world

MARS FEVER EMERGES: LOWELL

Even though Lowell Observatory’s C.O. Lampland photograph of Mars’ 38 “canals” is well received by the British Royal Photographic Society, Lowell’s interpretation of the Martian surface lacks one crucial thing…

MARS FEVER EMERGES

Proof! By 1950, Even Lowell Observatory member Clyde Tombaugh proposes a different theory; that the canals are really fractures from meteor impacts

MARS FEVER EMERGES

Despite the doubts by many astronomers , the wheels were

already set in motion. The popular imagination, hope and allure of intelligent life on Mars continued well into the 1960’s; propagated by many forms of

media throughout the next several decades.

MARS FEVER EMERGES

1897-War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Originally meant as a critical satire on British imperialism.

1940’s to 1950-The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

Futuristic version of 1999 as humans participate in colonization efforts on Mars whilst they contribute to the displacement of the entire culture of its inhabitants.

1963-Podkayne of Mars by Robert Heinlein

One of his juvenile novels highlighting the life of a teen; her ambitions and points of view as one who is raised on Mars.

1993-1996 - The Mars Trilogy byKim Stanley Robinson

An ambitious trilogy chronicling mankind’s efforts of colonization, terraforming, and their results on the planet Mars.

October 30th, 1938: Live from Mercury Theater on the Air

Well’s adaptation of the H.G Wells novel War of the Worlds was a radio broadcast play which is said to have panicked many thousands of people across the country; believing that an unstoppable Martian invasion was taking place!

Modernized as a breaking-news bulletin.

1952

1953 1951

1938

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN

1963-1966

1967

1964

1964

2000

2000

1996 20

12

NASA Mariner missions 4 and 9(1965, 1971)

First close up aerial views of the Martian surface.Evidence of craters, volcanoes, vast desert landscape.No signs of oceans, cities, forests – no obvious, tell-tale signs of life or civilization

Mariner 4 “Mariner Crater” at Phaethontis Quadrangle

TO MARS! INVESTIGATION UP CLOSE

Viking landers 1976

First successful landing and testing of the Martian surface

No organic compounds or microscopic life detected.

For all intents and purposes, Mars was declared dead.

TO MARS! INVESTIGATION UP CLOSE

Life as we know it requires three basic elements:

1. liquid water

2. An energy source (the Sun ,volcanic activity, geothermal, gravitational)

3. Organic material – carbon based molecules / building blocks of life

NASA’S NEW STRATEGY: “FOLLOW THE WATER”

NASA’S NEW STRATEGY: “FOLLOW THE WATER”

NASA focuses on water evidence: Dried lake beds, polar ice, ancient river and stream channels and sediment deposits.

Plans to launch a new series of orbital probes, and Landers pursue a bold new strategy to once again determine if life once existed, and if it still could.

“FOLLOW THE WATER”: ORBITAL PROBES

Orbital Probe Detection of: Hydrogen beneath

surface Trace amounts of

methane in the thin atmosphere

Dark streaks on slopes that disappeared – possible evaporation of subsurface liquid water

TemperatureTopographySpectroscopyPhotographs

All determine the best candidates for future landing sites for the next generation of rovers

“FOLLOW THE WATER”: ORBITAL PROBES

1992 – Mars Observer (Failed)1997 – Mars Global Surveyor1999 – Mars Climate Orbiter (Failed) Mars Polar Lander (Failed) Deep Space II (Failed)2001 - Mars Odyssey (Current orbit) Mars Express (Current orbit)2006 - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Current orbit)2013- Mars Orbiter Mission (En Route)2014- MAVEN (Arrived late last year)

Spirit and Opportunity (2004)

Spirit detects large amounts of Silica; created by high temperature and water.

Opportunity detects spheres of Hematite

Both prove that liquid water existed.

“FOLLOW THE WATER”: SURFACE ROVERS

Phoenix Mars Lander (2008)

North Polar region

Confirms that the polar cap is indeed water ice.

Arctic surface as seen by Phoenix

“FOLLOW THE WATER”: SURFACE ROVERS

Curiosity (2012)

Primary mission to determine if life had existed on Mars.

Seeking the third element necessary to sustain life: organic compounds.

“FOLLOW THE WATER”: SURFACE ROVERS

Once our unmanned missions to Mars brought back visual data that revealed the true nature of Mars, (so far) people began to “see things”

Or is this all just wishful thinking????????

MILLIONS OF YEARS TOO LATE?

The End??????

ACK! ACK!

Credits

www.pantheon.orgwww.windows2universe.orgwww.trivia-library.comwww.wikipedia.comwww.cafeastrology.comwww.khanacademy.comwww.umich.edu/-lowbrows/Snyder, Dave: Reflections – History of Mars April, May 2001.www.peacocksgarden.blogspot.comwww.mythindex.comwww.astrodigital.org/mars/timelinehttp://herocomplex.latimes.com/books/our-favorite-martians-

the-red-planet-a-pop-culture-history/#/24www.cosmicelk.net/mars.htmlhttp://www.anb.org/articles/13/13-01024.html