The Essential Cosmic Perspective (8th Edition)
8th Edition
ISBN: 9780134446431
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 7, Problem 41EAP
Unanswered Questions. Choose one important but unanswered question about Mars’s past, and write two or three paragraphs discussing how we might answer this question in the future. Be as specific as possible, focusing on the type of evidence necessary to answer the question and on how the evidence could be gathered. What are the benefits of finding answers to this question?
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Students have asked these similar questions
The principle cause of our intense interest in Mars in the decades before the dawn of the space age was that
Answers:
A.
a few astronomers believed that they saw evidence of an intelligent civilization on Mars.
B.
Mars has seasons just like the Earth and therefore should be inhabitable by humans.
C.
Mars has an unusual surface color and global dust storms, creating strange weather patterns.
D.
Mars has unusual orbital properties making our understanding of its motion around the Sun very difficult.
Activity #1. Compare and Contrast. Similarities and differences of Venus, Earth and Mars.
Do this on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Compare and contrast the three (3) terrestrial planets using table 1.
2. Provide explanations for your observations using table 2.
3. Answer the following guide questions.
Guide questions:
1. Does planet size affect gravity?
2. Why do you think Venus has the highest mean temperature among the three planets?
3. Is presence of water a primary factor for a planet to sustain life? Why or why not?
4. Based on your observations using table 2, what are the notable features that makes the
earth the only habitable planet among the three terrestrial planets?
5. What conclusions can you make?
CO2 and planetary warming: understanding Earth’s complicated atmosphere Mars has an atmospheric pressure of 6 mbar (compared with Earth atmosphere pressure of 1013 mbar), 96% of which is CO2. The average calculated temperature of Mars is -57°C, whereas the actual average temperature is -55°C so that the amount of warming due to CO2 is only 2°C. On the other hand, the average calculated temperature of Earth, with 0.4 mbar of CO2, is -19°C, whereas the actual average temperature is 15°C so that the amount of warming due to CO2 is 34°C, much greater than that on Mars, which has higher CO2 concentration. Explain how this is possible.
Chapter 7 Solutions
The Essential Cosmic Perspective (8th Edition)
Ch. 7 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 7 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 7 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 7 - Prob. 4VSCCh. 7 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 2EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 3EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 4EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 6EAP
Ch. 7 - Prob. 7EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 8EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 9EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 10EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 11EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 12EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 14EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 15EAPCh. 7 - What is the carbon dioxide cycle, and why is it so...Ch. 7 - Prob. 17EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 7 - A new orbital photograph of Mars shows a crater...Ch. 7 - Clear-cutting in the Amazon rain forest on Earth...Ch. 7 - Drilling into the Martian surface, a robotic...Ch. 7 - Prob. 25EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 26EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 27EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 7 - Which describes our understanding of flowing water...Ch. 7 - Prob. 33EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 34EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 35EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 36EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 37EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 7 - Unanswered Questions. Choose one important but...Ch. 7 - Prob. 42EAPCh. 7 - Miniature Mars. Suppose Mars had turned out to be...Ch. 7 - Two Paths Diverged. Briefly explain how the...Ch. 7 - Change in Formation Properties. Consider either...Ch. 7 - Experiment: Planetary Cooling in a Freezer. Fill...Ch. 7 - Prob. 47EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 48EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 49EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 50EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 53EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 54EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 55EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 56EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 57EAPCh. 7 - Prob. 58EAP
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Describe the current atmosphere on Mars. What evidence suggests that it must have been different in the past?arrow_forwardIf the Viking missions were such a rich source of information about Mars, why have we sent the Pathfinder, Global Surveyor, and other more recent spacecraft to Mars? Make a list of questions about Mars that still puzzle astronomers.arrow_forwardThe runaway greenhouse effect and its inverse, the runaway refrigerator effect, have led to harsh, uninhabitable conditions on Venus and Mars. Does the greenhouse effect always cause climate changes leading to loss of water and life? Give a reason for your answer.arrow_forward
- Which of the following planetary traits is well established? choose one of the following: a) Mercury has a similar compositon to that of our moon, in that they both have a substantial metal content. b) Venus rotates more rapidly than Earth, but in the opposite direction. c) Earth's atmosphere exhibits a slightly stronger greenhouse effect than that seen on Venus. d)Astronomers have precisely calculated the mass of Mercury thanks to artificial satellites sent from Earth.arrow_forwardWe believe that all of the terrestrial planets had similar histories when it comes to impacts from space. Explain how this idea can be used to date the formation of the martian highlands, the martian basins, and the Tharsis volcanoes. How certain are the ages derived for these features (in other words, how do we check the ages we derive from this method)?arrow_forwardIs it likely that life ever existed on either Venus or Mars? Justify your answer in each case.arrow_forward
- What were the canals on Mars eventually found to be? How do they differ from the outflow channels and valley networks on Mars?arrow_forwardThis is a preliminary version of the Mars Project - to think about the time it takes to complete a Mars mission. Consider the following simplified Earth to Mars transfer: • Departs Earth • Enter Mars orbit • Orbit Mars orbit for some time • Exit Mars orbit to return • Enter Earth orbit a. What is the flight time, in days, from Earth to Mars? What is the return flight time? [Answer: 258.83 days] b. Where does Mars need to be (outbound) to reach it at the end of the Hohmann transfer (tip: 180° "later"). [Answer: 44.329°] c. To return to Earth with a Hohmann transfer, the opposite will need to be true: Earth must be at a specific angle at the time of departure from Mars for the spacecraft to reach Earth's orbit when Earth is there. What is that angle? [Answer: -75.097°] d. When is the first opportunity to return to Earth for that optimal Hohmann transfer? [Answer: 454.70 days] e. What is the total round trip time to Mars for this ideal Hohmann transfer?arrow_forwardWhat is the runaway greenhouse effect, and how might it have altered the climate of Venus?arrow_forward
- Planetary scientists are hoping that the samples collected by the Perseverance Mars rover will eventually be collected by other robotic spacecraft and returned to Earth. Even if Perseverance could collect samples from all over Mars's surface, why wouldn't this tell us what the entire planet is made of? Group of answer choices The deep interior of Mars has had its composition altered (compared to the surface) by the impacts of asteroids that plunged almost all the way down to Mars's center. Since Mars has a powerful magnetic field, it must have a liquid-iron portion of its core, and this material can't be collected by a rover on the surface. Early in its history, Mars differentiated into layers of materials that had different densities, much like the Earth did. Mars has such a low density that most of its interior must be made of liquid water and ice, so rocks from the surface simply won't be representative of the deep interior.arrow_forwardBriefly summarize the evidence linking human activity to global warming. What are its potential consequences?arrow_forwardOut of the inner planets in the solar system (Mercury,Venus and Mars), Which do you think is most likely to be colonized? Explain why?arrow_forward
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