Let’s Talk About the Weather

3/19/06 –3/25/06

By C. Zaitz

Michigan’s turbulent spring weather means every day is a new adventure in expecting the unexpected. I’ve been keeping my eye on the evening planets Mars and Saturn, and the dog and I look for Venus and Jupiter in the morning, but often the view is obscured as the snain (my word for that cold harsh mix of snow and rain) falls in dense sheets from the skies.

Meanwhile, far away from the ever changing weather fronts of earth, planetary probes are busy exploring weather on other worlds. Both Mars and Saturn currently have spy ships from earth. Mars is used to the alien probes from his neighboring planet. The first whiff of foreign spaceship wafted into the atmosphere of Mars in 1971 with the arrival of Mariner 9. Mariners 4, 6 and 7 had all flown by back in 1965-9, but Mariner 9 orbited and first glimpsed the giant volcanoes and the grandest canyon of the solar system. The view was hard won; Mariner 9 circled for a month before raging dust storms cleared to reveal the wonders of Mars. Then in 1976 Vikings 1 and 2 successfully landed and now we can’t leave Mars alone.

Many flybys, orbiters and landers later, some of which have failed, we still are obsessed with our red neighbor. Our most current successes have been the long-lived and curious rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Opportunity in particular keeps discovering clues to Mars’ wet past. Not only has the probe found evidence of liquid water in the rock formations and salt deposits, it seems clear that parts of Mars has been washed over and over with watery ebbs and flows. Though parts on both rovers are wearing out, they have been “Energizer Bunny-ing” since 2004, leaving their impish round “footprints” as they drill into the rocks looking for signs of water and life. To see more, try: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/

There are currently four ships orbiting Mars as well as the two active Exploration Rovers. The latest robot to reach Mars is the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The MRO boasts the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet. Not only will the orbiter study the atmosphere and climate of Mars, it can actually peer below the ground to search for water. It will also provide a communications link for future missions to Mars, like the first Interplanetary Internet! Hmm… my new email address might be czaitz@mro.mars.ss. That’s far out, except for the 30 minutes average delay in getting the signal to Mars and back. Actually that’s speedier than my current provider at rush hour!

The mighty planet Saturn has also had visitors from its distant blue cousin. Saturn was first ogled by Pioneer 11 in 1973, but the most famous visitors to the ringed planet were the legendary Voyagers. After giving Jupiter the once over in 1979, the two probes sailed by Saturn in 1980. After a nearly two decade hiatus of probes, the recent arrival of the Cassini – Huygens has rewritten the books on Saturn’s complex systems of moons and rings. The Huygens probe showed us the first hazy landscape of a foreign moon. Cassini continues to swing around Saturn, snapping photos of the fabulous moons and making headlines with discoveries of water and smog. If you think Michigan is bad, check out the weather on Titan! http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm It’s something to do until our own skies clear.

Until next week, my friends, enjoy the view!