[The background above is part of an image by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Crescent Nebula.]

WHERE: AT EXPLORIT Science Center, 3141 5th Street, Davis.

Hosts: Vinita & Calvin Domier

Space Robots!

Join us Saturday evening, February 7th at 6:30 p.m. when we will discuss and view the incredible pictures sent back by the robots around and on the Martian surface. We will also highlight celestial events of 2004 for amateur stargazers. There will be telescopes set up, weather permitting, to view the full moon and the planets Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Please bring your scope if you own one.

These have been exhilarating times for both planetary astronomers and amateurs who have experienced many highs and lows. Four different robotic probes were scheduled to reach Mars in Dec. 2003 and Jan. 2004 and one probe was to rendezvous with a comet in Jan. 2004.

Japan's first interplanetary explorer, Nozomi, launched five years ago, had to abort its landing on Mars on Dec. 9, because of rocket failure. U.S. Stardust collected dust from comet Wild2 on Jan. 2, and will return it to Earth in Jan. 2006.

Europeans launched their first probe, Mars Express orbiter/Beagle2 lander, and U.S. launched two identical rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to the Red Planet last summer taking advantage of the Aug. 17, 2003, close flyby of the two planets (which happens once every 26 months).

Beagle2 (launched on June 2, 2003) lost contact with Earth on Dec. 25, 2003, during its landing on the Martian surface. Mars Express is orbiting the planet taking pictures and surveying. On Jan. 18, it detected frozen water and carbon dioxide ice on the southern pole. Finding any evidence of past or present existence of water is crucial in the search for signs of Martian life. On Jan. 14, it photographed Valles Marineris (Mars's Grand Canyon).

Spirit (launched on June 10, 2003) landed at Gusev Crater on Jan. 3, 2004. The crater is a broad depression that may once have contained a lake. The rover took panoramic photos of its rocky red surroundings. Spirit started rolling and analyzing rocks with its robotic arms, but since Jan. 21 it has experienced critical problems with its onboard flash memory.

Opportunity (launched on July 7, 2003) landed on Jan. 24, 2004, at Meridiani Planum located on the opposite side of Mars. This flat, smooth site may have gray hematite, which forms in regions of water. It has photographed bedrock. For the next three months, both rovers will chemically analyze rocks and soils to determine the existence of water and life.
Mars Express, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Odyssey, are in orbits around Mars surveying and photographing the Red Planet, and relaying communications between the rovers on Mars and Earth.

To Receive These Bulletins via E-mail Contact Explorit at: Explorit Science Center

The Astronomy Club is for everyone - adults, children, knowledgeable or ignorant. Come to listen, look and learn, or to share your expertise or experience.