How Mars and the Earth’s atmosphere react differently to light and objects

Proposal Research and Broad Distribution of Findings Team Supernova 1

“How Mars and the Earth’s atmosphere react differently to light and objects”

Presented by

TEAM SUPERNOVA 2014 Jenny Magill: Project Manager

Marty List-Tesdell, Equations/Charts and Models Chase L. Duwenhoegger: Scientific Findings (State of Research)

Chris T. Zeller: Budget, Public Relations, and Government Liaison Don Allen: Writer, Strategic Communications

For

Dr. Ben Gold, Physics - Astronomy Hamline University

2014

“Astronomy's much more fun when you're not an astronomer.” ~Brian May

Our research proposal (Team Supernova) will explain how the Mars and the Earth’s atmosphere

react differently to light and objects and publish textbooks in plain language that will be available to the mainstream, students and K-12 school systems.


Mars: X-Ray Earth Atmosphere (Illustration)

Cones in the human eye only see a mere fraction of light.


Executive Summary Team Supernova was tasked with developing a fundable proposal that included research and viable outcomes for science and the general public. While most of what we looked at had many sources and works in process, it was our goal to refit the information, including our research into a wide-reaching format that is understandable to astronomers and the general public. Today's educational system is becoming increasingly competitive for both students and institutions. Students must learn as much as they can, and learn it effectively. It is a school's job to give information to students in the most effective way possible. As the years go by, the educational system will become even more competitive, and the need for effective teaching methods will increase. The key to effective teaching is a student who is alert and attentive. That is why we have introduced the concept, a unique format of explaining the universe that has the potential to become a very effective classroom tool. (See Figure 1) Our implementation plan for producing our research (and other work) is both cost effective and efficient. We estimate our startup time, completion of the first successful publishing, to be approximately two months. Our qualified team has expertise in science, publishing and engineering, which will ensure successful product development. As educational institutions become more competitive, and are required to increase their standards, we believe Team Supernova’s project will become a very popular choice for a classroom desk. We strongly believe this will prove to be a very worthwhile and profitable investment in the future of education. Narrative Summary Our goal will be to address the differences in atmosphere between the Earth (e) and them Mars (m), which will show spectrums of color based on what happens when light goes through the atmosphere. Team Supernova will review both the earth and Mars at different times of day to determine the various colors that are frequency-recognizable to cones in the human eyes. We know that mars’ atmosphere is very different from earths; the atmosphere of Mars is about 100 times thinner than Earth's, and it is 95 percent carbon dioxide. Here's a breakdown of its composition: Carbon dioxide: 95.32 percent; Nitrogen: 2.7 percent. Our goal is to chart and explain the differences when objects like asteroids or light directly or indirectly affects the earth and the Mars. When completed, our research will inform and benefit the broader public, educational institutions and global media by making results available in everyday language. Methodology Team Supernova’s goal is to collect and analyze data about light and objects as it pertains to the atmospheres on Earth and Mars. Our secondary goal is to translate this information into “normal” language by publishing the information in books for children, adults and textbooks. Titles include, “Daddy can I breathe on Mars?” (Children’s book-see Figure B); and “Mediating Refractive light in the Atmospheres of Mars and Earth” (textbook). Team Supernova’s Budget 2


will give their research team sustainability to continue studies about light, atmosphere, planets and galaxies. State of the Research 1. Time delay between Mars and Earth The delay has nothing to do with the spacecraft or the hardware on the ground – a faster computer or a more powerful radio can’t improve it. In fact it is obeying the fundamental speed limit of the universe – the speed of light. At 1,079,000,000 km/hour, light is pretty quick; you could get from here to the Mars in a little over a second! But that just underlines how far away Mars is. All light (or electromagnetic radiation, which includes radio signals) travels up to this speed, and radio waves from Earth to Mars and back is no exception. Take a look at the Wikipedia article on the speed of light and you'll see how, in 1905, Einstein came upon the concept of this cosmic speed limit. (Source: http://blogs.esa.int/mex/2012/08/05/time-delay-between-mars-and-earth/) 2. Traveling light -- between planets In the short term, scientists are looking at ways to explore more of the Red Planet's surface. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California recently showed off an experimental, two-story tall beach ball called "the tumbleweed rover." Powered by the Martian breeze, which blows from 10 to 30 miles per hour, the rover would contain scientific instruments and be capable of rolling thousands of miles. By comparison, the 1997 Pathfinder traveled only a few hundred yards during most of its operations. (Source: http://www.csmonitor.com) 3. Earth atmosphere makeup The Earth's atmosphere is more than just the air we breathe. It's also a buffer that keeps us from being peppered by meteorites, a screen against deadly radiation, and the reason radio waves can be bounced for long distances around the planet. The air that accomplishes all of this is composed of five major layers. The lowest is the troposphere, which is the layer that provides most of our weather. It contains about four-fifths of the Earth's air, but extends only to a height of about 11 miles (17 kilometers) at the Equator and somewhat less at the Poles. (Source: http://science.nationalgeographic.com). 4. Mars atmosphere makeup Does Mars have an atmosphere? Yes, Mars does have an atmosphere. The Martian atmosphere contains about 95.3% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 2.7% nitrogen, with the remainder a mixture of other gases. However, it is a very thin atmosphere, roughly 100 times less dense than Earth's atmosphere. If Mars did not have an atmosphere, images taken from the surface of Mars would show a black sky, even during the day. (Source: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/79-Does-Mars-have-an-atmosphere-)


5. Camera on Mars The Panoramic Camera (Pancam)- Pancam is a high-resolution color stereo pair of CCD cameras used to image the surface and sky of Mars. The cameras are located on a "camera bar" that sits on top of the mast of the rover. (Source: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/mission/spacecraft_instru_pancam.html) 6. Rover Cameras Six engineering cameras aid in rover navigation and three cameras perform science investigations. Each camera has an application-specific set of optics. (Source: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/mission/spacecraft_rover_eyes.html) 7. Telescopes The Webb Space Telescope, Hubble's successor, will see in infrared, the light emitted by the farthest objects we can detect. Learn about Webb, its technology, and the science it will reveal. (Source: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/solar_system/mars/) Budget 1: Expenses: Plane tickets to NASA headquarters in Washington, DC: $1000.00 Website for Educational purposes: $500.00 News and Information blog: $100.00 Publishing: $5,000.00 Equipment: $3,000.00 Miscellaneous: $400.00 Total Budget 1/Expenses: $10,000.00 Budget 2: Income Post Research/ Development: In collaboration with several publishers, Team Supernova will distribute our personal findings via print and the Internet. This includes textbooks for K-12, college and a few children’s books. (See Figure B) ● Sales of published reports (print/digital/podcasts) to public school districts, national

universities and partnership with national distributor: $20,000.00 (est.) ● Google Adwords income: $2,400.00 (est. per year) ● YouTube Channel, Social Media monetization: $1,600 (est. per year)

Total Budget 2 income after expenses (est.): $24,00.00


Partnerships: ● University of Houston / Main Campus ... for the George Observatory and Burke-Baker

Planetarium ● NASA ● DuPont Planetarium at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center (RPSEC) on

University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) campus. ● Minnesota Science Museum ● University of Minnesota Duluth

Workscope – Team Supernova ● Marty List-Tesdell, Chase L. Duwenhoegger: Scientific findings (State of Research),

equations, charts and models ● Jenny Magill: Project Manager ● Chris T. Zeller: Budget, Layout ● Don Allen: Writer, Strategic Communications

Team Supernova - All Rights Reserved © 2014


Figure 1 - Textbook


Figure B – Children’s Book

How Mars and the Earth’s atmosphere react differently to light and objects

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