Mars' Ancient Ocean

Click here for link to Ingenuity press kit. Includes information and links to b-roll.Check out raw images from the Mars Perseverance Rover here.Make your own paper Mars helicopter!Perseverance took a SELFIE with Ingenuity!Check out the CLOSE UP of Ingenuity Associated b-roll for the live shots Canned interview in Spanish with Systems Engineer Elio Morillo. TRT 6:48. You can find his bio HERE Canned interview with Teddy Tzanetos Deputy Ops Lead & Tactical Lead. TRT 8:52. SOTS are separated by a slate with the question. In the case of two questions where there are two SOTS, a second of black separates the answers. NASA’s Small But Mighty Ingenuity Helicopter Is Gearing Up For Historic Test Flight On MarsThe first-ever powered, controlled flight on another planet is just days away!History in the making: NASA is targeting Sunday, April 11 for Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet. The small but mighty helicopter arrived on Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover. Ingenuity is a technology experiment with a narrow scope and limited duration (only a month), aiming to pave the way for more ambitious aerial exploration of other planets in the future. As Ingenuity makes its historic flights, it also carries with it a piece of history from Earth: a piece of the original Wright Brothers plane. Flying on Mars isn’t easy: the atmosphere is thin (about 1% the density of Earth’s atmosphere). Ingenuity has to spin its blades much faster than at Earth to get enough lift and be very light (about 4 pounds or 1.8 kg). The first test flight involves lifting off, climbing to 10 feet (3 meters), hovering for about 30 seconds, and then descending.This flight will be the first in a series of test flights that will last up to 31 Earth days (30 Martian days or sols), each building in complexity if the previous flight went as planned. These tests will set the stage for future missions to include advanced robotic flying vehicles, collect high-resolution images from the air and survey sites that are difficult for rovers to reach.NASA experts are available for one-on-one virtual interviews on Friday, April 9th from 6:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT - two days before this historic flight - as well as limited opportunity Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11 - the day before and the day of this historic test - to talk about what NASA hopes to accomplish with this ambitious first flight. Want to have some fun demonstrating Ingenuity for your viewers? You can make a paper version! The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has developed a way for people to experiment with Ingenuity’s design on paper to see what works best. You can find everything you need to participate here build your own!To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form**: https://forms.gle/6dbMULmkBe7yj9HNA**Please note: requests received after 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 8 may not be accommodated. Requests may not be accommodated if sent in via email.Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom and Skype, in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc. Our preferred program is Zoom. Satellite interviews are not available. Please do not use an IFB unless necessary.*Spanish Interviews are available*Suggested QuestionsIn 118 years we’ve gone from the first flight of a powered aircraft by the Wright Brothers to today’s test of powered aircraft on another planet. What is NASA hoping to learn from this historic test flight? What makes flying on Mars so difficult?Ingenuity is carrying a little piece of history with it. Can you tell us what that is?What is the first test flight for Ingenuity going to be like? Ingenuity hitched a ride to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance Rover that landed in February. How did it get to the surface?How will this help with future missions, crewed or robotic, to Mars?Where can our viewers go to keep up with Ingenuity?Questions for longer interviewsHow difficult was it to design this small but mighty helicopter?How did your team even figure out it was possible to fly a helicopter on Mars?Suggested anchor introIt’s incredibly difficult to fly in such thin air, but NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is about to attempt just this feat at Mars. Ingenuity is a very small spacecraft -- about the size of a tissue box -- but it has some big ambitions. Joining us today to talk about this historic test is … For More InformationSee [https://mars.nasa.gov/](https://mars.nasa.gov/) Related pages

Click here for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover press kit.Quick link to cut B-ROLL for the LIVE SHOTSQuick link to canned interview with KEITH COMEAUXQuick link to PROMO for Spanish language show Associated b-roll for Mars landing live shots. B-roll is separated by a slate with the question on it. TRT 7:21Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Canned interview with Launch, Cruise, Approach, EDL (LCAE) Mission Manager Keith Comeaux. TRT 6:53. Includes transcript. SOTS are separated by slates with the questions El 18 de febrero, la NASA ofrecerá su primera transmisión en español de un aterrizaje robótico en otro planeta. #JuntosPerseveramos destacará el papel que los profesionales hispanos de la NASA han tenido en el éxito de @NASAPersevere. ¡Te esperamos! Lower thirds graphics for live show in Spanish Game Day! Join NASA In The Excitement As We Countdown To Landing On The Red Planet After six months, more than 300 million miles and seven precarious minutes... On February 18, NASA begins an epic and unparalleled exploration of Mars with the landing of its newest rover. As the first rover to land on the red planet since 2012, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is the agency’s most ambitious rover yet. The SUV-sized rover will explore Mars in search of signs of ancient life, collect samples of Martian rocks and sediment for future return to Earth, study the planet’s geology and climate, and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon. Throughout all of this, it will also collect the first sounds from the Red Planet, allowing us to hear what Mars sounds like! Perseverance is landing in the most challenging Martian terrain ever targeted: an area known as Jezero Crater. Scientists want to explore and investigate Jezero Crater because they believe it was once filled with flowing water, and perhaps had the right environment that could have supported ancient microbial life. But Jezero is also a dangerous area to land in because it has steep cliffs, sand dunes, and boulder fields. NASA team members will be available for virtual one-on-one interviews on Wednesday, February 17 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST and Thursday, February 18 from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST. The capsule carrying Perseverance enters Mars’s atmosphere at 3:48 p.m. EST and lands at 3:55 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 18. ** Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 ET, etc. Satellite interviews are not available. ** Interviews are available in Spanish**. List of participating scientists will be added next week. To book an interview please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Li4ow3zAXj5FgKQK9 *If you are looking to book a radio or podcast interview, please contact victoria.j.woodburn@nasa.gov or fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/2aE3Kbhsn3udmdjG7 * Please note the following changes to the form:Our preferred video chat program is now Zoom and you will need to provide us with the Zoom link. No IFB interviews will be done. (If you require an IFB please reach out to michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov) All taped radio interviews will be done over Microsoft Teams. We will provide you with the Microsoft Teams link. Suggested Anchor/Host Intro: TOMORROW / TODAY IS THE DAY NASA WILL LAND THE FIRST ROVER ON MARS IN NEARLY A DECADE. PERSEVERANCE WILL SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF LIFE, COLLECT THE FIRST SAMPLES THAT WILL BE RETURNED BY A FUTURE MISSION, AND PAVE THE WAY FOR HUMAN EXPLORERS. JOINING US TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS MISSION IS . Suggested Questions:Perseverance is the first rover to land on Mars since Curiosity in 2012. What makes this rover special?Perseverance is going to an intriguing place on Mars that scientists believe was an ancient lakebed. What will the rover be studying there?I hear that the rover is landing in quite a dangerous part of Mars. What will be going through your mind during the landing?Perseverance will be collecting samples of Martian rock and soil. What will happen to those samples?What are you most looking forward to learning with Perseverance?How can our viewers watch the landing and stay up-to-date on this mission? Questions for longer interviews:I hear the rover also has a sidekick. Can you tell us what Ingenuity is and what it's trying to test for the first time?Thanks to Perseverance, we’re actually going to hear what Mars sounds like for the first time. What are you most excited to hear?How does this mission set the stage for future human missions to Mars?How difficult is it to send a rover to Mars? Related pages

This is an artist's model of an early Mars — billions of years ago — which may have had oceans and a thicker atmosphere. It was created by filling Mars' lower altitudes with water and adding cloud cover. The locations for the ancient ocean are based on current altitudes and do not reflect the actual ancient topography. This animation transitions from an early, wet Mars to present-day dry Mars. This animation transitions from an early, wet Mars to present-day dry Mars, and back again. This artist's model shows where the landing sites are on Mars for Viking 1 & 2, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix, and Curiosity, in comparison to possible locations of an early ocean which may have existed billions of years ago. In this depiction, the atmosphere is thicker than the present-day Mars atmosphere, which is only about 1% of Earth’s. The locations for the ancient ocean are based on current altitudes and do not reflect the actual ancient topography. This is an updated map of landing sites on Mars that includes Viking 1 & 2, Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix, and Curiosity. This animation transitions from present-day dry Mars to an early, wet Mars. This is a map of current Mars, created using NASA mission data. It can be compared with the artists' rendering for an early, wet Mars and the landing sites on Mars. These animations were originally created to accompany Invisible Mars, a Science-on-a-Sphere live presentation for the MAVEN mission. The animations have been rendered for use in other formats, including the NASA Hyperwall. Learn more about MAVEN and about the Lunar and Planetary Institute.Credit: Created for the MAVEN mission by the Lunar and Planetary Institute For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html) Related pages

Infographic explaining the MAVEN argon results. Enlarge or click "download" for print-resolution versions. Also available in text-readable PDF for the visually impaired. Animations of the MAVEN spacecraft, sputtering, and the evolution of the Martian climate. This video file is in the standard NASA-TV broadcast format. Animations begin at 1:36. Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the Martian atmosphere, according to results from NASA's MAVEN mission. By measuring light and heavy isotopes of argon in the Martian atmosphere, scientists have determined that the majority of the planet's air and water were removed to space by sputtering. In this process, ions from the Mars atmosphere get picked up by the solar wind and slammed into other atoms at the top of the atmosphere, knocking them into space. Scientists used measurements of light and heavy argon from MAVEN and NASA's Curiosity rover to determine that sputtering has removed 65% of Mars' argon to space, along with the majority of other gases like carbon dioxide. Over billions of years, this transformed Mars from a hospitable environment into the cold, dry planet that we see today.Learn more about the MAVEN argon loss finding. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html) Related pages

Mars transitions from a wet planet early in its history to the dry world that we see today. This animation has been formatted for planetarium full-dome presentations, rendered for unidirectional domes in a variety of resolutions, up to 4K. Artist concept image of an early wet Mars. Ancient regions on Mars bear signs of abundant water - such as features resembling valleys and deltas, and minerals that only form in the presence of liquid water. Scientists think that billions of years ago, the atmosphere of Mars was much denser and warm enough to form rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans of water. As the planet cooled and lost its global magnetic field, the solar wind and solar storms eroded away to space a significant amount of the planet’s atmosphere, turning Mars into the cold, arid desert we see today. The goal of MAVEN is to determine how much of Mars’ atmosphere and water have been lost to space, and how these processes have changed the climate on the Red Planet over its history. Related pages

NASA research suggests an ocean once covered the surface of Mars. Find out how Mars lost its primitive ocean in this video. Early Mars would have looked much different than it does today, with a significant portion of its surface covered by water. Scientists estimate Mars has lost 87 percent of the water from its ocean to space. The remaining 13 percent of Mars' water is stored within ice caps at the planet's poles. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/nasa-research-suggests-mars-once-had-more-water-than-earth-s-arctic-ocean/) Related pages

16x9 format Cinemascope format Billions of years ago when the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water – a critical ingredient for life. The animation shows how the surface of Mars might have appeared during this ancient clement period, beginning with a flyover of a Martian lake. The artist's concept is based on evidence that Mars was once very different. Rapidly moving clouds suggest the passage of time, and the shift from a warm and wet to a cold and dry climate is shown as the animation progresses. The lakes dry up, while the atmosphere gradually transitions from Earthlike blue skies to the dusty pink and tan hues seen on Mars today. Related pages

SPUTTERING How did Mars, a once wet planet, lose its early atmosphere? One possibility is through a process called "sputtering," in which atoms are knocked away from the atmosphere due to impacts with energetic particles.For complete transcript, click here. NEUTRAL PROCESSES Scientists think that the collision of neutral hydrogen molecules may have helped to drive the Martian atmosphere into space over billions of years.For complete transcript, click here. PLASMA PROCESSES Mars's thick early atmosphere was likely lost to space, and the Sun is a potential culprit. When high-energy solar photons strike the upper Martian atmosphere they can ionize gas molecules, causing the atmosphere to erode over time. For complete transcript, click here. When you take a look at Mars, you probably wouldn't think that it looks like a nice place to live. It's dry, it's dusty, and there's practically no atmosphere. But some scientists think that Mars may have once looked like a much nicer place to live, with a thicker atmosphere, cloudy skies, and possibly even liquid water flowing over the surface. So how did Mars transform from a warm, wet world to a cold, barren desert? NASA's MAVEN spacecraft will give us a clearer idea of how Mars lost its atmosphere (and thus its water), and scientists think that several processes have had an impact.Learn more about these processes in the videos below! Related pages

Meet Dr. Michael Mumma, Director of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology, and learn about his role in the laboratory. For complete transcript, click here. Jamie Cook, an astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center, talks about her work in the lab and some of her most exciting discoveries.For complete transcript, click here. Joe Nuth, Senior Scientist for Primitive Bodies, talks about his job, his research, and how scientists are just like everyone else, but a little nerdier.For complete transcript, click here. Jason Dworkin, Chief of the Astrochemistry Laboratory, talks about solving problems, analyzing comets, and the great team of people working to answer science's biggest questions.For complete transcript, click here. Geronimo Villanueva talks about the possibility of life on Mars, trips to remote telescopes, and the research opportunities at NASA. In Spanish.For an English transcription, click here. Danny Glavin talks about crushing meteorite samples, funding, and how having the right chemistry (no pun intended) is important in an astrobiology lab.For complete transcript, click here. Inge ten Kate talks about the origin of life, the VAPOR instrument, and the unique opportunity to be both a scientist AND an engineer.For complete transcript, click here. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. The NASA Goddard Center for Astrobiology and the NASA Astrobiology Institute focus on this amazing field through research, experimentation, and work with scientists from all over the world. Learn more about some of the people at the Goddard Center for Astrobiology below! Related pages

Mike Mumma and his team of researchers at Goddard Space Flight Center have made the first definitive observations of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. The evidence of methane plumes only during certain seasons and the chemical processes that could lead to its possible sources both raise intriguing questions for future study.For complete transcript, click here. For More InformationSee [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.html](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.html) Related pages