Program
The course is focused on the planet Mars and is structured
in four sections:
A) Mars: the planet: We will provide a thorough
introduction to the solid planet and its surface environment.
This will include discussions of the planet’s interior
composition today, and how this relates to possible surface
conditions in the remote past with particular attention to
the presence of water.
B) Missions: orbiters: We will talk
about what the orbiters have taught us through their
instrumentation and science results. This will illustrate
and reinforce the concepts presented in the overview
section.
C) Missions: landers: We will discuss the
science done by landed missions to date: Russian landers
and NASA’s Vikings, Pathfinder, and the Mars Exploration
Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. The class will also address
the choice of instruments for each mission’s science
plan and the implications of the results obtained.
D) Missions: 2005 and beyond: We will give
an overview of the future mission opportunities, the science
they are meant to yield, the instrument packages for them,
and introduce the process that is available for participation.
A few days before the School, on July 1, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft is scheduled
to fire its main engine to reduce the vessel’s speed and allow it to be
captured by Saturn's gravity and enter orbit. The spacecraft will then begin
a four-year tour of the ringed planet, its mysterious moons, stunning rings,
and complex magnetic environment. While the orbiter examines Saturn's fascinating
realm as it repeatedly loops around the planet, the Huygens probe will separate
from the Cassini orbiter and descend into Titan's murky atmosphere, discovered
by Josep Comas i Solà, our School's namesake. In honor of this historic
occasion, we plan a special evening lecture on Titan and the Cassini-Huygens
mission.
