I want you to write factual weather articles about the following topics. I have included questions which should be answered. The answers will help you write your news stories. These stories will be put on the back page of our next issue.
As you know, our front page is strictly humorous. You might want to make up an appropriate, but humorous, headline for your news story.
1. Look at Mars in All Sun All The Time?. Can you see the north pole?
2. On which hemisphere, northern or southern, does the sun appear to be shining most directly? What is your evidence?
3. What season do you infer it to be in the northern hemisphere? Give your reasons.
4. Is it the same season in the northern hemisphere on Earth?
5. What are the temperature ranges (lowest to highest) for 30 degrees N. in the USA and on Mars? Use See The USA in a Brand New Way. (Click on "00LATEST".) What are the average temperatures? You will want to use Conversion Charts to change temperatures to Celsius.
6. What causes seasons on Mars? See Mars Stats: Seasons for help.
7. About how long are seasons on Earth and Mars? See Earth Stats: Seasons and Mars Stats: Seasons.
Write a news story summarizing what you have learned.
1. For a Martian traveling to Earth today, show the temperature, wind speed and direction, sky condition and precipitation outlook for the reporter's home city (or a major city nearby). Use USA Weather: It's All In Vane and Weather Symbols: No Groundhogs Here.
2. For an Earthling traveling to Mars today, show the same weather conditions as for Earth above. Use Mars: All Sun All The Time? (scroll to the lower right corner of the image). You will want to use Conversion Charts to express wind speed in mph and temperature in degrees Celsius.
3. For a Martian traveling to Earth, but not the USA, show the above data (not wind speed or direction) for somewhere else in Europe, Africa, Asia or South America.
4. For Mars, what would be a typical summer day's temperature ranges? Make a graph showing temperatures at 30 degrees N. latitude. Use A Day's Temperatures On Mars: It's A Cold Cruel World. Where data is missing (black color), put an 'X' in the appropriate chart box. Use a dotted line to show interpolations between data points on the graph if data is missing. Be sure to title your graph. Read Question 5 below, before deciding on your temperature numbers for the y axis.
Martian Daily Temperatures for 30 degrees N.
12am 3am 6am 9am 12pm 3pm 6pm 9pm 12am
temperatures
5. If you can get hourly temperatures of your city (or the closest major city) from your newspaper, graph those data on the above grid. Why don't the temperatures for Earth change as much as those for Mars? See Earth Stats: Atmosphere for help.
1. Are there clouds today over your city? Use USA-Visible Light And Infrared: Put Your Head In The Clouds.
2. What substance(s) make up these clouds? Check with Earth Stats: Atmosphere if you aren't sure.
3. Are there ever clouds on Mars? Use
Oympus Mons: Always Cloaked in Clouds?
and Mars Stats: Olympus Mons.
a. What is Olympus Mons?
b. Are the clouds made of the same substance as clouds on Earth?
c. Where in the picture can you see ripples caused by wind?
4. Use
Viking 2 Lander View: Pink Sky At Night, Martian's Delight and Mars Stats: Soil for help.
a. Why do you think the sky is pink?
b. What do you see on the surface that doesn't appear to have been naturally
made?
5. Collect data from Mars Temperatures With Clear Atmosphere: Cool! to fill in the following chart. Black means there was no data collected (put an X in the box).
Warmest Clear Day Temperatures, 15 degrees N
12am 3am 6am 9am 12pm 3pm 6pm 9pm 12pm
Atmosphere
Surface
6. What season is it in the northern hemisphere? How do you know?
7. Look at Mars Temperatures With Dusty Atmosphere: Dust Gets In My Eyes. What hemisphere is experiencing summer? How do you know?
8. Collect data from Mars Temperatures With Dusty Atmosphere: Dust Gets In My Eyes to fill in the chart below.
Warmest Dusty Day Temperatures, 60 degrees S.
12am 3am 6am 9am 12pm 3pm 6pm 9pm 12pm
Atmosphere
Surface
9. What is the surface temperature range (lowest to highest temperatures) for the dusty day on Mars?
10. What is surface temperature range for the clear day on Mars?
11. What is the atmosphere temperature range for a dusty day on Mars?
12. What is the atmosphere temperature range for a clear day on Mars?
13. Describe the differences in atmosphere temperatures for the clear and dusty days.
14. What might account for the differences in temperatures? See Mars Stats: Atmosphere for help.
15. Describe the differences in surface temperatures for the clear and dusty days.
16. What might account for the differences in temperatures? See Mars Stats: Atmosphere.
17. The orbit of Mars is more elliptical than the orbit of Earth. The distance from Mars to the sun varies by 20%. In the drawing below, which hemisphere is experiencing summer when Mars is closest to the sun?
18. Which position, summer in the northern or southern hemispheres, produces dust storms?
19. What variables might affect the production of dust storms in the southern hemisphere?
20. Use Martian Seasonal Temperatures: It's Not The Heat, It's Not The Humidity. The numbers represent the degree position of Mars in its orbit. When did summer begin in the southern hemisphere? In the northern hemisphere? Use the degree positions.
21. When did a dust storm begin? How do you know?
22. Each degree represent slightly less than 2 Mars' days. About how long did the dust storm last?
23. Look at the orbit view in Mars: All Sun All The Time?. Is it likely that there are dust storms today on Mars? Explain your answer.
24. Are there any dust or water storms at your city today? Use
USA Weather: It's All In Vane
or any of the appropriate continental precipitation maps.
OPTIONAL
25. The Dust Bowl describes an area of the United States that experienced
severe dust storms. You may wish to find out about this interesting weather
event.
26. How did the dinosaurs disappear? Research the theory that says dinosaurs were killed when dust was created in the atmosphere by a meteor hitting the earth.
Write a news story about atmospheric conditions on Mars versus Earth based on your findings above.
In 1975, NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration sent two satellite probes to Mars. Viking 1 and 2, as they were called, were sent to gather atmospheric and surface weather data. Once they had landed they were to do soil analyses for signs of life.
What if MASA (the Martian Aeronautics and Space Administration) sent spacecraft to the same locations on earth as the Viking spacecraft? What would they find? Use Ocean Temperatures: Dip, Dip Today? (click on "Latest SST Map") to answer some of these questions.
1. Viking 1 landed at 22 degrees N. and 28 degrees W. Where on Earth would that be?
2. What would the temperature of the surface be?
3. What might happen to the spacecraft when it lands?
4. Would it be able to detect life? Intelligence? Explain.
5. If the spacecraft had humans aboard, how should they dress for extra-vehicle activity (EVA-going outside the craft)?
6. Viking 2 landed at 46 degrees N. and 150 degrees E. Where on earth would that be?
7. What would the temperature of the surface be?
8. Would it be able to detect life? Intelligence? Explain.
9. If the spacecraft had humans, should they dress the same as for the Viking 1 site?
10. The Viking spacecrafts landed on rock and soil on Mars and their landing locations were chosen. If a location isn't chosen, what are the chances that a spacecraft will land on soil or rock on Earth? Explain.
11. Choose the latitude and longitude of a landing site for a MASA satellite. Tell why you chose it and the kind of weather the Martians would encounter when they landed.
Write a news story about what you have learned.
