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Review of NASA's Planned Mars Program (1996) / Chapter Skim
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2 SCIENTIFIC GOALS FOR THE EXPLORATION OF MARS
Pages 12-15

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From page 12...
... 3 All these reports identify the same three science themes for Mars exploration, namely: q The search for indigenous life or evidence of past life, q Atmospheric dynamics and climate change, and q The evolution of the surface and interior. COMPLEX now briefly elaborates on these topics and describes observations that, according to the Integrated Strategy, will best elucidate the primary scientific questions.
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From page 13...
... Between 15 and 20 stations, distributed over the surface and at various elevations sufficient to ensure that the characteristic separation of any two stations is no more than a planetary radius, appear to be the minimum necessary to acquire interpretable meteorological data. Mars may have undergone modest climatic changes in the recent geologic past, but larger variations in the more distant past.
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From page 14...
... REFERENCES 1. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, An Integrated Strategy for the Planetary Sciences: 1995-2010, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.
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From page 15...
... 7. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, The Search for Life's Origins: Progress and Future Directions in Planetary Biology and Chemical Evolution, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1990.
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Key Terms

  • integrated strategy
  • mars science
  • international mars
  • space science
  • past life

  • mars exploration
  • biogenic elements
  • international strategy
  • scientific questions
  • scientific exploration

  • past surface
  • primary scientific
  • surface conditions
  • assess past
  • mars include

  • surface exploration
  • past conditions
  • detailed surface
  • surface measurements
  • past fluvial

  • geologic past
  • surface stations
  • distant past
  • distributed surface
  • optimum strategy

  • widely distributed
  • jet propulsion
  • favorable locations
  • acquire interpretable
  • weathering products


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