• Viking landers and the surface of Mars Dr. Henry J. Moore
  The goal of this resource is to give students a "feeling" for the Martian surface by "seeing" the surface close-up. This goal is accomplished by providing exercises that employ Viking lander images and maps prepared with lander images. One set of maps shows the locations of rocks and distributions of "soils" at the sites. These maps are supplemented with files that give the locations and dimensions of the rocks. Another set of maps shows the sample fields and plan views of the landers.

  Exercises include: (1) modeling the surface using the maps and "rock" files, (2) making qualitative estimates of the strengths of the "soils or dirts" at the landing sites, and (3) interpreting Viking lander images. In one exercise, students locate "Mr. Toad" (of Wind in the Willows fame) in images and on a map. Maps, images, and instructions are provided for the exercises.
  The exercises are structured so that they can be used by a broad range of students.

• Mr. Toad: in stereo
  This Java application, created by volunteer George LeCompte, permits the selection of objects and their features from Viking Lander 2 stereo image pairs and indicates their location on a diagram of the lander site. It presently has one image that includes "Mr. Toad" and more will be added.

• Tillman reports and topics

  Reports on Mars science, exploration, and education topics, and major outreach programs by Jim Tillman, former member of the Viking Meteorology Science team and Pathfinder Flight Team.

  • Mars related web links, and "Behind the Scenes at Mars Pathfinder Mission Operations"
    

  • Exceptional employees: high school to university

  • Live From Pathfinder During Mission Operations

  • Coe Fourth Grade: student responses and questions.

  • Pathfinder School: student questions.

  • K-12 Rationale: J. E. Tillman and student's goals

  • Viking Mission Operations at UW.
    Pioneering low cost planetary mission operations at UW, which enabled the last half of Lander 1's operation, is described in a 1984 paper "The Viking Mission to Mars", and other accomplishments of Tillman's Viking Computer Facility staff at UW. This includes "real time" decoding and processing of engineering, meteorology and image data from raw spacecraft bits. Highlights of Viking and Mars exploration are included

  "Viking View of Mars" Permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. As a consequence of developing the "real time" downlink processing infrastructure at the Viking Computer Facility, Tillman initiated this permanent exhibit which was developed by his staff and The Center for Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Museum. Opertion was tested in September, 1982, and raw spacecraft bits were decoded in real time. Processed meteorology data and images were displayed in the museum within 5 minutes of the downlink from Mars and during normal operation, images were to be delivered line by line in real time. A super-mini computer was obtained by donation for the exhibit which was initially titled "Live from Mars"; this was the first computer driven exhibit at the museum.

  • Viking Meteorology:
    The 3.3 year Martian climate record, from July 20, 1976, through November 12, 1982, as represented by the Atmospheric Pressure observations from the two Viking landers, is plotted and briefly annotated. The major characteristics of the Martian atmosphere, such as great dust storms, atmospheric oscillations, fronts, and the annual pressure cycle, are identified. These classical plots and notes are of most interest to scientists, although others may want to use them to illustrate the atmospheres annual condensation-sublimation cycle, the seasons, fronts and dust storms. Other meteorological data, information and writeups of more general interest will be included in the future.

• Viking Orbiter Image Mosaics (and meteorology data)
  From the USGS compilation of Viking Mars Orbiter image mosaics.
• "Project Ares Acquire"
  Mars Sample Return Mission Utilizing In Situ Propellant Production
  UW Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  Project Ares Acquire is an unmanned Mars sample return mission that utilizes propellant manufactured on Mars from the Martian atmosphere for the return trip. Four mission alternatives are considered in this study.
• Pathfinder Magnetic Properties Experiment
  Magnetic Properties of soils experiments and the water history of Mars, The Mars Group, Niels Bohr Institute, is carrying out a number of experiments to determine the magnetic properties of the Martian soils. Magnets are placed on the lander at several locations, (some of varying strengths), and photographed by the Imager For Mars Pathfinder (IMP), addressing several major scientific questions. For example,

  "Liquid water is an essential requirement for life, and liquid water serves as a kind of surrogate indicator for biological activity. The element iron interacts strongly with liquid water, especially with water in which gases like CO2 and O2 are dissolved."

  "Therefore: The history of water on Mars is reflected in the iron mineralogy of the Martian soil, a soil colored red by Fe3+-compounds. Fe3+-ions are essential ingredients in all naturally occurring magnetic compounds. From the brief description given below it will become apparent that the investigation of the magnetic phase in the Martian soil is strongly coupled to the study of the history of water on the surface of the planet.'

• Exemplary Programs
  K-12 programs containing useful ideas, information, or lessons are referenced here.

• Going on a Mars Trip.
  Ms. Rosalie Francisco's second grade students' eloquent description of the Pathfinder mission; (Alki Elementary School, Seattle WA),

NASA JPL

• Mars Pathfinder

• NASA Ames (High capacity site mirror site)
• NASA JPL (links to alternative JPL and other mirror sites)
• "Welcome to the Planets: Mars" Planetary Data System.
• Viking Project; Public Information Office:
Excellent authoritative overview. (PDF file, Portable Document Format)
• Project Galileo (JPL)
• Space Calendar (JPL)

NASA (other)

• NASA Ames Center for Mars Exploration
• NASA Information Services
• NASA Astronaut Biographies
• Astronaut Candidates
• ISS Bulletin Board - Graphic View
• NASA Shuttle Web
• Latest Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Pictures
• Recent HST Images of Mars

Aerospace Engineering

• The Case for Mars
• RLV HomePage
• Mars Direct Home Page
• MISR Home Page
• STARDUST Mission Home Page
• The Boeing Company
• Kistler Aerospace Corporation

Mars

• Mars, H. H Kieffer et al. Eds, 1498 pages, Oct 1992, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. Cost: less than $100.
  • This volume is the primary scientific reference about the planet Mars, consisting of 38 chapters, 95 pages of references, color plates and maps. The introduction provides a short history "From Antiquity to the Present", containing "Resolution of old questions and controversies", "Milestones in the modern study of Mars", "Outstanding questions and puzzles", orbits, seasons, physical and chemical data, and a description of the chapters. Subsequent chapters cover scientific fields, specialties within these fields, and observational methods.

• The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery by William Sheehan

Recommended Reading

• The Internet for Teachers, Bard Williams, IDG Books, 1995, $20.
• Includes Mac software.
• Education on the Internet, Jill H. Ellsworth, SAMS Publishing, 1994, $25.
• 40% K-12, 40% Higher ed., 20% Adult ed. "A Hands-on Book of Ideas, Resources, Projects, and Advice." Fairly extensive tome.
• Way of the Ferret: Finding and Using Educational Resources on the Internet, Judi Harris, ISTE Publications, 1995, $27.
• More on internet systems than education but includes a good list of resources.
• The Student's Guide to Doing Research on the Internet, Dave and Mary Cambell, Addison-Wesley, 1995, $15.
• Brief Basics and good list of available resources.
• Student's Guide to the Internet, David Clark, Alpha Books, 1995, $15.
• More in-depth on internet systems, brief on resources.
• The Learning Highway: A Students Guide to Using the Internet in High School and College, Trevor Owen, Ron Owston, Cheryl Dickie, Key Porter Books, 1995, $17.
• How the Internet Works, Joshua Eddings, Ziff-Davis Press, 1994, $24.
• Big picture book on internet systems. Part of their "How It Works" series.
• Minding Your Cybermanners on the Internet, Dr. Donald Rose, Alpha Books, 1994, $13. 
• Learning to Use the Internet: an Introduction with Examples and Exercises, Ernest Ackerman, Franklin, Beedle, and Associates, 1995, $17.