For Further Exploration: Earthlike Planets

Articles

Venus

Dorminey, B. “Cool Science on a Hot World.” Astronomy (February 2006): 46. Five-page overview of Venus and the Venus Express mission plans.

Kargel, J. “Rivers of Venus.” Sky & Telescope (August 1997): 32. On lava channels.

Robertson, D. “Parched Planet.” Sky & Telescope (April 2008): 26. Overview of our understanding of the planet.

Robinson, C. “Magellan Reveals Venus.” Astronomy (February 1995): 32.

Stofan, E. “The New Face of Venus.” Sky & Telescope (August 1993): 22.

Zimmerman, R. “Taking Venus by Storm.” Astronomy (October 2008): 66. On results from the Venus Express mission.

Mars

Albee, A. “The Unearthly Landscapes of Mars.” Scientific American (June 2003): 44. Results from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions and an overview.

Bell, J. “A Fresh Look at Mars.” Astronomy (August 2015): 28. Nice summary of recent spacecraft results and how they are revising our understanding of Mars.

Bell, J. “Uncovering Mars’ Secret Past.” Sky & Telescope (July 2009): 22. How rovers and orbiters are helping us to understand Mars history and the role of water.

Bell, J. “The Red Planet’s Watery Past.” Scientific American (December 2006): 62. Rovers are furnishing proof that ancient Mars was wet.

Burnham, R. “Red Planet Rendezvous.” Astronomy (May 2006): 68. About Mariner Valley and a flyover film constructed from many still images.

Christensen, P. “The Many Faces of Mars.” Scientific American (July 2005): 32. Results from the Rover mission; evidence that Mars was once wet in places.

Lakdawalla, E. “The History of Water on Mars.” Sky & Telescope (September 2013): 16. Clear review of our current understanding of the role of water on Mars in different epochs.

Malin, M. “Visions of Mars.” Sky & Telescope (April 1999): 42. A geological tour of the red planet, with new Mars Global Surveyor images.

McEwen, A. “Mars in Motion.” Scientific American (May 2013): 58. On gullies and other surface changes.

McKay, C. & Garcia, V. “How to Search for Life on Mars.” Scientific American (June 2014): 44. Experiments future probes could perform.

Naeye, R. “Europe’s Eye on Mars.” Sky & Telescope (December 2005): 30. On the Mars Express mission and the remarkable close-up images it is sending.

Talcott, R. “Seeking Ground Truth on Mars.” Astronomy (October 2009): 34. How rovers and orbiters are helping scientists understand the red planet’s surface.

Websites

European Space Agency Mars Express Page: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express.

European Space Agency Venus Express Page: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express.

High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/.

Jet Propulsion Lab Mars Exploration Page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/.

Mars Globe HD app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mars-globe-hd/id376020224?mt=8.

Mars Rover 360° Panorama: http://www.360cities.net/image/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2#171.10,26.50,70.0. Interactive.

NASA Center for Mars Exploration: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/main/index.html.

NASA Solar System Exploration Mars Page: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars.

NASA Solar System Exploration Venus Page: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus.

NASA’s apps about Mars for phones and tablets can be found at: http://mars.nasa.gov/mobile/info/.

NASA’s Magellan Mission to Venus: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/.

Russian (Soviet) Venus Missions and Images: http://mentallandscape.com/C_CatalogVenus.htm.

Venus Atlas app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/venus-atlas/id317310503?mt=8.

Venus Express Results Article: http://www.mpg.de/798302/F002_Focus_026-033.pdf.

Videos

50 Years of Mars Exploration: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1395. NASA’s summary of all missions through MAVEN; good quick overview (4:08).

Being a Mars Rover: What It’s Like to be an Interplanetary Explorer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRpCOEsPD54. 2013 talk by Dr. Lori Fenton about what it’s like on the surface of Mars (1:07:24).

Magellan Maps Venus: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/space_missions/magellan_probe#p005y07s. BBC clip with Dr. Ellen Stofan on the radar images of Venus and what they tell us (3:06).

Our Curiosity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczKXWvokm4. Mars Curiosity rover 2-year anniversary video narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Felicia Day (6:01).

Planet Venus: The Deadliest Planet, Venus Surface and Atmosphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqFVxWfVtoo. Quick tour of Venus’ atmosphere and surface (2:04).

Planetary Protection and Hitchhikers in the Solar System: The Danger of Mingling Microbes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iGC3uO7jBI. 2009 talk by Dr. Margaret Race on preventing contamination between worlds (1:28:50).