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Fresh From Mars: Scientist To Describe H20 Discovery
Dallas TX (SPX) Aug 28, 2008 Water on Mars? Scientists suspected the presence of H2O on the surface of our planetary next-door neighbor, but it took a series of tests and University of Texas at Dallas Professor John Hoffman's instrument aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander to prove it. Hoffman will tell audiences at the Museum of Nature and Science on Aug. 30 how he and his team made one of this century's first major space science discoveries. The finding prompted NASA to extend the Phoenix mission, which was set to wrap up this month, for another five weeks. Hoffman, a member of UT Dallas' William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences, designed the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA), a combination high-temperature furnace and mass spectrometer instrument that analyzed Martian ice and soil samples, the step needed to prove the existence of water. "If we could give Dr. Hoffman and his team a ticker-tape parade, we would," said Steve Hinkley, director of education for the Museum of Nature and Science. "We are thrilled that he will spend a day with us to explain how one of the most persistent scientific questions of our time has been answered." The Mars mission update is part of the final weekend of "Eyes on Earth" - the museum's astronomy and space exhibition sponsored by Lockheed Martin and the UT Dallas. "Eyes on Earth" was inaugurated on Memorial Day with a live watch party at the museum's IMAX theater to monitor the risky landing of Phoenix on the planet Mars. An overflow crowd of space enthusiasts gripped their seats as they witnessed the white-knuckled final minutes as the NASA spacecraft concluded its nine-month journey. During Labor Day weekend, the museum is giving visitors one last chance to explore how satellites work, meet real space pioneers and enjoy hands-on demonstrations and activities suitable for all ages. In addition to Professor Hoffman, aerospace researcher and developer V. Raj Narayanan will give a peek at cutting-edge technologies that will someday enable commercial space access, transcontinental flights in fewer than three hours and advanced air combat vehicles. Hoffman's presentation will include high-resolution images from Mars, stories about the effort to find water there and a look at life on Martian time, which is 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Hoffman worked overnight a few times, going to work 40 minutes later each day as the scientists kept pace with the solar-powered Phoenix spacecraft. "It's wonderful to be back in Texas," Hoffman said. "I've been monitoring Mars Lander experiments from Tucson since the spacecraft landed in May and I am excited to come to the museum to share this story with the public." "I've been a space scientist for a long time, doing work on the Apollo missions to the moon and on Haley's Comet in 1986," Hoffman said. "Helping find water on Mars ranks among my most thrilling professional accomplishments. I'm eager to share that story." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links UT Dallas Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
Liquid Water in the Martian North
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Aug 25, 2008Perchlorate. Never heard of it? Join the club. But NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has found it in the soil in the icy northern plains of Mars. And now that it's been found, scientists are scrambling to explain how it got there, and what, if anything, its presence means about the habitability of the martian north. |
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