MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT (MP)2 KWL Prior Knowledge/Engagement Activity In your small group, brainstorm ideas about what you think you know about geologic features that may be found on Mars. Also include what questions you have about geologic features on Mars. You will revisit the third column throughout your investigation. What do we know about geologic features found on Mars? What questions do we have about geologic features on Mars? What have we learned about geologic features on Mars?MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT (MP)2 Objectives 1. Identify images of Mars that are interesting and visually appealing (cool!) 2. Develop a strategy for identifying different types of geologic features on Mars Background Information THEMIS NASA has sent many spacecraft to Mars to help scientists investigate our neighboring planet. Pictures and other data that are sent back to Earth help us understand the history of Mars and why it is the way it is today. One spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 2001 is called the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. This activity uses images taken by a camera onboard this spacecraft called the Thermal Emission Imaging System or THEMIS. THEMIS is composed of two cameras, a visual camera (VIS) and an infrared camera (IR). This activity will focus on images taken of Mars with the VIS camera, which takes pictures in a similar way as a digital camera. The visible images show us what the surface looks like -- the morphology (the shape) of the surface. The morphology of the geologic features we can see in these images tells us a lot about Mars. MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT The Mars Public Mapping Project, or (MP)2, allows the public, including you as students, to help scientists in two ways. 1. Rating Images: You can help scientists identify cool images of Mars. There are thousands of THEMIS images of Mars, and scientists would like help in identifying those that are the coolest. Cool images of Mars may tell scientists that a particular area is geologically interesting and perhaps that it should be studied in more detail. 2. Tagging Images: This task is a bit more involved and very important! Mars has many types of geologic features that you can observe in THEMIS images. (MP)2 will ask you to tag or identify different geologic features in each image. By tagging features in images, you will help create global feature maps of Mars. These global feature maps can help scientists better understand our neighboring planet Mars. As you tag images, be sure to zoom in and out of each image. Some of these features are small and hard to see unless you zoom in and observe carefully! GETTING STARTED Before you begin your work you will need to create a login. Directions for this are on the following page of this activity guide. By creating a login you will get credit for your work and your teacher will be able to monitor your progress. Once you create your login you will automatically be taken to the Getting Started page. This page will give you additional information to enable you complete your tasks well. Scientists appreciate your help and hard work. Hopefully your contributions to the Mars Public Mapping Project will bring scientists one step closer to understanding Mars!MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT (MP)2 Data Collection /Exploration Activity Creating a Login: 1. Go to the (MP)2 web site: http://mp2.mars.asu.edu/ 2. Click on the Sign Up tab at the top right hand side of the page. 3. Select Student as the user and fill in the information as requested. Your teacher will let you know whether to sign in as a single student or as a pair of students. Be sure to get the Class ID and Class Key from your teacher. 4. Once you create your login, you will be taken to the Getting Started page. Read this information carefully so you can correctly tag images! At the bottom of the page you will be able to select Go Tag to begin your work! Gathering Your Data As you use the (MP)2 website to gather your data, keep in mind there are 3 steps to tagging: Step 1: Rate the image on a scale of 1 to 5 stars Step 2: Tag features as you see them (don’t forget to scroll around the image and zoom in and out to help you identify features carefully) Step 3: Submit your work and then begin working with the next image! As you do your work, keep track or log your information on the data sheets provided. You will share it with your teacher and the class. The information you will be asked to log is: • Image ID #: This is the V# at the bottom of the image. Record the Image ID# so you can go back and view this image again later if necessary. • Image Rating: What did you rate the image – how many stars? • Sketch of Image: Create a quick sketch of the image & indicate features you tagged. • Features found: Circle the specific features you tagged in each image. Be sure these features are included on your image sketch. • Most interesting feature: What specific feature(s) did you find most interesting? What about that feature(s) is interesting? .MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT (MP)2 Data Collection /Exploration Activity Mars THEMIS Image Data Image ID#: Image Rating: Circle the Geologic Features Identified: Craters: Preserved, Modified, Rampart Layers Valleys: Straight, Curvy, Gullies Volcanic: Lava Flows, Tubes, Cones Wind Related: Sand Dunes, Dust Devil Tracks, Wind Streaks Sketch of Image: Most Interesting Feature (please explain what makes it interesting): Mars THEMIS Image Data Image ID#: Image Rating: Circle the Geologic Features Identified: Craters: Preserved, Modified, Rampart Layers Valleys: Straight, Curvy, Gullies Volcanic: Lava Flows, Tubes, Cones Wind Related: Sand Dunes, Dust Devil Tracks, Wind Streaks Sketch of Image: Most Interesting Feature (please explain what makes it interesting):MARS PUBLIC MAPPING PROJECT (MP)2 Data Collection /Exploration Activity Mars THEMIS Image Data Image ID#: Image Rating: Circle the Geologic Features Identified: Craters: Preserved, Modified, Rampart Layers Valleys: Straight, Curvy, Gullies Volcanic: Lava Flows, Tubes, Cones Wind Related: Sand Dunes, Dust Devil Tracks, Wind Streaks Sketch of Image: Most Interesting Feature (please explain what makes it interesting): Mars THEMIS Image