Review for Last Two Weeks of Class
The final is cumulative and so Review Sheets 1 and 2 are also relevant for the Final.
Final: December 7, 2021
Mars and Water
- Are there liquid oceans on Mars today? Are there flowing rivers on Mars today?
Why don't we believe that there will be oceans and flowing rivers on Mars today?
- Is there any water on Mars today? Is there evidence that water
exists on Mars today? Where does the water exist on Mars today?
What is the evidence that water exists on Mars today?
- Is there evidence that oceans and lakes, and/or rivers existed on Mars in the past?
What is the evidence? If so, when did they exist? How do we know when they existed? Are
these results consistent with our ideas on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere?
- What evidence gathered by Curiosity (and other rovers and Martian
missions) shows that Mars once had a lusher climate in the past?
- What is the significance of the deuterium to hydrogen
ratio (D/H ratio) on Mars? How does the (D/H) ratio on Mars compare
to that on Earth and Venus? Based on the (D/H) ratio, how much of its
original store of water has Mars lost?
- Carefully describe why Mars is considered one of the best sites for searches for
extra-Terrestrial life in our Solar System. Cite the reasons
that support your answer.
- Describe the biology experiments carried out by the Viking Landers? What results
were initially found by these experiments? How did Phoenix alter our interpretation
of the Viking results? What was the significance of the discovery of perchlorates
in the soil of Mars by the Phoenix lander?
How did Curiosity greatly improve our understanding?
What is ALH84001? Describe the results of the study of ALH84001?
- Did either the Viking experiments or ALH84001 show that life exists or has existed
on Mars in the past?
- What is meant by the acronym LAWKI? Is LAWKI a sensible idea? Support your answer
with a cogent argument.
Jovian Planets
- List and then compare and contrast the properties of the Jovian planets to
the Terrestrial planets. How are the interiors of the Jovian planets probed?
To date, what have been the most fruitful approaches?
Cite reasons why you answer as you do.
- Which Jovian planets have ring systems? Describe the ring system of Saturn.
What is the Roche limit? What is the gap in the A-ring called? What is the gap
between the A-ring and B-ring called? Are the rings thought to be remnants of
the formation of Saturn or are they younger?
- What are the Galileo, Juno, and Cassini missions? Give some useful results
that have come from the missions that bear on the question of the formation of
the Solar System, the Habitable Zone of our Solar System, and searches for life
on planets outside the Earth.
- Describe the interiors of Jupiter and Saturn. What are the dominant elements
that make up Jupiter and Saturn? What is liquid metallic hydrogen? What do
we mean when we say that the material is liquid and metallic?
What is an implication of
having a large metallic layer in a rapidly rotating planet? Liquid metallic
hydrogen has an interesting history; discuss its history a little.
- JUNO revealed that Jupiter's core is a large, fuzzy
structure that occupies up to half its radius. How does it impact our understanding
of how Jupiter-like planets form? What are possible ways in which this result can
be understood.
- Cassini showed that Saturn's core is a large and more indistinct
structure than previously thought, that slohses around,
occupying up to half its radius.
How might this result impact our understanding
of how Jupiter-like planets form? What are possible ways in which this result can
be understood. How did Cassini discover this result?
- Jupiter and Saturn rotate rapidly. Compare and contrast the
importance of rotation of
Jupiter and Saturn to that in
the Terrestrial planets. What are some effects of this
rapid rotation, in particular, in terms of how it allows us to probe the
interior structures of Jupiter and Saturn and the rapid spin affects
the atmoshpere and atmospheric circulation on the Jovian planets?
- Jupiter and Saturn are both observed to
radiate more energy to space than they receive
from the Sun. What are the explanations for these interesting results?
In particular, discusss helium rain. What evidence suggests that helium
rain in fact occurs?
Ocean Worlds
- Some of the large moons of Jupiter
are targets for searches for extra-terrestrial life.
These are moons, however, and so, why are they targets for searches for life?
(They are small and far from the Sun.)
Give some of the features of Europa and Enceladus that make them
targets? Which of the moons of the Jupiter show volcanos and jets and explain
these moons can show apparent geologic activity.
What is a large concern about all of these targets as locations where could develop.
- Will LAWKI influence the design
of future biology experiments for the moons of the Jovian planets?
Should LAWKI influence the design
of future biology experiments for the moons of the Jovian planets?
Support your answers with cogent arugements supported by more than supposition
and feelings, that is, give as factually based argument as possible.
- What is the Habitable Zone as defined 20 or so years ago? What determined the size
of the Habitable Zone in those days? How many planets in our Solar System were in
the old version of the Habitable Zone? How has our understanding of what constitutes the
Habitable Zone changed over the last 10 or so years. Which planets or moons are considered
to be in the Habitable Zone today?
Is the habitable zone a rigidly defined? Has it become less rigidly defined or more rigidly
defined over the years?
- What are Ocean Worlds? What are the Ocean Worlds?
- What are Enceladus and Europa? What are the properties of Enceladus and
Europa that make them potential targets for searches for life?
- Describe the surface features of Europa.
- Discuss the cases of Europa and Enceladus. First off, why is it
somewhat surprsing we even consder Europa and Enceladus as objects that
might support life?
- What is the evidence for subsurface liquid oceans on Europa and
Enceladus? What are plumes? What molecules are found in plumes? What is
methanogenesis? What is the significance of finding H2 and
CO2 in plumes? What are the Tiger Stripes