11. What is meant by primary atmosphere? By secondary atmosphere?
12. What are the possible sources for the atmospheres of the Terrestrial
planets? Which is the most likely for the Earth?
13. Describe the Faint Young Sun Paradox. What is the resolution of the
Faint Young Sun Paradox? What is meant by equilibrium temperature? What is
meant by albedo? What is the rough albedo for the Terrestrial planets?
14. Describe the Greenhouse Effect. What are the most important Greenhouse
gases on the Earth?
15. What are the layers of the Earth's atmosphere? Where is the ozone layer
and roles does it play for us? What is the water trap? Why is the water trap
important?
16. Venus, Earth, and Mars likely started out under similar conditions.
Describe the current thinking as to why each planet wound up so radically
different from each other (in terms of the atmospheres).
17. If all of the water on the Earth were in liquid form and spread over the
Earth, to what depth would the Earth be covered? If the same was done on Venus,
to what depth would Venus be covered? What happened to Venus's water?
18. Are there liquid oceans on Mars today? If not, is there water on Mars? If
there is water on Mars, where is the water?
19. The largest volcano in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars. Suggest
reasons why the largest volcanoes are found on Mars and not on the Earth or
Venus.
20. Briefly, contrast the surface features on Venus and Mars. Do either Venus or
Mars show plate tectonic activity? If not, does this mean Venus and Mars do
not show signs of geology?
1. Carefully describe why Mars is considered the best site for searches for
extra-Terrestrial life in our Solar System. Cite the reaonse with the
observations of mars that support your answer.
2. the primary experiments (Viking and ALH8401)
that address the question of life on Mars? Carefully describe the VIking
mission and the life search experiments
performed by Viking, the general results of the experiments, whether the
experiments showed or did not show life on Mars. Currently where do we stand
on the question of life on Mars based on Viking? What are the properties of
ALH 84001? Why is ALH 84001 considered a Martian meteorite? What features of
ALH 84001 suggested that life existed on Mars? Describe the evidence that life
exited on Mars based on ALH 84001. Which pieces of evidence remain strong to
this day? Which pieces of evidence are not considered to be strong today?
What the reaseons? What is the final take on the ALH 84001 (today)?
3. What is LAWKI and is it a reasonable guideline for
seaches for extra-Terrestrial
life? Support your with a cogent arugement supported by more than supposition
and feelings, that is give as factually based argument as possible.
4. Describe the structure of the Earth's atmopshere. How does the structure
of Venus's atmosphere compare to the Earth's atmosphere?