October 8th Archive of Ambient
Electricity on Mars
This chat was from the students who are registered
for credit.
- It has been edited and some answers to some
questions about the class have been inserted -
[13:53:32] NASAModerator: You may
wish to pre-load your power point slides so they run smoothly during the talk.
[13:54:37] CharlesJohnstonIII: Hello
everyone
[13:55:58] DanielPoynter: HI Charles
[13:56:55] MattJohnston: hello
[13:56:59] Frankie: Hello
[13:57:44] CharlesJohnstonIII: How
are all of you?
[14:02:50] NASAModerator: We have
begun
[14:08:56] Frankie: What slide are
we on?
[14:12:16] NASAModerator: We are
now on slide #1
[14:19:00] ChrisZweigle: hey rhs
[14:19:57] AlexThompson: are minus
and negative the same thing...
[14:19:58] DanPoynter: Question:
WHy isnt the mass of mars proportional to the gavitational field produced by
mars? (has more to do with physics than anything....sorry)
[14:21:26] Frankie: Question 1: Would
it be possible ifwe ever invent a man made water system that will give plants
water and thus give us oxygen in Mars?
[14:22:10] ChrisZweigle: Question
1: I was listening to a radio program claiming that there were people living
on mars, or that we might have come from Mars. I don't take this to be at all
correct, but is there actually evidence or forms that might support this?
[14:24:46] Frankie: Question 2:Has
the electrostatic charging in Mars ever effected the pathfinder rover?
[14:25:19] DanPoynter: Question:
relating to Frankie's question, what are your thoughts on terraforming Mars?
And is there any timescale set for doing something of that magnitude?
[14:25:22] AlexThompson: Question
1: Does mars show a great deal of damage from asteroid impact like our moon
does
[14:25:55] BradGates: Question 1:
Could the electro-static charges be captured and used as energy?
[14:26:16] BrianWoodworth: question
1: Has the electrostatic ever interfered with spacecraft?
[14:26:20] EricHoerle: ::Question
1:: is mount olympus active?
[14:26:33] AlexThompson: Question
2: Is it possible that Mars at some point was developing life just as Earth
did but fell off a long the way... if so what happened
[14:28:28] AlexThompson: Question
3: If we ever found life on mars or another planet what would be our next course
of action....
[14:28:54] EricHoerle: ::Question
2:: Is martian colonization a feasible idea right now, or is that just and idea
of the future?
[14:29:05] JacquelineMehlberg: Is
there plate tektonics (sorry if I have spelled that wrong) on Mars?
[14:29:41] AlexThompson: Question
4: If life was found on Mars or another planet what would scientist do to keep
from adveresely affectng the evolution of another species
[14:31:07] EricHoerle: i dont think
evolution is a believable theory
[14:31:58] CharlesJohnstonIII: Question:
How far have we gone on terraforming?
[14:32:03] AlexThompson: Question
5: Have scientist done any work to create a artificial atmospheres so that humans
could live on mars... if so how would the work
[14:32:26] JohnPutrino: Question
1: In what instances could electrostatic charges be fatal to astronauts?
[14:32:41] CharlesJohnstonIII: Question
2: have we proven that there is currently no life on mars?
[14:33:34] EricHoerle: ::Question
3:: why is mars cold, it doesnt have a very dense atmosphere, does it?
[14:33:53] AlexThompson: What's terraforming
[14:34:02] CharlesJohnstonIII: You
know what this reminds me of? That move "The Thing". It liked cold... and it
is PRETTY cold on mars
[14:34:05] Frankie: Question 3: Are
electrical charges detected when radio satellites are placed directly to Mars?
(Radio Satellites meaning a "microphone" where you can hear some sort of noise
in outer space)
[14:34:38] Alexreben: no
[14:34:44] Alexreben: its static
electricity
[14:34:51] JennyGimian: Would electrostatic
charges make it difficult for live to survive on mars?
[14:34:57] AlexThompson: CharlesJohnston-
Scientist now think life could be surviving under the pola caps of mars near
underwater volcanoes
[14:34:57] Alexreben: no frequency
[14:35:02] MatthewJohnston: question:
when do you think we'l get humans on mars?
[14:35:08] CharlesJohnstonIII: Terraforming
is when you make an uninhabitable planed habitable
[14:35:26] CharlesJohnstonIII: take
mars, cold, thin unbreathable atmosphere
[14:35:41] JennyGimian: live=life
[14:35:47] CharlesJohnstonIII: wouldn't
it be nice to be able to live there without a space suit?
[14:36:03] AlexThompson: EricHoerle-
The lack of a dense atmosphere is exactly why Mars is so cold... there is nothing
to hold heat in (no green house affect)
[14:36:30] Alexreben: q1: couldent
the astronaughts just carry a ionizing device to equalize the electric poteneional?
[14:36:36] CharlesJohnstonIII: thats
what terraforming does, the idea is to be able to get a breathable atmosphere,
soil you can plant in, etc etc
[14:36:49] BrianWoodworth: question
2: Is there any type of an atmosphere on Mars? You said there were clouds but
I always thought it had no atmosphere.
[14:37:01] EricHoerle: ::Question
4:: could maybe archaebacteria live in the water ice caps because they can here
on Earth
[14:37:21] MatthewJohnston: question
2: is the milltary interested in mars?
[14:37:22] EricHoerle: i think i
spelled that wrong
[14:39:31] Alexreben: q2: what is
the average ground resistance on the surface of mars?
[14:40:05] JacquelineMehlberg: Could
life have evolved in space without water, adapting to some other main resource
to live?
[14:41:08] DanPoynter: we want robots
*thumps on table* we want robots *thump*..... : D jk.....
[14:41:16] Alexreben: q3: anyway
to ground on mars for equal potentional
[14:42:15] JohnPutrino: Question
2: Is pathfinder capable of dealing with any electrostatic problems it may have?
If not, what can be done to prevent damage to the rover?
[14:42:59] Ross_Bowman: Q1: How would
you keep it from discharging?
[14:43:14] AlexThompson1: Question
6: What kinds of AI capabilities will Pathfinder have
[14:43:46] EricHoerle: pathfinder
was in 1998
[14:44:19] AlexThompson1: Question
7 Have scientist given any thought to send something similar to robonaut or
even Asimo on a mission
[14:44:32] JacquelineMehlberg: Is
there a way to take advantage of ambient electricity?
[14:45:00] RHSStudents: AlexT-pathfinder
was deployed on mars in 1998
[14:45:09] NASAModerator: Slide #
27
[14:46:48] AlexThompson1: Would it
be possible to use static electricity on the martian surface to charge batteries
or even act as a secondary power source to the rover
[14:48:48] RHSStudents: q1: how much
energy is produced by a discharge? (nik krumm)
[14:48:54] Grant: whay dont you use
rubber or plastic wheels to stop static build up
[14:50:32] Alexreben: charge can
build up on any material
[14:50:48] JennyGimian: Will the
pathfinder be used again in future missions to mars?
[14:51:05] JohnPutrino: Good idea
Grant
[14:51:18] JohnPutrino: it would
be less though
[14:51:48] LiYang: Question 1: hi
[14:52:08] Grant: thanks
[14:52:43] AlexThompson1: I must
have missed something... what did Grant say
[14:52:53] BradGates: Question 2:
How much electrostatic charge is produced when the rover moves across the surface?
[14:53:00] RHSChrisZweigle: Question2:
Are more exploratory missions to Mars feasible at this time? I read that windows
for launch pertaining to the planet's orbit are on the verge of passing, and
that the current administration is not cooperating with NASA's desires?
[14:53:06] Alexreben: um... i think
he is just far away
[14:53:30] RHSStudents: q1: Why even
worry about the charge? wouldnt it be grounded immediatly? (lauren delgado)
[14:54:09] Alexreben: plastic can
hols more charge then metal its just not able to carry electricity
[14:54:40] DanPoynter: Be careful
not to make the current administration an enemy, NASA isnt crucial to the well
being of our society, think of it as desert, not crucial, for information on
NASA there was a popular science issue in the past year that was good, on the
cover it said "10 things nasa can do to save itself' or something like that....
[14:55:27] DanPoynter: if nasa were
to leave the space from here to near orbit to commercial projects, and focused
on orbit and beyond, it would be nicer
[14:55:32] ChristianGabis: How long
have we been aware of the electricty on mars?
[14:56:16] DanPoynter: ninth
[14:56:20] DanPoynter: no
[14:56:21] Alexreben: 9th
[14:56:22] DanPoynter: 12th...sorry
[14:56:25] DanPoynter: nano is 9
[14:56:36] Ross_Bowman: Q2: Could
the electoral charge be used as useable energy by people?
[14:56:51] DanPoynter: isnt it 12?
[14:57:03] DanPoynter: nano...nine...thats
how i remembered it
[14:57:05] Alexreben: q4: what is
the average current? isent that more dangerous?
[14:57:40] Alexreben: what happened
to those robots that died on mars?
[14:58:44] RHSChrisZweigle: Wow....dan
is confused...lol
[14:59:17] RHSStudents: q2: what
kind of RFI interference exists on mars? is it more than that on earth, due
to the lack of atmospheric pressure? (Nik Krumm)
[14:59:46] RobBall: What steps are
being taken to protect the computers from electrostatic charges?
[14:59:56] LiYang: hi
[15:00:14] DanPoynter: ***Question:
Why isnt mars' gravity force proportional to its mass? (more of a physics question
sorry)
[15:00:58] Grant: you already asked
that
[15:01:02] ChristianGabis: How would
the charges affect a human?
[15:01:39] DanPoynter: Question:
are there any ways of using the new genetic type (DNA) computers instead of
silicon based computers so static is not an issue?
[15:02:20] AlexThompson2: Question
11: would it be possible to simpl ground stat electric chargesso that they would
be harmless
[15:02:51] RHSStudents: en englis,
por favor?
[15:03:14] LiYang: question 1: is
it possible to live on mars?
[15:03:35] LiYang: question 2: is
ti possible to build house on the mars
[15:04:21] DanPoynter: alex; must
we # our questions?
[15:05:35] RHSChrisZweigle: no it
didnt charles
[15:05:36] DanPoynter: seriously,
do we need to?
[15:05:50] AlexThompson2: Dr. Cummings
said it helped... (shrugs)
[15:06:24] DrCummings: This is the
Mars rover chat. Pls direct your Qs and comments accordingly to help the moderator...
[15:07:47] RobBall: ***Question****Would
it be feasible to have a drilling rover? it would last longer because of less
of a temperature difference and it would have more protection from the elements
underground.
[15:07:50] DanPoynter: ***QUESTION:
What are your thoughts on terraforming Mars? And is there any timescale set
for doing something of that magnitude?
[15:08:22] DrCummings: Numbering
your Qs for the first 1 and 2 is helpful. Only 2 are required. Asking more indicates
your interested and learning from this webcast..
[15:09:20] DanPoynter: ***QUESTION:
Why isn't the mass of Mars proportional to the gavitational field produced by
mars? (has more to do with physics than anything....sorry)
[15:10:31] AlexThompson2: Dr. Cummings,
would it be possible to have longer Q&A periods
[15:10:58] RHSStudents: q2: Do small
discharges of particles sometimes discharge nearby "pockets" of charge, causing
a much larger discharge? (Lauren delgado)
[15:12:02] DanPoynter: ***QUESTION:
Are there any ways of using the new genetic (DNA) computers under experimentation,
instead of silicon based so static is not an issue?
[15:12:07] DrCummings: DO NOT TRY
IT - THAT MEANS YOU!
[15:12:08] DanPoynter: That would
be awesome Alex!
[15:13:38] AlexThompson2: What's
his email address...
[15:14:20] RobBall: so, make an EMP
hardened robot. cool
[15:14:21] MatthewJohnston: it's
at the end of the slides
[15:15:02] DanPoynter: Robball: EMP
proof robots!
[15:17:52] AlexThompson2: What would
the next step be if scientist found life on mars
[15:18:42] RHSChrisZweigle: Question
#3:
[15:18:49] RHSChrisZweigle: Why would
we want to terraform mars?
[15:18:54] RHSStudents: q1 What was
the effect of the electric discharge in respect to information bandwidth, (Riley
Gorder)
[15:19:22] RHSChrisZweigle: If
life was found on mars or any other planet what if any steps would be taken
to keep humans from hampering the evolution of the life forms and in very delicate
situations would stopping research ever be an option
[15:20:14] DanPoynter: i didnt know
that! about ozone holes on other planets
[15:21:13] RobBall: Could you see
these dust problems that you are talking about being fixed by using nanotechnology?
[15:21:37] AlexThompson2: Chris-
It would basically be a better jump off point than earth for other exploration
missions... besides if the population keepsrising like i is we will need to
put the extra people some where:)
[15:22:06] KateRiffey: hey guys i
just logged on so sorry if you already asked this. 1. How long do you think
before we are ready to send humans to mars? 2. do u think we could enhance the
mars atmosphere to be like ours? would it be worth it in the future?
[15:22:14] RHSChrisZweigle: I guess
i just fundamentally disagree that we should abandon earth.
[15:22:28] RHSStudents: q2: mars
seems like the only other planet in our solar system, that would be able to
be terraformed, besides possibly some of the moons of the planets, is this right?
(Riley Gorder)
[15:22:59] KateRiffey: by the way,
if life was found on mars or any other planet would we even know about it? i
mean would NASA tell us?
[15:23:20] DrCummings: If you log
in late, pls. read the transcript, then email your new questions to me. Thanks!
[15:23:22] RobBall: talking about
terraforming MArs will take thousands of years....other planets may take even
longer
[15:23:32] KateRiffey: i don't think
we should abandon earth either
[15:23:55] KateRiffey: ok sorry Dr.C
[15:24:04] CharlesJohnstonIII: we
could disrupt anything that IS living there if we terraform it first
[15:24:40] DanPoynter: ***QUESTION:
There is a thought that if our births were random, then it is VERY unlikely
that we are at the begining of a HUGE civilization, say trillions of humans
in the future, rather it is more likely that we are living in the peak of our
population numbers as a human species, what are your thoughts about terraforming
when thinking about this, if we are going to terraform mars and colonize the
galxy, we probably wouldnt be born in the beginging of it all?
[15:25:50] DanPoynter: please think
about that question...
[15:26:14] AlexThompson2: STAR TREK...
yes the Prime Directive I think that pretty much solves everything
[15:27:01] DanPoynter: ##The meta-golden
rule: threat your inferiors as you would want to be treated by your supierors
(treat dogs as you would want god to treat you)
[15:28:13] DrCummings: Thank you
for sharing your time and expertise with us, Dr. Kolecki!
[15:29:07] NASAModerator: I'll remain
online briefly.
[15:29:34] AlexThompson2: He obviously
hasn't heard of robonaut:)
[15:30:10] DrCummings: Students,
Pls. remember to include your name & Quiz No. 5 in your email subject lines.
Thx! ;-)
[15:30:18] MatthewJohnston: Thanks
Joseph, Meri, and moderator
[15:30:21] CharlesJohnstonIII: Thanks
Joseph
[15:30:25] RobBall: thanks!
[15:30:27] AlexThompson2: Thanks
for your time Dr. Koleckil this was really cool...
[15:30:28] DanPoynter: thank you!
[15:30:29] Ross_Bowman: thank you.
[15:30:30] CharlesJohnstonIII: Thanks
Moderator
[15:30:34] BradGates: thank you.
[15:30:53] BrianWoodworth: Thank
you a ton!