The unknown becomes understandable by comparison with the known. This statement is the very basis for the all of the comparative sciences. Medical students and forensic scientists study comparative anatomy. Comparative planetology, the study of the planetary geologies, atmospheres, and other characteristics, is important in our understanding of the evolution of the Earth, the basis of life on Earth, the exploration of other planets, and the discovery of life "outside" Earth. By studying planets and other large bodies in the solar system, we learn about the history and possible future of our own. The numerous beautiful worlds that make up our solar system possess features that are both novel and unique. Many have only recently been seen for the first time as a result of an astonishing half century of groundbreaking NASA space technology. "Our eyes have seen wonders!" (Sir A. Conan Doyle, The Lost World). And yet, even at first glance, these worlds are not entirely strange; they also have many things in common. By using Earth as a guide for evaluating other worlds, we have begun to glimpse some of the tantalizing secrets hidden from us throughout all previous human history. To the searching robotic eyes of NASA, Mars has revealed many volcanoes scattered across the latitudes, including four of the largest volcanoes ever seen anywhere in the solar system. The very largest of these covers a land area greater than the State of Arizona! Olympus Mons is a vast shield volcano whose summit reaches more than 17 miles above the planet's surface, but can be compared to the much smaller line volcanoes that comprise the Hawaiian Island chain on Earth. The Mars Global Surveyor, a NASA Mars-orbiter that first arrived at Mars late in 1997 and is still functioning, has returned abundant data showing Mars to have been much more Earthlike than anything formerly imagined. There is even evidence for plate tectonics having occurred on Mars ages ago! Through discussions with Joe Kolecki, Mars Pathfinder scientist, students will be introduced to terrestrial volcanology and continental drift, then apply these sciences to Mars to produce some fascinating new perspectives. Not only will students learn about Mars as a world through this study, they will also gain an understanding of the methods of modern science. |
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