Transcript: June Week 1

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies on Radio Boise. This is the first week of June. We’re your hosts, Paul..

RACHEL
..Rachel..

KRIS
..And Kris

PAUL
Five years ago on the 2nd, Mars Express left earth

KRIS
It was launched on a Russian rocket booster and was Europe’s first interplanetary space mission.

RACHEL
The spacecraft was made quickly and inexpensively because it’s constructed from satellite components traditionally used on many earth orbiting spacecraft.

KRIS
Mars Express has been returning data since it entered Martian orbit on Christmas day, 2003.

PAUL
What kind of data?

RACHEL
For one, it’s returning high resolution images of the Martian terrain

KRIS
These images include maps showing the location of various minerals on the Martian surface.

RACHEL
The location of minerals like hematite indicate places where pools of water once stood on Mars

KRIS
Mars Express is also scanning the planet’s subsurface with MARSIS.

PAUL
MARSIS?

RACHEL
Yes, MARSIS. MARSIS consists of two 44 foot long radio antennas protruding from the spacecraft.

KRIS
The antennas transmit radio signals that bounce off the Martian surface.

RACHEL
However, because the radio waves penetrate the ground, MARSIS can detect ice and meteor craters hidden beneath the Martian surface.

PAUL
Didn’t Mars Express discover methane gas seeping out of the Martian surface?

KRIS
Yes, one of its spectrometers did in March 2004.

RACHEL
Methane is chemically unstable in the Martian atmosphere, so it must be continuously generated.

KRIS
The source of the Martian methane could be active volcanism or buried microorganism.

RACHEL
And both sources would be a surprise as neither is expected to be occurring on Mars today.

PAUL
Speaking of Mars, the moon will help you find it on the 7th.

KRIS
That’s the night when the moon passes within 5 lunar diameters of Mars.

RACHEL
Mars appears as the orange colored star to the moon’s upper right.

KRIS
While the moon makes a great binocular object, Mars will just appear as a bright orange star near the moon.

PAUL
And here’s help finding Saturn.

RACHEL
The ringed-world forms a small celestial triangle with the moon and the star Regulus on the 8th.

KRIS
The grouping is small enough that all three will fit within your binoculars.

RACHEL
In your binoculars, Saturn is the cream colored star at the top, the moon is the crescent below Saturn, and Regulus is the yellow star on the bottom right.

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of June. Listen next week when we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of another spacecraft aimed at Mars, the Spirit rover.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
Rachel..

KRIS
.. and Kris.