WeMartians Podcast

Latest Episodes:

26 – Remembering Pathfinder Jul 04, 2017

Show notes

On July 4th, 1997, NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission touched down on Mars, ending a 15 years period where no spacecraft operated in the Red Planet. Twenty years later, the mission’s impact on our understand of Mars is still felt. Jake is joined by Matt Golombek (Project Scientist), Brian Muirhead (Flight Systems Manager & Deputy Project Manager), Donna Shirley (Mars Exploration Program Manager), and Tanya Harrison (Planetary Scientist) who recount the story and explain why the mission plays such an important role in the last two decades of Mars exploration.

Links

The original Pathfinder Press Kit for Landing Day at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Launch Footage
Paper by Matt Golombek on the Mission
CNN Coverage of the Landing
- Part 1
- Part 2

WeMartians music is “RetroFuture”, “Electrodoodle”, “We Got Trouble”, “Aretes” and “Heartwarming” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Additional sound effects by Sentuniman licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

25 – Building a Rover (feat. Abbie Hutty) Jun 13, 2017

Show notes

Europe’s ExoMars program has already kicked off with the Trace Gas Orbiter, currently manoeuvring downward to its final science orbit. But ExoMars is not limited to a single mission. By 2020, ESA hopes to launch the first European rover to the Red Planet. Abbie Hutty, a Lead Spacecraft Structures Engineer, comes on to talk about what it takes to design, test and build a rover chassis, from wheels to mast, and what this rover means in the broader view of Mars exploration and international cooperation.

Links

WeMartians music is “RetroFuture” and “Electrodoodle” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

24 – Risks and Rewards (feat. Leonard David) May 23, 2017

Show notes

All the obstacles in spaceflight can theoretically be broken down in to subsets of risk. Whether personal risk, programmatic risk, financial risk or professional risk, these are the things holding back individuals and organizations from accomplishing goals. What does this mean for Mars and how can we overcome it? Jake sits down with award-winning journalist Leonard David to explore this topic and try to understand what steps must be taken next to continue towards the objective of putting people on the Red Planet.

Links

Leonard’s panel on Risk at Humans to Mars 2017 (skip to 4:02:43)
- Bill Maher’s Earth Day Video Editorial (this is what is supposed to be playing in the gap in the above live stream, but couldn’t be re-posted due to copyright rules)
Buzz Aldrin/Leonard David book Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration
Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet (companion book to the National Geographic series MARS)
Leonard David’s Website

23 – Esker Questions (feat. Frances Butcher) May 02, 2017

Show notes

On Earth, geologists are pretty familiar with the concept of an esker, a snake-like ridge formation left behind by a receding glacier. Across our planet they can be found in areas where glaciers once dominated the landscape. The same is true on Mars, but eskers also require a time when glaciers could melt. Frances Butcher, a PhD student from the Open University, talks with Jake about these special kinds of Martian eskers that indicate a warmer, wetter environment than we once thought.

Links

Mars Timekeeping from the Planetary Society
The Martian Calendar from the Planetary Society
Frances’ abstract from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
HiRISE image of the esker system Frances is studying
- Analgyph version if you’ve got 3D glasses

Further Listening

Don’t Panic Geocast has some great episodes on eskers if you want to delve in to more of the science behind them. Episode 51 goes over them in detail.

22 – The Orbital Martians (feat. Ben Etherington & David Fourman) Apr 11, 2017

Show notes

In a mashup episode that combines the formats of The Orbital Mechanics, a great weekly spaceflight podcast, and WeMartians, Jake, Ben and David explore a variety of Mars topics. Delve in to history as we mark the 37th anniversary since Viking 2’s batteries gave out and learn about the spacecraft and its mission. Ben walks us through NASA’s new Road Map to Mars, a flight plan for SLS and Orion leading all the way to the 2030s. Then, we explore SpaceX’s Red Dragon mission and learn about the four candidate landing sites being considered when the Hawthorne-based company makes its first landing on the Red Planet in 2021.

You’ll also hear some of the great segments from The Orbital Mechanics, like #ThisWeekSF, upcoming spaceflight events, and space news. Note: If you are already a subscriber of The Orbital Mechanics, their episode 104 will be mostly the same content with some different introductions, ie. the same episode appears in both feeds.

Links

The Orbital Mechanics (subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher)

#ThisWeekSF (This Week in SpaceFlight History) – Viking 2

Apollo Applications Program
Voyager Mars (Photo 1 and Photo 2)
Camera System (Weird Photo of imaging team)
Astrobiology Instrument Schematic
Jake’s KSP History Post on Viking 2 (from his past life)

Spaceflight News

Questions, Comments and Corrections

Reddit – Insight into Falcon 9 Octoweb Construction

Red Dragon & its Landing Sites

Space News Article
Jake’s Landing Site Map
- Red X = Crashed/Failed Landing
- Green Circle = Successful Landing
- Yellow Question Mark = Candidate sites for Mars2020/ExoMars
- Space “X” – Red Dragon Landing Site Candidates
Deuteronilus Mensae (Photo 1 & Photo 2)
Phlegra Montes (Photo 1 & Photo 2)
Utopia Planitia (Photo 1 & Photo 2)
Arcadia Planitia (Photo 1 & Photo 2)

21 – LPSC 2017 Mar 28, 2017

Show notes

Every year, upwards of 2,000 planetary scientists descend upon a suburb of Houston to discuss the latest findings, share the work, and learn something new. A lot of Mars happens at these conferences, so WeMartians decided to attend it in person! Jake catches up with old friends, makes some new ones, and explores Mars like never before.

Links

History

The original Lunar Science Conference poster from 1970

Pre-Conference

Microsymposium 58 Website

Oral Session Highlights

NASA Night

Poster Sessions

Human Exploration

20 – Mars2020 Landing Site Candidates Mar 07, 2017

Show notes

Ahead of the science, the surface operations, the tricky landing, interplanetary cruise, & launch of a NASA flagship class rover like Mars2020, the difficult decision of where to send the mission must be made. For the successor of Curiosity, this process is nearing completion as the 3rd workshop has narrowed the remaining candidates to three. Jake takes a long look at the mission requirements, landing site criteria, and Mars mapping techniques before exploring Jezero Crater, North East Syrtis and Gusev Crater to see what secrets might lie beneath the regolith.

Links

The Mars2020 Mission

Mapping Mars

The Landing Sites

Google Mars KMZ file to explore the landing ellipses on Google Earth

Jezero Crater

Jezero HIRISE image
SETI Talk with Tim Goudge (53:37), who led the Jezero team’s presentation

North East Syrtis

NE Syrtis HIRISE Image

Gusev Crater/Columbia Hills

Columbia Hills HIRISE Image
Spirit’s Traverse
Why Return to the Columbia Hills? by Alex Longo

19 – Dome Sweet Dome (feat. Kelsey Lents and Jeffrey Montes) Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

A surface mission to Mars will involve a lengthy stay in a harsh environment. Many have argued that this could be a psychologically draining experience as astronauts are forced into confined spaces with no light, perhaps underground away from harsh radiation. But architects Kelsey Lents and Jeffrey Montes don’t believe that’s necessary. They and their teams helped design the Mars Ice House, a 3D-printed ice dome that caught the eye of NASA and became a feasibility study to build a surface habitat.

LINKS (Mars Ice House)

Mars Ice House – The initial concept and first place winner of NASA’s Centennial Challenge
Video on Mars Ice House
Mars Ice House – NASA Awards Announcement (1st place winner)

LINKS (Mars Ice Home)

Clouds AO Project Page
NASA Article on Feasibility Study

LINKS (Clouds AO)

LINKS (SEArch+)

18 – The State of Mars 2017 (feat. Brendan Byrne & Emilee Speck) Jan 24, 2017

Show notes

The year 2016 was a big one for Mars, and 2017 might be even bigger yet. We’re joined by two space reporters from Orlando to talk about the highlights of last year in Mars exploration, and look ahead to 2017, which promises to take us closer to the Red Planet. Brendan Byrne is a reporter from WMFE Orlando and the host of “Are We There Yet?”, a podcast about space exploration. Emilee Speck is a reporter from WKMG with a passion for planetary missions.

LINKS

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

17 – Canada CanMars, too! (feat. Eric Pilles) Dec 13, 2016

Show notes

NASA currently operates two rovers on the surface of Mars, but in the next five years that population could more than double as JPL prepares its third rover, and space agencies in Europe and China look to create their own footholds. That’s why creating a pipeline of talent that can plan, target, drive and otherwise operate these rovers is so important. Enter CanMars – an anlogue mission run by the Canadian Space Agency using real rovers here on Earth. I caught up with Eric Pilles, the planning lead for CanMars 2016, to find out how he and his team of scientists from universities across Canada are learning the ins and outs of rover ops, and how the science drives their goals.

Links

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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