10.30am A hybrid meeting connects Nalani Wilson Hokowhitu (Molokaʻi Nui a Hina, Kanaka ʻAukai, Kanaka ʻŌiwi) & a group at #SpacePlace, with Desna Whaanga-Schollum (Rongomaiwahine, Pāhauwera, Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu Matawhaiti ki Māhia) in Māhia, with Michelle Maloney, in Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia.

Dr Michelle Maloney is an author on the Australian Earth Laws Alliance’s Declaration for the Rights of the Moon (2021), and joins us to speak about its aims and challenges faced.

#spacelaw @ecologies

What is the Sojourner rover?
Sojourner is a rover that landed on Mars in 1997 in a location called Ares Vallis where it explored and took many photos.

In 1997, NASA scientists did something pretty amazing. For the first time, they used a small wheeled robot to study the surface of Mars. This robotic explorer, called a rover, was named Sojourner. It was only about the size of a microwave oven. However, it went on to share lots of important new information with scientists.

The rover explored an area of Mars near its landing site called Ares Vallis. Scientists were interested in this area because it looked like the site of an ancient flood. The rushing water of a flood would have pushed lots of rocks and dirt into one place. This means the rover could study lots of different types of rocks without traveling very far.

Engineers also liked the area because it seemed like a flat, safe place for Sojourner to land.

As Sojourner drove short distances, it used its camera to take pictures of the Martian landscape. It sent back more than 550 pictures of the Red Planet. The rover used instruments to study what the nearby Martian rocks and dirt were made of. Its lander also collected information about winds and other weather factors on Mars.
>> https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-sojourner/en/

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-spirit-opportunity/en/
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-2020/en/
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-rovers/en/
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-curiosity/en/

From far away, Mars looks cold, dry, and rocky. But Sojourner's photos and information told a much different story. We learned that a long time ago, Mars used to be a warmer and wetter place.

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/search/Mars/

*** https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/explore-mars/en/

#space #mars #education #science #NASA #spaceplace