Live From Mars was active July 1996-December 1997.
PROGRAM 4- "DESTINATION MARS" part 2 of 2
To air 10/30/97 on PBS and NASA-TV
9) WEB SITE:
ALONG WITH VIRTUAL VISITS AND HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, "PASSPORT
TO KNOWLEDGE" AND ITS NASA PARTNERS OFFER EXTENSIVE ONLINE
RESOURCES, FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION, INTERACTION, AND
COLLABORATION.
DURING THE PROGRAMS, EXPERTS LIKE ROB AND TONY INTERACT LIVE,
BUT, OF COURSE, THERE'S ONLY TIME FOR A HANDFUL OF STUDENT
QUESTIONS.
graphics
BUT BY GOING TO THE "LIVE FROM MARS" WEB SITE AT
HTTP://QUEST.ARC.NASA.GOV/MARS, STUDENTS ANYWHERE, ANY TIME,
CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF NASA RESEARCHERS BY E-MAIL. THEY'LL GET
AN INDIVIDUAL ANSWER WITHIN JUST A FEW WEEKS.
actuality
AND THERE'S A REGULAR SCHEDULE OF WHAT WE CALL "WEB CHATS"
DIRECT, REAL-TIME ONLINE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN UP TO 50
CLASSROOMS AND RESEARCHERS FROM JPL AND MANY OTHER NASA
CENTERS.
Graphics
ONLINE YOU CAN ALSO FIND "BIOGRAPHIES" AND "FIELD JOURNALS," SO
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SCIENTISTS WHO APPEAR ON
CAMERA, AND MANY MORE WHO NORMALLY WORK OUT OF SIGHT,
BEHIND-THE-SCREENS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE YOU'LL FIND.
WIPE/DISSOLVE TO:
10) Pathfinder People- Montage with R. Cook and J. Harris (SOT)
(1:45)
-SOUND
In- (from Prog. 3 @ 1:08:20) "I think the people
have...
Out- ...such quality people." (:22)
In- "And, I've played on sports teams...
Out- ...like I had with this one." (:21)
In- (from Prog. 4 @ 1:23:27) "There's a few
people...
Out- ...beginning to end." (:45)
In- "My daughter is about...
Out- ...from Earth right not."
SEGMENT 3- "TOUCHDOWN"
1) Camille Standup (SOT/VO) (1:30)
JULY 4TH 1997-- AFTER A 7-MONTH JOURNEY, IT WAS FINALLY THE DAY
AND HOUR OF TRUTH FOR THE ENTIRE PATHFINDER TEAM.
Scenes of the JPL control room as people wait:
AS TONY SPEAR HAD SAID, THIS WOULD BE 4 MINUTES OF SHEER
TERROR, FOLLOWED BY LONG MINUTES OF WAITING FOR THE FIRST
SIGNAL, EVEN IF PATHFINDER WAS STILL ALIVE AND INTACT.
-Camille VO narration of best E,D,L animation CAMILLE
VOICE OVER
DRAWN IN BY MARS' GRAVITY, PATHFINDER ACCELERATED UP TO 16,600
MILES PER HOUR, THEN SEPARATED FROM THE CRUISE STAGE WHICH
HAD CARRIED IT SAFELY FROM EARTH TO MARS.
THEN, AT 3:00 A.M. MARTIAN TIME, BEFORE THE DAWN, PATHFINDER
ENTERED THE ATMOSPHERE, ITS PROTECTIVE HEAT SHIELD BURNING
UP AS IT PLUNGED DOWN.
THREE MINUTES LATER, A PARACHUTE -- 'SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO
WORK IN MARS' THIN ATMOSPHERE -- DEPLOYED, SLOWING THE
SPACECRAFT, AS IT SEPARATED FROM ITS AEROSHELL.
A GIANT TETHER LOWERED THE LANDER TOWARD THE SURFACE.
ABOUT 60 FEET FROM IMPACT, AIRBAGS INFLATED, AND ROCKETS ON
THE BACK-SHELL FIRED. SIMULTANEOUSLY THE LANDER, WRAPPED IN
ITS AIRBAGS, WAS CUT LOOSE FROM ITS TETHER AND DROPPED
FREELY DOWN ONTO THE SURFACE, BOUNCING MORE THAN 16 TIMES,
AS HIGH AS A TEN STORY BUILDING, BEFORE FINALLY COMING TO REST
TWO AND A HALF MINUTES AFTER HITTING THE SURFACE.
DOWN HERE ON EARTH, THE MARS TEAM KNEW WHAT SHOULD HAVE
HAPPENED, BUT NOW THEY COULD ONLY WAIT AND WATCH THEIR
DATA SCREENS AND LISTEN
IN FACT, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER LANDING, THE SPACECRAFT
BEGAN SENDING BACK A SIMPLE "I'M ALIVE" MESSAGE USING ITS LOW
GAIN TRANSMITTER.
EVEN TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, THE SIGNAL TOOK ABOUT 11
MINUTES TO GET FROM MARS TO NASA'S GIANT ANTENNAS, AND THEN
TO CONTROLLERS AT JPL.
BUT THEN, THERE IT WAS, SMALL BUT UNMISTAKABLE PROOF THAT
AFTER 21 YEARS, AN AMERICAN SPACESHIP WAS SAFELY BACK ON
MARS.
2) Donna Shirley/Rob Manning Describe Touchdown (SOT) (2:27)
-SOUND
(Donna) In- "Well, the fact is...
Out- ...a major motion picture." (:15)
In- "And here's a shot of the...
Out- ...and hugging everybody." (:35)
(Rob) In- "It was an incredible day...
Out- ...absolutely a thrill! (1:25)
In- "and the time seemed...
Out- ...could see so much!" (:12)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (not without
problems...)
(:15)
JULY 4TH WAS FULL OF CRITICAL ACTIVITIES. AT FIRST EVERYTHING
WENT EXACTLY ACCORDING TO PLAN. IT SEEMED ALMOST TOO GOOD
TO BE TRUE, AND IT WAS.
WHEN THE FIRST PICTURES GOT BACK, THE MISSION TEAM REALIZED
THAT ONE OF THE AIRBAGS HAD NOT FULLY RETRACTED, AND WAS
COVERING THE RAMP SOJOURNER WOULD HAVE TO USE TO ROLL
DOWN ONTO THE SURFACE.
Brian Muirhead in the "Best of" tape
THAT'S WHEN THOSE LONG MONTHS OF TEST AFTER TEST KICKED IN
TO SAVE THE DAY. "PRACTICE" REALLY DID "MAKE PERFECT" THAT
WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM.
3) Donna and Rob Describe Airbag Problem (SOT) (1:04)
-SOUND
(Donna) In- "After we made this perfect...
Out- ...rover wouldn't get fouled." (:21)
(Rob) In- "It turns out, the rover team...
Out- ...never forget this for the rest of our
lives!" (:43)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (:15)
ACROSS AMERICA THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY, IT SEEMED AS IF NEARLY
EVERYONE WAS WATCHING -- ON TV OR VIA THE INTERNET.
NASA COUNTED MORE THAN 100 MILLION "HITS" ON PATHFINDER WEB
SITES, DEMONSTRATING MORE INTEREST THAN FOR ANY PREVIOUS
EVENT "BROADCAST" ON THE INTERNET.
AT JPL, MEDIA FROM AROUND THE WORLD SHOWED THAT MARS WAS
HOT NEWS ALL AROUND THIS PLANET.
4) The World is Watching Package (SOT) (1:30)
-SOUND
In- "(graphic)...
Out- ...(end of package)" (1:30)
WIPE/DISSOLVE TO:
5) Rob Manning on Gore Phone Call (SOT) (:23)
-Sound
In- "A little later, Brian Muirhead...
Out- ...very surprised." (:23)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (intro Egg Drop Pkg)
(:15)
PATHFINDER'S AIRBAGS WORKED ALMOST PERFECTLY TO PROTECT
THE SPACECRAFT..
DOWN HERE ON EARTH, NEIL TYSON AND STUDENTS USED AN ACTIVITY
FOUND IN THE "LIVE FROM MARS" TEACHER'S GUIDE TO EXPERIMENT
WITH DESIGNS TO SAFEGUARD THEIR OWN FRAGILE PAYLOADS.
6) Egg Drop Package (SOT) (2:24)
-Sound
In- "(graphic)...
Out ...pyramid at the end." (:23)
In- "Try to push the knot through...
Out- ...(kids walk outside)" (:50)
In- "(first kid throws)...
Out- ...mission accomplished...OK!" (1:11)
END OF SEGMENT 3
SEGMENT 4- "TOUCHDOWN PLUS SIX" (10:17)
1) Camille Standup (SOT) (:30)
WITH THE AIRBAG PROBLEM SOLVED, SOJOURNER WAS ABLE TO ROLL
DOWN ONTO THE SURFACE ON SOL 2, JULY 5TH.
DONNA SHIRLEY HAD BEEN ONE OF THE LEAD ENGINEERS DURING THE
LONG YEARS OF ROVER DEVELOPMENT, AND NOW -- AS JPL'S MOST
SENIOR FEMALE ENGINEER -- YOU COULDN'T HELP BUT FEEL SHE
HAD A SPECIAL PRIDE IN SOJOURNER'S ACHIEVEMENTS.
WIPE/DISSOLVE TO:
2) Donna Shirley-Sojourner's Day (SOT) (2:00)
-SOUND
In- "She actually...
Out- ...a kid in a sandbox." (2:00)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (:15)
IN ADDITION TO BRINGING YOU WORLD CLASS RESEARCHERS
THROUGH OUR "LIVE FROM MARS" PROGRAMS, WE OFFER A WEBSITE
WHICH IS FULL OF RESOURCES FOR BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
SASHA STILES SHARED SOME OF THE WEB SITE'S EXCITING FEATURES
OF WITH US
3) Sasha on Websites (SOT) (:56)
-SOUND
In- "Well, as Camille said...
Out- ...the monster pan." (:26)
In- "Scientists have been giving...
Out- ...Flattop and Couch." (:07)
In- "Many sites also have...
Out- ...who fly the mission."
4) Camille VO Site Graphics (1:00)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (:15)
"PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE" PRODUCED A PAIR OF TWO-HOUR "LIVE
FROM MARS" PROGRAMS AROUND THE JULY 4TH LANDING, LINKING
SCIENCE MUSEUMS IN NEW YORK; COLUMBUS, OHIO; HOUSTON;
DENVER; BALTIMORE AND NASA'S CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE IN
WEST VIRGINIA DIRECTLY WITH THE MARS TEAM AT JPL.
ALONG WITH LIVELY INTERACTION, MANY SITES PRESENTED HANDS-ON
ACTIVITIES RELATING TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON MARS AND IN
PASADENA.
5) Site Activities ReCap (SOT) (2:26)
-SOUND
(C of F) In- "We've got a very...
Out- ...realistic as possible." (:28)
In- "OK, we have this unsighted...
Out- ...our mission for today. (:12)
In- "In order to do this...
Out- ...as we would have in space." (:15)
In- "We're using blocks and weight belts...
Out- ...underwater." (:10)
In- "We're just about done...
Out- ...back to the surface." (:10)
(COSI) In- "Well, the team at MPF...
Out- ...looking at more closely. (:28)
(HMNS) In- Now we're almost six months...
Out- ready to land." (:08)
In- "Hold on everyone...
Out- ...hope to find signs of life." (:07)
In- "Vallis is waiting...
Out- ...Antares 4 has landed." (:15)
In- "From the crew of...
Out- ...to come visiting soon.(wave)" (:13)
CAMILLE VO BRIDGE (:15)
CAMILLE TO CAMERA
PATHFINDER'S LANDING PROVED THAT EXPLORATION COULD BE AS
POPULAR AS SPORTS.
AND SO WE BORROWED A PHRASE FROM ATHLETICS TO INTRODUCE
SOME MARTIAN "M.V.P.'S"
6) Most Valuable Pictures (SOT) (2:40) -SOUND
In- "Hi, I'm Valerie Still...
Out- ...(graphic, music fades) (:40)
(MG) In- Well, that's the rover movie...
Out- ...pretty spectacular. (:07)
(DS) In- "This is what Brian Muirhead...
Out- ...had previously believed. (:43)
In- "So that's why this is a very valuable...
Out- ...it's unique!" (:04)
END OF SEGMENT 4
Segment 5 - "What did we learn about Mars?" Open (30 sec.)
CAMILLE TO CAMERA:
TONY SPEAR ONCE SAID THAT NASA DEFINED SUCCESS FORPATHFINDER AS "LANDING
SAFELY ON MARS, AND RETURNING A SINGLE PICTURE."
PATHFINDER SURPASSED THAT GOAL ON DAY ONE, AND KEPT GOING,
AND GOING, AND GOING.
BY THE END OF THE 30 DAY PRIMARY MISSION, PATHFINDER HAD
RETURNED 9,669 IMAGES, AND 1.2 BILLION BITS OF DATA. AND KEPT ON
GOING.
THE SCIENTISTS NICKNAMED THEIR PARADE OF ROCKS "BARNACLE
BILL" AND "YOGI," "SCOOBY-DOO" AND "WEDGE," "REN" AND "STIMPY."
THEY SAID NICKNAMES WERE EASIER TO REMEMBER THAN NUMBERS.
IT WAS ONE OF THE KEY THINGS WHICH CREATED THE IMPRESSION OF
YOUTHFUL ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM, AND THE SHEER THRILL OF
DOING CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE.
PUBLIC INTEREST STAYED HIGH, WITH OVER HALF A BILLION INTERNET
"VISITS" IN THE FIRST MONTH.
AS THE WEEKS PASSED, THERE WERE INTERMITTENT
COMMUNICATIONS UPSETS, AND BY OCTOBER BATTERIES BECAME A
MAJOR PROBLEM.
BUT BY THEN PATHFINDER HAD BECOME A STUNNINGLY SUCCESSFUL
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION, AS WELL AS A FASCINATING SCIENCE
MISSION.
SO WHAT HAVE PATHFINDER AND SOJOURNER TOLD US ABOUT MARS?
THE ARES VALLIS SITE HAD BEEN CHOSEN IN THE HOPE OF FINDING
CLEAR EVIDENCE OF LIQUID WATER. DID IT SUCCEED?
Matt Golombek answers:
MATT GOLOMBEK HAD BEEN HOPING FOR A COLLECTION OF ROCKS
SWEPT TOGETHER FROM ALL OVER MARS BY AN ANCIENT FLOOD. DID
THAT DREAM COME TRUE?
Matt Golombek and Ron Greeley, MPF Imaging Team, ASU, answer:
NEVER BEFORE COULD SCIENTISTS PICK OUT A ROCK FOR STUDY, AND
THEN SEND A ROBOTIC MINI-GEOLOGIST TO GO LOOK AT IT CLOSE UP.
WHAT WERE THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS THEY FOUND OUT USING
THEIR ROBOT EXPLORER?
Ron Greeley and Joy Crisp, Rover scientist, JPL, answer:
WITH THE POPULARITY OF ALL THE WILD NAMES GIVEN TO THE ROCKS, WE WONDERED
IF THERE'D BEEN SOME FIGHTS BEHIND THE SCENES ABOUT WHO GOT TO CHOOSE.
Joy Crisp answers:
AT THE MOST RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE, THE MISSION TEAM WE'D
COME TO KNOW THROUGH OUR YEAR-LONG PROJECT, SUMMARIZED
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM PATHFINDER TO DATE.
Matt Golombek provides overview and shows images of Shark, "pebbles and
sockets," and sand dunes:
2) Weather, and what it would be like to stand on the surface of
Mars.
Camille VO Bridge - 10 seconds
PATHFINDER'S IMAGES MADE MARS SEEM VERY REAL TO MILLIONS OF EARTHLINGS. SO
REAL IN FACT, THAT MANY COULD NOW IMAGINE ACTUALLY STANDING NEXT TO
PATHFINDER ON THE RED PLANET.
WE ASKED MATT GOLOMBEK TO SPECULATE ON WHAT IT WOULD FEEL LIKE.
(Golombek - GHS Interview)
26:15, in - "it would be remarkable..."
27:55, out - "kind of fun. (carry through laughter)"
Camille VO/Stand up - 15 seconds
IF YOU LIKED HEARING THE RESULTS DIRECTLY FROM MATT, JOY AND
RON, THEN THAT'S ANOTHER REASON TO CHECK OUT OUR "LIVE FROM
MARS" WEB SITE AT HTTP://QUEST.ARC.NASA.GOV/MARS
YOU'LL FIND AN ONLINE "VIRTUAL TOUR" USING VIDEO CLIPS TO GIVE
YOU YOUR OWN CUSTOMIZED ITINERARY AROUND ARES VALLIS!
BUT IN REALITY, THE ANALYSIS OF PATHFINDER'S RESULTS IS JUST
BEGINNING. THE RESEARCHERS WILL BE BUSY FOR MANY YEARS
ANALYZING THE NEW DATA.
AND THERE'S MORE!
BECAUSE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR ARRIVED AT
MARS.
footage
THIS WAS THE SCENE A FEW DAYS EARLIER. THINGS WERE TENSE AT
JPL IN SURVEYOR MISSION HEADQUARTERS.
LM footage
AND IT WAS JUST AS NERVE-WRACKING AT LOCKHEED MARTIN
ASTRONAUTICS IN DENVER, COLORADO, WHERE THE SPACECRAFT
SYSTEMS WERE CONTROLLED.
Intercut JPL and LM:
IT WAS TIME TO RE-PRESSURIZE THE SPACECRAFT ENGINES, TO FINE-
TUNE ITS ENTRY INTO MARS ORBIT. THIS WAS WHEN AN EARLIER
ROBOTIC MISSION HAD BEEN LOST, PRESUMABLY IN AN EXPLOSION OF
ITS FUEL TANKS.
Waiting, then some kind of signal:
SUCCESS! ALL WAS WELL.
JUST A FEW DAYS LATER CAME THE CRITICAL MOMENTS WHEN THE
NAVIGATION TEAM'S ACCURACY WOULD BECOME ALL-IMPORTANT.
TOO HIGH, AND SURVEYOR WOULD WHIZZ PAST MARS, AND OFF INTO
SPACE.
TOO LOW, AND IT WOULD DIG TOO DEEPLY INTO MARS' ATMOSPHERE
AND BEGIN TO BURN UP.
Animation and waiting
BUT, ONCE AGAIN, THE NAV. TEAM'S AIM WAS TRUE (OR PERFECT,
OR RIGHT ON TARGET IF "TRUE" SOUNDS WEIRD: GHS LIKES IT!), AND
SURVEYOR BEGAN A GRADUAL 4-MONTH LONG SERIES OF MANEUVERS
TO LOWER ITSELF INTO AN OPTIMUM MAPPING ORBIT.
Oct 8th press conference imagery and VISUALS:
WHILE THE MISSION'S NOT SUPPOSED TO RETURN SCIENCE DATA 'TILL
MARCH 1998, SOME FIRST RESULTS ARE IN.
Magnetic field image:
ALREADY GLOBAL SURVEYOR HAS SHOWN THERE'S A MAGNETIC FIELD,
MORE EVIDENCE THAT MARS HAS BEEN GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE.
TES color "beachball"
ALREADY AN INFRARED DETECTOR HAS BEGUN TO CREATE A
TEMPERATURE MAP OF MARS, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY HELP CREATE
A COMPLETE SURVEY OF ROCKS AND, JUST PERHAPS, DETECT
EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT LAKES.
MOLA slice: intercut with mission animation?
AND A LASER ALTIMETER HAS BEGUN TO CHART MARS' SURFACE
TOPOGRAPHY, PRECISELY MEASURING THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF ITS
MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS.
CAMILLE ON CAMERA:
WE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE ON "GLOBAL SURVEYOR" NEXT TIME IN OUR
FINAL LIVE PROGRAM, ENTITLED "TODAY ON MARS".
ONCE MORE, WE'LL BE LIVE AT JPL, WITH STUDENTS FROM ALL ACROSS
AMERICA IN REAL TIME INTERACTION WITH MISSION SCIENTISTS, ON
CAMERA AND VIA E-MAIL.
Use graphics to cover this
CHECK OUT THE "LIVE FROM MARS" WEB SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Use graphics to cover this
YOU CAN ORDER THE "LIVE FROM MARS" TEACHER'S GUIDE -- $20.00 --
OR THE MULTIMEDIA KIT -- $99.00, FROM "PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE,"
P.O. BOX 1502, SUMMIT, NJ 07902-1502 OR CALL 973.656.9403, OR FIND
OUT MORE ONLINE.
NEXT TIME WE'LL ALSO LOOK AT CLIMATE ON EARTH AND MARS, AND
BRING YOU UP TO DATE ON OUR ONLINE COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY,
ENTITLED "WEATHER WORLDS."
STUDENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE COOPERATING TO PARALLEL THE WORK OF MARS
SCIENTISTS. YEP, STILL ANOTHER REASON TO CHECK THAT WEB SITE!
AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE COMING DECADES OF MARS
EXPLORATION, TO "SAMPLE RETURN" MISSIONS, AND TO THE FIRST
HUMAN VOYAGES.
MAYBE ONE OF YOU WATCHING TODAY WILL BE THE FIRST PERSON TO
SET FOOT ON MARS, WALKING UP TO PATHFINDER TO SEE HOW IT'S
WEATHERED THE YEARS, GENTLY KICKING SOJOURNER'S WHEELS TO
SEE IF SHE'S STILL GOT A FEW METERS IN HER!
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
FOR "LIVE FROM MARS," I'M CAMILLE MOODY. STAY COOL AND
CONNECTED, AND REMEMBER, ONWARD AND UPWARD, TO MARS AND
BEYOND.
