鈥淗e鈥檚 a big-time Canadian space scientist,鈥� said Howard Trottier, a professor of physics at SFU. Whiteway is best known for spotting snow on Mars. He was the principle investigator for the Canadian weather station on the Phoenix Mars Lander, wrote Now.

Whiteway is the director of the .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Although technically he would need only one person to achieve his goal, Balaskas has set his sights on 500 鈥� a round number he developed based on the total number of individuals who have flown in space since the start of manned space flights 50 years ago, plus a few more for good measure.

Right: Janusz Kozinski, dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, takes a 鈥榳alk鈥� on a piece of the red planet

A laboratory technologist in the Faculty of Science & Engineering鈥檚 and a 91亚色 physics grad who studies meteorites, Balaskas (BSc 鈥�79) hit upon the idea when he became interested in a meteorite known as (photo, left 漏 Royal Ontario Museum). This orthopyroxene-bearing nakhlite from Mars was found in the Sahara Desert and purchased by meteorite dealers in 2002. The dealers, Adam and Greg Hupe, have shared fragments of the meteorite for research while the main portion is now part of the Royal Ontario Museum鈥檚 collection.

Balaskas purchased a couple of tiny fragments from the Hupes and invited 91亚色 students and friends of 91亚色, including a who鈥檚 who of distinguished Canadians, to become the first to 鈥渨alk on Mars鈥� for his world record attempt. Each person who joins Balaskas鈥� select group treads a careful step (barefoot or socks, their option), receives a certificate of achievement and will be listed among those who helped establish the record, which Balaskas eventually plans to submit to the publisher of the Guinness Book of World Records for official recognition.

91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri became the latest person to walk on Mars when Balaskas visited his office in the 91亚色 Research Tower. Janusz Kozinski, dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, joined Shoukri in his Mars trek and said the record attempt was a good way of drawing attention to 91亚色鈥檚 space programs. Balaskas said his goal in starting the project was to raise awareness of 91亚色鈥檚 ever-increasing reputation as one of the leading space science universities in Canada where 91亚色 students and members of the 91亚色 community play a big part.

Left: From left, President Shoukri with Balaskas and Dean Kozinski

91亚色 researchers achieved world recognition in 2008 when, as part of the Phoenix Mars Mission team led by Professor Jim Whiteway, they helped determine that, like the Earth, it even snows on Mars (see YFile, Oct. 1, 2008).听 A new team of researchers from 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering led by Professor Jack McConnell will take part in the , a partnership between the , the (CSA) and .

Whiteway is the director of the ; McConnell is also a member, as are many faculty involved in space research at 91亚色.

91亚色 grad Steve MacLean (BSc 鈥�73, PhD 鈥�83, Hon. DSc 鈥�93), a former Canadian astronaut who was appointed president of the Canadian Space Agency in 2008, is a member of a smaller and exclusive group of 91亚色 space scientists who have walked on a different world and have certificates to prove it. Balaskas said he told Canadian astronaut Julie Payette, an honorary degree recipient at this year鈥檚 91亚色 Spring convocation, that her colleague McLean had done something she hadn鈥檛 done 鈥� walked on the moon! McLean was presented with a certificate and a fragment of NWA 482, a meteorite that originated from the Lunar Highlands that is geologically identical to the Genesis Rock brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 15 astronauts.

Left: A fragment of NWA 998, a meteor from Mars

But his project is more than just a promotional gimmick, says Balaskas, who during the day oversees the Faculty鈥檚 undergraduate physics labs. He and Sal Boccia, an engineering technologist in the metallurgy lab at the University of Toronto, have examined samples of NWA 998 under an electron microscope and found things they feel are worth further study, which they plan to pursue.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Researchers from the Faculty of Science & Engineering will be part of a team of Canadian scientists responsible for a device that will measure and diagnose components of Mars鈥� atmosphere.

The instrument, dubbed MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer) is a partnership between the , the (CSA) and .

According to the University, the instrument, which has yet to be built, will ride aboard the ExoMars Trace Orbiter, a joint mission by NASA and the European Space Agency, slated to launch in 2016.

91亚色 scientists will engage in atmospheric modelling and analysis, constructing a weather and chemical forecast of Mars that will help analyze the MATMOS composition data to assess the sources of various component gases. Methane was discovered on Mars in 2003 in greater abundance than expected; because the gas is readily produced by biological activity, it is considered a key biomarker for signs of life.

鈥淵ou can say in some respect [that] Mars can host life, but can it host life now?鈥� asked , professor of atmospheric science at 91亚色. 鈥淢ars has a bit of an ozone layer but it鈥檚 thin. Mars could have looked differently millions of years ago.鈥�

McConnell, along with colleagues Professor and researcher Jacek Kaminski, will also lend expertise on the SOIR-NOMAD (Solar Occultation in the InfraRed 鈥� Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery), another instrument set to board the ExoMars Trace Orbiter.

As for the fascination surrounding the red planet, McConnell said it鈥檚 Earth鈥檚 nearest neighbour likely to have any evidence of life. 鈥淰enus isn鈥檛 likely, Mercury doesn鈥檛 have an atmosphere and Jupiter has no surface to speak of,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ars is the thing nearest to us that can most likely harbour life. That鈥檚 what intrigues people.鈥�

The .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Researchers from the Faculty of Science & Engineering will be part of a team of Canadian scientists responsible for a device that will measure and diagnose components of Mars鈥� atmosphere. The instrument, dubbed MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer), is a partnership between the , the (CSA) and . It will ride aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a joint mission by NASA and the , slated to launch in 2016.

91亚色 scientists will engage in atmospheric modelling and analysis, constructing a weather and chemical forecast of Mars that will help analyze the MATMOS composition data to assess the sources of various component gases. Methane was discovered on Mars in 2003 in greater abundance than expected; because the gas is readily produced by biological activity, it is considered a key biomarker for signs of life.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to find out what is the source of the methane 鈥� is it biogenic or geological in origin? Much of the methane we see on Earth is life-based. Determining its source on Mars leads us one step closer to the question of whether the planet can support life,鈥� says , professor of atmospheric science in听91亚色's Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering and member of the .

Right: Jack McConnell

The MATMOS instrument will look at the atmosphere edgewise, rather than simply from above. This will enhance its ability to see multiple layers of the atmosphere.

鈥淭hink of it like looking down from the CN Tower at the smog in Toronto. When you鈥檙e peering down through it, the sky usually looks relatively clear. But if you were to look at it from the side, you鈥檇 be able to see much more pollution,鈥� he says.

The device also has a high spectral resolution, enabling it to more accurately detect the presence of a variety of gases. Besides methane, scientists will also monitor CO2, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, water vapour and ozone.

McConnell, alongside 91亚色 colleagues and Jacek Kaminski, will lend expertise to another instrument aboard the ExoMars orbiter: the SOIR-NOMAD (Solar Occultation in the InfraRed 鈥� Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery) experiment. They will contribute their knowledge in the areas of atmospheric modelling and听cloud formation on Mars.

Left: Professor Jim Whiteway, Canada Research Chair in Space Engineering & Atmospheric Science. Photo courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency.

The Canadian science team includes prominent Canadian atmospheric and planetary researchers from Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto and the University of Winnipeg.

The MATMOS instrument will build on the expertise Canada has acquired from the CSA's SCISAT-I mission, which has been using a similar technique and technology to study ozone depletion in Earth's atmosphere since 2003. The CSA will fund the conceptual phase of the Canadian contribution to MATMOS and has selected ABB Bomem as the prime contractor for the Canadian elements. Canada's contribution will include the heart of the instrument 鈥撎齛 detection instrument known as an interferometer 鈥� as well as a solar imager and optical components that will collect light for the entire instrument.

For more information, visit the听 Web site. For more information on the ExoMars orbiter experiments, visit the Web site.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer. Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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On May 24, NASA released photos of the Mars Phoenix lander that finally ended even the faintest hope that the 91亚色-designed weather instruments on board the spacecraft would come to life again. The photos show that the lander鈥檚 solar panels appear to have collapsed due to the weight of a thick layer of frost, robbing it of power it needs to communicate 鈥� if its physical components were not already cracked and broken by the extreme cold.

Left: Members of the 91亚色 Phoenix team nervously await the first results from Mars on May 28, 2008

Although none of the Phoenix team at 91亚色 held out much hope for Phoenix鈥檚 survival, the news from NASA made it official. The team will be toasting both the project鈥檚 success and the lander鈥檚 demise tonight at the Space Science Symposium: Reflections on Canada鈥檚 Past and Future Achievements in Space Science, being held to honour the 50-year career of Gordon Shepherd, Distinguished Research Professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering.

鈥淲e will be celebrating the accomplishment and the fact that it鈥檚 finally over,鈥� said 91亚色 Professor Jim Whiteway, principal investigator for the Canadian portion of the Phoenix project, which was led by the University of Arizona and NASA.

The Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet two years ago and provided the world with the stunning revelation that it snows on Mars (see YFile, Oct. 1, 2008). But the lander, whose meteorology instruments were designed by Whiteway and his team from 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Research in Earth & Space Science (CRESS) in the Faculty of Science & Engineering (FSE), was never designed to withstand a Martian winter. 鈥淲e stopped hoping it would respond in March,鈥� said Whiteway. 鈥淲e never did make any plans 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 designed to survive the winter.鈥�

NASA issued a story and photos (right) taken by the Mars Odyssey orbiter (see ), which flew over the landing site 61 times during a final attempt to communicate with the lander. No transmission from the lander was detected. Phoenix also did not communicate during 150 flights in three earlier listening campaigns this year.

Since the work of the mission ended with the onset of the Martian winter in November 2008, Whiteway and his team have published 15 papers in international journals reporting new knowledge that has changed our understanding of the climate and the hydrological cycle on Mars. These results are now informing a new generation of computer models being used to study the climate on Mars. 鈥淭hey are simple observations and would be quite pedestrian on earth,鈥� Whiteway said, 鈥渂ut they are quite something else on a different planet.鈥�

Alan Carswell, chair of the board at Optech, professor emeritus at 91亚色听and developer of听the lidar technology, said it was fitting that the Space Seminar, where he is also speaking, is being held on the very day two years ago that the 91亚色 team received the first results from Phoenix鈥檚 MET package. It was a few days later that the instrument confirmed that it snows on Mars. 鈥淭hat was a pure lidar observation 鈥� without it the snow wouldn鈥檛 have been detected,鈥� Carswell said. 鈥淭he fact that it was our lidar that allowed it to be seen was really quite reassuring and satisfying.鈥�

听

听A view of one of Phoenix's solar panels after the landing on Mars

With the project reports all but complete, the 91亚色 team听is now focusing on new proposals for missions to map asteroids and moons using the lidar technology that was a key component of the Phoenix鈥檚 MET package. These projects are being led by 91亚色 Professor Michael Daly, a former staff member at MDA Space Missions who was the chief engineer for the Phoenix MET project and then joined FSE as a professor in January.

Phoenix鈥檚 meteorological component was a collaboration led by 91亚色, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the Finnish Meteorological Institute, MDA Space Missions and Optech Inc., with $37 million in funding from the Canadian Space Agency. The mission was a of NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratories and the University of Arizona.

For more information on the science results of the mission and links to more stories about Phoenix, see YFile, July 6, 2009.

By David Fuller, contributing YFile writer.

Republished courtesy of YFile.

听

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Key findings of the Phoenix-Mars mission鈥檚 Canadian science team, led by 91亚色, have been published in the journal Science. The report, published on Friday, summarizes the scientific findings of the mission, which was conducted last summer on the planet Mars.

During the five-month mission, which concluded in November 2008, the team鈥檚 laser instrument detected snow falling from Martian clouds 鈥� a first in observations from the surface of the red planet.

"We found ice clouds and precipitation that were surprisingly Earth-like 鈥� certainly more so than expected," says Professor Jim Whiteway, the lead Canadian scientist and Canada Research Chair in Space Engineering听and Atmospheric Science in 91亚色's Faculty of Science & Engijneering. He is also a member of the Centre for Research in Earth & Space Science.

Left: Professor Jim Whiteway. Photo courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency

In the Science article, "Mars Water-Ice Clouds and Precipitation," Whiteway and 22 co-authors conclude that, had Phoenix operated further into winter, they would have seen evidence of precipitation accumulating into a seasonal buildup of water ice on the ground.

"Before Phoenix, we did not know whether precipitation occurred on Mars. We knew that the polar ice cap advanced as far south as the Phoenix site in winter, but we didn't know how the water vapour moved from the atmosphere to ice on the ground. Now we know that it does snow, and that this is part of the hydrological cycle on Mars," explains Whiteway.

The mission obtained measurements from the surface in the Arctic region of Mars. The spacecraft landed before the summer solstice and operated throughout the midsummer peak and decline in atmospheric water vapour, making it possible to observe the processes that contribute to the water cycle.

The team used a Canadian-designed light detection and ranging (LIDAR) instrument that emitted pulses of laser light upward into the atmosphere and detected the backscatter from dust and clouds. The laser instrumentation was part of Phoenix鈥檚 meteorological station, which gathered crucial information about the climate on Mars via temperature, wind and pressure sensors.

The LIDAR observed water-ice clouds in the atmosphere of Mars that were similar to cirrus clouds on Earth. Measurements of atmospheric dust indicated that the planetary boundary layer (PBL) on Mars was well-mixed 鈥� up to heights of approximately four kilometres 鈥� by summer daytime turbulence and convection. The water-ice clouds were detected at the top of the PBL and near the ground each night in late summer after the air temperature began decreasing.

Whiteway and his colleagues interpreted that water vapour mixed upward by daytime turbulence and convection forms ice crystal clouds at night, which then precipitate back toward the surface.

He says the publication of their findings cements a new chapter of knowledge about Mars. "It was several years of difficult work with a high risk," says Whiteway. "It鈥檚 satisfying that we achieved something special."

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

Phoenix鈥檚 meteorological component was a collaboration led by 91亚色, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the Finnish Meteorological Institute, MDA Space Missions and Optech Inc., with $37 million in funding from the Canadian Space Agency. The mission was a joint project of NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratories and the University of Arizona.

For more on the Phoenix-Mars mission, see YFile, Nov. 12, 2008, Aug. 15, 2008 and May 30, 2008.

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