CHAD: NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY AND SCIENCE IS
NOT JUST ABOUT OUR PAST.
MEMBERS OF THE MUSEUM ARE ON A
SPECIAL MISSION THAT MIGHT VERY
WELL IMPACT THE FUTURE OF
MANKIND.
SCIENTISTS AT THE NEW MEXICO
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND
SCIENCE AND ALBUQUERQUE ARE
CONDUCTING FIELD GEOLOGY
MILLIONS A MILES AWAY.
ON AN ACTIVE MARTIAN MISSION
IS NOT COMMON, TO PUT IT THAT
WAY.
CHAD: EXPLORING THE TERRAIN BY
ROBOTIC MEANS IS THE STUFF
OF
ISAAC ASIMOV.
SCIENCE FICTION HAS BEEN SCIENCE
FACT.
A PORTION OF THE MISSION OF MARS
IS CONDUCTED BY THE MUSEUM'S
RESEARCH CURATOR OF VOLCANOLOGY
AND SPACE SCIENCE.
I HAVE TWO SPECIALTIES AND
THE ONE IS TALKING US OF NEW
MEXICO.
I'M INTERESTED IN THE LANDSCAPE.
I LIKE TO SAY MARS IS LIKE NEW
MEXICO, JUST MORE SO.
NEW MEXICO IS A GOOD ANALOG FOR
STUDYING MARS.
CHAD: WITH HIS OTHER PASSION
BEING THE RED PLANET, THE
PERFECT FIT FOR EXCLUSIVE TEAM
OF SCIENTISTS AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
MY JOB IS TO HELP
TILL WHAT
HE DOES ON A DAILY BASIS.
CHAD: A DAUNTING METICULOUS
TASK.
4780 MARTIAN DAYS
AS OF TODAY
AND WE ARE ABOUT TO PLAN THE
NEXT DAY.
WE ARE LITERALLY WAITING FOR THE
DOWNLINK FROM MARS, WHICH WILL
APPEAR HERE IN MY OFFICE IN A
FEW MINUTES.
CHAD: THOSE IMAGES ARE TAKEN
OVER DAYS AT A SNAIL'S PACE.
WE HAVE TRAVERSED OVER 26
MILES ON MARS IN THE 13 YEARS WE
HAVE BEEN ON IT.
CHAD: WHY DOES IT MOVES SO
SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY?
IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT PLACE
TO DRIVE.
200 BILLION MILES AWAY.
YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT
EVERYTHING YOU DO.
WHEN WE GET THERE, WE MIGHT HAVE
TO SPEND SEVERAL DAYS KIND OF
DOING ACTIVITIES LIKE DOING A
PANORAMA, MAYBE SAMPLING THE
ROCKS WITH THE ARM AND ANALYZING
THE COMPOSITION, AND LOOKING UP
CLOSE.
THAT TAKES TIME.
IT IS SLOW BECAUSE MARS IS SO
FAR AWAY.
CHAD: THE ROVER TEAM HAS BEEN
TRAVERSING A PORTION OF THE
LANDSCAPE KNOWN AS ENDEAVOR, A
CRATER THAT HAS A STRIKING
RESEMBLANCE TO NEW MEXICO.
IF YOU ARE ON MARS SITTING ON
THE RIM OF THE CRATER, THIS IS
THE VIEW YOU WOULD HAVE.
IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
THE SCALE IS, HERE NEW MEXICO,
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CRATER THAT
IS EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE.
IT IS -- WHEN YOU
GO TO THE
OVERLOOK, YOU SEE THIS IMAGE.
THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME SCALE
AS THE ENDEAVOR CRATER.
NEW MEXICANS ARE ONE OF THE FEW
PEOPLE'S OWN EARTH THAT REALLY
UNDERSTANDS THE SIZE OF THE
CRATER WE'RE LOOKING AT.
CHAD: AFTER
YEARS OF ARDUOUS
STUDY, THE EXCITEMENT AND WONDER
OF DISCOVERY IS JUST AS FRESH
FOR HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES AS THE
FIRST DAY THEY RECEIVED IMAGES
FROM MARS.
HERE IT IS.
IT JUST CAME IN.
HERE YOU GO.
YOU'RE SEEING IMAGES THAT JUST
CAME DOWN FROM MARS.
WE TAKE A FEW
IMAGES AND WHAT WE
DO IS SOME NAILS, LOW-RESOLUTION
IMAGES FIRST.
THEN LITERALLY WE GET MORE DATA.
LOOKING AT
IT SO EARLY THAT THE
DATA IS THAT ALL HERE YET.
LOOKING DOWN
INSIDE.
THERE'S THE CRATER FLOOR.
IT IS KIND OF DUSTY BECAUSE
THERE ARE A LOT OF DUST STORMS
GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
LATE SUMMER ON MARS.
IMAGES JUST DOWN FROM MARS.
THAT IS WHAT MARS LOOK LIKE JUST
A FEW MINUTES AGO.
CHAD: THE MUSEUM THANK YOU BUBBA
THE LATEST DISCOVERIES.
I MAINTAIN A
MONITOR IN FRONT
OF THE PLANETARIUM HERE IN THE
MUSEUM WERE ANY VISITOR CAN COME
AND SEE SOMETHING
THAT IS FAIRLY
NEW.
YOU PROBABLY WON'T BE ABLE TO
FIND OUT ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE
NEWS MEDIA OR SCIENCE RESOURCE.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT JUST CAME
DOWN FROM MARS.
CHAD: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY WITH
ONLY ONE OTHER MUSEUM IN THE
COUNTRY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING
IN THE EXPLORATION.
THAT IS THE SMITHSONIAN.
WE LIKE TO SAVE THE SMITHSONIAN
IS IN GOOD COMPANY.
CHAD: 13 YEARS IN AND
IT IS JUST
BEGINNING.
IT IS FOR A GREATER
UNDERSTANDING OF MARS, IT'S
PAST, IT'S PRESENT, AND WHAT
POTENTIAL IT MAY HOLD FOR THE
FUTURE OF MANKIND.
THE STORY OF MARS CONTINUES TO
UNFOLD DAILY.
THE OPPORTUNITY, A MARTIAN
LAKE
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN HOSPITABLE
