A full house at North House Folk School for the Wandering Around Mars presentation. All photos by Haley Brickner

By Haley Brickner - Boreal Community Media - December 16, 2024

Did you know that Mars is not red? The Red Planet is actually grey and covered in rust, which gives it a red appearance. NASA scientist Andrea Jones shared this and many other fascinating findings about our neighboring planet in her one-hour presentation Wandering Around Mars.

The presentation was part of the 6th annual Dark Sky Festival. Jones is a planetary geologist and the Public Engagement Lead of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She works with missions and research teams to find out the latest discoveries and share them with different audiences.

Related: Morgan Thorson's "Untitled Night" celebrates the night and winter as part of Cook County's Dark Sky Festival

 Andrea Jones is a planetary geologist and the Public Engagement Lead of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She shares the latest discoveries with different audiences.

Through missions going back nearly 50 years, scientists have learned a lot about the red planet. Orbiters, rovers, helicopters, high-tech cameras, and other instruments have shown us that Mars is a cold desert planet with a thin atmosphere, complete with seasons, polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons, and weather. Although the current harsh conditions are inhospitable to life, NASA has been scouring the planet for evidence that it was once habitable. 

 A high-resolution photo of a dust devil in action on Mars. These dust devils contribute to Mars' climate and help scientists understand the atmosphere.

One mission she spoke about is the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission, which is studying the Martian atmosphere and how it has been lost over time. Perseverance, a mission launched in 2020, is searching Mars for signs of ancient life and collecting rock samples. A recent discovery made by the Curiosity Rover in 2023 was a field of stones made out of pure sulfur. This discovery is exciting because it indicates the potential for habitable conditions on the planet, albeit billions of years ago.

Currently, NASA is planning to send humans to Mars by the 2030s, a trip that will take about 9 months one-way and over a billion miles round-trip.

 One of over 40,000 impact craters on Mars. These craters provide information about the planet's geological history, surface composition, erosion rates, and potential past climates.

 Formations called "spiders" help scientists understand Mars' geology and climate.

 A helpful image showing NASA's current missions.

 Eye candy

 The charcuterie from Fisherman's Daughter never disappoints.