FRS 002 — Sec. 021 — (2 unit) — CRN 81463 — T 6:10-10:00pm — 172 Chemistry
The Chemistry of Putting Humans on Mars (and Getting Them Home Again)

Instructor: Donald Land, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters and Science

Description: The Mariner 9 and Viking 1 and 2 missions in the 70’s, the Mars Pathfinder, and the current explorations: The Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and the two Mars Exploration Rovers, aided by spectroscopic data obtained by earth-based instruments, provide a wealth of data about the conditions and raw materials available on Earth’s most hospitable neighbor. Putting the first humans on Mars is possible, maybe even in our lifetime, but probably only if we can figure out a way for them to use Mars’ resources to sustain their visit and provide the fuel for the return trip. This seminar seeks to gather the data – mostly available on the internet - and explore the chemistry and processes – through lectures and reading – about methods that may be used to achieve this goal. Societal impacts of such an expensive exploration program will also be discussed. UCD’s 14.5” Newtonian telescope observatory will be used to observe the moon and planets, as well as other celestial objects.

Format: The seminar will meet for four hours each week (roughly the first half in class, second half in observatory). The class time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion and student presentations. Some reading material will be provided. There is no text for the course. Grading: Students will be required to prepare a short paper on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor. The course grade will be based on the quality of their written (1/3) and oral (1/3) presentations and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (1/3).

About the Instructor: Professor Land is a member of the faculty in the Department of Chemistry studying interfacial processes and an avid amateur astronomer. His research interests and hobbies include the use of many of the kinds of instruments used to glean the information about Mars’ raw materials. Other aspects of his research deal with understanding the processes used in fuel cells, solar cells, sensors and the catalytic transformation of raw materials into useful products. Additionally, a former Ph.D. student in Land’s research group is currently a NASA astronaut and may be among the first visitors to Mars.