Mars

PTYS_442_542 Class Schedule, Spring 2026

 

 

 

Instructor: Alfred McEwen

 

 

 

 

 

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Date

Topic

Assignment

1

14-Jan

Introduction to course and to Mars

Barlow chapter 2

 

19-Jan

MLK holiday

 

2

21-Jan

Mars surface materials

Barlow 1.1,1.2, 1.3, 1.4

3

26-Jan

Exploration of Mars; Mars seasons

Barlow chapter 4; Homework-1 assigned

4

28-Jan

Introduction to MRO/HiRISE, HiRISE targeting demo

McEwenetal_JGR_2007.pdf

 

5

2-Feb

Mars history (1) pre-Noachian and Noachian. 

Barlow chapter 5

6

4-Feb

Mars history (2) Hesperian; Impact cratering   

Homework-1 due; Homework-2 assigned

7

9-Feb

Mars history (3) Amazonian; Mars polar and ice

Grad student topic choices due.   

8

11-Feb

HiView demo and Present-day surface processes on Mars

Dundas et al., 2021; Byrne_areps_2009

Schedule grad presentations

9

16-Feb

Finish present-day processes; Mars Datasets; JMARS demo

 

10

18-Feb

Jingyu – Ancient climate change; Joanna – Early Mars oceans

Homework-2 due

11

23-Feb

Carter – Pre space-age studies of Mars; Maddy – Martian moons

HiRISE targets must be entered in HiWish; Homework-3 assigned

12

25-Feb

Robin – InSight results; Elana – Silica on Mars

Last chance to modify or add HiRISE suggestions in HiWish (for class project)

13

02-Mar

Christina – Glacial/periglacial processes and geomorphology; TBD

 

14

04-Mar

Mid-term exam

Homework-4 assigned

 

09-13 Mar

Spring Break—no class

 

15

16-Mar

Discuss class projects, HiRISE project

 

16

18-Mar

Vic Baker   Paleohydrology of Mars

all HiRISE images available

17

23-Mar

Impact Cratering and dating landscapes

Homework-4 due

18

25-Mar

Lynn Carter  Perseverance rover mission

 

19

30-Mar

TBD

 

20

01-Apr

Jack Holt  Radar sounding of Mars’ subsurface

 

21

06-Apr

Jessica Barnes – Mars meteorites and sample return 

HiRISE image report due if image available(1-2 pages)

22

8-Apr

Jeff Andrews-Hanna—Tectonics

 

23

13-Apr

Search for life on Mars

Fairen et al., 2017

 

15-Apr

No class

 

24

20-Apr

Concepts for future Mars exploration

Homework-5 consists of short evaluations of student presentations; HiRISE image report due (late images)

 

22-April

No class

 

25

24-Apr (Friday)

student final presentations (5 per class, 15 min each with questions):

See class recordings in https://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~mcewen/Mars-442-542/class%20recordings/ if not able to attend. 

student evaluations due

26

27-Apr

student final presentations:

student evaluations due

27

29-Apr

Student final presentations:

student evaluations due

28

01-May (Friday)

Student final presentations:

See class recordings in https://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~mcewen/Mars-442-542/class%20recordings/ if not able to attend. 

student evaluations due

29

04-May

student final presentations:

student evaluations due

30

06-May

student final presentations:

Final papers due; student evaluations due