A Sundial for Mars
Explanation:
When
Mars Surveyor arrives at Mars in 2002,
it will carry a sundial.
Even though batteries and a solar array will power the
Mars Surveyor Lander,
the sundial has been included to allow a
prominent public display of time.
The sundial idea was the brainchild of
Bill Nye the Science Guy,
who noticed that a post originally used for
camera calibration could be redesigned.
Millennia ago,
sundials
were
state-of-the-art timekeepers for humans on Earth.
Since the Sun casts similar shadows on Mars and Earth,
accurate calibration of the shadow placement on the
Martian Sundial will tell a curious inspector of
returned images both the time of day and the season.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
