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The Microphone on Mars Student Essay Contest                   The Planetary Society                                      http://planetary.org/learn/MarsMic/Essayandart.html                                      Deadline: October 1, 1999                                      When the Mars Polar Lander touches down on the                   surface of the Red Planet in December of 1999,                   something will happen that has never happened                   before! A microphone will be placed on another                   world, so that the people on Earth will be able to                   listen for the sounds on Mars! This tiny                   microphone was proposed to NASA by Carl Sagan and                   Louis Friedman, co-founders of The Planetary                   Society.                                      What sounds might there be on Mars? What will we                   hear? Some sounds might be natural, some connected                   with the spacecraft. The microphone should "hear"                   the sounds of the Polar Lander, perhaps the                   workings of the mechanical arm which will dig deep                   into the Martian surface.                                      But other sounds will be from Mars itself, perhaps                   winds, sandstorms, dust-devils, or an electrical                   storm. Perhaps there will be something we never                   expected!   And some sounds will come from                   interactions of natural phenomena with the                   spacecraft - dust hitting the spacecraft or wind                   whistling through its appendages. What will we                   hear when we can listen to Mars for the first                   time?                                      THE CONTEST                                      To enter, write an essay 300 words or less,                   describing what sound we might hear on Mars. The                   first half of your essay should be your best                   hypothesis of what sounds we might hear on Mars                   and why. Be sure to read books about Mars and do                   research in the library or through the Internet                   and apply your knowledge to your hypothesis of                   what the sounds will be on Mars.                                      The second half of your essay should concentrate                   on what sounds we might hear on Mars                                      continued...in a hundred years. Use your                   imagination in envisioning what Mars may look like                   in a hundred years and what influence our missions                   to the planet might have on Mars and new types of                   sounds on that world.                                      When writing your essay, you might consider the                   following questions:                                           * Does your essay keep in mind the                       environmental conditions on Mars?                                           * Are the sounds you predict consistent with a                       dry, cold, dusty, and hostile world?                                           * Does your essay take into account that the                       Mars Polar Lander will be landing near the                       south pole on Mars? (See below for mission                       facts.)                                           * What changes might take place on Mars in a                       hundred years?                                           * What would be different on Mars in a hundred                       years that would create different sounds than                       you describe in the first part of your essay?                                      CONTEST RULES                                           * Anyone born on or after January 1, 1980 is                       eligible to submit an essay.                                           * Your entry must include the following: name,                       address, phone number and date of birth.                       (Please include your T-shirt size.) For                                               public relations, you can also include the                       name of your local newspaper and its address.                       Proof of age may be required upon request.                                           * Your essay should be in English.                                           * Mail your entry to Sheri Klug at Arizona                       State University, Department of Geology, PO                       Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404.                                               Your entry must be received by October 1,                                               1999. All entries become the property of The                       Planetary Society and may be published in The                       Planetary Report.                                           * You may only submit one entry, however,                       employees and dependents of employees working                       at The Planetary Society or Arizona State                       University Mars K-12 Education Program are                       not eligible to enter.                                      For additional information about the Mars                   Microphone, contact:                                               The Planetary Society                       65 North Catalina Avenue                       Pasadena, CA, 91106                       (626)793-5100                                               Email: tps@mars.planetary.org                                      PRIZES                                      First Prize                                      * An all-expenses-paid trip to Planetfest `99 for                   two, at the Pasadena Convention Center, which                   celebrates the landing of the Mars Polar Lander                   and where you will hear the actual sounds from                   Mars.                                      Second and Third Prizes                                      * "Explorer's Guide to Mars" Poster                                      * Planetary Society Microphone Penguin T-shirt                                      * Two 3-day passes to Planetfest `99                                      Top 400 entries                                      * Planetary Society Microphone Penguin Pin                                      The Planetary Society reserves the right to                   substitute prizes of equal value.

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