A planetary surface is where the solid or liquid material of certain types of astronomical objects contacts the atmosphere or outer space. Planetary surfaces are found on solid objects of planetary mass, including terrestrial planets (including Earth), dwarf planets, natural satellites, planetesimals and many other small Solar System bodies (SSSBs). The study of planetary surfaces is a field of planetary geology known as surface geology, but also a focus of a number of fields including planetary cartography, topography, geomorphology, atmospheric sciences, and astronomy. Land (or ground) is the term given to non-liquid planetary surfaces. The term landing is used to describe the collision of an object with a planetary surface and is usually at a velocity in which the object can remain intact and remain attached. In differentiated bodies, the surface is where the crust meets the planetary boundary layer. Anything below this is regarded as being sub-surface or sub-marine. Most bodies more massive than super-Earths, including stars and gas giants, as well as smaller gas dwarfs, transition contiguously between phases, including gas, liquid, and solid. As such, they are generally regarded as lacking surfaces. Planetary surfaces and surface life are of particular interest to humans as it is the primary habitat of the species, which has evolved to move over land and breathe air. Human space exploration and space colonization therefore focuses heavily on them. Humans have only directly explored the surface of Earth and the Moon. The vast distances and complexities of space makes direct exploration of even near-Earth objects dangerous and expensive. As such, all other exploration has been indirect via space probes. Indirect observations by flyby or orbit currently provide insufficient information to confirm the composition and properties of planetary surfaces. Much of what is known is from the use of techniques such as astronomical spectroscopy and sample return. Lander spacecraft have explored the surfaces of planets Mars and Venus. Mars is the only other planet to have had its surface explored by a mobile surface probe (rover). Titan is the only non-planetary object of planetary mass to have been explored by lander. Landers have explored several smaller bodies including 433 Eros (2001), 25143 Itokawa (2005), Tempel 1 (2005), 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (2014), 162173 Ryugu (2018) and 101955 Bennu (2020). Surface samples have been collected from the Moon (returned 1969), 25143 Itokawa (returned 2010), 162173 Ryugu and 101955 Bennu. (Wikipedia).
Teach Astronomy - Landscape of Mars
http://www.teachastronomy.com/ Mars has richly varied surface features. There are rocky planes, gullies, riverbeds, smooth sea bed floors, sand dunes. There are dust storms that encompass large fractions of the planet's surface during certain seasons. There are huge gullies and crevasse
From playlist 09. Outer Planets and Planetary Atmospheres
NASA's Office of Planetary Protection
The mission of the Office of Planetary Protection is to promote the responsible exploration of the solar system by implementing and developing efforts that protect the science, explored environments, and Earth. The objectives of planetary protection are several-fold and include: Preserving
From playlist Planetary Protection Playlist
Surface of the Sun as You've Never Seen it
Our sun is an incredible fusion engine. From the surface of earth, we see it as a mere ball of light, but through amazing high-res imaging capabilities, we can observe real solar activities thanks to NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
From playlist The Solar System
Astronomy - Ch. 12: Mars (3 of 40) Topics Covered
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! To donate: http://www.ilectureonline.com/donate https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3236071 We will go over some of the topics that will be covered in this chapter on Mars: basic properties, size comparison, orbit of mars, to
From playlist ASTRONOMY 12 MARS
http://www.teachastronomy.com/ Pluto is the outer sentinel of the solar system. With a size of only 2,300 kilometers, it is half the size of Mercury and two-thirds the size of Earth's moon. Its mean distance from the sun is 39 astronomical units, but it has a highly eccentric orbit with
From playlist 10. The Solar System
Astronomy - Ch. 10: Mercury (4 of 42) Terrain and Color
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will discuss the surface of the planet Mercury. The surface of Mercury is gray with crater everywhere. It pretty much looks like our Moon. I will also explain what are dorsa (wrinkled ridges), rupes (escar
From playlist ASTRONOMY 10 MERCURY
Solar System 101 | National Geographic
How many planets are in the solar system? How did it form in the Milky Way galaxy? Learn facts about the solar system’s genesis, plus its planets, moons, and asteroids. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe #NationalGeographic #SolarSystem #Educational About National Geographic: Nat
From playlist News | National Geographic
Balloons for Planetary Exploration (AEROBOTS - 2010)
Development of a prototype ballon based Mars exploration platform. Aerial platforms can become an integral part of surface exploration missions on planets or moons with an atmosphere, like Venus, Mars or Titan. One of the most immediate applications for aerobots isultra-high resolution ima
From playlist Mars Aircraft
Welcome - K. Farley - 2/6/2014
Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies. © 2014 California Institute of Technology
From playlist Celebrating 50 Years of Planetary Science at Caltech
Astronomy - Ch. 12: Mars (30 of 62) The Interior of Mars
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! To donate: http://www.ilectureonline.com/donate https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3236071 We will learn the interior of Mars is made of crust, mantle (rock) and core (made of iron-nickel, and other elements like sulfur). P
From playlist ASTRONOMY 12 MARS
Astronomy - Ch. 12: Mars (12 of 25) Major Surface Features of Mars
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! To donate: http://www.ilectureonline.com/donate https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3236071 We will study some major surface features of Mars: Olympus Mons, Taris Bulge, Elysium Mons, Valle Marineris, 3 Large Shield Volcanoes
From playlist VIEWER REQUEST VIDEOS: PHYSICS MECHANICS
Shifting Worlds II: A Collaboration with Fraser Cain
In a collaboration with Fraser Cain, we explore the concept of planetary migration, both artificial and in nature, in the future of our world and discuss how that might be applicable to SETI. Part I on Fraser's Channel: https://youtu.be/Ln1BHpoPYYM Papers: "Astronomical engineering: a
From playlist Planetary Migration Playlist
Teach Astronomy - Oxygen Atmosphere
http://www.teachastronomy.com/ Free oxygen in a planetary atmosphere means that something unusual is going on. Oxygen is one of the most reactive gases, and it will cause oxidizing reactions with minerals in a planetary surface on short times scales of only a few million years. In the ca
From playlist 09. Outer Planets and Planetary Atmospheres
Dr. Robert Zubrin - ISDC 2019 Debate - Planetary Protection
Dr. Robert Zubrin and others participate in a debate on Planetary Protection. From the annual International Space Development Conference organized by the National Space Society and held from June 6-9, 2019 in Arlington, VA. For more information visit https://isdc2019.nss.org/ #MarsOutrea
From playlist Planetary Protection Playlist
The Future of Mars Exploration - B. Ehlmann - 2/6/2014
Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies. © 2014 California Institute of Technology
From playlist Celebrating 50 Years of Planetary Science at Caltech
Weekly Space Hangout - May 9, 2014: Virtual Universes & Plants for Mars
Host: Fraser Cain (@fcain) Guests: Scott Lewis, Morgan Rehnberg, Casey Dreier This Week's Stories: Morgan Rehnberg (cosmicchatter.org / @cosmic_chatter): A virtual Universe (Illustris) Cosmos Rover Plants Scott Lewis (@ScientificScott): One Sky New Earthrise photo Casey Dreier (@explore
From playlist Weekly Space Hangout
Planetary Protection (live public talk)
Protecting the Earth from the universe... and the universe from Earth. We chat with Moogega Cooper (Perseverance Mars Rover, Europa Clipper) about preventing contamination during missions around the solar system, making sure they don't bring anything dangerous back with them and we don't t
From playlist Von Karman Public Talks
Going Under the Ice with Dr. Samuel Howell
My guest today is Dr. Sam Howell, a planetary scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sam studies the interiors of icy worlds, like Europa and Enceladus and is pioneering methods to explore their subsurface oceans. https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/showell/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════
From playlist Interviews
Science Bulletins: New Horizons Mission to Pluto
After its discovery in 1930, Pluto was long regarded as our solar system's ninth planet. But residing in the icy realm of the outer solar system, where the sun's brightness is less than 1/1000 of the brightness here on Earth, Pluto is nothing like the other planets of our solar system. It
From playlist Science Bulletins