For Multiple Choice Section (Don't forget your #2 Pencil!)
1) Why is there no liquid water on Mars' surface? Why the large temperature variations on Mars?
2) What changes would be necessary to Mars to maintain liquid surface water? To grow plants?
3) Why won't melting the ice caps with greenhouse gases work? What will happen to the CO2?
4) Even if Mars had an Earth-like atmosphere, why wouldn't we ever be safe on Mars' surface?
5) Why did Venus' Greenhouse effect become so extreme while it stayed moderate on Earth?
6) Does Venus have now or ever have any water? What happened to it? How do we know this?
7) What is the structure and characteristics of the Venusian atmosphere (clouds, chemistry, wind)?
8) At what point might Earth's greenhouse become a runaway? Why? When will this happen?
9) What sort of geological features are seen on Venus's surface? Is it volcanically active now?
10) What's the age of Venus' surface? How do we know this? What happened 500 Million yrs ago?
11) Does Venus have a convecting mantle? (what is the evidence?) A magnetic field? (why/why not?)
12) Might Venus have had life in the past? Why would this be difficult to look for today?
13) Know the main characteristics of Titan's atmosphere (chemistry of air, clouds, pressure, etc).
14) Why do astrobiologists want to study Titan? What is unique about Titan to other moons?
15) What's the debate about methane on Titan? Why do they think there may be a methane sea?
16) Galilean moon properties (relative density and mass, composition, atmosphere, geology)
17) What is the density of the various moons? What does this tell us about their composition?
18) What does synchronous rotation mean? Which of the moons we've studied show this (most do!)?
19) What is the importance of tidal heating? Which moons are heated? How does this work?
20) What drives the geysers and plumes on Io? Why is Io important to astrobiologists?
21) Why are astrobiologists so interested in Europa? What are the models for the sub-surface?
22) How might Europa have similar to 'mid-ocean ridge zones' (the black smokers seen on Earth)?
23) What is unusual about Europa's surface? What evidence suggests it is 'young'?
24) Why don't the terrestrial planets grow to be large gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn?
25) How are the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt similar? different? How are their properties determined?
26) What is the Asteroid belt? Where is it located? How was it formed?
27) Why is Pluto considered NOT to be a planet? If it's not a planet, what is it?
28) What are Beta-Pic stars? What is their importance in understanding planet formation?
29) How do we think our solar system formed? Why the variation in planet properties?

For Essay Section You will need to answer ONE of these sets of questions. Know them all to be fully prepared. Full sentences are required, though tabular presentations are fine where appropriate.

Terra Forming Mars Know arguments in favor and against terra forming Mars. What is required to make the surface livable for plants? For Humans? Why will it never be entirely safe on the surface?

The Geology of Venus. What is the age of Venus' surface and how do we know this? Is there plate tectonics occurring or what? Is there a convective mantle? How are Earth and Venus' geology similar and how are they different?

Titan's pre-biotic, organic soup. Describe Titan's atmosphere and surface (chemistry, pressure, etc)? How do we know the atmosphere and surface conditions? In what ways is Titan like the pre-biotic Earth. Why is this important?

Our Solar System. How did the Solar System form? What clues are present in the characteristics of the planets and minor planets (asteroids, comets, etc)? How does this theory explain the density and composition of the planets as a function of distance from the Sun?