In one experiment, electron beams were fired through a glass tube which contained a mixture of gases believed to resemble the atmosphere of primitive Earth. A number of organic molecules, including amino acids, the “building blocks” of life, were formed as a result.
In another experiment—the apparatus on display—electric spark discharges were used to add energy to a mixture of gases and water vapor contained in the device’s upper sphere. The lower sphere contained a solution of water and salts, a solution believed to resemble the slightly salty water of ancient seas. When heat and sparks were added to the gases and salty water, a number of complex organic molecules formed.
The results of these experiments supported the hypothesis that cosmic rays and other high-energy particles bombarding the primitive atmosphere could have been responsible for the origin of life on Earth.
The experimental devices were constructed and donated by Cyril Ponnamperuma and the Laboratory of Chemical Evolution, University of Maryland.
Photomosaic Globe of Mars
16. Photomosaic globe of Mars made of more than 1500 computer-corrected pictures taken by Mariner 9 in 1971 and 1972. The residual North Pole ice cap is at the top.
This 1.2-meter (4-foot) diameter globe of Mars was assembled from photographs taken by Mariner 9, an unmanned spacecraft that orbited the planet from November 14, 1971, until October 27, 1972. This globe is the first such photomosaic ever made of a planet.
Launched on May 30, 1971, Mariner 9 succeeded in photographing the entire surface of the planet. In its 349 days of orbit around Mars, Mariner 9 circled the planet 698 times and took more than 7300 photographs.