Listen to the crackle of ‘mini-lightning’ on Mars

aka: An abbreviation for “also known as.”

arc: A curve, often mapping out what appears to be part of a circle.

ash: (in geology) Small, lightweight fragments of rock and glass spewed by volcanic eruptions. 

astronaut: Someone trained to travel into space for research and exploration.

atmosphere: The envelope of gases surrounding Earth, another planet or a moon.

colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.

computer model: A program that runs on a computer that creates a model, or simulation, of a real-world feature, phenomenon or event.

data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.

degrade: To break down into smaller, simpler materials — as when wood rots or as a flag that’s left outdoors in the weather will fray, fade and fall apart.

disrupt: (n. disruption) To break apart something; interrupt the normal operation of something; or to throw the normal organization (or order) of something into disorder.

dust devil: A small whirlwind or air vortex over land that’s visible as a column of dust and debris.

dust storm: A moving, blowing cloud of dust carried by the wind.

electric field: A region around a charged particle or object within which a force would be exerted on other charged particles or objects.

electrical engineer: An engineer who designs, builds or analyzes electrical equipment.

electricity: A flow of charge, usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.

electronics: Devices that are powered by electricity but whose properties are controlled by the semiconductors or other circuitry that channel or gate the movement of electric charges.

engineer: A person who uses science and math to solve problems. As a verb, to engineer means to design a device, material or process that will solve some problem or unmet need.

field: (in physics) A region in space where certain physical effects operate, such as magnetism (created by a magnetic field), gravity (by a gravitational field), mass (by a Higgs field) or electricity (by an electrical field).

generation: A group of individuals.

Mars: The fourth planet from the sun, just one planet out from Earth. Like Earth, it has seasons and moisture. But its diameter is only about half as big as Earth’s.

metal: Something that conducts electricity well, tends to be shiny (reflective) and is malleable (meaning it can be reshaped with heat and not too much force or pressure).

model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others.

molecule: A group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in air is made of two bound oxygen atoms (O₂). Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O).

organic: (in chemistry) An adjective that indicates something is carbon-containing; also a term that relates to the basic chemicals that make up living organisms.

oxidant: A chemical that can oxidize — steal an electron — from another molecule as part of certain chemical reactions.

particle: A minute amount of something.

perseverance: The quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult

phenomenon: Something that is surprising or unusual.

plume: (in environmental sciences) The movement of some gas or liquid, under the direction of gravity, winds or currents. It may be in air, soil or water. It gets its name from the fact that it tends to be long and relatively thin, shaped like a large feather.

Red Planet: A nickname for Mars.