Scientists studying the latest images from Mars have found evidence that hot springs which could have supported primitive life once existed on the surface, The Washington Post reports.
“This is the first time that features that are so close in all of their shapes and details to springs on Earth have been reported and identified on Mars,” said Carlton Allen of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, who is studying the planet to find interesting landing places for future missions. “This puts the story of water on the Martian surface in a totally different context.”
In addition to a full article, Post reporter Marc Kaufman did a live online Q&A with readers on Monday. The transcript is worth reading.
ESA PRESS RELEASE
ESA’s Mars Express radar sounder, MARSIS, has looked beneath the martian surface and opened up the third dimension for planetary exploration. The technique’s success is prompting scientists to think of all the other places in the Solar System where they would like to use radar sounders.
No matter how accurate a camera is, it can only map a planet’s surface. To retrieve information about the underground realm, planetary scientists in the past would have thought it necessary to land on the surface and start digging.
But that would only be good for a single spot on a large planet and the first few decimetres of the surface. To get the global picture of the subsurface they need a radar sounder, such as the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS), to find the best spots for the future landers to go and dig.
MARSIS is built to map the distribution of liquid and solid water in the upper portions of martian crust. If reservoirs of water are detected, it will help us understand the hydrological, geological, climatic and possibly biological evolution of Mars. The radar experiment works because every time a radar wave crosses a boundary between different substances, it generates an echo that the orbiter detects.
Continue reading ‘ESA Breaks on Through to the “Third Dimension” on Mars’
NASA has apparently given a reprieve to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. The Associated Press reports:
“NASA has no plans to turn off either of the healthy twin Mars rovers to make up for cost overruns faced by a big new rover slated to fly to the Red Planet next year, the space agency said.
“In a rare move, NASA said it rescinded a letter sent last week to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena that directed budget cuts to the Mars exploration program, including a $4 million reduction from the rovers project.”
Read the full story.