Sunday, March 18, 2007
Polar water 'would blanket Mars'
Enough water is locked up at Mars' south pole to cover the planet in a liquid layer 11m (36ft) deep.
Analysis of the Marsis radar data shows that the polar deposits consist of almost pure water-ice.
The findings appear in the journal Science and were also presented this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas.
It was known by the 1970s that the north and south polar regions of the Red Planet were blanketed by thick accumulations of layered material.
Based upon data from the Mariner and Viking projects, the polar layered deposits were considered to be accumulations of dust and ice.
Today, polar layered deposits hold most of the known water on Mars, though other areas of the planet appear to have been very wet at times in the past. The south polar layered deposits alone are the size of the US state of Texas.
Understanding where the water went is considered crucial to knowing whether the Red Planet could once have supported life.
The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (Marsis) gathered data on the south polar region over the course of about 300 orbits of Mars Express.
It was able to reach through the icy layers to the lower boundary, which can be as deep as 3.7km (2.3 miles) below the surface.
The radar penetrated through the chaotic, lumpy deposits with very little attenuation (reduction in signal strength), suggesting they were almost 90% water-ice; the rest being dust.
The radar cannot tell whether there is carbon dioxide mixed in with the water-ice, but lead author Jeff Plaut told BBC News that the thickness of the ice also pointed to a composition of nearly pure frozen water.Labels: Jeff Plaut, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mariner, Mars, Marsis, polar water, Viking
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Does water still flow on Mars? These dramatic new photos seem to indicate yes
The images - released for the first time on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA - were taken earlier this year in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet.
Experts have long believed water was to be found on Mars, which is subject to extreme weather conditions. This latest discovery may provide vital proof there was life on Mars and that it is possible for man to land on its arid and rocky surface.
NASA researchers have documented the formation of new craters on the plant's surface and found bright, light-coloured deposits in gullies that were not present in previous photos.
They concluded the deposits - possibly mud, salt or frost - were left there when water recently cascaded through the channels.
In another photo a number of gullies on a crater wall can be clearly seen. The scientists believe that they may have been formed in relatively recent Martian history by erosion caused by flowing, liquid water.
Click here to see before-and-after pictures.
And...
Click here to see picture 1
Click here to see picture 2
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Click here to see picture 7Labels: Mars, NASA, water on mars
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