Subsurface Ice Found Near Martian Equator

In a study in 2008 relating to recent impact craters on Mars, researchers have found that subsurface ice exists underneath the Martian surface soil. The ice was discovered when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO) Context camera team was looking for blemishes on Mars which could be recent meteorite impacts. They are usually dark and are not in older images.

The team found a few and so had these sites imaged by high-resolution cameras. What they saw was a surprise because instead of seeing dark material from under the surface exposed by the impacts, they saw something that was bluish white. Team member Shane Byrne said they found it when they followed up on the first of three craters. He said it looked a lot like water ice. The MRO Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer took a peek at the spectrum of the material and it showed the signature of water ice.

As expected in the thin Martial atmosphere, the ice changed over time and disappeared. Ice on Mars do not last long exposed to air because it sublimates like dry ice does, turning directly into water vapor and never turning to flowing water. The image at the top shows what happens to the Martian landscape when ice vaporizes from underneath.

The discovery of subsurface ice will help a lot in the quest to learn more about the past of Mars, which is believed to have gone through a wet period. It's possible that microbial life once existed or still exists trapped in the ice. Current studies on Mars are a prerequisite to the first Mars astronauts on the red planet. Next to the Moon, Mars is likely the second body beyond Earth where people would set foot on.



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Cave Water and Faunal Bones Found in Atacama Desert

NASA scientists have discovered water in a cave in the driest place in the world---the Atacama desert. The cave Cueva Chulacao, where the water was found, is the largest known cave in the Cordillera de la Sal. There were hardly any indication of recent visits to the place and was in pristine condition.

J. Judson Wynne, a cave expert who is with the SETI Institute and Northern Arizona University, was planting a sensor on the wall of the cave when his feet sank into mud. It was not apparent where the water came from, and it was quite a surprise.

Another surprise came from another cave, which they renamed Cuevita de Huesos which means Small Cave of the Bones, because in it, they discovered hundreds---maybe even thousands of animal bones stuck in the wall, as if encased by time itself. Like the water in the other cave, how the animals came to be deposited there in those numbers is a big mystery.

The scientists were on a sensor-planting mission which would help in research for identifying thermal signatures of caves which may harbor water in a dry environment.

Results of the study would help determine which caves on Mars could potentially have water. Some of these caves, which have already been photographed from space, could potentially harbor life. Otherwise, they can be used by astronauts as shelter from the harsh Martian environment.

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NASA: We Have Water on Mars!

Lowell was right! At least least about the Martian poles being a source of water. The Phoenix lander on Mars has finally analyzed some of the ice it has scooped up and heated and the results show that indeed, there is water on Mars.

Analysis of the Martian soil showed that is was more alkaline than anticipated and contained magnesium, sodium, potassium, and other elements. Because of the discovery, the mission of the lander had been extended to September. The next step for it is to discover if the area had been habitable in the past or suitable for habitation. It would not be looking for evidence of life though. That would be for another mission.

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Red Planet Hot for Water Find

Decades ago, some of you may have watched a Sesame Street cartoon where a man in the desert says Agua! Agua! as he looks for water. Well, it's been like that for Mars scientists for years. They've been looking for water in the Martian desert but couldn't find it. But, now that they have the Phoenix Mars Lander in the Martian arctic plain, they have the tools needed to see if there really is water on the red planet.

When the news on ice sublimating from the trough made in the Martian soil came out, people hoped for the best. Firstly, that it was water ice. Water on Mars would answer a lot of mysteries, like landscape features thought to have been made by water action in the past. Now that the NASA has just announced that the robot is about to deliver Martian soil to its wet chemistry laboratory, scientists and laymen alike have their fingers crossed. Another major thing scientists hope to find is organic matter, which will up hopes in finding microbial life on Mars.

Click here for a video on the Phoenix Lander.

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Martian Dust Devils Caught By Spirit

Ever wonder what a dust devil (small tornado) on Mars looks like. Wonder no more. Here are a handful caught on a sequence of images by the roving robot explorer Spirit, the sister of Opportunity, another robot on Mars. Click on the black and white image to view the video. This wind phenomenon is believed to cause warming of Mars as it exposes dark soil underneath the lighter sand. Being on Mars is like going up to an altitude of 100,000 feet here on Earth, where the air is thin and cold. The colored picture above was also taken by Spirit on the 486th day of the Martian year (Sol 486).

Click here for a video on the latest images of the Martian surface from the robots.

Mars Before and During Planet-Wide Dust Storm

This is Mars as it looks in 2001 before a planet-wide dust storm, and during the storm, which engulfed the entire planet. A similar far-reaching dust storm recently observed on the red planet caused initial concern regarding the roving robots there, Spirit and Opportunity, but it seems they'll be okay once the storm passes.

Mars Rover Oppurtunity Takes a Chance in Victoria Crater

The Mars-roving robot Opportunity will soon take its chances in the Martian Crater Victoria in order to analyze a layer of light soil exposed to the elements when the crater was made. Will this be the robot's last mission? The top photo shows a view of the crater with the rover's track seen as white lines. It was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The bottom photo is a view from the crater's edge taken by Opportunity itself.

Arsia Mons Volcano of Mars in 3D

This is a high-resolution picture of the caldera of Arsia Mons, one of the largest volcanos on Mars and in the solar system in terms of volume and challenged only by neighboring Olympus Mons (the tallest at 27 km above the surface plain). The greenish photo below is a 3D-ready image of a section of the volcano. If you have the right stereo specs like the one sometimes used in select 3D movies in theaters, you may also view this picture in depth, so to speak.

It was taken in 2004 by the Mars Express spacecraft using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). The other picture below it shows Arsia Mons in relation to Olympus Mons. See how they compare visually in terms of size. Note that Arsia Mons does not have a defined extremity, but it's established diameter is at most 450 km. Olympus Mons, which has a more defined area, is 550 km wide. Still, Arsia Mons is recognized to have the largest caldera known at 120 km wide. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth, would fit snugly on top like a bottle cap.

Blue Mars

This planet is blue but it is not Neptune. It is in fact the red planet, Mars. Why is it blue? It's because the photograph was taken in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum. It shows the clouds or practically how the surrounding atmosphere covers the desert planet.

Southern Ice Cap of Mars Captured in Detail

This is a montage of pictures of Mars by the Mars Global Surveyor. The picture on the top right is the carbon dioxide southern ice cap captured in detail. The spacecraft, was in service for more than ten years and lost contact with NASA last November. Scientists are not sure what happened to it but they think it was caused by processors that misfired, causing overexposure of solar panels to solar radiation.

Caverns on Mars Beckon to Scientists

Photos from the spacecraft orbiter Odyssey from Mars show what could possibly be the entrance to giant cave systems underneath the red planet's surface. The series of photos show the sun moving across one such opening. While the craters nearby revealed a solid surface when the sun is directly over them, the dark spot remained pitch black. The thought of cave systems on Mars excites scientists because it could hide hidden life forms. Come to think of it, it also inspires the perfect plot for a new science-fiction movie where scientists explore caves on Mars and get eaten up by slimy or insectlike alien monsters. Then again, the Martian Manhunter might be there waiting to be freed from his prison. Check out Hots Up at http://hotsup.blogspot.com/ for more about science-fiction Martians.

Huge Ice Deposits on Martian South Pole Found

The European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has found huge deposits of ice on the south pole of Mars. Scientists have calculated that if melted, water would cover the whole planet up to 36 feet of water. The deposits are up to 2.3 miles thick, about as large as Texas and lie under a layer of solid carbon dioxide mixed with more water and dust. The goal of scientists now is to determine if life thrived before or still does in the ice.