In a paper published March 3 in the journal Science, Arizona State University geologists Josh Bandfield, Vicky Hamilton, and Philip Christensen report the first results of a major survey being performed by the Mars Global Surveyor’s Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) of the planet’s mineral composition. TES measures the thermal infrared energy (heat) emitted from Mars and records the unique infrared spectra emitted by specific minerals. Scientists then use this data to map the mineral composition of the planet’s surface.