New maps show that Ma’adim Vallis, one of the biggest valleys on Mars, formed when a large lake overflowed over a low point in its perimeter. After mapping contours that link the ancient lake’s shoreline and the overspill region, researchers say the water could have cut the deep valley and flooded several impact craters downstream.
June 21st, 2002
Lakebed Testifies to Warm, Wet Mars Sky & Telescope
The discovery of a huge ancient lakebed in the equatorial highlands of Mars, based on data from Mars Global Surveyor’s camera and altimeter, bolsters the widely held but still controversial view that Mars supported a widespread hydrosphere and warm climate during its early history.
June 15th, 2002
Is the Red Planet White or Blue? Popular Science
For years, scientists thought that Mars was a cold, dry planet. But pictures sent back by the Mars Global Surveyor over the past three years have rocked that long-held view. Now, many scientists think that the planet may in fact have once been a warm, wet world
May 30th, 2002
Mars discoveries key to future exploration?
Scientists, as a rule, are not a giddy bunch. But evidence from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft of underground ice on Mars has astronomers tossing out descriptions like “stunning” and “amazing.” In a Perspective piece in this week’s Science magazine, Jim Bell, professor of astronomy at Cornell University, suggests these initial findings might just be the “Tip of the Martian Iceberg,” and that there may be large subsurface water ice deposits on our neighboring planet. He talked with CNN Science and Technology producer Marsha Walton…
May 29th, 2002
Mars Odyssey’s Temperature Maps Expose Rock Layer History
There are tantalizing indications emerging from the thousands of infrared images taken so far by NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft that Mars experienced a series of environmental changes during active geological periods in its history. “We knew from Mars Global Surveyor that Mars was layered, but these data from Odyssey are the first direct evidence that the physical properties of the layers are different. It’s evidence that the environment changed over time as these layers were laid down,” said Dr. Philip Christensen, principal investigator for Odyssey’s camera system and professor at Arizona State University, Tempe. “The history of Mars is staring us in the face in these different layers, and we’re still trying to figure it all out.”
May 28th, 2002
Water Ice Discovery on Mars May Be ‘Tip of an Iceberg’
Scientists are reporting this week detailed evidence for vast amounts of water ice just beneath the surface of Mars. The finding, which confirms preliminary data released earlier this year, should help answer an age-old question regarding where ancient Mars’ water went, and it is likely to fuel greater interest in probing the Red Planet for signs of life. The new data, provided by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, will be reported in Friday’s issue of the journal Science. The findings were embargoed for release Thursday afternoon, but some news outlets in the U.S. and Britain reported on them last week and over the weekend. The journal lifted the embargo this morning.
May 27th, 2002
Water on Mars Good News for Exploration -Scientist
Water under the surface of Mars could speed up the search for life on the red planet and lighten the load of manned missions in the next two decades, a British space scientist said Monday.
May 27th, 2002
Underground Ice Reportedly Detected on Mars
NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft has reportedly detected water ice under the surface of the red planet, according to scientific papers to be published this week, a finding that could be a giant step in exploration of Mars. Many astronomers believe Mars used to have quantities of liquid water on its surface, but they have never agreed on where the water went. Research to be published in this week’s edition of the journal Science may help answer that question.
May 27th, 2002
Ice reservoirs found on Mars
Water-ice has been found in vast quantities just below the surface across great swathes of the planet Mars. Ice shows up blue on the gamma-ray spectrometer. The finding by the American space agency (Nasa) is undoubtedly one of the most important made about the Red Planet.
May 27th, 2002
Frozen ocean under Mars surface New Scientist
Vast reserves of hydrogen lurk under the dusty Martian surface, scientists will confirm on Thursday, when scientific details of observations made by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft are revealed. That hydrogen is almost certainly locked up in crystals of water ice.