Space Topics: Mars Global Surveyor
The Year in Pictures: 2006
Mars Global Surveyor Reveals Recent Water Activity
New gully deposit in a crater in Terra Sirenum, Mars
Credit: NASA / JPL / MSSS
|
"Ten years ago, Mars scientists were talking about water billions of
years ago. Five years ago, [Mike Malin and Ken Edgett] were talking about
water millions of years ago. I think now we can honestly talk about liquid
water on the surface of Mars today. And that revolution in our thinking
truly has changed how we view Mars and how we should think about exploring
Mars." -- Arizona State University geologist Phil Christensen
December 6. These images from Mars
Global Surveyor contain telltale deposits left behind by liquid water
flowing on the surface within the few years that the spacecraft surveyed Mars. Scientists
had previously announced the discovery of features that must have been carved
by water within the last several million years, but this is the first
evidence that water has flowed on Mars' surface while humans have been studying
it.
New gully deposit in a crater in Terra Sirenum, Mars (flicker animation)
This animation flickers between two Mars Orbiter Camera views of a gully in a small crater in Terra Sirenum, Mars. The two images were captured in December 2001 and April 2005, and show that, between those two dates, liquid water flowed down the gully and left a light-toned deposit. The movement of other features in the image is due to the different points of view obtained by Mars Global Surveyor on the sloped crater wall in the two observations.
Credit: NASA / JPL / MSSS / Emily Lakdawalla
|
|
[ what is this? ]