Today's Image of Mars comes from HiRISE and shows a potential future landing site in Utopia Planitia for future missions to Mars. This area is thought to have once held a giant lake, the water from which seems to have at least partially retreated underground. It was once among the top candidate destinations for the Mars Science Laboratory, but lost out to Mount Sharp in Gale Crater.
Recent imaging with gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers on Mars Odyssey has revealed that an abundance of hydrogen molecules lie just one or two meters below the surface, which is indicative of water being right below the surface! You can bet that Utopia Panitia will remain on the list of potential landing sites for future missions to Mars!
Clicking on this image will take you to other potential future landing sites showcased by Mars Travel, since the original HiRISE image isn't much larger and has no caption as of yet.
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