Mars Photo of the Day - 25 Jul 2012

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Today's image of Mars shows banded features indicative of past (and maybe present) glacial flow in Hellas Basin on Mars. The banded features we see in this HIRISE image are similar to those left on Earth where glaciers once flowed. 

Being able to understand these banded features on Mars will help scientists create a better image of what Mars looked like in the past. Being able to map out the Martian past will let scientists determine at which rate the icy glaciers moved. Understanding the Martian past will help us deal with the present and prepare for future exploration. 

Just as understanding Earth's past has helped us figure out why different continents have similar features, studying the geologic history of Mars will give us insight into the different features on Mars.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original high resolution image from HiRISE. [See the HiRISE caption]

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Mars Photo of the Day - Mar 23 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows boulders on the floor of Hellas Basin, as taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera. Hellas basin is approximately 2300km in diameter and measures 7152m deep. While the source of the basin has not been confirmed, most scientists believe an enormous object must have impacted Mars sometime in it's early history.

Since that time there appears to have been some sort of glacial activity in the region, which scientists believe was responsible for depositing the crudely aligned boulders we see below. If you ask me they almost look like larger versions of the blueberries (grey hematite concretions) imaged by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, but of course they aren't!

Clicking on this image will take you to the orignial high resolution image from HiRISE!

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Mars Photo of the Day - March 10 2012

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Today's Image of Mars comes from HiRISE and shows icy flows inside in the inner slope of a Hellas Basin impact crater. HiRISE took this image when there was very little light illumination from the sun. This low illumination enhances some subtle features in the Martian terrain and makes for an extremely dramatic image.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has confirmed that other flows like this one in the region are are made up of ice. Icy flows like the one below could one day be used as a source of fuel and/or water for future missions to Mars.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original high resolution image from HiRISE. [See their caption for the image]

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Mars Photo of the Day - Oct 28 2011

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Today's Image of Mars is further evidence that great seas of water once covered the surface of Mars. What you see was once a flat surface that broke apart; the surface was most likely a freezing mudflow. The pieces of that flat surface began flowing apart on top of slushy material.

When the slushy material eventually froze it would have expanded and forced its way up between broken, drifting pieces. That is why you see the raised ridges that resemble channels.  

This image links to the captioned HiRISE image that is a subimage of this one. It's a lot more colored and  will let you see one of these ridges up close.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Sept 17 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is a comparison of two photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2001. In the June 26 2011 image a dust storm has begun in Hellas Basin (the oval at the 4 o'clock position of the image) and at the northern polar cap. The image from September 4 2001 shows the entire surface obscured by the dust storm. This comparison image shows the largest dust storm seen on Mars in decades and illustrates how quickly these legendary Martian dust storms form. There is no doubt that if we ever send a manned mission to Mars we will have to prepare for these huge storms, which seem to be a annual occurrence during the summer.

I found this image while looking at an old article on Space Today Online, so the image will link to the article, which has more details on Martian sand storms.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 23 2011

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Today's Mars Photo is of the floor of Hellas Basin, as taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera on December 26, 2009. These are just some of the many fascinating landforms found on Mars. Click the image to see the original HiRISE Image.

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