Today's Image of Mars is of a candidate landing site in Horowitz Crater, as taken by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In August 2011 NASA released evidence that water was currently flowing in Horowitz Crater, making it a prime destination for for future manned and unmanned missions to Mars.
Scientists discovered features on Mars called Recurring Slope Linae (RSL). Repeated imaging has shown that these features appear and gradually grow during the warm season on Mars, only to fade during the cold season. It is thought that the best explanation for these recurring features is the existence of briny water just below the surface, but that is unconfirmed as of yet.
A mission to Horowitz Crater would help scientists to definitively determine whether there is liquid water just below the surface. If the evidence is substantiated then this will have huge implications for future missions to Mars that could use the water as a source of fuel, or to help sustain manned missions.
Clicking on this image will take you to the original article by Mars Travel in which the August findings were discussed. [See the original uncaptioned HiRISE image]
