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 - Jan 28 2012

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Today's Image of Mars is shows Dodo-Goldilocks, a 22x35cm trench dug by the Mars Phoenix Lander, which, at its deepest reaches a depth between 7 and 8cm. The trench was dug using Phoenix's robotic arm on Sol 18 of its mission, which was June 12 2008, and this image was taken 6 Sol later on June 19 2008.

The white material that you see is ice. The ice lumps on the bottom left of the trench sublimated (turned from solid to gas) over the course of the next four days. [See the trench a few days later]

Clicking on this image will take you to the NASA page that shows the trench before and after the ice sublimated.

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University

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Mars Photo of the Day - Jan 10 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows a large depression in Deuteronilus Mensae, a region characterized by glacial features. The depression that is central to this image measures 2000m deep and 110km in diameter from north to south. This depression is eye-catching because it contains darker material than the surrounding terrain. 

In this image you can also see valleys cut deep into the Martian surface. Scientists believe these valleys may have formed from intense melting of water ice, which then quickly froze and flowed down the slopes of the depression, much like a glacier. This was common on Mars when rising magma or impacts resulted in massive amounts of ground water erupting from underground reservoirs, only to be frozen in the frigid Martian temperatures.

At least one glacier in Deuteronilus Mensae formed as recently as 10,000-100,000 years ago. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's radar have discovered that part of Deuteronilus Mensae currently contain ice, making the region a possible landing site for any future manned mission to mars.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original high-resolution image from Mars Express. [See the ESA's article on Deuteronilus Mensae]

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Mars Photo of the Day - Dec 5 2011

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Today's Image of the Day is of an unnamed crater on Mars with water ice in it. The crater is located in Vastitas Borealis, a broad plain which covers much of Mars' northern latitudes.

This crater is 35km in diameter and approximately 2km deep. The ice in this crater is present all year round because the temperatures at such high latitudes never get above freezing. The ice cannot be carbon dioxide ice because at the time this photo was taken all carbon dioxide ice had previously sublimated.

This image was taken by ESA's Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). Clicking on this image will take you to the original high definition image. I highly recommend you check it out!

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