Sun, Jan 25, 2004
What We've Long Suspected Is True
As American scientists struggle to contact their Spirit rover
and Europeans have virtually given up hope of finding their Mars
lander, Beagle 2, the EU orbiter Mars Express has confirmed what
was long suspected about the Red Planet: There was once an
abundance of water.
"I think we can firmly say 'yes, there was water acting on the
surface of Mars," said European Space Agency scientist Gerhard
Neukum.
The latest images of Mars from the European space vehicle show
stunning images of the Hellas Basin, featuring a channel that was
most likely cut by flowing water. At the bottom of the river-cut
valleys, sediment left by the waters as they eroded the banks of
the unearthly river.
The Mars Express continues to orbit, approximately 125 miles
above the surface of the planet, taking incredibly fine-detailed
shots of Mars.
"This is no ordinary spacecraft," said David Southwood, ESA's
head of science. "This is only the beginning. There is more to come
in the next two years."
Like the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, Mars Express uses a
stereoscopic camera to capture up to a two-meter resolution of the
Martian surface. Using the pictures, German scientists have even
created a computer simulation that shows what it would be like to
fly low over Mars in an aircraft.
The most significant area of water exploration is the Martian
south pole, according to scientists. Already, the American orbiter
Mars Odyssey has picked up significant evidence that there's water
mixed in with the frozen CO2 (dry ice) at the southern end of Mars.
Using a different technique to look for water, the Mars Express
determination serves as confirmation that water does indeed exist
on the surface of Mars at it's south pole. At the end of its
two-year mission to explore a strange new world, Mars Express will
have accurately gauged the amount of water on the surface and
locked up in rock formations -- vital information for any future
manned mission to the Red Planet.
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