%PM, %28 %710 %2009 %16:%Sep

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds Ice Just Below Martian Surface

Written by NASA
Rate this item
(0 votes)

MarsNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed frozen water hiding just below the surface of mid-latitude Mars. The spacecraft's observations were obtained from orbit after meteorites excavated fresh craters on the Red Planet.

Scientists controlling instruments on the orbiter found bright ice exposed at five Martian sites with new craters that range in depth from approximately 1.5 feet to 8 feet. The craters did not exist in earlier images of the same sites. Some of the craters show a thin layer of bright ice atop darker underlying material.

The bright patches darkened in the weeks following initial observations, as the freshly exposed ice vaporized into the thin Martian atmosphere. One of the new craters had a bright patch of material large enough for one of the orbiter's instruments to confirm it is water ice.

The findings indicate water ice occurs beneath Mars' surface halfway between the north pole and the equator, a lower latitude than expected in the Martian climate.

"This ice is a relic of a more humid climate from perhaps just several thousand years ago," said Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona.

Byrne is a member of the team operating the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE camera, which captured the unprecedented images. Byrne and 17 co-authors report the findings in the Sept. 25 edition of the journal Science.

"We now know we can use new impact sites as probes to look for ice in the shallow subsurface," said Megan Kennedy of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, a co-author of the paper and member of the teaMars Reconnaissance Orbiterm operating the orbiter's Context Camera.

An image taken on Aug. 10, 2008, showed apparent cratering that occurred after an image of the same ground was taken 67 days earlier. The opportunity to study such a fresh impact site prompted a look by the orbiter's higher resolution camera on Sept. 12, 2009, confirming a cluster of small craters.

"Something unusual jumped out," Byrne said. "We observed bright material at the bottoms of the craters with a very distinct color. It looked a lot like ice."

The Mars orbiter is designed to facilitate coordination and quick response by the science teams, making it possible to detect and understand rapidly changing features. The ice exposed by fresh impacts suggests that NASA's Viking 2 lander, digging into mid-latitude Mars in 1976, might have struck ice if it had dug four inches deeper.

The Viking 2 mission, which consisted of an orbiter and a lander, launched in September 1975 and became one of the first two space probes to land successfully on the Martian surface. The Viking 1 and 2 landers characterized the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface. They also conducted on-the-spot biological tests for life on another planet.

To view images of the craters and learn more about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mro

Read 1914 times Last modified on %AM, %23 %529 %2009 %11:%Oct

Community News

Clearwater Dolphins - Leave a Map-Trail
Although fans are sad to see the Clearwater Beach Dolphin…
Clearwater Beach - Dolphin Pod Sighting at Pier 60...
You can see them too if you hurry – through…
Stingray Season Has Started Early
Stingray season has started early this year. Three people were…
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins May 1st
Sea turtle nesting season begins May 1 and ends Oct.…
Middle School Students Donate $650 to Clearwater Marine Aquarium's Rescued Sea Turtles
Kids in “Friends for Florida” presented $650 to Clearwater Marine…
International Celebrate CMA and Winter Day
Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) fans Jenna Deedy (from New Hampshire)…
Winter the Dolphin Gets New Home as Clearwater Marine Aquarium Expands
On the exact day of the 38th anniversary the Clearwater…
Mutt Strut Raises Money for Humane Society of Pinellas
The Humane Society of Pinellas held their signature event, the…
Embrace Diversity - End Discrimination
Every five seconds during the school day, an African American…