‘mars’ Articles
Written by admin on 03 December 2008
A photograph made by NASA during a Mars mission and published recently, brings to life new dispute among scientists. The shocking image, presents a formation that looks like a tree trunk, which again brings up question about the existence of past or present life on the Red Planet.
Scientists at NASA said that is only an interpretation,made by people who discover unknown objects and try to associate them with pictures stored in their memory. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: life, mars, space
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Written by admin on 04 October 2008
Actually, a study of the martian landscape attests that there has not only been rain, but also rivers on the red planet.
The rivers may have flown in the valleys from the highlands near the martian equator ( such as the Xanthe Terra highland region). Also, signs of fan-shaped river deltas have been observed inside ancient craters in which some valleys end.
Ernst Hauber, geologist at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin – Adlershof, speaks about layered sediments existing at the openings of the valleys into craters: “ The shape of certain sediments is typical for deltas formed in standing water.”
Sediment is carried down the river until the place where the currents become too weak. Eventually, the flow almost stops when it empties into a larger body of water, such as a lake-filled crater. One such crater, 3-mile small and filled with sediment up to 164 feet, may be a proof of such a fan-shaped delta, into which the Nanedi river flows.
According to the number of craters which can roughly indicate the age of the planetary surface, the water may have flowed in the valleys sometime between 3.8 and 4 billion years ago.
Recent research presented at the European Planetary Science Congress in Münster, Germany, attests the role played by rain and snowmelt in the creation of the valleys.
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Written by admin on 01 October 2008
The space probe Phoenix, sent to Mars by NASA , has intercepted snowflakes falling from the clouds of the Red Planet. Experiments conducted upon the martian soil have also shown evidence of past interaction between minerals and water, ScienceDaily announces.
A laser device designed to gather information on the interaction of the soil and atmosphere on Mars has detected snowy precipitation falling from the clouds hovering at about 4 kilometers above the landing spot of the space probe. The information shows that the snow has vaporized before touching the ground. However, it falls every night. “ A similar view has never been seen on Mars.”, said Jim Whiteway from the York University in Toronto, coordinator of the Phoenix meteorologic station. “ We will search for evidence showing that the snow does reach the ground.” The experiments of the Phoenix probe have also indicated the presence, in the martian soil, of calcium carbonate, the main chemical compound of chalk, as well as particles which might be clay. Most of the carbonates and types of clay on Earth only form in the presence of water. Phoenix’ mission, initially planned to develop on Mars for 3 months, is now in its fifth. However, the probe is starting to face difficulties in gathering solar energy, which is diminishing and it will conclude its mission before the end of the year. Before the energy supply is stopped, the Phoenix team will try to activate a microphone on the facility, in order to capture possible sounds on Mars.
Source: NASA
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