Bringing Mars into Focus:

Exploring Mars and Life on Mars?

The Mars we see today has a thin, cold and dry atmosphere. Across its surface lie vast dune seas of wind blown sediment. Yet Mars was once an dynamic world with active volcanoes, a denser atmosphere, and possibly liquid water on its surface. Meteorites blasted off of the Red Planet suggest to some that Mars may once have supported microbial life.

The primary task of the missions to Mars is to help us to understand the current climate of Mars and how it has evolved over time.

Current Missions to Mars:

• Mars Global Surveyor - Mars Global Surveyor has been in Martian orbit since 1997. Has returned remarkable high resolution images of the Red Planet. The Latest Images from it are HERE. A Gallery of more than 25,000 images of Mars from the Global Surveyor can be found HERE.

• Mars Odyssey is in Mars Orbit.  See the latest images HERE.

  

• Mars Global Surveyor has detected signs of recent water flow on Mars! - follow the link for images & details  
• Mars Exploration Home Page
• Exploring the Solar System

  Mars mission hotline (800) 391-6654 or (818) 354-2410 (Select 4 from voice menu)

  
  

  Future Missions to Mars:

• NASA to launch two Mars Moble Landers for 2003!

  

  A Movie of the mission can be found Here

• Human Missions to Mars?

   

  Past Missions to Mars:

  
• Mars Pathfinder - Mars Pathfinded captivated the world in July of 1997. Its lander and rover missions were a tremendous success returning a wealth of geologic and meteorological data.
  See the Mars Pathfinder Panorama
• Viking Landers & Orbiters - the first soft landings on Mars.
• Mariner 9 - the first probe to orbit Mars!

  ---

  Meet the Neighbors?

  

  This photomicrograph shows one of the bacteria like structures found within the Martian meteorite. 
  
  

  

  Is this Crater the Source of some of the Martian Meteorites?

  This elliptical crater is located on the slope of the giant Martian volcano known as Ceraunius Tholus. The volcano has been eroded and probably consists of ash deposits. Ceraunius Tholus is about the size of the Big Island of Hawaii. The elliptical impact crater, just above Ceraunius Tholus formed after the volcano. Such craters are formed from the impact of asteroids or comets that have a very shallow angle of approach. In the process of crater formation some material is ejected to the side and some may also be hurled outward and into space. Remember that this crater is thought to have been the source of some of the Martian meteorites (such as Zagami), but not the meteorite with the evidence of life.

  Here is an image of the Martian meteorite (ALH84001) which was found in Antarctica in 1984. The actual crater from which ALH84001 came from may have been found. Read this! Here are two images of other Martian meteorites image 1 and image 2

  WWW references on Mars and Martian Meteorites (a.k.a. SNC Meteorites):

   

  MARS (SNC) Meteorites from JPL

  On the Question of the Mars Meteorite

  Mars from Solar Views

  Mars from the Nine Planets

  PDS Mars Explorer for the Armchair Astronaut
  
  

  updated 09-11-2002

  This page was created by the Lake Afton Public Observatory