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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1998
> December
> December 11, 1998:
Hour One: Mars Missions and Science
Water on Mars may not flow the direction that scientists previously thought, according to new research published this week. Maria Zuber of MIT and colleagues report that Mars' polar ice cap may lie inside a depression on the planet's surface - so any excess water would flow from the equator towards the pole, and not the other way around. That change in direction could shake up theories about the water cycle and long-term climate change on the red planet. | The authors also estimate that the polar ice cap contains under half the volume of ice found on Greenland - significantly less than was previously thought. Their findings, based on data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, were announced before the meeting of the American Geophysical Union and published in the journal Science this week. | 
Polar projection of data from Mars Global Surveyor.
Image © Science
. Click for larger view. |
Wondering about what's at Mars' south pole? Ever wanted to listen to sounds from another planet? It's not too farfetched... on Friday, NASA plans to launch the Mars Climate Orbiter probe on a 9-month trip to Mars. When it arrives there in September 1999, the probe is planned to make detailed meteorological studies of Mars, as well as provide support to another craft, the Mars Polar Lander. | The Polar Lander, planned for launch in January 1999, is supposed to send two basketball-sized microprobes shooting into the planet's crust to test for sub-surface water. Then the probe will land near the planet's south pole. In addition to the usual scientific instruments, the lander will contain the Mars Microphone - which may send Earthbound listeners the first Martian sounds. What else is in store for upcoming NASA Mars missions? Join us on this hour of Science Friday and find out. | 
Technicians check the Mars Polar Lander probe
Image courtesy of NASA/JPL. Click for larger view. |
Guests:
Paul Raeburn
Author, "Mars: Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet"
Senior Editor for Science and Technology
Business Week
New York, NY
Maria Zuber
Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Planetary Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Books/Articles Discussed:
"Observations of the North Polar Region of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter," by M.T. Zuber et al. Science Magazine, December 11, 1998.
"Mars: Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet" by Paul Raeburn. National Geographic Books, 1998.
Related Links:
Mars Climate Orbiter
Mars Polar Lander
Mars Microphone
Polar Lander microprobes (aka Deep Space 2)
Pathfinder Image Archive
Pathfinder Science Results
Make Maps from Viking Photo Data
The International Mars Data Base
The Mars Geoscience Navigator
Scifri Shows:
August 9, 1996, Hour 2: Life on Mars
November 8, 1996, Hour 1: Mars Missions
May 2,1997, Hour 1: NASA's Discovery Program
June 20,1997, Hour 1: The Search For Extraterrestrial Life
July 4, 1997, Hour One: Mars Pathfinder landing
July 4, 1997, Hour Two: Mars Pathfinder Landing
July 11, 1997, Hour One, First Half: Space Update
August 29, 1997: Pathfinder Update
August 21, 1998: Mars Revisited
This segment produced by:
Karin Vergoth
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
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