Mars Update (broadcast Friday, September 21st, 2007)

The residual ice cap of Mars' south pole (in white) tops the smooth layered deposits that overlie the cratered southern highlands. This image is a shaded relief mosaic combined with color, using data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on the Mars Globa Image courtesy of NASA/MOLA Science Team

Ira talks with scientists who have just published scientific papers outlining the results of orbiting observations of Mars. We'll find out whether the latest Mars orbiter has detected any signs of water, and what future missions to the Red Planet should look for. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Alfred McEwen
Director, Planetary Image Research Lab
Professor, Planetary Sciences
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Maria Zuber
E. A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics
Head, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Related Links

Segment produced by:Karin Vergoth

Image: The east-facing walls of an unnamed crater in Sisyphi Planum, near the south polar region. Gullies, as well as mantle terrain and polygons are visible; these features suggest that at some point in time, liquid and ice may have been present at and near the
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona