Friday, September 19th, 2008

Mars

Check out these images of Mars, painted by planetary scientist and artist Bill Hartmann. (Credits: Images courtesy of Bill Hartmann. Produced by Flora Lichtman) See More Videos

In this segment, we'll get the big picture on science on the planet Mars. From orbiting observatories to roving rovers to the ditch-digging Phoenix -- what have planetary scientists learned about Mars, and what remains to be discovered?

The most recent visitor to the Red Planet is NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, which launched in August 2007 as the first mission in NASA's Scout Program. Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic's ice-rich soil. So far, the lander has identified water ice in soil samples, and has detected the chemical perchlorate in the soil, a sign of the presence of liquid water in the past.

The Phoenix Mars Lander joins the twin rovers of the Mars Exploration Rover project, Spirit and Opportunity, which have been in operation since 2004. Now running years past their planned lifetime on Mars, the rovers are still exploring the surface. Rover Opportunity recently exited the Victoria Crater after several months on the crater floor.

Several orbiting observatories, including Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are examining the different aspects of the planet from above. The orbiting platforms have studied the planet's atmosphere, mapped its surface, and are also supporting the ground-based exploration missions.

We're broadcasting this week from Tucson, Arizona, home base for NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, as guests of Arizona Public Media.

Guests

Peter Smith
Principal Investigator
NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission
Senior Research Scientist, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Alfred McEwen
Principal Investigator, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Professor of Planetary Sciences
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Steven Squyres
Principal Investigator, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Professor of Astronomy
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

William Hartmann
Senior Scientist
Planetary Science Institute
Space artist and popular science author
Tucson, Arizona

Related Links

Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata

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Image: A deep trench of 'Stone Soup' dug by the Mars Phoenix lander, August 25 2008.
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Image: The Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander caught this dust devil in action west of the lander at 11:49 a.m. local Mars time on Sol 104, or the 104th Martian day of the mission, Sept. 9, 2008
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Image: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity climbed out of "Victoria Crater" following the tracks it had made when it descended into the half-mile-diameter bowl nearly a year earlier.
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