![]() This means that although this desert planet is just half the diameter of Earth, it has the same amount of dry land. ![]() Features called recurring slope lineae may have spurts of briny water flowing on the surface, but this evidence is disputed some scientists argue the hydrogen spotted from orbit in this region may instead indicate briny salts. ![]() The planet's cold, thin atmosphere means liquid water likely cannot exist on the Martian surface for any appreciable length of time. What is the biggest unanswered question about Mars?Īlthough we know now that Mars was a habitable planet in the past, the biggest unanswered question about Mars is whether it actually hosted life. InSight offered us an unprecedented view into the interior of Mars. What have we learned about Mars over the past decade thanks to missions like Curiosity, InSight, and Perseverance?Ĭuriosity and Perseverance are studying ancient habitable environments exposed on the surface of Mars, and both missions have found evidence that the basic ingredients that life needs to exist were present at the surface or near-subsurface on Mars billions of years ago. We have confirmed the existence of past water on the Martian surface, that Mars was once a habitable planet, and that it once had a thicker atmosphere than it does today. We've learned a lot about Mars from the past 30 years of lander, rover, and orbiter missions. What do we know about Mars' past and was it ever like our planet? Mars is further from the sun and smaller than Earth, and at least as far as we know, does not appear to be habitable by life. This reddish color comes from the abundance of iron minerals and dust on the Martian surface. Mars is known as the "Red Planet" because it appears faintly reddish/orange when viewed in the night sky. David Agle, Media relations, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena.
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