Space Water Found: Chapter Four  Mars Polar Lander: A Lost Opportunity The Mars Polar Lander, which scientists had hoped would provide some definitive data on the presence of water, was lost when it plunged through the Martian atmosphere in late 1999. Pictures taken by previous probes show what could be deep channels, canyons and even ancient lake shorelines, all indications of flowing water.
Photos from the Mars Global Surveyor beamed to earth in June 2000
show deep gullies that appear to have been carved by cascading water.
Some experts believe the source could be underground pools of water.
For more information, see a recent news story on the Global Surveyor
at Scientists
continue to try to track down water on the planet because it is
critical to the future exploration of Mars and other planets. "Wherever
we can find water, we can produce oxygen, fuel and drinking water,"
said Eric Hayne, a spokesperson for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, CA. The exploration carries on, as NASA plans additional
probes for launch in 2001, 2003, and 2005.
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| See For Yourself -- Scientists interpret some Martian land features as polar ice caps, riverbeds and sand dunes. The search for Martian water continues. Check out the following to view over 20,000 free photos of Mars and see for yourself: mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ or mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander. |
