goals, among others, are to identify deposits of minerals of aqueous
origin, which could have formed in water over long periods, and also to
look for evidence of ancient shorelines, and erosion and deposition car-
ried out by flowing water.
MRO’s studies have found evidence of a variety of past watery envi-
ronments – including clay minerals, carbonates, hydrated silica and sul-
phates - and have shown that Mars is more diverse and dynamic than
previously thought. Excitingly, some of the minerals detected in Martian
surface rocks appear to have formed with the right pH and sufficient
water to permit life to develop, if it was ever able to start.
Cameras on Mars orbiters have taken thousands of images that have
enabled scientists to build a more comprehensive history of Mars’ geol-
ogy and atmosphere. While most landscapes don’t appear to have
changed much in millions of years, MRO’s cameras are enabling us to
see rapid or seasonal changes at the local scale, including recently dis-
covered transient activity involving salty liquid water. Studying such pro-
cesses can help determine how the landscape has evolved, and may
help us understand better the circulation of volatiles, such as water and
carbon dioxide ices and gases.
In addition to conducting its own science mission, Mars Reconnais-
sance Orbiter has also been useful in the selection of landing sites for
future missions, its capability allowing it ‘to identify obstacles such as
large rocks that could jeopardize the safety of landers and rovers, in-
cluding the Phoenix mission and Mars Science Laboratory mission.’ Like
Mars Odyssey, it also serves as a communications relay satellite for land-
er and rover missions such as MSL Curiosity. Having fulfilled its planned
science goals during its two-year primary science mission, it is now in
its fourth mission extension, and could remain a key element in NASA’s
Mars Exploration Program fleet for a number of years yet.
DESCENT OF THE PHOENIX: This remarkable image, captured from a distance of some 760km by MRO’s High
Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, shows the descent of NASA’s Phoenix Lander on 25th May
2008, just a few seconds after its parachute opened. It is seen against a 10 km (6 mile) diameter crater informally
called “Heimdall”, together with an improved full-resolution image of the parachute and lander (inset). Although Phoe-
nix appears to be descending into the crater, it is actually about 20 km (12 miles) in front of it. Phoenix operated
successfully in the north polar region of Vastitas Borealis for 157 Martian sols, discovering ice just beneath the surface.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
India’s Mars Orbiter Mission
Named ‘Mangalyaan’, from the Sanskrit for ‘Mars-Craft’, the Mars
Orbiter Mission is India’s first interplanetary mission. On 24th September
2014, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) became the
fourth space agency to reach Mars, making India the first Asian nation
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