Q: Crater or tree stump A: Rings Inside a Martian Crater Reveal its Ancient History By Nancy_A
Is this a closeup look at a tree stump, or an orbital view of an impact crater? At first glance, it might be hard to tell. But this image of a crater on Mars provides planetary scientists almost the same kind of climate history data about the Red Planet as tree rings provide to climate scientists here on Earth.onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter , which arrived at Mars in 2016 and began its full science mission in 2018.
This unnamed crater is located in the vast northern plains of Acidalia Planitia. This plain is north of Valles Marineris, and the region contains the famous Cydonia region , and well as heavily cratered highland terrain. So, why does this crater look so unusual? Scientist from the ExoMars mission say the interior of the crater is likely composed of ice-rich material, and the quasi-circular and polygonal patterns of fractures could be the result of seasonal changes in temperature that cause cycles of expansion and contraction of those materials, eventually leading to the development of fractures.
“Understanding the history of water on Mars and if this once allowed life to flourish is at the heart of ESA’s ExoMars missions,”. “The spacecraft is not only returning spectacular images, but also providing the best ever inventory of the planet’s atmospheric gases with a particular emphasis on geologically and biologically important gases, and mapping the planet’s surface for water-rich locations.
This topographical map of Mars from the Mars Global Surveyor laser altimeter instrument shows the various regions on Mars.The ExoMars orbiter will also provide data relay services for the second ExoMars mission which has the Russian built Kazachok lander that will bring theto the surface of Mars. That mission is scheduled to launch in September of 2022.
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Giant 'tree stump' impact crater spotted on MarsChelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea 'Foxanne' Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter chelsea_gohd and foxannemusic.
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