What Lies Beneath

With powerful instruments on both the ESA's Mars Express and NASA's MRO, scientists are starting to peek beneath the surface of the red planet.

The Faceless Face

The ESA has released an image taken by Mars Express that drives another nail into the "Face on Mars" folks coffin. Of course they'll just claim that it's part of a Grand Conspiracy. As one friend put it, "...clearly learly the handywork of CIA astronauts and atomic handgrenades..."

Snakes!

Lava tubes snake across the surface of Mars in the area around Pavonis Mons in this Mars Express shot.

OMEGA and Martian History

Possible sites to search for signs of life on Mars have been identified and we focus in on the geological history of the planet. (Astrobiology Magazine does a good job of looking into this story. Discovery story. PhysOrg.com story. BBC story. Space.com story.)

Mensa and Scarp

Sounds like the title of a John McPhee book on geology, doesn't it? Nope, it is two recent shots from the ESA's Mars Express orbiter. In the first, we have a perspective view of the Ausonia Mensa massif. The second is the winner: a perspective view of the eastern scarp of Olympus Mons, the monster volcano on Mars.

Massif

A shot from the ESA's Mars Express orbiter of a remnant massif in Ausonia Mensa.

Claritas Fossae

The ESA's Mars Express orbiter has beamed back this shot of the Claritas Fossae region of Mars.

Impact in Hesperia Planum

One of the latest images sent back by the ESA's Mars Express shows an impact crater on Mars. So what, you say? As has been found on the Moon, this crater was made by a meteor coming in at a very low angle, so it is more of a slash than a splash.

Probing the Depths

Thanks to instruments on the ESA's Mars Express probe, scientists are starting to get a glimpse at another watery past on the surface of Mars, one markedly different from the past being probed by Spirit and Opportunity.

Buried Ice

More on the recently announced findings from the Mars Express team.

Wet Planet (Dec 6, 2005)
Worse Press Conference Ever? (Nov 30, 2005)
MARSIS Update (Nov 17, 2005)
Back in Operation (Nov 3, 2005)
The Changing Face of Mars (Oct 18, 2005)
Mars Express Extension (Sep 28, 2005)
ESA: Mars and Venus (Sep 22, 2005)
Roads Girdle the Globe (Sep 19, 2005)
Biblis Patera (Sep 19, 2005)
Another Big Update (Sep 18, 2005)
Follow the Water (Sep 12, 2005)
MARSIS Update (Aug 13, 2005)
MARSIS on the Loose (Aug 5, 2005)
Nicholson Crater (Jul 19, 2005)
Coprates Chasma and Coprates Catena (Jun 22, 2005)
Second Boom (Jun 16, 2005)
Martian Auroras (Jun 8, 2005)
Second Boom is Go (Jun 7, 2005)
Ancient Floods (Jun 1, 2005)
Tourist Shots (May 19, 2005)
Initial Deployment (Finally) Successful (May 11, 2005)
Mars Express Hits a Snag (May 9, 2005)
MARSIS Has Initial Deployment (May 5, 2005)
MARSIS to Be Deployed! (May 1, 2005)
Tithonium Chasma Up Close (May 1, 2005)
The Mesas of Aureum Chaos (Apr 23, 2005)
Mars Features (Apr 4, 2005)
Current Volcanic Activity? (Mar 4, 2005)
Activity on Mars (Mar 1, 2005)
What Lies Beneath (Mar 1, 2005)
Forming the Canyon on Mars (Mar 1, 2005)
Eyes in Space, Eyes on the Ground (Feb 24, 2005)
Mars Express Gets Busy (Feb 18, 2005)
A Year in Orbit (Feb 18, 2005)
Below the Surface (Feb 15, 2005)
Martian Animations (Feb 10, 2005)
Nightglow in the Upper Athmosphere of Mars and Implications for Athmospheric Transport (Jan 28, 2005)
Rocks and Other Things from Space (Jan 19, 2005)
MARSIS Go for Deployment? (Jan 14, 2005)
Mars Express in Top Ten (Jan 2, 2005)
A Thing of Beauty (Nov 25, 2004)
Collapsed Canyons (Nov 21, 2004)
Orbital Potato (Nov 12, 2004)
Valley Views (Nov 5, 2004)
Glaciers? (Nov 4, 2004)
Melas Chasma (Oct 19, 2004)
MARSIS Update (Oct 9, 2004)
The Grabens of Claritas Fossae (Oct 5, 2004)
Crater Wall on Solis Planum (Sep 30, 2004)
Ophir Chasma (Sep 29, 2004)
Mesas (Sep 14, 2004)
Mars (An Astronaut's View) (Sep 5, 2004)
Eos Chasma (Aug 30, 2004)
Basin Dune Field (Aug 24, 2004)
Eroded Valleys (Aug 17, 2004)
Olympus Mons Caldera in Perspective (Aug 12, 2004)
Endurance Via Relays (Aug 10, 2004)
Olympus Mons (Aug 5, 2004)
Melas Chasma (Aug 3, 2004)
Melas Chasma (Jul 29, 2004)
Fractured Crater (Jul 27, 2004)
Vapor Trails (Jul 26, 2004)
Racetracks (Jul 23, 2004)
Backlash (Jul 8, 2004)
Waiting on MARSIS (Jun 30, 2004)
MARSIS on Hold (Jun 29, 2004)
Mars Express Update (Jun 22, 2004)
Mangala Valles (Jun 9, 2004)
Arsia Mons 3D (May 28, 2004)
Olympus Mons Redux (May 26, 2004)
Deployment Delay (May 12, 2004)
Acheron Fossae (May 10, 2004)
Antennas (Apr 29, 2004)
Underground Water Search Delayed (Apr 28, 2004)
Team Effort (Apr 24, 2004)
MARSIS (Apr 23, 2004)
Louros Valles (Apr 12, 2004)
Mars Express Mega Strip (Mar 30, 2004)
Colin Pillinger to Address Public Meeting (Mar 2, 2004)
Hecates Tholus Volcano in 3D (Mar 1, 2004)
Volcanic Slopes Are Future Targets (Feb 16, 2004)
Behind The Camera (Feb 16, 2004)
UK and ESA Announce Beagle 2 Inquiry (Feb 15, 2004)
Scientists Read Last Rites for Beagle Mars Lander (Jan 26, 2004)
Europe's Eye on Mars: First Spectacular results from Mars Express (Jan 19, 2004)
ESA’s Martian Weather Report (Jan 15, 2004)
Mars Express: Takeout Service (Jan 15, 2004)
Mapping Mars with Mars Express (Jan 12, 2004)
Weekend Bid to Locate Beagle 2 Fails (Jan 12, 2004)
Hopes for new Beagle Mission (Jan 9, 2004)
Mars Express: No Signal from Beagle 2 so far (Jan 8, 2004)
The Bright Side of Beagle (Jan 8, 2004)
More Mars Blogging (Jan 6, 2004)
Beagle Team Refuses to Give up Hope (Jan 5, 2004)
Mars Express Orbit Lowered; 'Setback' reported in Beagle 2 Search (Jan 4, 2004)
Spirit Power Output Issue (Jan 4, 2004)
Odyssey Picks up Spirit Signal (Jan 3, 2004)
Spirit Lands on Mars! (Jan 3, 2004)
Athmospheric Entry in Progress (Jan 3, 2004)
Spirit Temperature Being Monitored; Cruise Stage Separation Close (Jan 3, 2004)