Before, we could hardly make out dunes there. |
I think it is just a fascinating time. We are seeing the planets for the first time. Whether we are exploring through humans or by robots. |
It'd be like having dust storms in Arizona immediately affecting the atmosphere in Brazil. |
Now with the new images, we're able to watch when the frost comes and goes and we can see that dunes are moving today and aren't just relics from times past. |
The missions currently at Mars have each advanced what we know about the presence and history of water on Mars, and one of the main goals for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to decipher when water was on the surface and where it is now. Water is essential for life, so that will help focus future studies of whether Mars has ever supported life. |
We got through that keyhole on Mars. |
We see there is a lot more layering on Mars than was previously thought and whatever the mechanism was that caused it has gone on for a long time. |
We want to look for places where there was water for an extended period of time and potentially had an energy source, like a hot spring, because that's where you would expect life to have developed. |
What we're really looking for is that sweet spot where we can go down with other instruments and look for evidence of life. |