NASA Sees Possible 'Mars Quake'

MARSDAILY

Two photos taken almost three years apart by the Mars Orbiter Camera show gullies on a dune in the Hellespontus region of Mars. Scientists are studying what phenomena led to their formation.

Washington (AFP) Sep 20, 2005
A NASA orbiter has detected a series of dynamic geological and thermal changes on the surface of the red planet, possibly caused by a "Mars quake," mission scientists said on Tuesday.

The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft found gullies on a sand dune that did not exist in 2002 and fresh tracks left by tumbling boulders. The orbiter also documented more shrinking of deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near the planet's south pole, suggesting a changing climate.

"To see new gullies and other changes in Mars surface features on a time span of a few years presents us with a more active, dynamic planet than many suspected before Mars Global Surveyor got there," said Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the mission.

The two new gullies photographed in April are 900 meters (yards) long and about 30 to 40 meters wide.

The new craters that formed since the 1970s suggest that models used to estimate the passage of time on the planet will need to be adjusted, Meyer said from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters in Washington.

In images captured by the spacecraft's optical instruments, more than a dozen boulders left tracks after rolling down a hill sometime between November 2003 and December 2004.

"It is possible they were set in motion by strong wind or by a 'Mars quake,'" said Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera on board the Global Surveyor.

Launched in November 1996, the Global Surveyor entered orbit in 1997 and scientists expect it will continue to relay valuable information for another "five to ten more years", according to Tom Thorpe, project manager for the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Two other spacecraft are orbiting the planet: NASA's Mars Odyssey and the European Space Agency's Mars Express.

NASA also said on Tuesday it had named a new director of the troubled space shuttle program, Wayne Hale, who will succeed Bill Parsons.

Hale, a mechanical engineer, has worked for NASA since 1978 and served as flight director for more than 10 years, supervising mission control in Houston for 40 shuttle launches.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

MARSDAILY

Orbiter's Long Life Helps Scientists Track Changes On Mars

Pasadena CA (SPX) Sep 21, 2005
New gullies that did not exist in mid-2002 have appeared on a Martian sand dune. That's just one of the surprising discoveries that have resulted from the extended life of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which this month began its ninth year in orbit around Mars.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.