Today NASA confirmed that it has bear witness of liquid H2O flowing on Mars. The novel bear witness consists of hydrated salts discovered on downhill streaks on the side of Hale Crater. It is believed that the hydrated salts would lower the freezing indicate of liquid brine together with that the streaks on the crater are thence bear witness of the shallow subsurface menses of briny water.
Entirely past times coincidence the European Space Agency has collaborated amongst CartoDB to release a novel map of Mars. This novel storey map shows the 4 possible landing sites for the ExoMars 2018 Mission. ESA's ExoMars programme volition province a rover on the surface of Mars to search for signs of past times together with acquaint life.
Where on Mars? is a superbly crafted storey map which explains the diverse criteria beingness used to selection the perfect landing site for the rover. The map includes a publish of unlike map views of the crimson planet. Using the forwards together with dorsum buttons on the map yous tin progress through the unlike map layers to acquire to a greater extent than well-nigh how the lastly landing site volition live chosen.
An altimetry map layer provides a estrus map sentiment of happen on Mars. Because the lander requires a parachute to province on Mars the landing site must live lower than -2km to laissez passer on the parachute plenty fourth dimension to tiresome the lander down. If yous mouse-over the happen map a window volition opened upwards to country yous when yous are over an expanse also elevated to live a potential landing site.
Because the ExoMars Rover is solar powered the landing site must also live inside a for certain ring of latitude straddling the equator. As yous progress through the storey map this ring of latitude is highlighted on the map. Again if yous mouse-over the map an data window volition opened upwards to exhibit yous when yous are exterior this latitude band.
As yous progress yous tin acquire to a greater extent than well-nigh the geological constraints for the perfect landing site, the landing eclipse (the probability of landing inside a given distance of the target site) together with some of the of import locations roughly the potential landing sites.
