Once-Habitable Lake Found on Mars

[abq_farside]

<p>From <font color="#3366ff">SDC</font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">A lake that might once have been habitable may have filled a crater for a long time on early Mars, new spacecraft images reveal.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured the images that suggest the debris-strewn Holden Crater once held a calm body of water that could have harbored life. There is so far no convincing evidence life does or ever did exist on Mars, however. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">The crater debris includes a mix of broken boulders and smaller particles called megabreccia.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">"Holden crater has some of the best-exposed lake deposits and ancient megabreccia known on Mars," said Alfred McEwen, principal scientist for MRO's HiRISE camera. "Both contain minerals that formed in the presence of water and mark potentially habitable environments. This would be an excellent place to send a rover or sample-return mission to make major advances in understanding if Mars supported life."</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal">See rest of story at link</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/7/ae7c1002-6e7b-4486-b759-124901c21bd0.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Close up</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/7/12/d7486bdb-fc4f-4b0e-ace8-15fce733d5fc.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em><font size="1" color="#000080">Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be!</font></em></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p>Wow, cool beans!</p><p>I guess this conflicts with the recent "there never was water on Mars" release. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[silylene old]

abq_farside, your link is non-operant.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>abq_farside, your link is non-operant. <br />Posted by silylene</DIV><br /><br />Both links worked for me (IE7)</p><p>MW</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

<p><font size="2"><strong>This is fascinating beyond belief.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2" color="#800000"><strong>I think the issue was not so much, there was no water on Mars, rather an issue of, was water on the surface long term or was it episodic?</strong></font></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#800000">I understood that Mars Pathfinder in Ares Vallis, revealed episodic flash flooding, where as as MER B Opportunity in Meridiani Planum paints a longer term picture of surface water.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#800000">Below: scene in Ares Vallis by Mars Pathfinder, showing boulders generally leaning in one direction, due to flash floods travelling in that direction towards Chryse Planitia.<br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/9/14/59712978-ad60-46a5-ae15-ea2f7744765f.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#800000">Below: A closer view of the boulders including Half Dome which shows this very well. <font color="#000000">Mars Pathfinder</font>.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#800000"><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/14/2f2c65b2-1e6f-446e-9e7a-b06c741ec7b7.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br />&nbsp;<br /></font></strong><strong><font size="2" color="#800000"><font color="#003300">Andrew Brown.</font></font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[abq_farside]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>abq_farside, your link is non-operant. <br />Posted by silylene</DIV><br /><br />The link SDC worked for me.&nbsp; Always forget the links don't show up any differently now.&nbsp; I just colorized it to have it stand out better. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em><font size="1" color="#000080">Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be!</font></em></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

<p>Holden is a pretty cool place - lake deposits, catastrophic flooding, fans and deltas, fluvial channels, impact features, possible glaciated terrain.&nbsp; It would be a prime target for a crewed landing too.</p><p>Jon<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>