What will Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter find?

[exoscientist]

With each factor of 10 improvement of visual resolution of Mars has <br />come revolutionary changes in our understanding of the role of liquid <br />water on Mars. What revolutionary improvement over the discovery of <br />possibly currently forming gullies by MGS might we predict for MRO? <br /> I suggest small ponds will be observed by MRO on Mars, oases if you <br />will. These will be analogous to Don Juan pond in Antarctica. Note that <br />Don Juan pond is able to remain unfrozen year round down to perhaps -45 C <br />temperatures because of abundant salts. The MER rovers suggest such <br />salts are also abundant on Mars. <br /> I believe that such ponds have been seen by MGS, but they have been <br />hard to prove at the resolution of MGS. I'm suggesting they will be <br />proven by MRO. Note that the Malin-Edgett gullies were not discovered <br />by Viking orbiter imaging, but the fact that THEMIS on Mars Odyssey has <br />been able to detect them at similar resolution to the Viking orbiter <br />resolution suggests they were visible by Viking, just not provably so. <br /><br /> A *possible* example of ponding seen by MGS: <br /><br /><br />Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) High Resolution Images: <br />Seepage and Ponding within a Southern Hemisphere Crater <br />http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/5_27_98_agu_release/ <br /><br /><br /> My guess for where they will be found is at near equatorial areas that <br />are known to have low lying fogs or clouds: <br /><br /><br />Clouds in Noctis Labyrinthis on Mars. <br />http://www.photovault.com/Link/Universe/Planets/Mars/UPMVolume01/UPMV01P02_06NoctisLabyr.html <br /><br /> Note that the frost deposition on the MER Opportunity rover was <br />observed in connection with clouds over the site. The fogs/clouds seen <br />over Noctis Labyrinthis ar <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[harmonicaman]

If the history of Martian exploration and the legacy of Percival Lowell is any indication, all the current "Mars Face" and associated artifacts will be shown to be just piles of rocks and other natural phenomenon; and a whole new crop of "Mars Face" type discoveries will be "Revealed" -- and they'll all be a bit fuzzy and at the very limit of magnification and appear on the covers of all the tabloids...

 

[exoscientist]

Jeffrey Kargel who is a leading expert on Mars glaciology the discusses the possibility of current liquid water brines on Mars here:<br /> <br />MARS AS A SALT-, ACID-, AND GAS-HYDRATE WORLD. <br />J.S. Kargel and Giles M. Marion, USGS Astrogeology (2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, ****@usgs.gov), Desert Research Inst. (Reno, NV)<br />Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV (2004) 1965.pdf<br />http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2004/pdf/1965.pdf<br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

This report calculates that .2% of the water at the surface could be unfrozen as a liquid water brine:<br /><br />UNFROZEN GROUNDWATER IN THE MARTIAN CRYOSPHERE. <br />R.E. Grimm, M. Bullock, S.Dec, S. Jepsen, G. Olhoeft, S. Painter, J. Priscu; Dept. of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut St. #400, Boulder CO 80302 (****@boulder.swri.eduUNFROZEN edu); Dept. of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO; Dept. of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT; Dept. of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO; Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analy-sis, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX.<br />Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVII (2006) 2090.pdf<br />"Introduction: Unfrozen water is present as thin films surrounding soil or rock surfaces at subfreezing temperatures. On Mars, this unfrozen water will affect geochemistry and could provide microbial habitats. Unfrozen water may persist kilometers above the base of the cryosphere, or perhaps even transiently at the surface."<br />...<br />"The thermodynamic theory of unfrozen soil water [10-11] relates the soil-freezing characteristic curve (temperature vs. unfrozen water content) to the soil-moisture characteristic curve (capillary pressure vs. water content). In this way, parameters derived from the study of unsaturated soils [12] can be used to predict unfrozen water content. Such calculations can greatly extend the predictive range for Mars over em-pirical fits, particularly the effect of freezing-point depression due to briny groundwater."<br />http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/pdf/2090.pdf<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

Don't know why that image of the graph of the unfrozen water content was so compressed.<br /> Here it is again:<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

According to this news release, MRO comes to within 100 km of the Martian surface at closest approach during aerobraking:<br /><br />Mars cameras debut as NASA craft adjusts orbit<br />MISSION STATUS REPORT<br />Posted: April 13, 2006<br />"The orbiter is currently flying in very elongated loops around Mars. Each circuit lasts about 35 hours and takes the spacecraft about 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) away from the planet before swinging back in close. <br />"On Wednesday, a short burn of intermediate sized thrusters while the orbiter was at the most distant point nudged the spacecraft to pass from approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) to within 66 miles (107 kilometers) of Mars' surface."<br />http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0604/14mro/<br /><br /> At its final orbit it will be about 300 km above the surface. At that distance the high resolution camera HIRISE is expected to have a resolution of 0.28 meters per pixel. <br /> But at the 100 km distance the resolution would be 1/ 3 this - 3.6 INCHES PER PIXEL(!)<br /> Can MRO take high resolution imaging at closest approach during aerobraking?<br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

Perhaps the camera could be pointed away from the direction of motion.<br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>