Seeking out new life and new civilisations...
"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time"
T. S. Eliot
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The MARSIS Experiment - Investigating Subsurface Geology and Hydrology on Mars
The 'Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding' (MARSIS) is one of seven instruments aboard ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. Although the mission belongs to the European Space Agency (ESA) the NASA are heavily involved with the MARSIS experiment. The instrument is a a multi-frequency Synthetic Radar Altimeter with ground penetration capabilities.
The primary scientific objective is to map the distribution of water, both liquid and solid, in the upper portion of the crust of Mars. It's secondary scientific objectives are i) subsurface geologic probing, i) large scale altimetry for Martian surface characterization, and iii) global measurement of the ionosphere electron density and investigation of the sun and the solar wind on the electron density using ionosphere sounding.
Buried craters and underground ice - Mars Express uncovers depths of Mars
For the first time in the history of planetary exploration, the MARSIS radar on board ESA's Mars Express has provided direct information about the deep subsurface of Mars.
NASA's Mars Odyssey - Space.com Special Report: Odyssey Mission to Mars
A recent history of Mars Odyssey's revelations.
Water Ice Found Near South Pole of Mars 05 December 2002: Water ice has been discovered on the surface of Mars near the fringes of the southern polar cap, extending the detection of frozen water to three regions of the Red Planet.
Mars Loaded with Ice but Still No Sign of Water 09 December 2002: Water appears to have been mostly frozen for billions of years, experts say.
Global Water Map: Mars Moisture Mysteries Revealed 16 February 2003: Ankle-deep water covering all of Mars. That's how much is thought to be lurking subsurface on the red planet.
Trickle Down Theory of Melting Snow May Support Life on Mars 19 February 2003: Intriguing and often-examined gullies on Mars might not be created by water seeping out from underground springs. Rather, they are likely caused by trickling water from melting snowpacks, an active process that could sustain biology on the Red Planet.
Odyssey Shows Extreme, But Managable Radiation Risk for Astronauts 13 March 2003: Preliminary measurements of space radiation at Mars suggest that astronauts who travel there could face exposure to doses that over the course of a three-year mission would approach the lifetime safety limits set by NASA.
Odyssey Spacecraft Generates New Mars Mysteries 14 March 2003: Odyssey is generating new puzzles that scientists hope the probe will solve during the remainder of its tenure in orbit around the Red Planet.
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