Mars Odyssey results
This afternoon there was a session on the newest results from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The visual and infrared images are stunning... it is possible to pick out individual rocks and the trails of dust devils in the visual-spectrum images (about 20m resolution). The data is fantastic... practically a new discovery in every image.
The infrared images show clearly different rock units and strata, as they absorb and release heat at material-dependent rates. And the early neutron spectrometer results show a lot of ice on Mars, at least above/below 60 degrees latitude. The radiation environmental monitoring experiment indicates that while the average human exposure on the surface of Mars wouldn't be any worse than being on the space station, it can be three times higher (on average, with worse spikes) during transit to/from. This will be a problem...
The infrared images show clearly different rock units and strata, as they absorb and release heat at material-dependent rates. And the early neutron spectrometer results show a lot of ice on Mars, at least above/below 60 degrees latitude. The radiation environmental monitoring experiment indicates that while the average human exposure on the surface of Mars wouldn't be any worse than being on the space station, it can be three times higher (on average, with worse spikes) during transit to/from. This will be a problem...
