Hellas is certainly an interesting place on Mars. It tends to be "off the radar" a bit because it's often cloudy - which is a sign of atmospheric water vapour (no Robert C, not WET water, but ice crystals). The surface has fascinating areas of these folds and slumps - suggesting it was wet and slippery long ago. Unfortunately, the very reason we see them today is because the winds have scoured the surface for millions (billions?) of years and blown away all the dust and fine-grained material, exposing the folds of the rocks underneath. Many of Mars' dust storms have origins in Hellas basins, as local dust-raising events become global dust export events.
I suspect that the long-term export of dust has been accompanied by a long-term export of H2O, but one never knows. Hellas certainly has some *different* terrain, and it's deep enough for a good parachute-assisted landing.
One day we'll visit there (or, more accurately, our Robots will...)
Space/Science » in reply to Look in Hellas
Maybe...
The whole thread (26 posts)
- After searching for more than a decade, still no liquid water found on Mars
- re: We may not have to wait much longer - Mars Phoenix Mission, May 25 2008
- It looks like Nick Hoffman's 'White Mars Theory' is gradually gaining ground. (n/t)
- Yup