The Weather on Mars
Explanation:
Would Mars be a nice place to visit? Sometimes.
Much of
Mars
undergoes severe
changes in climate
during its orbit around the Sun, ranging from extreme cold to temperatures
enjoyable by humans. But
Mars is
usually a nice place to visit for hardy spacecraft, and in fact
the
Mars Pathfinder
and
Mars Global Surveyor
missions are currently headed for the "Red Planet."
In preparation for the scheduled Mars Pathfinder landing on July
4
th, 1997, the Earth-Orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope
recently took the
above
high resolution photograph.
The picture shows the onset of Martian summer (northern hemisphere)
when, apparently, the northern polar cap recedes to uncover dark
sand dunes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
