Strange Doings On Red Planet

Sand dunes that look like the scales of a giant fish. Rare, wispy clouds and more are among more than 11,000 new images of Mars posted on the Internet, NASA said on Friday.

The photographs, which scientists will examine to glean new clues about how much water there is on Mars and where, are posted at the MSS website. They were taken by the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor.

"The new batch, taken between February and July 2002, brings the total number of images in the online gallery to more than 123,800," NASA said in a statement.

Charting The History Of Mars

MGS, orbiting Mars since 1997, has provided valuable insights that have helped planetary experts and geologists to conclude that liquid water may exist just under the surface of Mars. That is important news for future explorers as well as to scientists trying to understand the Red Planet's dynamics.

"Indeed, there remain new discoveries to be made about the history of water, climate variability, and character of future landing sites from the continuing flow of images, spectra, and related measurements from the Global Surveyor," said James Garvin, NASA's lead scientist for Mars Exploration.

"Without the new perspectives provided by MGS, the critical scientific and engineering assessment of potential landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers would not have been possible."

fmi: www.msss.com/moc_gallery