A new Mars picture shows a fresh crater formed on the Red Planet. The photo was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Rover (MRO), launched in 2005.
The new crater was formed when a meteor collided with the surface of Mars sometime between July 2010 and May 2012. A change in surface readings was noticed during the more recent passage over the region, where none was present in a 2010 photograph. Because the evidence was detected by the on-board low-resolution camera, another pass was needed. On 19 November, 2013, the orbiter once again flew over the area, and astronomers were able to image the region, producing the new photograph.
From side-to-side, the meteor crater measures 100 feet across, and the impact deposited debris more than nine miles away from the site of the impact. The collision occurred in the northern hemisphere of Mars, around 53 degrees northern latitude. That is about as far north on Mars as Quebec or Ontario is on Earth.
By taking away the distinctive red color of the surface of the planet, astronomers are able to easily detect material deposited by the impact. Scientists estimate more than 200 similar impacts happen on Mars every year, but few are recorded in such stunning images.
The picture was taken using the Context Camera (CTX) aboard the $720 million orbiter. At the time the image was taken, the MRO was over 166 miles away from the crater. Each pixel in the original picture is just 10 inches across, and the Sun was half way up in the sky, providing ideal lighting conditions.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched with a primary mission to determine whether or not water existed on Mars for an extended period of time. The presence of dried river valleys and mineral deposits has lent evidence to the theory Mars was once home to liquid water. One question MRO was launched to answer was whether liquid water was around on the Red Planet long enough for life to evolve.
Experiments aboard the craft provide the ability to search for ancient shorelines and lake beds, as well as look for evidence of mineral deposits. The smallest detail visible on the photograph is about the size of a human adult. Previous orbiters could only observe features the size of a school bus or larger.
One of the new technologies aboard the orbiter may be one of the most important to future missions. The MRO will function as a communications hub for international spacecraft that could serve as an electronic backbone, bringing the internet to space.
