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Mars Takes Center Stage in March

Posted on: Sunday, 27 February 2005, 12:00 CST

The planet Mars is making news among scientists this week, though up above it has been keeping a low profile as a red dot in the southeastern predawn sky.

But Mars will be on the tip of all of our tongues, fingertips and pens starting Tuesday. The third month of our calendar year is named after Mars, the Roman god of war.

It may be the blood-red color of this planet that suited it to be associated with a warrior. The red color is caused by the Sun reflecting off this planet's surface, which is rich in iron oxide, more commonly known as rust.

The most popular household name for an extraterrestrial is "Martian," dating back to times when some imagined this neighboring terrestrial world to be colonized with beings.

No, there are no Martians - in fact news reports in mid-February saying that "there is strong evidence that life may exist on Mars" are incorrect. According to NASA, there is no observational data from any mission to Mars that supports this claim.

What is supported is that a larger area of ancient Mars was water- laden for a longer period of time than was previously thought, and a frozen sea may lie just beneath the surface just 5 degrees north of the Martian equator.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission is planned with a launch window in about seven months to explore the regions where water was most active, collect further details and scout out locations for future landing sites.

A new class of rock containing sulfate salt provides more clues of this neighboring world's mysterious watery past. This new class of rock is named "Peace" - ironic denomination for the bedrock of the planet associated with combat.

Step outside this weekend and inhale the advancing season, and with that deep breath know that there is no clear explanation why this new month making progresses upon our horizons armed only with the weapons of spring is named for the mythological deity of war.

Merri C. Niland is the space sciences education specialist at North Museum of Natural History & Science. This column is inspired in the memory of John C. Eliason Jr.

Source: Intelligencer Journal

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