Spacecraft finds traces of “spiders” at the south pole of Mars
Kyiv • UNN
ESA's Mars Express orbiter has captured images of “spider-like” patterns formed under the ice at the south pole of Mars, which indicate unique processes on the Red Planet.
On Mars, "spider-like" structures are forming under the ice. A new image of these patterns is centered in a dark area on the outskirts of an area known as the City of the Incas. This indicates unique processes on Mars. Writes UNN with reference to ESA.
Details
On Mars, "spider-like" patterns are formed under the ice. Scientists have found an explanation for this phenomenon. The spring sun heats carbon dioxide, which is stored under the ice in winter. This heat turns the gas into vapor, which accumulates and breaks through the ice cover. When this gas comes to the surface during the Martian spring, it drags dark material with it, forming spots and breaking the ice to a depth of up to a meter.
The gas mixed with dark dust forms tall geysers, which, falling back to the surface, create dark patches ranging from 45 m to 1 km in diameter. These spots are the very "spider-like" patterns under the ice that indicate unique processes on Mars.
Another ESA Martian orbiter, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), has recorded in detail spider-like structures that resemble antennae.
These "spiders" captured by TGO are nearby, but outside the region captured in the new Mars Express image. The Mars Express image shows dark spots on the surface formed by gas and material emissions, while the TGO image shows spider channels carved into the ice below.
These dark spots, scattered across high hills and large plateaus, are concentrated in the dark area on the left, which is located on the outskirts of the Martian region known as the City of the Incas. The name of the area is not accidental: the linear and almost geometric ridges resemble the Inca ruins. Also known as the Angusta Labyrinth, the City of the Incas was first discovered in 1972 by NASA's Mariner 9 probe.
Recall
NASA is abandoning its existing $11 billion plan to collect and return soil samples from Mars by 2040 due to high costs and delays. The US National Aerospace Agency is looking for new innovative and cheaper approaches.
