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Martian spots warrant a close look

13 March 2002

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Are dark spots on Mars a sign of life? Images from the Mars Orbital Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor appear to show dark spots which appear near the south pole of Mars in early spring ('slice' on left). According to a group of Hungarian scientists these spots may be a sign of life on Mars.

(This composite image shows a Mars Orbital Camera image superimposed on a Hubble image of Mars. It is intended to be illustrative rather than scientifically accurate.)

ESA 2002. Illustration by Medialab ©

Spots appear in Spring, disappear in Summer

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(A) Late springtime frost disappears from the dunes and they become dark.
(B) Early spring spots appear on the bright frosted surface of the dune field.

[Mars Orbiter Camera image processed by Malin Space Science Systems]

Life at the extreme on Earth

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The location and shape of the spots is at odds with a physical explanation.
A) Spots develop on the dark dunes rather than on the stony soil nearby.
(B) Spots are also ellipsoid in shape or even (C) fan-shaped.

[Mars Orbiter Camera image processed by Malin Space Science Systems]

Mars Express could take a look

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Instruments on the Mars Express orbiter can observe selected areas of the Martian surface

Instruments on the Mars Express orbiter:
1. MARSIS
2. HRSC
3. OMEGA
4. SPICAM
5. PFS
6. ASPERA
7. MaRS (no corresponding hardware)
8. Beagle 2