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Mars Express’s OMEGA uncovers possible sites for life

20 April 2006

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Mars Express spots possible sites for life formation

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Thanks to its mapping of the Martian surface, the OMEGA instrument on board ESA's Mars Express has identified clay beds which may have supported the development of life in the past, between 4.5 and 4.2 thousand millions years ago. So, these findings provide exciting sites for future Mars rovers to explore.

The background image shown here is a perspective false-colour view of the Mawrth Vallis region on Mars, derived from the HRSC instrument (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin - G. Neukum) onboard Mars Express. The artist's impression of a possible future rover is superimposed on top.

Credits: ESA/OMEGA/HRSC

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Hydrated minerals as mapped by Mars Express’ OMEGA

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This image shows the global distribution of hydrated (water-rich) minerals as discovered by the OMEGA instrument on board ESA’s Mars Express. The map is superimposed on an altitude reference map of Mars built with data from the MOLA instrument on board NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The red marks indicate the presence of phyllosilicates, the blue ones indicate sulphates, the yellow ones indicate other hydrated minerals.

Credits: IAS/OMEGA/ESA

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Hydrated minerals in Marwth Vallis on Mars

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The left image shows a view of the Marwth Vallis region of Mars, as seen by NASA Mars Global Surveyor’s MOLA instrument. The OMEGA instrument on board ESA’s Mars Express has mapped hydrated sites in this area, as shown in the right image (OMEGA data superimposed on the MOLA map). The hydrated minerals are not found in the channel (blue arrow) as one would expect, but in the eroded flanks and the cratered plateau (red arrow).

Credits: IAS/OMEGA/ESA

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