Mars, Up Close

Since September 1997, the high-resolution Mars Orbiter Camera has been working, about 234 miles above Mars, to capture the first detailed images of the planet’s complex landscape. The images from the camera aboard NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have already radically rewritten our current understanding of Mars.

Images released in June indicated water capable of carving deep gullies into craters may have flowed very recently on the planet--and may still flow there today.

This week, scientists unveiled new images showing that a young Mars may have been covered with lakes.

Other images reveal wispy clouds and violent dust storms fueled by strong Martian winds or clearly show the freezing and melting that accompanies Martian seasons. Studying the craters, volcanoes and canyons of Mars from orbit, for now, is the best way for scientists to piece together the history of the planet--and to determine if it ever harbored conditions necessary for life.

Scientists at Malin Space Science Systems, the San Diego company that built and operates the camera, have placed more than 57,000 of the images on the Web, in a photo gallery accessible at https://www.msss.com.

Though the scientific team is swamped with images--and new ones arrive each day--there are no complaints. “It never gets boring,” said Ken Edgett, a Malin scientist who helps aim the camera and analyze the images. When the newest pictures indicating the possible existence of lakes were beamed down, said Mike Malin, the company’s president and chief scientist, “No one . . . could sleep. We got so excited, we went running from office to office.”