Fate truly smiled on NASA’s MRO mission last month, and the team scientists are sharing their good fortune with the world this week. Newly released images show billowing clouds of Martian dust during an avalanche as it happened – an extra-terrestrial event that has never been seen before in progress.
The images, obtained with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HI-RISE camera on February 19, were a complete surprise for the team. They are not yet sure what triggered the event, but it was located at the Martian north pole region during the spring - with warmer weather likely affecting the ice to trigger the massive fall. The avalanche occurred along a 2300 ft. tall cliff inclined by more than 60 degrees in some places. Other possible mechanisms include a nearby meteorite impact or a Marsquake.
The false-color image below reveals at least four individual landslides. The white region at image left illustrates a thick layer of carbon dioxide frost along the top of the cliff, while the reddish fractured area at center is the highly-inclined slope. The dusty debris clouds on the right measure about 600 feet across and are also 600 feet above the cliff base.
The MRO launched in August 2005, arrived to Mars seven months later, and began working full-time November 2006. In addition to collecting data about the red planet, MRO will also serve as a communication satellite for future surface missions, including NASA’s Phoenix Lander. While the current mission timeline ends December 2010, the craft is equipped to continue through 2015 if needed.
See Mars LIVE on Slooh this week and listen to Slooh Radio for the latest Martian avalanche news.
