The Lamb.
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Image from: NASA/JPL

The Lamb

The small, round rock shown here was named The Lamb. It was found as part of Mars Pathfinder's investigation of the surface of Mars. This rock is special because of the soils found around the rock. They seem to be made of a special sort of iron which requires more water than is presently seen on Mars. This finding could show that in the past, Mars was warmer and had more water. This would help answer large questions scientists have about Mars. Perhaps there was enough water to actually rain on the surface!


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The Earth Scientist, Volume XXV, Issue 3, Fall 2009

The Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist includes a collection of Earth and Space Science articles for you, covering the current efforts to save Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain, student research into building design as it relates to earthquake damage, an exciting Earth Science project and resource from the United Kingdom...more

An Overview of the Mars Pathfinder Mission

The goal of the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) mission was to analyze the rocks and soil of Mars. The MPF was actually 2 parts, a lander and a rover. The lander stayed right where it landed while the rover named...more

Soils explored by the Rover

One of the objectives of the Mars Pathfinder mission was the examination of the composition of the soil and how it was laid down. As the Rover traversed the surface exploring the rocks of Mars, it also...more

Martian Clouds

Unlike the Earth, where clouds are found around the entire globe, on Mars, clouds seem to be plentiful only in the equatorial region, as shown in this Hubble telescope image. This may be because water...more

Pooh Bear

This image shows the rock called Pooh Bear. Soil found near Pooh Bear seemed to be a clumpy kind; finely grained, cloddy, and rocky. This was different from the soils found near the rock Scooby Doo, which...more

Mars Odyssey

The Mars Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001, from Florida. After a six-month, 285 million-mile journey, the Odyssey arrived at Mars on October 24, 2001. The Odyssey is in its aerobraking phase right now....more

Mars 2005

The Mars 2005 mission is still in the planning stages. It is set to launch in the year 2005. ...more

Aerobraking

The Mars Global Surveyor reached Mars in September of 1997. But it didn't make it into its final mapping orbit until February 1999. What took so long? Surveyor needed to reach a near-circular, low-altitude...more

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