This is an image of a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris.
Click on image for full size
Image from: Malin Space Science Systems

Questions about Mars to be addressed by the Mars Surveyor Program

After decades of exploration of Mars, many questions still remain.

  • What happened to the water on Mars?
    • Has all the water escaped is it hidden in the ground and polar caps?
  • What is the present and past climate of Mars?
  • What is the crustal history of Mars
    • How and when did Mars experience separation and evolution of the surface?
    • What caused the surface of Mars to split into two halves (old southern highlands, young northern lowlands)?
    • Did the crust of Mars stop evolving, and if so when & why?
  • If Mars used to have a thick atmosphere made of CO2, where is all the CO2 now?
    • if CO2 went into the ground, where is the carbonate on the surface of Mars?
    • Unlike Hyrodgen or Helium, CO2 does not readily escape from an atmosphere
  • Does Mars have a magnetic field?


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