Mars and Titan Double Feature

[Karen Brattain]

Mars and Titan are the hotties of astrobiology! They have so much going for them in terms of supporting past or present life. Case in point are two new articles from nasa.gov.

On Mars, salt deposits indicate places where liquid water once flowed. We’re learning more and more about past conditions on Mars; and, quite frankly, the suggestion that there was past life on Mars is growing more convincing.

This information comes to us from the Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Meanwhile, the Cassini orbiter does it… again! Get this: measurements of Titan’s orbit indicate that it may have an underground ocean of water and ammonia. Water and hydrocarbons make for a promising mix.

Images:

1. Salts Spotted
Odyssey’s Thermal Emission Imagining System pinpointed salt deposits, indicated in blue. This image was taken in false color in order to highlight differences in surface minerals.
Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University/University of Hawaii

2. A Moon with Atmosphere
A fabulous colorized image of Saturn’s largest moon. Titan is the only moon in our Solar System that has a dense atmosphere.
Credits: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

3. Zooming In
The Mars Reconnaissance orbiter gives us these views of the surface. This image provides higher-resolution views of the site selected by Mars Odyssey, above.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Arizona State University/University of Hawaii

As always, I am grateful to NASA and JPL for their permission to use images.