New Global Geologic Map of Mars Reveals Habitable Environments Possibility

The MSL team is currently present at the 8th International Mars Science Conference being held at the Caltech campus in Pasadena. Among the first three speakers at the conference were two USGS Astrogeology colleagues. Ken Tanaka, the first speaker, presented a new global geologic map of Mars that he led a major mapping effort for. The map was included in materials distributed to each registered attendee and received applause from the audience for its significance.

Following Ken Tanaka, Oleg Abramov shared his detailed modeling on the impacts of bombardment on the early history of Mars. His findings suggested that the planet’s crust may not have been completely melted during this period, raising the possibility of habitable environments existing at that time. While updates on MSL operations were limited due to ongoing conference activities, recent reports indicate that the rover traveled over 82 meters last weekend, with plans for a more conservative drive on Sol 689 due to rough terrain ahead.

The scheduled dates for rover activities mentioned in these reports are subject to change depending on various factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays, and the status of the rover itself. Despite these challenges, progress has been made by MSL in their exploration of Mars.