Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Avalanche! (On Mars)

We've long known that there's water on Mars in the form of ice at the poles. A spacecraft circling the dusty red ball of fury recently detected avalanches! The big question is, of course, whether or not there are Martian Saint Bernards available to locate survivors.

PASADENA, California (AP) -- A robotic spacecraft circling Mars has snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet's north pole, scientists said Monday.

The image, taken last month, reveals at least four avalanches of fine ice and dust breaking off from a steep cliff and settling on the slope below. The cascade kicked up massive debris clouds, with some measuring more than 590 feet across.

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1 comment:

bubba said...

i think i see a martian skier in the photo...that's hot.