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A Trip Around Mars - Part Two

Mountains straight out of Tolkien, catastrophic floods and streams gushing with boiling and freezing water. Kevin Fong continues his tour of Martian landscapes, present and past.

Kevin Fong concludes his grand tour of the planet Mars, in search of water. Some of the most spectacular Martian landscapes were carved by vast and violent quantities of water in the planet’s past. The Tolkienesque terrain of Iani Chaos is one such place as is the great canyon Ares Valles.

Kevin also talks to scientists on the current Curiosity Mars rover mission about water in the deep history of Gale Crater and its central mountain Mount Sharp. The journey concludes with gullies on cliffs and craters, suggesting that water still gushes on the surface of Mars today. Could this mean that life exists on the Red Planet today?

(Image: Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars
Copyright: ESA- Illustration by Medialab)

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27 minutes

Last on

Sun 5 May 2013 23:32GMT

Mountain Sharp in Gale Crater as seen from the Curiosity rover

Mountain Sharp in Gale Crater as seen from the Curiosity rover

Mountain Sharp in Gale Crater as seen from the Curiosity rover. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Iani Chaos and the head of Ares Vallis

Iani Chaos and the head of Ares Vallis
Iani Chaos and the head of Ares Vallis.  Credit: ESA

Kevin Fong next to replica of the Curiosity Mars Rover

Kevin Fong next to replica of the Curiosity Mars Rover

Kevin Fong next to replica of the Curiosity Mars Rover

Broadcasts

  • Mon 29 Apr 2013 18:32GMT
  • Tue 30 Apr 2013 01:32GMT
  • Tue 30 Apr 2013 08:32GMT
  • Sat 4 May 2013 09:32GMT
  • Sun 5 May 2013 23:32GMT

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