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The State and Future of Mars Polar Science and ExplorationAs the planet's principal cold traps, the martian polar regions have accumulated extensive mantles of ice and dust that cover individual areas of approx. 10(exp 6)sq km and total as much as 3-4 km thick. From the scarcity of superposed craters on their surface, these layered deposits are thought to he comparatively young-preserving a record of the seasonal and climatic cycling of atmospheric CO2, H2O, and dust over the past approx. 10(exp 5)-10(exp 8) years. For this reason, the martian polar deposits may serve as a Rosetta Stone for understanding the geologic and climatic history of the planet-documenting variations in insolation (due to quasiperiodic oscillations in the planet's obliquity and orbital elements), volatile mass balance, atmospheric composition, dust storm activity, volcanic eruptions, large impacts, catastrophic floods, solar luminosity, supernovae, and perhaps even a record of microbial life. Beyond their scientific value, the polar regions may soon prove important for another reason-providing a valuable and accessible reservoir of water to support the long-term human exploration of Mars. In this paper we assess the current state of Mars polar research, identify the key questions that motivate the exploration of the polar regions, discuss the extent to which current missions will address these questions, and speculate about what additional capabilities and investigations may be required to address the issues that remain outstanding.
Document ID
20000068933
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Clifford, Stephen M.
(Lunar and Planetary Inst. Houston, TX United States)
Crisp, David
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Fisher, David A.
(Geological Survey of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Canada)
Herkenhoff, Ken E.
(Geological Survey Flagstaff, AZ United States)
Smrekar, Suzanne E.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Thomas, Peter C.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY United States)
Wynn-Williams, David D.
(Natural Environment Research Council Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Zurek, Richard W.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Barnes, Jeffrey R.
(Oregon State Univ. United States)
Bills, Bruce G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Publisher: Academic Press
Volume: I44
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
LPI-Contrib-987
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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