The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter(MRO) celebrates its 10th year in space, gaping at Mars in orbit. The MRO has made some ground breaking discoveries researching Mars. Mission engineers involved with the project, however, say a lot has yet revealed about the red planet.
Due to the high long existence of the Spacecraft, it was possible for it to male studies over four years on Mars(1.88 Earth years equals one Mars year), collecting priceless data about the surface and climate of Mars. It has discovered that the Mars’ south polar caps have buried enough of carbon-dioxide in the form of ice that has the ability to double the atmosphere’s current temperature.
The MRO has also found recent crater impacts and has done research on it. These crater impacts could expose the ice underneath the Mars surface. Dark strips of empty land are also visible that change colors with the seasons, which astronomers and scientists say are due to flow of salty sea water. Deposits of glass on Mars created by ancient meteor strikes were also observed by the MRO.
The MRO also transfers data between small rovers and Landers on the Mars and controllers on Earth. As long as the MRO remains working the exchange of information will continue in the future. A dried up lake floor has been discovered near the equator of Mars.
