Mars Orbiter is taking Pictures!

So we have a super-powerful camera circling Mars right now, taking pictures and what not. Planetary scientists are all excited about this, because through the pictures that will be taken with the MRO (Mars Reconassance Orbiter), they will be hoping to determine whether or not life ever evolved on Mars.  And to find out characteristics of the climate and geology of the planet.  And of course, they want to know where the best places are that exploratory astronauts could land.  Of course.  But it sounds like the camera is pretty cool, it can take very detailed pictures of the surface of Mars, even where the geology and atmosphere would originally obstruct accurate viewings.

The main things that they are hoping to use the MRO camera for ... is if they could possibly find a couple of landers that may have crashed onto the surface due to some landing malfunctions.  The main one that they are looking for - the Mars Polar Lander - had landed in the Southern Polar Cap, an area which is now dark due to being on the dark side of the planet, and that area is covered in ice, carbon dioxide ice, and we need to wait for the ice to melt to see what's underneath.  That won't be until May.  Right now, the MRO is circulating around the northern hemisphere, and the northern water-ice polar cap.  It is taking pictures and looking for a place for the Phoenix Lander to land when that is launched next year in that northern polar region.  Along with looking at other regions among the central parts of the planet for other landers to land and explore the area.

The second coolest thing, besides the super-powerful camera, is that the MRO has a few other science instruments on board.  At least one of the instruments is able to identify minerals on the surface of Mars.  Which is really cool!  That can tell us all kinds of geology like informations, and we can infer (using the Earth Processes that we know, so it will be imperfect) as to what is going on in and on the planet Mars.  Another piece of equipment is a radar that will be able to tell whether or not there is subsurface water buried beneath the surface.  A Climate Sounder will study the atmosphere and record daily weather maps and changes.

Wow, I think the leaps in technology that we have performed are just so amazing.  I still think that even though this money that's being funneled into NASA should be used to help improve our world first, and then moving out into space second.  But since I myself can't do anything to change that, I won't be ashamed to marvel at the wonders that technology has brought to us.