“Mars, a planet of mysteries.”
From the Martian colony, teams of astronauts chart courses and set off on multi-day expeditions. Rolling through history living within their roving homes, traveling inside HABs, portable habitats on wheels, they venture to key ‘Expedition Sites of Discovery’ to study vanished waters—and silent volcanoes.
“Mars holds the secrets of the cosmos, we are just beginning to listen.”
The explorers face small dust storms that form in a matter of hours, impacting the expedition solar arrays. While larger, planet-encircling dust storms develop over weeks.
Meridiani Planum, where the Opportunity Rover once explored, is rich in hematite—suggesting past water activity—and is a key region for understanding the history of water on Mars and the potential for past life.
Gale Crater, the landing site of the Curiosity Rover, features layered deposits indicating a possible history of water. The crater’s central mound, Mount Sharp, holds sedimentary layers which hold records of past climates.
The largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, is a monument of geological history—a place for studying Mar’s volcanic activity and the effects it had on the red planet’s climate.
Back on Earth, solar scientists monitor the Sun for sunspots and magnetic field configurations to warn the explorers of solar flares. It takes 13 minutes for the first wave of radiation to hit the surface of Mars.
“In Mars’ silence, we unearth its history.”