Mars Photo of the Day - Apr 15 2012
16 Apr 2012, 01:20 UTC
Today's Image of Mars shows what was once a potential landing site in Libya Montes for the Mars Science Laboratory. Libya Montes are a ring of mountains on Mars that was created by the giant impact which created the Isidis Basin to the north. Think of Libya Montes as the rim to the crater that is Isidus Basin.
The Isidis Basin is extremely ancient, so studying the uplift created from the impact will allow scientists to look extremely far back into the Martian past. There is evidence that Libya Montes has also been eroded by water in the past, so it is possible that it was once a habitable region! That's why Libya Montes has consistently been at the top of the list for candidate landing sites, and will likely remain that way until we send a mission to those ancient mountains.
Clicking on this image will take you to other potential landing sites for future missions to Mars!
Image Credit: HiRISE
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