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This is an image of a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris. Click on image for full size version (53K JPG) Image from: Malin Space Science Systems

After decades of exploration of Mars, many questions still remain.

• Water on Mars
  • Has all the water that formed the channels and integrated drainage systems escaped to space or is it sequestered in the ground and polar caps?
  • What are the implications of sequestered water on the present and past climate of Mars?
• The climate of Mars
• Differentiation of the surface
  • How and when did Mars experience mineral separation and evolution of the surface?
  • Did the crust of Mars stop evolving, and if so when & why?
• Crustal history of Mars
  • What caused the global dichotomy of the surface (old southern highlands, young northern lowlands)?
• Carbonate on the surface and CO2 in the atmosphere of Mars
  • If Mars had an early thick atmosphere, where is all the CO2 ( and CO3-) now? (Unlike H or He, CO2 does not readily escape from an atmosphere)
• Does Mars have a magnetic field?

This is an image of a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris. Click on image for full size version (53K JPG) Image from: Malin Space Science Systems

After decades of exploration of Mars, many questions still remain.

• What happened to the water on Mars?
  • Has all the water escaped is it hidden in the ground and polar caps?
• What is the present and past climate of Mars?
• What is the crustal history of Mars
  • How and when did Mars experience separation and evolution of the surface?
  • What caused the surface of Mars to split into two halves (old southern highlands, young northern lowlands)?
  • Did the crust of Mars stop evolving, and if so when & why?
• If Mars used to have a thick atmosphere made of CO2, where is all the CO2 now?
  • if CO2 went into the ground, where is the carbonate on the surface of Mars?
  • Unlike Hyrodgen or Helium, CO2 does not readily escape from an atmosphere
• Does Mars have a magnetic field?

This is an image of a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris. Click on image for full size version (53K JPG) Image from: Malin Space Science Systems

After decades of exploration of Mars, many questions still remain.

• What happened to the water on Mars?
  • Has all the water escaped is it hidden in the ground and polar caps?
• What is the present and past climate of Mars?
• What is the crustal history of Mars
  • How and when did Mars experience separation and evolution of the surface?
  • What caused the surface of Mars to split into two halves (old southern highlands, young northern lowlands)?
  • Did the crust of Mars stop evolving, and if so when & why?
• If Mars used to have a thick atmosphere made of CO2, where is all the CO2 now?
• Does Mars have a magnetic field?