AP Science Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The face of Mars is dotted
with a maze of channels, pointing to possible ancient megaflood
episodes. Now scientists peering below the surface have
uncovered the first evidence of underground channels apparently
created by flooding -- a finding that's expected to further
illuminate the role of water in Mars' history. Using a ground-
piercing radar sensor aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a
team of scientists created 3-D maps of an equatorial region
known as Elysium Planitia and the channels that run underneath
the plains. Besides the contributions from rovers and landers,
"our view of the red planet has largely been restricted to
looking at the surface" from orbiting spacecraft, said lead
researcher Gareth Morgan, a planetary scientist at the
Smithsonian Institution. The research, published online Thursday
in the journal Science, offers a new perspective below the
Martian surface and hints of past flooding at a time when the
planet was mostly thought to be cold and de