There is undeniable proof that water once existed on the planet
Mars, a team of researchers has concluded in a series of 11
articles this week in a special issue of the journal Science. A
team of more than 100 scientists from numerous government
agencies and universities, among them Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M
University's College of Geosciences, co-wrote the articles.
Lemmon was the principal author on one article and co-author on
three others describing the work of Spirit and Opportunity,
NASA's twin rovers that landed on Mars in January. The rovers
landed in different locations on Mars and have been sending back
data and images for the past 10 months. The reports in Science
focused on results from Opportunity, which is in a region of
Mars called Meridiani Planum, although Lemmon's article and one
other described findings from both rovers regarding Mars'
atmosphere. One of the primary goals of the mission was to learn
once and for all if liquid water ever existed on the red planet.
That question has now been a