The search for water on Mars
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Contents

  • Introduction
  • 1 Observing Mars from Earth
  • 2 Why search for water?
    • 2.1 Why is water so important?
      • Surface tension
      • Specific heat capacity
      • Water as a solvent
      • Water’s key properties
  • 3 How do we find water on Mars?
    • 3.1 The shape of the martian surface
    • 3.2 A record in the rocks
  • 4 The search is on!
    • 4.1 How it all began: a tale of why resolution matters
    • 4.2 Viking 1 and 2: looking for life but finding water!
    • 4.3 Meteorites – rock samples from Mars!
      • Water in meteorites
    • 4.4 The 1990s revival
    • 4.5 Next generation – detecting water from space
      • Mars Odyssey
      • Mars Express
    • 4.6 Landing robotic geologists on Mars
    • 4.7 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
    • 4.8 Phoenix Lander – a better look at the polar region
    • 4.9 Rolling on the ground again: MSL
      • New rovers arrive!
    • 4.10 Observations from space continue
  • 5 Pulling the evidence together
  • Conclusion
  • Glossary
  • References
  • Acknowledgements

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