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Project Progress

This is the first year of our effort in the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) NAI. Our accomplishments have largely been in developing foundations for future research efforts from our ongoing research on the effects of changes in the climate of Mars on surface deposits and implications for the presence and state of water on the surface. Our preparatory work has included developing spectral libraries and databases necessary for the interpretation of remotely-sensed data of Mars and the Rio Tinto site, and developing linkages necessary to complete the first phase of research which we plan to begin more fully in the second year of the investigation. We have identified a graduate student to begin work on this project beginning in the fall of 2004, and have also helped Aline Gendrin attain a NRC post doctoral to work on the project. She will begin in the fall of 2004 as well. One primary objective of our research is to methodologies and understanding from the Rio Tinto site that could be used as exploration tools for Mars. Over the last 6 months we have been working with the data from Mars Express instruments HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera) and OMEGA. Both have returned spectacular data that will be integrated into the analyses planned for data collected during the field and laboratory phases of the Rio Tinto work beginning this fall.