Video of the Week - Mars, Four Billion Years Ago?
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We are all familiar with the rocky, red surface of present day Mars - After all, that is why it is nicknamed the 'Red Planet'. And while It's definitely not a place most of us would want to live on in its present state, what if it had been filled with huge lakes, lush green fields and giant cliffs? Just like . . . Earth?
On November 13th, NASA's Goddard Conceptual Image Lab released a video of what they think Mars may have been like when it was a young planet. The animation, one of the most complex the team has ever produced, begins 4 billion years ago and depicts a planet that looks similar to ours, complete with blue skies and clouds. Then, as the years go by, the lakes dry up, clouds disappear and the sky transforms into the familiar dusty pink and tan, that we have all come to associate with Mars.
Though it can never be proved for sure, the video is based upon surface features and minerals discovered on the planet that the scientists believe are evidence that once upon a time Mars did have a much denser atmosphere and surface liquid, similar to that of earth. So how did it get to its current state?
That is something the scientists are hoping to find out from the $671mm USD Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft (MAVEN) that launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, today (November 18th). MAVEN's mission is to orbit the Red Planet and gather enough data for scientists to reconstruct a history of its climate and try figure out how Mars lost its dense atmosphere and water and transformed into the dry icy planet it is today.
Resources: Dailymail.co.uk, livescience.com
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338 Comments
- jakealmost 11 yearscool
- mo123456789almost 11 yearswow if was like earth
shayshaypinkalmost 11 yearsThat's great, except for the fact that the earth hasn't been around for four billion years.
key246almost 11 yearsWhat if one day mars will be livable? Wouldn't that be cool? I mean there might still be a chance for mars! That would be SO cool, like having a back-up plan if something goes wrong on earth.- Dogo fun almost 11 yearsYou think that is cool NASA is trying to hide something.Anyway the is awesome the video is
- Swagger12345678almost 11 yearsThat's so cool I would love to see how mars looked like thousand of years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
- JPECESalmost 11 yearsWOW AWESOME THE VIDEO WAS GREAT AND WHEN I READ THE ARTICLE , IT WAS SO AWESOME THAT IT WAS THE BEST ARTICLE I HAVE EVER EVER READ. THE VIDEO WAS LIKE SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SPECTACULAR AND THE SECOND VIDEO THAT WAS ON WAS LIKE A ANIMAL PLANET WHEN LIKE THEY TALK ABOUT THE ANIMALS. IT WAS SO SO SO SO SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT EVEN SHOWED ME HOW Mars looks like even though i might forget about it anyways. but it was cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- weird girl...ccalmost 11 yearscooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!
- MEalmost 11 yearsThe thing is, if Mars was like Earth and turned out like this... Think of what could happen to Earth after enough time.
browniekittyalmost 11 yearsI think awesome
