14 DAY TRIAL // As the NASA Martian Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is getting ready to launch this November, the American space agency is drumming up interest in the mission by releasing new, amazing images of various features on the surface of the Red Planet. A view of Newton Crater is the latest such photo.
This particular image combines data collected by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument aboard the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), on May 30, 2011, with 3D models of the same area.
What makes this crater tremendously interesting to planetary scientists is the fact that it displays seasonal changes. This made many experts say that salty water is still flowing on the surface of the planet, carving new channels every year.