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A new high-resolution map of Mars's magnetic field indicates that the red planet's crust once moved like present-day Earth's. The map was pieced together from observations of Mars's magnetic field taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). It reveals that the planet's surface was shaped in the same manner as Earth's – by giant crustal plates pulling apart or smashing together. In 1999, MGS provided a glimpse of this type of activity over one region in the Southern Hemisphere. The new map is based on four years of data and covers the entire planet, yielding evidence that some of the...

Oct. 19, 2005— Mars may look dry, but there's evidence that the frigid desert planet is still periodically moving water on a global scale, say researchers who have found fresh signs of glaciers far from Mars' icy poles. Images collected by a variety of spacecraft, along with elevation data, show conspicuous lines of debris in valleys, almost identical to those seen atop glaciers on Earth. On Mars, however, instead of being washed away when the glaciers melted, the lines of debris were deposited intact on the valley floor. That happened because in the thin Martian air the ice likely went...

The Mars Foundation’s hope for humanity’s future on Mars is neatly summed up by their slogan: "To arrive, survive and thrive!" In July at the International Conference on Environmental Systems (SAE-ICES) in Rome, the group presented plans for a permanent settlement they believe can be built using near-term technologies and resources already available on Mars. The Mars Foundation is a non-profit organization made up of approximately 30 volunteer members, many of them scientists and engineers, and their effort is called the "Homestead Project." According to the plans, the settlement will rely on a curious blend of old and new technology:...