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The 10 Best Mars Images Ever
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
03 December 2002
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Parting
Shot
Click to enlarge
Mars has not yet coughed up
all its secrets. Meanwhile, public interest in Mars and support for the billions
of dollars it takes to explore the planet requires refreshment now and then. Many
enthusiasts believe that a human mission is the next logical step. Scientists
say it's the only way we'll answer the most pressing questions.
The trip will be dangerous.
Even getting good pictures
of Mars is expensive and risky. Not every mission makes it -- only about half,
history shows.
This final photo is one of
the very few images of Mars taken by the Mars Observer, which was lost three days
before it was to arrive at the planet in 1993. This shot, Observer's last, was
taken about a month before the disaster and was used to calibrate instruments
on the spacecraft. The
target planet seems to emerge from the darkness in a photo that is haunting in
more ways than one.
While the picture is not remarkable
in any traditional sense, it stands as an important reminder that while technology
has brought us closer to Mars, the planet is still not an easy target. This very
challenge allows Mars to retain puzzles, fueling the human desire to go all the
more.
More to Explore
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