Dust Storms in Mars Express Images

Some of the newly released Mars Express imagery shows the recent regional storms heading south, from the ice cap's margin toward the huge volcanoes Olympus Mons and Elysium Mons.

When the storms reached these volcanoes, clouds in the area "that had previously been developing started to evaporate as a result of the air mass being heated by the influx of dust," ESA officials wrote.

Red Planet Dust Storms Rage in Mars Express Photos

It is that time of year again on Mars and ESA's MEX has captured images of several dust storms already this year. There is an animated gif from ESA at the above link and ESA says: "This series of images captured by Europe's Mars Express orbiters covers about 70 minutes of motion as a dust storm moves along the north polar ice cap of Mars on May 29, 2019. The storm moved with an approximate speed of 45 mph (72 km/h). The polar ice cap covers much of the left of the image while the storm is seen on the right."

The dust storm is the darkish, cloudy looking area in the upper right of the image above (if you watch the gif you can see it move). Mars Express imaged "at least eight different storms at the edge of the ice cap between 22 May and 10 June" The storms lasted between one and three days.

Dust storms on Mars can be much bigger and longer lasting. Storms have covered the entire planet and lasted months in the past. One of those huge storms is what took the MER Oppy out of commission by cutting off the light to it's solar panels. Since MSL Curiosity is nuclear powered it will not suffer that same fate. The probe InSight is solar powered and could suffer a similar fate as Oppy if a large dust storm occurs at it's landing site.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

This is a perfect example of how difficult it would be for humans to survive on Mars.

a reply to: Bluntone22

After reading some books about that, a huge, self sustaining at most, spacecraft with landing capabilities would be better suited for a space colony in my opinion.

If the occupants find a suitable planet, it could land. The infrastructure of it would serve as a kickstarter. Maybe make it so that it can expand and span a bigger area as a skeleton for new built areas.

a reply to: Bluntone22

yep. i reckon you'd need some kind of reinforced military type base to last it out there.

maybe it's already happened...

Hard to imagine something like the following lasting for weeks or months !

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This is a perfect example of how difficult it would be for humans to survive on Mars.

It's no worst than the snow that comes in the winter or the hurricane season, tornado ally, CA/EQ's. The planet will always let you know who is boss, be it Earth or Mars. Humans adapt and survive in their environment. I am sure Mars has advantages to it's environment also, I doubt there is a hurricane season.

i reckon you'd need some kind of reinforced military type base to last it out there.

Life on Mars is best underground for many reasons.

a reply to: Oleandra88

huge, self sustaining at most, spacecraft

What you are referring to is called a Generational Ship, long discussed in Sci-Fi

This pa per recently did a study into feasibility

As for Mars, i always thought it would be wisest to build long term colonies underground to minimize the impacts of dust storms, meteorites and radiation.

a reply to: Diaspar

Most of your resources will be underground. It only makes sense to dig underground and use caves and lava tubes to live and work in.

originally posted by: Oleandra88
a reply to: Bluntone22

After reading some books about that, a huge, self sustaining at most, spacecraft with landing capabilities would be better suited for a space colony in my opinion.

If the occupants find a suitable planet, it could land. The infrastructure of it would serve as a kickstarter. Maybe make it so that it can expand and span a bigger area as a skeleton for new built areas.

On Mars we should send robotic missions up for years before anyone goes there. We should be able to have a much better base ready for us when we get there, than any ship we could build in the same time frame.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

You're clearly very interested in Mars, and this might be a little off topic, but did you ever read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy?

In it, one of the ways in which they introduce heat to warm up the planet ready for further Terra forming was by using small "windmill" devices, millions of them, delivered around the planet by a small parachute using the martian winds. When each one landed it had on board a small dynamo type device and a conducting rod. Windmill turns, heat produced, delivered to the ground via a conducting rod, planet warms up slightly.

I can't remember the exact description - i read the books many years ago.

Now i know this is sci-fi but i've always wondered if there was anything in this idea. If it was at all feasible.

After all, It wouldn't be the first time a sci-fi writer has come up with a technology that later came to be in the real world - think satellites and Arthur C Clarke

a reply to: Oleandra88

We have no idea what the radiation on the trip there will do to human bodies.
Or for that matter when we try to survive in the very thin atmosphere that will not protect us.

I dont remember exactly without doing some research but I think I read that the Martian soil has toxins that would poison humans if we tried to grow plants there..
I'll try to find the info..

Found it.
www.space.com...

originally posted by: Diaspar
a reply to: LookingAtMars

You're clearly very interested in Mars, and this might be a little off topic, but did you ever read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy?

In it, one of the ways in which they introduce heat to warm up the planet ready for further Terra forming was by using small "windmill" devices, millions of them, delivered around the planet by a small parachute using the martian winds. When each one landed it had on board a small dynamo type device and a conducting rod. Windmill turns, heat produced, delivered to the ground via a conducting rod, planet warms up slightly.

I can't remember the exact description - i read the books many years ago.

Now i know this is sci-fi but i've always wondered if there was anything in this idea. If it was at all feasible.

After all, It wouldn't be the first time a sci-fi writer has come up with a technology that later came to be in the real world - think satellites and Arthur C Clarke

If we could drop things on the South Pole of Mars and turn some frozen C02 to gas it would heat up Mars over the long run. I like the windmill idea too.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Oleandra88

We have no idea what the radiation on the trip there will do to human bodies.
Or for that matter when we try to survive in the very thin atmosphere that will not protect us.

I dont remember exactly without doing some research but I think I read that the Martian soil has toxins that would poison humans if we tried to grow plants there..
I'll try to find the info..

Found it.
www.space.com...

The soil has perchlorates in it (chlorine compounds) It is thought to be only in the top layers of some soil and chemistry can get rid of it if needed. We can protect from radiation with shielding and living underground. It won't be a cake walk, but exploration of new lands never is.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

You make it sound so easy.
The only logical step is to build a moonbase first to make an attempt to iron out all the obvious problems.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I am all for the moon as a stepping stone to Mars. It will be a good test bed for the tech we will need to use on Mars.

originally posted by: LookingAtMars

originally posted by: Diaspar
a reply to: LookingAtMars

You're clearly very interested in Mars, and this might be a little off topic, but did you ever read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy?

In it, one of the ways in which they introduce heat to warm up the planet ready for further Terra forming was by using small "windmill" devices, millions of them, delivered around the planet by a small parachute using the martian winds. When each one landed it had on board a small dynamo type device and a conducting rod. Windmill turns, heat produced, delivered to the ground via a conducting rod, planet warms up slightly.

I can't remember the exact description - i read the books many years ago.

Now i know this is sci-fi but i've always wondered if there was anything in this idea. If it was at all feasible.

After all, It wouldn't be the first time a sci-fi writer has come up with a technology that later came to be in the real world - think satellites and Arthur C Clarke

If we could drop things on the South Pole of Mars and turn some frozen C02 to gas it would heat up Mars over the long run. I like the windmill idea too.

A lot of people believe we're going to destroy planet Earth through "anthropogenic global warming" and so, we must find a new home. But to do that, we have to anthropogenic-ally alter another planet! Can't wait until we have Martian environmentalists.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

I do love how the plan is to terraform an alien planet when we cant terraform our own...

a reply to: Diaspar

Yes I got that idea from reading books too, I am sorry if it came over like it was my idea.

I ment using the spacecraft for a base and then work out from there. But I have no clue if we have the engines / energy sources for a craft like that.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I do not see Mars as a suitable planet, I should have written it more clearly. That is why I wrote we should focus on a big spacecraft, as much as self sustaining as possible and go for the long shot instead of wasting resources and time on Mars.

Sure, it gives insight and training, taking the steps to Mars first. But first we need to have some kind of spore drive like in the latest Star Trek: Discovery series, haha

a reply to: Oleandra88

I agree that Mars is no Earth, but it is better than Venus. I hope one day we can travel to Earth-like planets. Today we can travel to Mars. Mars my be very inviting underground, we should explore Mars and find out ASAP IMHO.

I do like the spore drive idea, hope someone is working on something like that.