In an Instagram post, NASA shared the view of Airy-0 – which was chosen as the exact point that astronomers would call the first meridian, where East and West measurements begin. Unlike the equator, the line is arbitrary. But it does help scientists determine the coordinates. Airy-0, as an Airy subcharacter, seemed like the perfect spot to make it. The crater also shows a series of ridges, which are Martian dunes. As on Earth, these dunes are created by the winds of Mars that deposit fine particles, according to Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at the University of Washington. This gives the inside of the crater the appearance of melon skin. But you should definitely eat it, given the number of toxic perchlorates in some areas of Mars. As for the erosion on the lower edge of the crater, Byrne suspects it is a massive waste, something like a rock or landslide. Other craters on Mars have characteristics related to water or dry ice, but this does not seem to be the case here. “If there was water or CO2 ice there, they have been sublimated for a long time, although I do not know if they would have survived the collision,” Bryne told Inverse. The photo was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on October 27, 2021. The MRO has been in orbit around Mars since 2006 and is both the main set of eyes on Mars from space and one of the two communication transponders for Mars missions to Earth. parallel to the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. Both spacecraft have been orbiting Mars for some time, and while they continue to operate, NASA has plans to eventually send a new orbiter as safe. But an initial plan to launch one in the fall of 2022 was scrapped in favor of a mission that would be combined with a sample return to Mars for launch in the late 2020s. in order to serve as an intermediary communications relay.
