We might be wrong about the color of Mars, scientists say

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Dust storms there can engulf the entire planet However, using spacecraft observations and new lab techniques, scientists now say that the red color is better suited to iron oxides that contain water. open image in gallery Utilizing new techniques and data from spacecraft orbiting Mars and on its surface, scientists were able to recreate Martian dust. Data was then used from the agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and rover data to determine particle size and composition to create the right size dust in the lab. “Some of the samples already collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover and awaiting return to Earth include dust; once we get these precious samples into the lab, we’ll be able to measure exactly how much ferrihydrite the dust contains, and what this means for our understanding of the history of water – and the possibility for life – on Mars,” Colin Wilson, Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express project scientist, said.