Posted: Wed, Oct 18, 2006, 1:03 PM ET (1703 GMT)
Just one week into science observations, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is providing scientists with "new clues" about Martian geology and the planet's early history. High-resolution images returned by MRO since it began science observations on September 29 have given planetary scientists new views of the layered terrain near the Martian north pole as well as recently-formed gullies in the planet's southern hemisphere. Project officials said the camera and other instruments on MRO are working well. Science operations will begin in earnest in early November, once Mars emerges from behind the Sun.
