|PROGRAM & MISSIONS|
Goal 2: Characterize the Climate of Mars
A top priority in our exploration of Mars is understanding its present climate, what its climate was like in the distant past, and the causes of climate change over time.
What's the Martian Climate Like Today?
The current Martian climate is regulated by seasonal changes of the carbon dioxide ice caps, the movement of large amounts of dust by the atmosphere and the exchange of water vapor between the surface and the atmosphere. One of the most dynamic weather patterns on Mars is the generation of dust storms that generally occur in the southern spring and summer. These storms can grow to encompass the whole planet. Understanding how these storms develop and grow is one goal of future climatic studies.
What Can the Current Climate on Mars Reveal about the Past?
Monitoring the planet for this information over one full Martian year (687 Earth days) will help us understand how Mars behaves over its seasonal cycle and guide us toward understanding how the planet changes over millions of years.