Climbing on Mars

[Thinker]

from web page

 

Moon and Mars

 

Skiers, mountain climbers, and others who like the great outdoors might someday look for new adventures on a new world: Mars. It has some of the tallest cliffs and longest slopes in the solar system -- and no waiting lines.

 

The Martian slopes are found at its poles, where thick ice caps form during the winter months. They partially evaporate during the summer, as frozen carbon dioxide vaporizes into the atmosphere, but caps of frozen water remain.

 

We don't know how smooth or craggy the slopes are. They look fairly smooth from orbit, but no probes have landed near the poles to give us a detailed look. Still, it's likely that parts of the ice caps are smooth enough for skiers. They'd need well-insulated pressure suits for protection against the extreme cold, but in the centuries to come ski resorts could pop up near the Martian poles.

 

The cliffs are found in several places. The tallest are around Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system. It's about as big as Missouri, and towers several miles above the surrounding plains. Its edge is marked by sheer cliffs that are thousands of feet tall. In the lower gravity of Mars, these cliffs could be compelling targets for rockclimbers.

 

Look for Mars near the Moon before sunrise tomorrow. They rise about three hours before the Sun, and are low in the southeast at first light. Mars looks like a bright orange star just to the upper left of the Moon.

 

Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2005

[olyclimber]

Sorry, but Layton already has the FA.

[Thinker]

Looks like Layton went in 'Beckey Style' for the FA on the highpoint. There's plenty more opportunity for real rock climbers to grid bolt the cliff band.