NASA to Announce Findings of New Martian Photos
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we go far beyond the Earth's atmosphere right now. The Global Surveyor spacecraft has been sending back pictures of Mars, and some of them show trenches and gullies possibly carved by fast-flowing water. Now, this possibility has excited some scientists who think if there's water on Mars, there could be life there too. CNN's Miles O'Brien is in Washington where the space agency has an announcement today. Miles, what are we going to hear?</s>MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, after months of bad news about a pair of failed missions to Mars, NASA's scientists are eager to trumpet an announcement that could be a real blockbuster. It all begins with an eagle-eyed satellite in Mars orbit that has been snapping pictures of the surface for more than a year now. Scientists tell me the Mars Global Surveyor has captured several photos which show some muddy channels, what could be sure signs of recent liquid water flow at several locations on the surface of Mars. Now, water on Mars in and of itself is not news. The planet is laced with dry river beds that once carried gushing torrents a billion or so years ago. And scientists have long known there is plenty of ice on Mars currently at the poles and beneath the surface of the planet. In fact, the doomed Mars Polar Lander was built to dig beneath the surface of the south pole, scooping up and analyzing ice crystals. But these new findings are stunning because they suggest water is flowing on Mars as we speak. And Mars is not a water-friendly place. It is very cold and the atmosphere is so thin that water immediately vaporizes, or so it should, into hydrogen and oxygen. So the Global Surveyor images raise a lot of questions, but there is one certainty that is fueling a lot of excitement among these scientists: On Earth, where ever you find water, you always find life. The announcement from NASA is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. CNN, planning live coverage of that. Miles O'Brien, CNN, live from Washington.</s>LIN: Thank you, Miles.