Mars Pictures From European Spacecraft Are Incredible (PHOTOS)

The European spacecraft in orbit around Mars has sent back these incredible, high-resolution images of the planet's surface. The photos remind us that Mars' past was filled with fast-flowing streams, rivers and oceans.

Pictures from AP, Reuters and AFP.

Comments

[NoSillyName]

I'm gonna go re-read Velikovsky.

[Coronadoman]

And we can't a decent photo of a bank robber???????????

oy...

[01202009]

Is that Manhattan in the top one with Jersey on the left?

[Snerdgronk]

Davi-dAF: "Wow, Its amazing how a lot of you are infusing political jokes with this story. You people not only have no idea of how to make humorous points that are even remotely funny, you people have no life at all. I know you all "think" your so smart but this only proves how really dumb you are. Pretty lame brain stuff. ..."

SG: I'm with you on this lame brain stuff ... people should use their ram brain more.

Snerd

[AmericanReflections]

Fascinating photos. If what we are seeing is evidence that Mars at one time had rivers and streams, there's more than an outside life that it also had life. To what extent life flourished there can, at this point, only be speculated on, but if it evolved to what we think of as intelligent life, it would be incredibly interesting to know what happened to them. Did they die as the planet died? Were they advanced enough to have a way to vacate their dying planet and resume life elsewhere? Could they be our long ago, unknown ancestors? Did they colonize on some other far away planet and continue to develop the ability to travel through space, and could they have something to do with the objects that have been spotted (although not identified) in the skies over our own planet for hundreds of years? So many questions and possibilities could exist based on our ability to interpret these photos and continue our own space exploration. Someone said, years ago: "I sometimes think we are alone in this universe, and I sometimes think we are not. Either way, the thought is mind boggling." (Or something like that.)

[sisterdebmac]

Does it bother anyone else that ESA always gets better stuff from Mars than NASA? And that they share it with the world almost immediately, while NASA has to "doctor" their photos first? And lie that the new lander could only take black & white photos when it first touched down?

[jvarga]

I would be more pissed if NASA and ESA felt the need to compete with, instead of compliment, each others work. I mean it would be totally sweet if NASA spent its budget on making something to do exactly what Mars Express Probe is doing...

[Cowtippin]

Please God let them find life on Mars....so all the bible thumpers will shut there pies holes. heee.hee

[mcjacksonnelson]

those bible thumpers are already pre-empting the time that life is found on other plants with the "fact" that God made them too. pretty convenient.....

[freakbrother]

Perhaps a higher power did put the events of universe in motion. One thing for sure, Earth will likely look like Mars if we continue to abuse our Mother Earth.

[Mattjoe]

There has just been a report that several Middle East nations are already disputing territory.

[mcjacksonnelson]

Did you guys know that one of Mars' moons was made by the Martians millions of years ago?

[hypnus]

That's not a moon. It's a space station!!!

[andyboy]

Mars was the old Earth. We trashed it and left to come here. If you look hard there's a bas-relief of a guy on hands and knees sucking oil out of the ground with a straw.

[cryingeagle]

Man obviously has lived there, what other organism could have so effectively destroyed the planet through global warming.

[doug108]

I don't know how to explain what I feel when I think that across the universe there are places that will never be seen by anything intelligent, yet they go on eroding, cracking, crumbling, quaking, rising, falling, living, and dying. It's lonely and stark. Yet, unbelievably beautiful.

I think it was Buzz Aldrin who described the moon as, "Magnificent desolation."

[DavidAF]

Wow, Its amazing how a lot of you are infusing political jokes with this story. You people not only have no idea of how to make humorous points that are even remotely funny, you people have no life at all. I know you all "think" your so smart but this only proves how really dumb you are. Pretty lame brain stuff.

You do know Devry University can help people who are less educated, right?

[definitelyNOTmisterRIGHT]

Nice grammar! You should practice your spelling before you criticize! DUH!

[Snowspot]

I'm sorry but I was unaware that grammar had anything to do with facts? Care to explain? Anyway, Huffpo posters have become a joke, it's all about having a funny pun or comeback, so lame, get a life you guys ;)

[whatsthatsound]

Guess I'd better stop infusing political jokes with my stories, or even in them.
Good luck with your studies at Devry!

[jvarga]

"I know you all "think" your so smart but this only proves how really dumb you are."

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn't do that on purpose.

[mcjacksonnelson]

Most schools can help people that are less educated. That's what they are for.

[bartonfink]

yet you deign to comment. funny thing about arrogance: it's impossible to disguise, it betrays the person who acts out of accordance with it, and, especially this, if the expression of arrogance is festooned with spelling and syntactical errors, well, let's just say that everyone you insulted smells what YOU'RE cooking, davidaf. (pls. note proper spelling of the contraction for "you are")

"infusing political jokes with this story" doesn't even make sense, btw

[insanityfollows]

Oh, but this is impossible! The universe is only 6000 years old and somehow we managed to walk with the dinosaurs, too.

Seriously, though. Fabulous pics. Truly exciting.

[mcjacksonnelson]

God buried fossils to test our faith. He's a prankster god!

(man o man, where's bill hicks when you need him)

[Manuel]

Cool pics.

Manuel