Fact Sheet
Twistin' the Day Away
At least four dust devils scoot across the floor of Gusev Crater in this recent series of images from the Mars Spirit rover. These small twisters form as the Sun heats the desert surface, creating updrafts of air. Similar twisters are a common sight in the American Southwest. NASA is preparing to launch another mission to Mars: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Its launch has been delayed to Friday morning. It will arrive at Mars in March, and will snap the sharpest images of Mars ever taken from orbit. [NASA/JPL]
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