Weird looking terrain in the latest PDS release.

Similar to the terrain in western Hellas or not?

"Weird looking terrain in the latest PDS release."

it's odd but then this is Libya
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images...s018e014770.jpg
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=30394

No, the landforms in ESP_020058_1865 are thought to be lithifed aeolian dunes that have been partially eroded. This is seen in multiple places around Arabia Terra. That HiRISE image was actually a case where we here on the CTX science ops team saw that terrain in a CTX image and then specifically asked HiRISE to shoot it for a higher-resolution look. Attached is a subframe of CTX P17_007571_1859_XI_05N335W, which covers the area of that HiRISE image (it's a little murky, as Arabia Terra is often cloudy).

No one really knows what the heck is going on in the stuff in western Hellas (referred to informally as "taffy pull terrain").

~Tanya

I am a twitter about this twitter.... ???

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with this: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/117806243.html

For convinience here is the abstract from LPSC. It makes for interesting reading, but I suggest great caution in declaring liquid water found, much less a habitable environment. Hopefully CRISM observations will make a stronger case or put this to bed.

In the literature, McEwan has been a critic of wet formation mechanisms. I don't think you need worry that he'll overreach.

Thats good to know.

Discussion of paper on Spectral Evidence for Liquid Water on Mars, LPSC 2011, Renno and Mehta moved
HERE -> http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...c=6949&st=0

Another cave: http://www.onorbit.com/node/3681

An article about the recent problems with HiRISE camera

Operators of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are resuming use of the mission's highest resolution camera following a second precautionary shutdown in two weeks. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument powered off on Aug. 27 and again on Sept. 6. In each case, commanding for an observation was not properly received by the memory module controlling one of the instrument's 14 electronic detectors (CCDs, or charge-coupled devices). Between those two incidents, the camera successfully resumed observations for five days using its other 13 detectors. The second entry into the power-off, thermally protected mode occurred during an attempt to add use of the 14th detector. The camera is resuming observations with 13 detectors today while plans are developed for other diagnostic tests.

The detector remaining out of use pending further tests lies at the outer edge of the lineup of detectors. It is one of 10 detectors observing through red filters. The other four are pairs observing through blue-green or near-infrared filters, yielding color images in the central portion of the observation. Without this 14th detector, observations can still cover as much area, in images slightly narrower, but longer, than usual. The typical cross-track width of a HiRISE image without use of that detector is about 3.4 miles (5.4 kilometers), compared to about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) when using all detectors. The coverage area can be maintained by extending the length of the observed area by about 10 percent.

HiRISE has returned more than 20,400 observations since the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached Mars in 2006. Each observation by this telescopic camera covers several square miles, or square kilometers, and can reveal features as small as a desk. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter completed its primary science phase in 2008 and continues to work in an extended mission. HiRISE Principal Investigator Alfred McEwen, of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, said, "This isn't a significant loss to the science capability of HiRISE. However, it is a sign that the instrument is aging and could suffer further degradation in the future."

Source: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Orbiter_R...Camera_999.html

A bright wispy feature from the image I downloaded to give feedback on HiView:

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_024579_1790
Click to view attachment