CRISM's Investigations and New Discoveries (2006-present)
CRISM began its exploration of Mars in late 2006. Results from the OMEGA visible/near-infrared spectrometer on Mars Express (2003-present), the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER; 2003-present), the TES thermal emission spectrometer on Mars Global Surveyor (MGS; 1997-2006), and the THEMIS thermal imaging system on Mars Odyssey (2004-present) helped to frame the themes for CRISM's exploration:
- Where and when did Mars have persistently wet environments?
- What is the composition of Mars' crust?
- What are the characteristics of Mars' modern climate?
This summary describes CRISM's discoveries pursuing each theme, covering for each theme:
- Science background
- The pre-CRISM view
- CRISM's science questions
- CRISM's new discoveries