The instruments that are arriving (in 2003) have influenced our selections. We're trying to complement, not duplicate them.
We'll begin to image the surface and look at its composition with detail that we've just not been able to do before.
We're especially interested in water, whether it's ice, liquid or vapor. Learning more about where the water is today and where it was in the past will also guide future studies about whether Mars ever supported life.
If we find evidence that (those) minerals are there, there must have been a time in Mars' early history when there was standing water on Mars' surface.
Every time we look with increased resolution, Mars has said, 'Here's something you didn't expect. You don't understand me yet.' We're sure to find surprises.
Every time we look closer, we see surprising new things.
Every time we have increased our ability to resolve detail on the planet, we see new things, and we expect new surprises.
It's a weather satellite, it's a geological surveyor, it's a pathfinder for future missions.
For the science teams right now, this is a period of waiting.
These are some of the highest regions of the planet because they sit on top of southern hemisphere terrain, which is higher than corresponding terrain in the north.
