The Evolution of Volcanism, Tectonics, and Volatiles on Mars: An Overview of Recent Progress

Abstract

Mars has been the target of a number of ambitious spacecraft missions, including the American Viking orbiters and landers in the late 1970s and, more recently, the Soviet Phobos spacecraft in 1989. Soon after the Viking mission it became clear that data from that mission would constitute a long-term source of important information about the nature and evolution of Mars. In recognition of this potential, NASA established the Mars Data Analysis Program (MDAP) in 1979 to coordinate the funding and the direction of Mars research. The first of several major thematic investigations supported by MDAP was a focused three-year study project entitled "Mars: Evolution of its Climate and Atmosphere" (MECA), initiated in 1984 under the direction of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas. The success of the MECA project (Oiffard et al., 1988a, b) led to a follow-on three-year study project entitled "Mars: Evolution of Volcanism, Tectonics, and Volatiles" (MEVIV), initiated by NASA in 1987, also under the direction of the Lunar and Planetary Institute.