This vintage space snapshot represents a scientific question that researchers are still trying to answer. NASA’s Viking Lander 1 took this photo shortly after touching down on the surface of Mars in August 1976. Viking landed in a channel was once filled with water, so the mission team expected to see smooth terrain showing the effects of long-ago erosion. Instead, they saw the angular boulders visible in this image. One possible explanation is that they were carried there by a megatsunami. Learn more about this fascinating possibility in this week’s Planetary Radio, featuring a conversation with Mars expert, geologist, and Outer Space Institute Fellow Tanya Harrison. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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