Rice University News Office
EMBARGOED FOR 4 PM EDT, MARCH 12, 1998
Media Advisory
DATE: March 10, 1998
CONTACT: Lia Unrau
PHONE: (713) 831-4793
98-76
MARS RESEARCHER AVAILABLE TO DISCUSS SURVEYOR RESULTS
HOUSTON, March 10, 1998 -- Observations that Mars has scattered crustal magnetic fields will be published in the March 13 issue of Science. Paul Cloutier, professor of space physics and astronomy, is a co-investigator on the Mars Global Surveyor team that obtained the findings and is available for comment. The story is embargoed for release at 4 p.m. eastern time on March 12.
Cloutier (pronounced KLOO-tee-ay) says their observations indicate that Mars probably once had an active internal magnetic dynamo, similar to the one that gives Earth its magnetic field today.
"We were able to see small scale fields in different areas on the surface of Mars," Cloutier said, "implying that early Mars probably had a magnetic field similar to Earth's now."
Cloutier says a better understanding of the magnetic field will shed light on whether the geologic processes that caused the magnetic field also created persistent volcanism, the mechanism responsible for driving geologic gases to the surface and creating an atmosphere.
"Studying the magnetic fields may tell us something about the history of Mars and whether it ever had a stable environment that was conducive to the origin of some forms of life," Cloutier said.
Cloutier is a co-investigator assigned to the Magnetometer and Electron Reflectrometer, the instruments responsible for collecting the magnetic field data. The data suggest that Mars' magnetic field is 1/800th the strength of Earth's magnetic field.
To schedule an interview with Cloutier, phone him at (713) 520-0337, or 851-5108 (cell). If you experience difficulty reaching Cloutier, contact Lia Unrau, science editor in the Rice News Office at (713) 831-4793.
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