About this Research Topic

Background

The pursuit of finding habitable conditions or life outside our planet has always been fascinating. In terms of habitability, Mars is the most Earth‐like planet within our solar system as it displays the highest Earth similarity index of 0.7 based on physical determinants such as radius, mass, and temperature and the relative planetary habitability index of 0.6 based on physicochemical markers such as available energy, substrate stability, suitable chemistry, and liquid stability. In addition, the Martian regolith and subsurface contain water in frozen and possibly in transient liquid states; Mars has moderate gravity to enable future colonization; the Martian atmosphere displays a relatively moderate temperature range to support the possibility of life; and the Martian obliquity and day length are quite close to that of Earth. Thus, Mars research and exploration holds a significant place in planetary sciences, advancing our knowledge beyond the Earth.

The interest towards Mars research and exploration has gained significant momentum in the past three decades owing to the advances in computing, hardware, remote sensors, and general awareness. The next stages of this exploration demand more multidisciplinary efforts to effectively use the vast planetary data being gathered using various platforms and techniques. Our Research Topic aims to bring together research and reviews from the Mars community covering topics on geomorphology, geology, astrobiology, atmosphere, geophysics, geochemistry, and habitability. Studies using remote sensing as a tool are particularly encouraged for submission to this Research Topic. As evident from the title, novel research articles and comprehensive review articles with emphasis on the systematic and recent advances in our knowledge, tools, techniques, and methods for Mars research and exploration will be the ideal candidates for this collection.

Original Research and comprehensive Review articles are welcomed within the above-mentioned research themes. The focus areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Geological findings
• Geomorphological interpretations
• Landform characterization or inventory
• Multisource data integration and information extraction
• Modelling and simulations
• Future perspectives on Mars exploration

Keywords: Mars, remote sensing, geomorphology, astrobiology, geology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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