Dust Devils on Mars

Dust devils are rotating columns of air that lift dust from the surface. They are common enough to leave tracks across Martian terrain. Martian weather is scientifically useful and operationally important because dust, temperature and atmospheric pressure can change mission conditions.

Mars is a world where apparently simple questions often lead to larger scientific problems. Researchers combine spacecraft images, measurements from orbit, surface observations and laboratory analysis of Martian material to build explanations that can be tested. As with all planetary science, the strongest conclusions come from multiple observations that agree with one another.

The value of studying dust devils on mars is not limited to one isolated fact. Mars is a rocky planet with a long geological history, a thin atmosphere and evidence that its environment changed substantially over time. Individual observations become more useful when they are placed into that larger planetary context.