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"There are a lot of variables that can affect the

Aug. 15, 2017 by Kenneth Newton

"There are a lot of variables that can affect the Martian ground and environment," said Bruce Johnson, a geophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "If this sensor is right in the ground, and you know the right temperatures, you can get a good feel for what it is like to be able to see it."

The new sensor can measure air pressures directly on Mars, and it has been used over the past few weeks to study the Martian atmosphere by analyzing the Martian surface with a small, small camera. For now, Johnson thinks it will remain under wraps until the early 2020s when the instrument can be tested in real-time from a distance.

But Johnson is optimistic that the new sensor will also help to map how Mars is likely to change over the next decade or so. The sensor is more sensitive to the surface of Mars, and it uses a combination of sensors and GPS, as well as the ability for the instrument to monitor the surface from several kilometers away. So there's hope a future Mars landing could be based on a new sensor that mimics Earth's approach to Mars, but it would be a big step backward in understanding how much Mars changes over the next decade.

But for now, InSight is using the sensor to see what Earth's atmosphere looks like when temperatures are near zero. There is no sign of ice on Mars (although the planet is at around 5 degrees C warmer than it is today) and Earth's atmosphere looks like the same as Mars. The only way to know whether Mars is melting is by looking at the surface from a distance, but it would be incredibly useful to know the kind of temperature and pressure that would be needed to melt the ice.

Follow me on Twitter @glynmoody. Like me on Facebook.The New Orleans Saints have waived wide receiver Michael Dyer.

Dyer, a third-round pick out of Wisconsin, had been on the practice squad.