Was There a Natural Nuclear Blast on Mars?

Was There a Natural Nuclear Blast on Mars?

NASA/JPL

NASA's 1997 Pathfinder mission to Mars returned this stunning image of the planet's rocky red landscape.

Ever wonder why the red planet is red?

About 180 million years ago, a planet-shattering yet naturally occurring nuclear reaction may have wiped out everything on Mars, sending a shockwave that turned the planet into dry sand.

Even more incredible: A natural nuclear reaction could have occurred on our own planet -- and could happen again, said Dr. John Brandenburg, a senior propulsion scientist at Orbital Technologies Corp.

"The Martian surface is covered with a thin layer of radioactive substances including uranium, thorium and radioactive potassium -- and this pattern radiates from a hot spot [on Mars],” Brandenburg told FoxNews.com.

“A nuclear explosion could have sent debris all around the planet," he said. "Maps of gamma rays on Mars show a big red spot that seems like a radiating debris pattern ... on the opposite side of the planet there is another red spot."

The European Space Agency's Mars Express satellite just buzzed past the barren Phobos, the largest of Mars's tiny moons. Here's what the cameras captured.

A NASA spacecraft has been beaming to Earth incredibly detailed pictures of the surface of Mars. And the beautiful colors and rich textures of the red planet will shock you.

According to Brandenburg, the natural explosion, the equivalent of 1 million one-megaton hydrogen bombs, occurred in the northern Mare Acidalium region of Mars where there is a heavy concentration of radioactivity.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/01/natural-nuclear-blast-mars/#ixzz1IQYiJNSj