It is apparent that 'The Face' is merely a hill on the Martian surface and that illumination from the Sun at a low angle and the lower resolution of the Viking cameras were responsible for this illusion. NASA announced that MGS had observed features suggesting the current presence of liquid water on or near the surface of the planet. The features resemble those left by terrestrial flash floods such as gullies and deposits of soil rocks. Previous images from the Mariner and Viking programmes in the 1960s and 70s had indicated channels and valleys eroded by water over 3 billion years ago. The new features appear to be extremely young, giving a strong possibility that they formed within the past few million years and that some are forming to this day.
Water appears to flow out from cliffs in crater or valley walls.
The very low atmospheric pressure on Mars would make liquid water boil violently when it reached the surface. The planet will be further investigated by ESA's Mars Express mission which is due to be launched from Russia in June 2003 and will arrive at Mars the following December. Beagle 2 is being assembled by a group at the Open University. Once it arrives at Mars, it will carry out exobiology experiments. The probe will use a CD by the pop group Blur as its call sign and a Damien Hirst painting as the calibration card for its imaging devices.