A sunrise view of Mars

Darkened gullies slice down the edge of a crater in one of the first high-resolution images sent by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Univ. Arizona, JPL/NASA

The sharp edges of the channels suggest that they are no more than a few million years old. NASA scientists say that the braided gullies look as if sediment-rich streams had carved them, supporting the notion that water once flowed across much of the Red Planet.