chattr +a -V

Speaking carefully, since it could be geologically and not biologically alive, Michael Mumma of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center drew this inference from data analysis of Martian atmospheric methane and water concentrations. The data were accumulated by infrared spectrometers at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (javascript instrumentation link in left-side column) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the Gemini South telescope (link to South's instruments here) on Cerro Pachón mountain, Chile. NASA Scientist: 'Mars Could be Biologically Alive'. Methane spectral lines of Martian equatorial regions are 'very strong indeed' and are 'consistent with "enhanced local release"', with '"a major source"' of methane over Valles Marineris.

Valles Marineris, the 'Grand Canyon of Mars'; the Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 27, 2002, image from Astronomy Picture of the Day, from NASA's Viking Project

Areas east and west of the huge Hellas Basin impact crater showed strong methane concentrations as well, areas where NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter found subsurface hydrogen in high abundance.

Hellas Basin

Hellas Basin contains the lowest point on the Martian surface.

Regional Topographic Model of the Hellas Basin, from Views of the Solar System.

'Nearly six miles (nine kilometers) deep and 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) across, the basin is surrounded by a ring of material that rises 1.25 miles (about two kilometers) above the surroundings and stretches out to 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from the basin center.'

Mumma and his team are requesting telescope time at the Infrared Telescope Facility and at the W. M. Keck Observatory (Keck instrumentation link), also in Hawaii.

Initial Reports of Vittorio Formisano's data anlaysis indicating formaldehyde concentration are at Scientist argues case for life on Mars, Martian gases pose life question. The hubub died down, when Formisano made clear that he was not claiming to have detected formaldehyde: And no formaldehyde either, And back from Ischia and Formaldehyde again.

You can 'fly' over a three-dimensional Martian landscape with Mars MOLA Viewer, which runs on Linux x86, MS-Windows 2000 and MS-Windows XP. I have it up right now.