# Mars got smacked! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 24, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346 "2019-01-24T19:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/1 "2019-01-24T19:37:15Z")
I haven’t seen a post on this, yet. It appears that something smacked into the southern ice cap of Mars between July and September 2018. [Story here.](https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-discovers-fresh-blast-pattern-on-mars/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/2 "2019-01-24T20:30:14Z")
Cool, but [it](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/pia16928.html) [happens](https://www.space.com/24575-fresh-mars-crater-nasa-spacecraft.html) _[a](http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/mars/fresh-ice-mars-craters.html) [lot](https://www.universetoday.com/118073/heres-a-fresh-never-before-seen-impact-crater-on-mars/)_. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/3 "2019-01-25T16:56:16Z")
**Mars got smacked!** Most have forgotten the safe word. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/4 "2019-01-25T18:55:08Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Cool, but [it](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/pia16928.html) [happens](https://www.space.com/24575-fresh-mars-crater-nasa-spacecraft.html) _[a](http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/mars/fresh-ice-mars-craters.html) [lot](https://www.universetoday.com/118073/heres-a-fresh-never-before-seen-impact-crater-on-mars/)_. Aside: What’s up with science sites these days? The first one tries to load Flash (in 2019!), the second one pops up a dialog to send notifications, the third one tries to open a popup… But yes, it looks like reasonably large hits happen at least once a year; as we add more satellites and robots to the population of Mars, I assume we’ll eventually catch one “live.” We’ve been finding more than we expected on the moon, too: ([2016 article)](https://www.space.com/34372-new-moon-craters-appearing-faster-than-thought.htm). Mars is, of course, closer to the asteroid belt, and Earth has its magnetic and atmospheric shield, but it still doesn’t inspire confidence that suck things can’t clobber _us_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/5 "2019-01-27T04:47:00Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Aside: What’s up with science sites these days? The first one tries to load Flash (in 2019!), the second one pops up a dialog to send notifications, the third one tries to open a popup… > > But yes, it looks like reasonably large hits happen at least once a year; as we add more satellites and robots to the population of Mars, I assume we’ll eventually catch one “live.” We’ve been finding more than we expected on the moon, too: ([2016 article)](https://www.space.com/34372-new-moon-craters-appearing-faster-than-thought.htm). Mars is, of course, closer to the asteroid belt, and Earth has its magnetic and atmospheric shield, but it still doesn’t inspire confidence that suck things can’t clobber _us_, too. [And here’s an impact caught as it happens on the moon](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190125.html). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-got-smacked/828346/6 "2019-01-27T05:10:02Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > But yes, it looks like reasonably large hits happen at least once a year Depends on what you mean by “reasonably large.” According to the first of those linked sites, there are around _200 new craters per year_ at least 12.8 feet in diameter.