What can THEMIS add to the knowlege of Mars?

The THEMIS investigation has several science objectives:

1. to determine the mineralogy and petrology of localized deposits associated with hydrothermal or sub-aqueous environments, and to identify sample return sites likely to represent these environments.
2. to provide a direct link to the global hyperspectral mineral mapping completed by the MGS-TES by utilizing the same infrared spectral region at high (100m) spatial resolution.
3. to study small-scale geologic processes and landing site characteristics using morphologic and thermophysical properties.
4. to search for pre-dawn thermal anomalies associated with active sub-surface hydrothermal systems.
5. to investigate the processes operating in the north and south polar caps at all seasons.
6. to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric dust and water-ice areosols.