Tag Archives: Home Plate

Light-toned Gale Crater rocks made by hot-spot volcanism?

Posted on July 18, 2018 by rburnham

In August 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory’s rover Curiosity landed at the base of Gale crater, a 5-kilometer-high mountain that formed when a meteor hit Mars billions of years ago. Using its 2-meter-long arm to drill into the planet’s surface, … Continue reading →

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Home Plate’s volcanic bomb landed with a splat

Posted on January 11, 2012 by rburnham

One of the unusual features that Mars Exploration Rover Spirit discovered at Home Plate, a former hydrothermal vent in the Columbia Hills, was a “bomb sag,” complete with its partially embedded volcanic bomb. To geologists, volcanic bombs are rocks or … Continue reading →

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Commemorating Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

Posted on July 21, 2011 by rburnham

The cast and crew of scientists and engineers who designed, built, and operated the Mars rover Spirit for its 2,210 days in Gusev Crater held a commemoration and celebration for the rover at its birthplace, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on … Continue reading →

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Home Plate: Worth a second visit?

Posted on May 19, 2011 by rburnham

In Gusev Crater’s Columbia Hills, explored by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, a low plateau about 100 yards wide dubbed Home Plate has turned out to be a Pretty Big Deal. Although a deep bed of soft sand on its … Continue reading →

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