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Tag Archives: Mars Exploration Rovers
“Blueberries” could date when Meridiani rocks were last wet
The relative amount of three chemical elements contained in Martian “blueberries” might offer scientists a way to date when these spherules were last inundated with water, according to recent research. Rich in the iron mineral hematite, blueberries are small concretions, … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged concretions, Curiosity, Gale Crater, hematite, jarosite, Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Science Laboratory, MER, Meridiani Planum, Opportunity, water
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Mars Rover Opportunity explores Cape York
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the south end of Cape York, a segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater about 700 meters (2,300 feet) long, on August 9, 2011. Scientists and engineers examined several targets there before driving the rover … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged breccia, Cape York, Greeley Haven, gypsum, Homestake, impact melt, impacts, Kidd Creek, Mars Exploration Rovers, Meridiani Planum, Opportunity, Tisdale, water
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How old is Meridiani Planum?
The smooth, flat plain where Mars rover Opportunity landed in January 2004 looks spookily empty. Only a few rocks and meteorites, plus foot-high sand dunes and ripples, break the endless vista under a clear tawny sky. How long has the … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged craters, Endeavour Crater, HiRISE, LPSC 2012, Mars Exploration Rovers, Meridiani Planum, Opportunity, wind
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Home Plate’s volcanic bomb landed with a splat
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
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, bomb sags, climate, climate change, Home Plate, hot springs, Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit, water
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Opportunity discovers water-precipitated gypsum at Cape York
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found thumb-wide veins of gypsum in a rock layer at Cape York, the Endeavour Cater rim segment where it will spend the coming Martian winter. The discovery was announced at the fall meeting of … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Crater Lake, Endeavour Crater, gypsum, Homestake, Mars Exploration Rovers, MER, Opportunity, Tisdale, Transvaal
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High ground on Cape York rim segment named Shoemaker Ridge
Scientists with the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity have given the name of Shoemaker Ridge to the highest “spine” of the Cape York segment of Endeavour Crater’s rim. The rover arrived at Cape York in early August and has been exploring … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged craters, Endeavour Crater, Mars Exploration Rovers, MER, Meridiani Planum, Opportunity, Shoemaker Ridge
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Jarosite: key to ancient temperatures?
The water-related mineral jarosite is occurs both on Earth and in sediments on Meridiani Planum, Mars. Scientists have found that by measuring the isotope ratio of argon-40 to argon-39 in the rock — a technique that can be applied to … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged climate, jarosite, Mars Exploration Rovers, MER, Opportunity, temperature, water
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Can melting snow make small holes in Mars rocks?
Many rocks on the surface of Mars show pits and small holes. One way such pits can form is when gas-rich lava erupts; the pits, called “vesicles,” form when gas escapes from the lava as it’s cooling. Wind-driven sand can … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Phoenix, Viking landers, water, weathering
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Commemorating Mars Exploration Rover Spirit
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
Posted in Reports
Tagged Gusev Crater, Home Plate, hot springs, Mars Exploration Rovers, MER, silica, Spirit
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Will Opportunity find dunes on the move?
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is driving toward the rim of Endeavour Crater on Meridiani Planum. Twenty-two kilometers (14 miles) wide, Endeavour is largely obliterated, with only about half its rim remaining as low hills rising above the plain. The crater’s … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged dunes, Endeavour Crater, Mars Exploration Rovers, MER, Opportunity
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