Tag Archives: sand ripples

Opportunity: Heading uphill

Posted on November 12, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 3839, November 11, 2014. The Navcam looks uphill on Cape Tribulation, across sand ripples strewn by the easterly winds coming out of Endeavour Crater, out of view to the left. Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Shoemaker’

Posted on November 9, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 803-804, November 7, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “I’m not on shift today, but keeping up with planning because I’m scheduled as SOWG Chair again on Monday.  And of course I’m curious to see how Curiosity is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Zapping the scuff

Posted on November 7, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 801, November 7, 2014. The rover’s ChemCam laser instrument is taking pot shots at the sand exposed in the ripple scuffed open by Curiosity’s wheel (for more, see here). Top image: first frame, second frame.         … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Sand monitoring in Pasteur Crater

Posted on November 7, 2014 by rburnham

Sand monitoring in Pasteur Crater. Beautiful Mars series.

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Opportunity: Sand ripples on a slope

Posted on November 6, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 3833, November 5, 2014. Sand ripples, driven by easterly winds of the interior of Endeavour Crater (far left), form low waves across the slopes of Cape Tribulation in this Navcam composite view which looks southward. Opportunity raw images, its … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Walkabout completed’

Posted on November 4, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 799-800, November 3, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “The initial reconnaissance of the Pahrump Hills outcrop is complete, and the 53-meter Sol 797 drive successfully placed the rover near the ripples of interest [see right; image at … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Sand ripple scrutiny

Posted on November 3, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 797, November 3, 2014. After driving across the flat expanse of the Pahrump Hills outcrop, Opportunity reversed course and returned to the spot where it first drove onto the outcrop at Confidence Hills (three-frame Navcam composite). The rover’s next … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Opportunity: Ejecta, sand ripples, and a view

Posted on October 31, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 3828, October 30, 2014. Opportunity is working its way higher up Wdowiak Ridge on Cape Tribulation, leaving Ulysses Crater behind — but the rover is still within the Ulysses impact debris field. The rocks in the left foreground may … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Hardened dunes in Arcadia Planitia

Posted on October 31, 2014 by rburnham

HiRISE, with its high resolution and 8 years in orbit about Mars, has shown that many dunes and ripples on the planet are active. This demonstrates that in some areas sand is loose enough and winds strong enough, that significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Dune and ripple migration in Nili Patera

Posted on October 3, 2014 by rburnham

Nili Patera is a region on Mars in which dunes and ripples are moving rapidly. HiRISE continues to monitor this area every couple of months to see changes over seasonal and annual time scales. Here we see obvious activity over … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off