Tag Archives: smectites

Mars minerology points to cold, icy ancient climate

The climate throughout Mars’ early history has long been debated – was the Red Planet warm and wet, or cold and icy? New research published in Icarus provides evidence for the latter. Mars is littered with valley networks, deltas and … Continue reading

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Opportunity report by A.J.S. Rayl, The Planetary Society

May 10, 2016: Opportunity Sleuths New Site for Smectites: After capturing a rare image of a dust devil whirling through the interior of Endeavour Crater at the end of March, Opportunity and the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) team pressed on … Continue reading

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Opportunity field report, May 5, 2016

Sol 4365, May 5, 2016; Rover Field Report by Larry Crumpler, MER Science Team & New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science: Opportunity  arrived at its current location on sol 4345 to begin investigation of an outcrop on the crest … Continue reading

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Opportunity field report, April 1, 2016

Sol 4333, April 1, 2016; Rover Field Report by Larry Crumpler, MER Science Team & New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science: On this sol here on the west rim of Endeavour crater Opportunity has climbed west and up Marathon … Continue reading

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Opportunity: Moving higher for firmer ground & clay minerals

Sol 4323, March 23, 2016. Opportunity is exploring Marathon Valley because orbital spectrometry found exposures of water-altered clay minerals in the valley. But with the ground proving too loose to allow Opportunity to reach its intended outcrop target at Pvt. … Continue reading

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Opportunity: Sol 3703, June 24, 2014

A two-frame Pancam composite image looks over the summit of Solander Point’s Murray Ridge, which Opportunity has been climbing since August 2013. In the background rises the higher summit of Cape Tribulation, the next rim segment to the south. It … Continue reading

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Opportunity explores aluminum-bearing site

With its solar panels their cleanest in years, NASA’s decade-old Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is inspecting a section of crater-rim ridgeline chosen as a priority target due to evidence of a water-related mineral. Orbital observations of the site by another … Continue reading

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Ancient watery environments at Endeavour Crater

A new paper in Science from a team led by Raymond Arvidson (Washington University) and Steven Squyres (Cornell University) reports on water-related minerals found by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, which reached Endeavour Crater in August 2011. The paper is … Continue reading

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