Monthly Archives: July 2018

Curiosity: Shallow drill hole at Ailsa Craig

Posted on July 27, 2018 by rburnham

Sol 2123, July 27, 2018. Curiosity put its drill to work on the brushed surface of the target dubbed Ailsa Craig — and got just a shallow hole. As at the Voyageurs site, the drill dug only a very short … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: This is not the hydrothermal deposit you’re looking for

Posted on July 27, 2018 by rburnham

A hotspot for exploration on Mars centers on areas that were once, or are currently, next to a significant source of heat such as volcanoes. Martian volcanoes have not been active for the last couple million years, but beneath the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Light-toned layering in Louros Valles

Posted on July 27, 2018 by rburnham

Light-toned layering in Louros Valles. Louros Valles is to the east of Noctis Labyrinthus. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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Opportunity: Deep sleep continues beneath raging dust storm

Posted on July 27, 2018 by rburnham

[Editor note: Entry bumped because of update] NASA Mars Exploration Rover Status Report, updated at 2:25 p.m. PDT on July 26, 2018: It’s the beginning of the end for the planet-encircling dust storm on Mars. But it could still be … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Wind-etched ridges on Zephyria Planum

Posted on July 27, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 27, 2018. This VIS image is located near Zephyria Planum. Winds of two different directions have excavated a poorly cemented surface into linear ridge features called yardangs. Examining the structure of the ridges, it … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Dark side of dust avalanches

Posted on July 26, 2018 by rburnham

The dark side of dust avalanches. Changes on the Martian surface are detected by imaging the same area more than once. Here, we see several new dust avalanches on the slopes of ridges within the Olympus Mons Aureole. These changes … Continue reading →

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HST images dusty Mars (and Phobos and Deimos) at opposition

Posted on July 26, 2018 by rburnham

With both Saturn and Mars coming to opposition — lying directly opposite the Sun in the sky — this summer, scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to image both planets. But unlike the previous opposition, Mars is experiencing a planet-wide … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Preparing to drill at ‘Ailsa Craig’

Posted on July 26, 2018 by rburnham

Sols 2122-23, July 25, 2018, update by MSL scientist Rachel Kronyak: Yesterday, the science team chose a new drill target, “Ailsa Craig,” and we spent the day triaging the target with our contact science instruments, DRT, MAHLI, and APXS. The … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Lava flow dodges impact crater’s ejecta

Posted on July 26, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 26, 2018. This VIS image shows a small portion of the vast lava flow field of Daedalia Planum. The flows originate at Arsia Mons, the youngest of the three Tharsis volcanoes. See more THEMIS … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Giving Ailsa Craig the brushoff

Posted on July 25, 2018 by rburnham

Sol 2120-21, July 24-25, 2018. With Curiosity positioned to drill at Ailsa Craig (circled in the Sol 2120 Mastcam composite above), mission scientists first brushed off the target rock. The brushed area is seen as a darker oval area in … Continue reading →

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