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Monthly Archives: July 2018
MARCI weather report, July 16-22, 2018
Dust clouds and hazes still loomed over Mars last week. Some atmospheric clearing was spotted over Noachis and Aonia Terra as the planet-encircling dust event transitioned to a decay phase. The edges of the canyons that make up Valles Marineris … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, clouds, dust, dust storms, global dust storms, haze, Malin Space Science Systems, MARCI, Mars Color Imager, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, MSSS, NASA, storms, weather, wind
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HiRISE: Fans and valleys
An impact crater approximately 23 kilometers across is home to fan-shaped deposits that extend from the rim and sit on the interior crater floor. Thick beds with varying tone are exposed along the edge of the fan. Shallow valleys that … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Acidalia Planitia, alluvial fan deposits, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, Tempe Terra, University of Arizona
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Curiosity update: Blackjack!
Sol 2121, July 24, 2018, update by MSL scientist Michelle Minitti: Mars dealt us a winning hand today, yielding a sufficiently flat parking space after yesterday’s short bump to allow us to proceed with our plan to drill in this … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Ailsa Craig, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Murray Formation, NASA, Pettegrove Point, Vera Rubin Ridge
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Mars Express radar finds liquid water under Mars south polar region
Editor’s note: NASA has commented on this discovery. Radar data collected by ESA’s Mars Express point to a pond of liquid water buried under layers of ice and dust in the south polar region of Mars. [The researchers’ paper reporting … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged ESA, European Space Agency, Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding, Mars Express, MARSIS, MEX, south polar region, subglacial lakes, water
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THEMIS: Ares Valles’ long winding channel
THEMIS Image of the Day, July 25, 2018. Today’s VIS image shows part of Ares Vallis, one of the large channels in Margaritfer Terra that empty into Chryse Planitia. See more THEMIS Images of the Day by geological subject.
Posted in Reports
Tagged Ares Vallis, Arizona State University, ASU, Chryse Planitia, fluvial channels, Margaritifer Terra, Mars Odyssey, NASA, outflow channels, THEMIS, THEMIS Image of the Day, Thermal Emission Imaging System
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Medusae Fossae Formation: single largest source of dust on Mars
The dust that coats much of the surface of Mars originates largely from a single thousand-kilometer-long geological formation near the Red Planet’s equator, scientists have found. A study published in the journal Nature Communications found a chemical match between dust … Continue reading
Curiosity: Checking the dust at Sgurr of Eigg
Sols 2119-20, July 23-24, 2018. Above is a Sol 2119 Mastcam view of the ridge’s rolling terrain to the rear of the rover. Below is a Sol 2119 Mastcam composite showing the workspace and the Sgurr of Eigg site, with … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Murray Formation, NASA, Sgurr of Eigg, Vera Rubin Ridge
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MAVEN: ‘Stolen’ electrons cause unusual Mars aurora
Auroras appear on Earth as ghostly displays of colorful light in the night sky, usually near the poles. Our rocky neighbor Mars has auroras too, and NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft just found a new type of Martian aurora that occurs over … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, aurora, Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph, IUVS, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, MAVEN, NASA, proton aurora, Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, SWIA, ultraviolet aurora, University of Colorado
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HiRISE: Fans of Roddy Crater
Alluvial fans are found on Earth, Mars, and even Saturn’s moon, Titan. Roddy Crater on Mars is home to several large alluvial fans, which formed as water moved sediment from the mountainous crater rim and deposited it onto the flatter … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged alluvial fan deposits, alluvial fans, fluvial deposits, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, Roddy Crater, University of Arizona
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Curiosity update: A little bump
Sol 2120, July 23, 2018, update by MSL scientist Abigail Fraeman: Our weekend drive completed successfully and we have our next intended drill target attempt in the rover workspace. Unfortunately, the combination of the rover’s pitch and roll would make … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Appin, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Murray Formation, NASA, Sgurr of Eigg, Vera Rubin Ridge
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