Monthly Archives: July 2018

Curiosity update: Heading back to the Great Red Spot

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rburnham

Sol 2107, July 9, 2018, update by MSL scientist Roger Wiens: The image above shows the Mastcam view as of Sol 2104, in which the nearby terrain is clearly visible, but nothing beyond the foreground, and the entire scene looks … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Figure 8 craters on Mars

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rburnham

Impact craters are very common on the surface of Mars as well as any other planetary body lacking a significant atmosphere (e.g., the Moon). In the absence of a thick atmosphere and active geologic processes, and if the surface is … Continue reading →

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

THEMIS: Giant pit crater collapse on Alba Mons

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 10, 2018. This VIS image is located on the eastern flank of Alba Mons. Linear faults and graben surround the volcano aligned north/south, intersecting and deflected around the summit. The large graben is called … Continue reading →

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

Hypanis Valles: More likely a delta than a glacier

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham

Is Mars’ Hypanis Valles a glacier? A new study says no. A recent study [published in Icarus] from a team of scientists led by Jacob Adler of Arizona State University explored a unique area of scientific interest on Mars called … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Fans in east Coprates Montes

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham

Dark be the fans in east Coprates Montes. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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

Curiosity: Under an orange sky

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham

Sol 2104, July 8, 2018. On this day, Curiosity drove about 54 meters (177 feet) to the northeast on the rolling ridge-top. With reddish rocks under a dust-laden atmosphere, the rover’s Mastcam (34 mm) looked out on an orange-tinted world. … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Glacial tongue

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham

Glacial tongue. Well, that’s a fine how-do-you-do! This re-image can help to detect for any changes in the ridges and boulder movement. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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

Weather update from Gale Crater

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham
Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Flood-scoured island-mesa in Kasei Valles

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 9, 2018. Today’s VIS image is located near the beginning of Kasei Valles. At the top of the image is the relative high land of Lunae Planum. The Kasei Valles channel is just below. … Continue reading →

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

Curiosity update: Have we reached the peak?

Posted on July 6, 2018 by rburnham

Sols 2104-06, July 6, 2018, update by MSL scientist Scott Guzewich: Our primary goal for today’s planning was to continue to approach our next drill location on the Vera Rubin Ridge by paralleling the north side of the ridge (seen … Continue reading →

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