Category Archives: Reports

Did the Lomonosov Crater impact create a mega-tsunami?

[Editor’s note: From a paper by François Costard and eight co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] The Lomonosov Crater Impact Event: A Possible Mega‐Tsunami Source on Mars • Unusual morphometric characteristics of Lomonosov crater in comparison to … Continue reading

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Latest weather at Gale Crater and Elysium Planitia

Daily Elysium charts and data (temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure) here.

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Gale Crater’s late alluvial activity

[Editor’s note: From a paper by John Grant and Sharon Wilson recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research; related story here.] Evidence for Late Alluvial Activity in Gale Crater, Mars • Local alluvial deposits in Gale crater were likely … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Mastcam, near and far

Sol 2468, July 17, 2019. The wide-angle (34mm) Mastcam shot an outcrop next to Curiosity that shows layered sediments on the left and a different texture on the right. Below is a five-frame sequence looking toward a local rise and … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Proctor Crater dune field

Proctor Crater dune field. The dune field here in Proctor Crater is about 35 x 65 kilometers in size, and was one of the first sand dune fields ever recognized on Mars based on Mariner 9 images. HiRISE Picture of … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Channels on the edge of Arabia Terra

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 18, 2019. This VIS image is located on the margin of Arabia Terra and Acidalia Planitia. The channel features were created by fluids running from the highland of Arabia Terra into the lower elevations … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: A way to spend a day at Solway

Sols 2470-71, July 17, 2019, update by MSL scientist Scott Guzewich: Today, Curiosity finds itself parked in front of a fascinating area of martian bedrock with clearly lighter and darker colored areas next to each other as seen in the … Continue reading

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Mars 2020 rover: T-minus one year and counting

The launch period for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover opens exactly one year from today, July 17, 2020, and extends through Aug. 5, 2020. The mission will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and land at Mars’ Jezero … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, July 8-14, 2019

Dust-lifting occurred northwest of Argyre at the beginning of the week, giving rise to dusty conditions over eastern Valles Marineris for several afternoons. Looking eastward across the southern highlands, numerous small short-lived dust events were observed over Terra Cimmeria. The … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Dunes within Arkhangelsky Crater

Dunes within Arkhangelsky Crater. Dark sand patches and dunes are likely to be active on the floor deposits of this 117-kilometer diameter impact crater. An additional goal is to look for changes from earlier HiRISE images. HiRISE Picture of the … Continue reading

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