Category Archives: Reports

Do ice-squeezed aquifers cause marsquakes?

Posted on June 26, 2019 by rburnham

As the Mars InSight lander begins listening to the interior of Mars, some scientists are already proposing that some marsquakes could be signals of groundwater beneath the frozen surface of the Red Planet.  The idea, proposed by Michael Manga, a … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Brushing Beauly and beholding Balnakettle

Posted on June 21, 2019 by rburnham

Sol 2443, June 20, 2019, update by MSL scientist Abigail Fraeman: Curiosity is still parked at a tilt of a little over 23˚ to examine the outcrop on top of “Teal Ridge.” While the science team begins to pore over … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Along a scarp

Posted on June 21, 2019 by rburnham

Along a scarp. All along this section of scarp of a canyon in Kasei Valles, there appears to be a lobe-shaped margin of something (lava? mud? flood sediments?) that flowed into this trough, coated the floor and subsequently drained. What’s … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Cyane Fossae on Alba Mons

Posted on June 21, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 21, 2019. This VIS image shows lava flows from Alba Mons, and a tectonic graben called Cyane Fossae. It is thought that the linear depressions that surround Alba Mons were created by a huge … Continue reading →

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Mars 2020 rover gets its wheels

Posted on June 20, 2019 by rburnham

In this image, taken on June 13, 2019, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, install the starboard legs and wheels – otherwise known as the mobility suspension – on the Mars 2020 rover. They installed the port … Continue reading →

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A rover for Phobos and Deimos

Posted on June 20, 2019 by rburnham

Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. These are the target of the Japanese Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which also involves international partners. Scheduled for launch in 2024, it will enter Mars orbit in 2025, and return samples … Continue reading →

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Latest weather at Gale Crater and Elysium Planitia

Posted on June 20, 2019 by rburnham

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

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HiRISE: Mind your deposit

Posted on June 20, 2019 by rburnham

Mind your deposit. The CRISM instrument on MRO (a spectrometer) has detected clay deposits here that is a very uncommon sedimentary setting. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive. [More at links]

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THEMIS: Shalbatana Vallis

Posted on June 20, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 20, 2019. Today’s VIS image shows a section of Shalbatana Vallis. Along side of the major channel is a smaller tributary channel. A landslide deposit is also visible in this image. Explore more THEMIS Images … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: On Teal Ridge

Posted on June 19, 2019 by rburnham

Sol 2441, June 19, 2019. Curiosity is placed so that mission scientists can examine the outcrop closely. At right are the views from the front Hazcam view and Navcam. Above is a Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) frame showing regular … Continue reading →

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