Category Archives: Reports

THEMIS: Northern polar ice cap edge

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 24, 2019. Today’s false color image shows part of the margin of the north polar cap and the surrounding plains. This image was collected during the northern summer season. The THEMIS VIS camera contains … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Cairn today, drill tomorrow?

Sol 2415, May 23, 2019, update by MSL scientist Fred Calef: After a short six meter drive to “Hallaig,” the science team began the investigation of a new potential drill target named “Broad Cairn,” a flat spot on a bright … Continue reading

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Explosive volcanism likely made olivine-rich deposit near 2020 rover landing site

Ashfall from ancient volcanic explosions is the likely source of a strange mineral deposit near the landing site for NASA’s next Mars rover, a new study finds. The research, published in the journal Geology, could help scientists assemble a timeline … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Collapsed material on the floor of Orson Welles Crater

Collapsed material on the floor of Orson Welles Crater. This observation captures collapsed blocks of material on floor of Orson Welles Crater. Layers and the clay minerals found in this 125-kilometer crater are evidence that it once contained a lake. … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Next drill target?

Sol 2414, May 22, 2019. After a 6-meter (19-foot) drive to the north-northeast, the forward Hazcam (right) shows the scene as Curiosity squares up to a small flat outcrop dubbed Broad Cairn, possibly a new drill target. Above is the … 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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THEMIS: Arabia Terra crater in false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 23, 2019. Today’s false color image shows part of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to … Continue reading

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Detecting carbonates on the martian surface

Was Mars warm and wet enough to support life during the planet’s first few hundred million years? Scars of ancient lakes and rivers, as well as minerals that form only when water is present, have convinced many researchers that Mars … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Curiosity’s potassium ‘Special K’ campaign

Sol 2414, May 21, 2019, update by MSL engineer Ashley Stroupe: Curiosity is investigating an area that is very high in potassium, and we’re trying to characterize the distribution and the source of that potassium. Yesterday we did a short … Continue reading

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Multiple former ice caps lie under the northern cap

Scientists have discovered remnants of ancient ice sheets buried in sand a mile beneath Mars’s north pole, they report in a new study. The findings show conclusive evidence of the waxing and waning of polar ice on the red planet … Continue reading

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