Category Archives: Reports

MARCI weather report, May 13-19, 2019

Afternoon condensate water-ice clouds continued to be the dominant feature over all the major Martian volcanoes this past week. A few arcuate dust storms were observed along the edge of the seasonal north polar ice cap. On the other side … Continue reading

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The transition between sand ripples and megaripples on Mars

[Editor’s note: From a paper by James Zimbelman recently published in Icarus.] The transition between sand ripples and megaripples on Mars • HiRISE images of small sand dunes and megaripples in Gamboa and Matara craters on Mars suggest that there … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Terrain near Idaeus Fossae

Terrain near Idaeus Fossae. Many valleys occur all over Mars that reveal an extensive ancient history of liquid water erosion. While these valley systems are typically now covered with fine soils and sand dunes, the overall scale and shape of … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Polar cap’s edge in false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 22, 2019. Today’s false-color image shows the margin between the north polar cap and the surrounding plains (lower right). The polar cap was created by alternating layers of ice and dust, deposited over millions … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Back to work after a weekend at the beach

Sol 2413, May 20, 2019, update by MSL scientist Mariah Baker: After spending the weekend playing in the sand of a nearby ripple field, Curiosity is back on the move, searching for our next drill target. Since nothing in our … Continue reading

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Send your name to Mars with NASA’s 2020 rover

Although it will be years before the first humans set foot on Mars, NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names – etched on microchips – to the Red Planet with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, which represents … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Mounds in depressions in Deuteronilus Mensae

Mounds in depressions in Deuteronilus Mensae. The objective of this observation is to determine the nature of round mounds in depressions. The depressions may be part of the ribbed upper plains unit. Some of the edges of the depressions are … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Inuvik Crater in false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 21, 2019. Today’s false-color image shows Inuvik Crater, located near the north polar cap. The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Ripples along the ridge

Sol 2412, May 20, 2019. So that Curiosity can investigate the nearby sand ripple targets, mission controllers have been driving the rover on the edge of the sands that lie in a wind shadow along the south side of Vera … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Ridges in southern Claritas Fossae

Ridges in southern Claritas Fossae. The objective of this observation is to determine the nature of a small field of curved ridges. They may be inverted streams. Claritas Fossae is a densely-dissected highland terrain on the Tharsis Rise of Mars, … Continue reading

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