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- CRISM: Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars
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- THEMIS: Thermal Emission Imaging System
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news
Category Archives: Reports
Did Mars Pathfinder explore edge of northern ocean?
NASA’s first rover mission to Mars, the Pathfinder, imaged an extraterrestrial marine spillover landscape 22 years ago, according to a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Alexis Rodriguez. The landing site is on the spillway of an ancient … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Ares Vallis, catastrophic floods, Mars Pathfinder, Oceanus Borealis, outflow channels, Simud Valles, Sojourner rover, Tiu Valles
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HiRISE: We found geology in a chaotic place
We found geology in a chaotic place. The terrain here lives up to its description as “chaotic:” we see small hills, mesas, buttes and valleys. This area is called Oxia Palus, and its debris likely came from Ravi Vallis, which … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged buttes, chaotic terrain, geologic contacts, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, hills, HiPOD, HiRISE, HiRISE Picture of the Day, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, mesas, MRO, NASA, Oxia Palus, Ravi Vallis, stratigraphy, University of Arizona, valleys
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Curiosity update: Why are we cracking up?
Sols 2352-53, March 19, 2019, update by MSL scientist Dawn Sumner: Today was a fun, busy day to plan. Curiosity finally made the drive to a rock called “Muir of Ord,” which has a cracked surface. The science team is … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Aldons Quarry, CBU, clay-bearing unit, Crail, Crieff, Crossroads, Curiosity, Endurance Crater, fractures, Gale Crater, Glen Torridon, James, Kilmarnock, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, mud cracks, Muir of Ord, Murray Formation, NASA, Old Soaker, Opportunity, Small Isles, Wopmay
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THEMIS: Dunes in a Noachis Terra crater
THEMIS Image of the Day, March 19, 2019. This VIS image shows part of the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Individual dunes and a large sand sheet with surface dune morphology fill a large area of the … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Arizona State University, ASU, dunes, Mars Odyssey, NASA, Noachis Terra, sand dunes, THEMIS, THEMIS Image of the Day, Thermal Emission Imaging System
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HiRISE: Everything is (well) illuminated
The south polar layered deposits are icy layers that have been deposited over millions of years, preserving a climate history of Mars. In this image the layers are well illuminated to accentuate the topography. A prior image of this location … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged climate change, climate cycles, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, south polar ice cap, south polar layered deposits, University of Arizona
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Winds of Jezero Crater
[Editor’s note: From a paper by Mackenzie Day and Taylor Dorn recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.] Wind in Jezero crater, Mars • Modern winds in Jezero crater come from the east, but ancient winds came from the southwest • … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged dunes, eolian processes, Jezero Crater, M2020, Mars 2020, Mars 2020 rover, sand dunes, TARs, transverse eolian ridges, wind streaks, yardangs
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Curiosity update: Capturing Deimos!
Sols 2349-51, March 18, 2019, update by MSL scientist Catherine O’Connell-Cooper: The Curiosity Operations team planned a 3-sol plan today, with lots of activities for both the Environmental (ENV) and Geology (GEO) theme groups. Top priority for ENV and Mastcam … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Arbuthnott, Buzzard, Caledonia, CBU, clay-bearing unit, Curiosity, Deimos, Gale Crater, Gardenstown, Glen Torridon, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Muir of Ord, Murray Formation, NASA
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Could a ‘wind harvester’ provide back-up power for Mars rovers?
Researchers at the University of Warwick [U.K.] have been inspired by the unique movement of trembling aspen leaves to devise an energy harvesting mechanism that could power weather sensors in hostile environments and could even be a back-up energy supply … Continue reading
Curiosity: Checking out Muir of Ord
Sol 2350, March 17, 2019. It was St. Patrick’s Day on Earth, but Curiosity was squaring up to a rock named for a Scottish Highlands village. As the science team planned, Curiosity was moved a few meters to get a … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, CBU, clay-bearing unit, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Glen Torridon, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Muir of Ord, Murray Formation, NASA
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HiRISE: Surface texture
Surface texture. Interesting how the dune ripples within these shallow craters all seem to have a similar orientation. This image is within a crater in the Arabia Terra region. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]
Posted in Reports
Tagged Arabia Terra, dunes, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiPOD, HiRISE, HiRISE Picture of the Day, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, regolith, rocks, sand dunes, University of Arizona
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