Category Archives: Reports

Curiosity update: Finishing up at Midland Valley

Sol 2338, March 4, 2019, update by MSL scientist Rachel Kronyak: Today we planned Sol 2338 chock full of science activities to finish up our observations at the “Midland Valley” outcrop. We’ll primarily use our Mastcam and ChemCam instruments to … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Terra Sabaea in false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 5, 2019. This false-color image is located between Terra Sabaea and Isidis Planitia basin. Blue tones in this band configuration indicate basaltic sands. The sands are more prevalent in the plains at the upper … Continue reading

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InSight update, Sol 92, by Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society

The mole did hit a rock. Mars could’ve given us a break, but it didn’t. The HP3 mole started hammering itself today, and almost immediately (after just 5 minutes) appears to have encountered a rock. After four hours of hammering, it … Continue reading

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HiRISE: The slow charm of brain terrain

You are staring at one of the unsolved mysteries on Mars. This surface texture of interconnected ridges and troughs, referred to as “brain terrain” is found throughout the mid-latitude regions of Mars. (This image is in Protonilus Mensae.) This bizarrely … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Acidalia Colles in false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 4, 2019. This VIS image shows part of Acidalia Colles. The term colles means hill. Dark blue tones in this band configuration typically identify basaltic sands. This “blue” material is found on the plains, … Continue reading

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The banded terrain on Mars

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, March 1, 2019: Hannes Bernhardt (Arizona State University). An article on the banded terrain cannot be commenced by a traditional definition, as it appears to be a truly singular occurrence in the Solar System. … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Living on the edge

Living on the edge. The rim of this crater looks fairly sharp, meaning it hasn’t degraded too much even though it is likely very old. The exposed, light-toned bedrock is a bonus. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Near the river

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 1, 2019. This false color image contains several channel features. Towards the top of the image are several stream-lined islands, created by liquid flow eroding preexisting rock. The islands have a tear-drop shape, with … Continue reading

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Mars Express: Geological evidence of a global groundwater system

[Ed. note: This research was reported earlier here.] Mars Express has revealed the first geological evidence of a system of ancient interconnected lakes that once lay deep beneath the Red Planet’s surface, five of which may contain minerals crucial to … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Back in action at Midland Valley

Sol 2333, February 28, 2019, update by MSL scientist Melissa Rice: Curiosity returned to science planning today after a two week hiatus because of a technical issue. Our most recent science plan, described in the blog for Sols 2320-2323, included … Continue reading

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