Category Archives: Reports

THEMIS: Jezero Crater delta landing site

THEMIS Image of the Day, August 12, 2019. At the top of today’s VIS image is a delta deposit that was created by the flow from the rim channel into the crater. Deltas form when sediments settle out due to … Continue reading

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MarCO wins the ‘Oscar’ for tiny spacecraft

The first briefcase-size CubeSats to journey to another planet have been honored for their role in NASA InSight’s successful Mars landing. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) bestowed their Small Satellite Mission of the Year award to Mars … 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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HiRISE: Classic crater

Well preserved and loving it. Is there something particularly special about this nice, 2-kilometer diameter crater? Maybe not, but its simplicity, classic shape and fairly well-preserved rim speak for itself in a desolate landscape. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive. … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Lyot Crater dune field

THEMIS Image of the Day, August 9, 2019. Lyot Crater is a large, complex crater in the northern lowlands of Vastitas Borealis. This image is located along the southern rim of the crater and shows part of the dune field … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: A change in the weather (observations)

Sols 2489-91, August 8, 2019, update by MSL scientist Claire Newman: Over the weekend, Curiosity successfully dropped off a portion of the Glen Etive drill sample. But for some reason, the sequence was interrupted, so no images of the portion … Continue reading

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Mars Express: Dark meets light in Terra Cimmeria

ESA’s Mars Express has captured the cosmic contrast of Terra Cimmeria, a region in the southern highlands of Mars marked by impact craters, water-carved valleys, and sand and dust in numerous chocolate and caramel hues. Mars is often referred to … Continue reading

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MAVEN: Solar conjunction coming

The MAVEN operations and navigation teams are preparing for Mars solar conjunction, when the Sun is lined up almost directly between Earth and Mars: https://go.nasa.gov/2OOZQhy. This year, Mars solar conjunction will happen between Aug. 28 – Sept. 7. Due to … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Multi-layered story

A story in layers. Our objective is to examine some very nicely exposed layers in a mesa wall in Aureum Chaos. As the name “chaos” suggests, this terrain is characterized by randomly oriented, large-scale mesas and knobs that are heavily … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Northern Arabia Terra channel

THEMIS Image of the Day, August 8, 2019. The margin between Arabia Terra and the surrounding lowlands is dissected by numerous named and unnamed channels. Today’s VIS image shows part of an unnamed channel in the region. The channel floor … Continue reading

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