Walking on Mars: JPL von Karman Lecture

Posted on July 13, 2018 by rburnham

Virtual and augmented reality promise to transport us to places that we can only imagine. When joined with spacecraft and robots, these technologies will extend humanity’s presence to real destinations that are equally fantastic. NASA’s Operations Laboratory at JPL is spearheading several ambitious projects applying virtual and augmented reality to the challenges of space exploration. Through partnerships with multiple VR and AR companies, scientists on the Curiosity Mars rover mission are exploring the Martian terrain, engineers… [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Slide debris and layered deposits in Ophir Chasma

Posted on July 13, 2018 by rburnham

Slides and deposits in Ophir Chasma (THEMIS_IOTD_20180713)THEMIS Image of the Day, July 13, 2018. Today’s VIS image shows part of Ophir Chasma. Ophir Chasma is part of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system on Mars.

At the top of the image is a portion of a large landslide deposit which originate at the northern wall of the canyon. The bright toned part at the bottom of the image is the northern extent of Beatis Mensa, a large layered deposit within the canyon.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Getting ready to drill

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

2108-navcamSol 2108, July 12, 2018. With Curiosity now parked at its next drill site, the rover prepares. In the foreground is the targeted area. Click the image (6 MB) to enlarge it.

Sol 2108 raw images (from all cameras).

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Jamming with the ‘spiders’ from Mars

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

ESP_055283_0985During winter at the South Pole of Mars, a carbon dioxide ice cap covers the region and as the sun returns in the spring, “spiders” begin to emerge from the landscape.

But these aren’t actual spiders. We call it “araneiform terrain,” to describe the spider-like radiating channels that form when carbon dioxide ice below the surface heats up and releases. This is an active seasonal process we don’t see on Earth. Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface…. [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: Back towards Stranraer

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

2102MH0001660010802292C00_DXXX-br2Sol 2108, July 11, 2018, update by MSL scientist Roger Wiens: After being out of commission for over a year, Curiosity’s drill is making not just a comeback, but a strong one, with imminent plans for a second drill hole within the span of 60 sols. The rover is heading back to a place it visited on Sol 2005, looking to drill near target Stranraer. Curiosity has just been climbing back up Vera Rubin Ridge from drill target Duluth, which was drilled on Sol 2057 at the base of the ridge. If the rover succeeds with another drill target within the next few sols, it will be quite a rapid turn-around. Previous instances when drill holes were made within rapid succession include the combination of Mojave and Telegraph Peak (sols 882 and 908) at Pahrump; the trio of Lubango, Okoruso, and Oudam on Naukluft Plateau between sols 1320 and 1361; and Quela and Sebina between sols 1464 and 1495…. [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: The sand always gets through

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

tumblr_pbmfdqORO01rlz4gso2_1280The sand always gets through. There are also eroded layers here in Orson Welles Crater.

Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Where the volcanic mountain meets the volcanic plains

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

Volcano edge (THEMIS_IOTD_20180712)THEMIS Image of the Day, July 12, 2018. Olympus Rupes is the name of the large escarpment surrounding Olympus Mons. The escarpment is a cliff where there is a large elevation change over a short distance. This VIS image is located along the southeastern margin of Olympus Mons, the largest Martian volcano. Note the “tissue” of lava flows descending the scarp.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MARCI weather report, July 2-8, 2018

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

MARCI-July-8-2018Dusty conditions continued around the red planet this past week, as the planet-encircling dust event was still ongoing. The colossal dust cloud was still prevalent between the south polar ice cap and the north polar hood. Solis-Sinai and on occasion, the Tharsis Montes region, experienced some local-to-regional scale dust lifting… [More at link, including video]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Weather update from Gale Crater

Posted on July 11, 2018 by rburnham

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Uplifted blocks of light-toned layered deposits

Posted on July 11, 2018 by rburnham

ESP_054753_1825Aram Chaos lies within a 280 kilometer-diameter ancient impact crater in the Southern Highlands of Mars. Uplifted blocks of light-toned layers, composed largely of the iron-oxide hematite and water-altered silicates, indicate that this crater once held a lake.

Scientists suggest that these enormous flood channels were carved quickly within just weeks or months by catastrophic outflows of groundwater over 2.5 billion years ago from beneath Aram Chaos and nearby regions. Today dark (basaltic) dunes fill most of the low regions and the etched areas of the uplifted blocks obscure much of the original crater floor… [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off