Curiosity update: March to the megaripples

Posted on May 4, 2017 by rburnham

NLB_547082057EDR_F0623188NCAM00266M_-br2Sol 1686, May 3, 2017, update by MSL scientist Michael Battalio: Continuing the steady march up Mt. Sharp, Curiosity drove 18.3 m to bring us closer to a series of features being called megaripples, which are darker and larger ripples than were seen on the Bagnold Dunes. Touch-and-go was again the option for this plan (see Sols 1684 and 1685), and GEO made use of it with contact science on two targets, “Newport Ledge” and “Sugarloaf Mountain.” These two targets are the closest two rocks protruding above the sand in the Navcam image above. MAHLI will target Newport Ledge to gauge grain size and distribution. A series of observations by APXS and ChemCam on Newport Ledge will continue… [More at link]

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Opportunity field report, May 3, 2017

Posted on May 4, 2017 by rburnham

2_4700-18_PerspectiveSol 4718, May 3, 2017; Rover Field Report by Larry Crumpler, MER Science Team & New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science: On this sol Opportunity made the final drive in the month-long process that began way up north inside Endeavour crater earlier this Earth-year. One of the primary objectives of the current mission extended mission has been a valley, Perseverance Valley,  that cuts through the rim of Endeavour. We will drive down it to further assess its origin and to further explore the structure and stratigraphy of this large impact crater. Once down at the end of the valley, Opportunity will be directed to explore the crater fill on a drive south at the foot of the crater walls. But the next month or so will be an exciting time, for no rover has ever driven down a potential ancient water-cut valley before… [More at link]

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THEMIS: Rough rim on Horowitz Crater

Posted on May 4, 2017 by rburnham

Horowitz Crater rim in false color (THEMIS_IOTD_20170504)THEMIS Image of the Day, May 4, 2017. Today’s false color image shows part of the northern rim of Horowitz Crater, which is located in Terra Cimmeria.

The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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HiRISE: Colorful bedrock

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

ESP_049968_1655This image covers diverse surface units on the floor of eastern Coprates Chasma in eastern Valles Marineris.

The bedrock has diverse minerals producing wonderful color contrasts. In over 10 years of orbiting Mars, HiRISE has acquired nearly 50,000 large images, but they cover less than 3 percent of the Martian surface. [More at link]

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Curiosity update: Touch and go or just go (again)?

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

NLB_546992760EDR_F0623050NCAM00375M_-br2Sol 1685, May 3, 2017, update by MSL scientist Christopher Edwards: Planning rover science activities is a dynamic process. Unlike yestersol’s plan, the Geology Theme Group decided to include an APXS and MAHLI “touch-and-go” in the plan, carrying out valuable contact science on the layered Murray bedrock. A touch-and-go, and in this case with a small APXS raster, is an option often available tactically to the Geology Theme Group that enables contact science to be carried out prior to a drive. Touch-and-go contact science activities, when appropriate, let the science team acquire the most information on a target without bringing a sample onboard the rover to instruments like CheMin and SAM. What makes these touch-and-go activities so valuable is that they have minimal impact to the drive distance for that day, allowing Curiosity to continue its ultimate goal of characterizing the… [More at link]

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Opportunity: Perseverance Valley beckons

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

4718-navcamSol 4718, May 2, 2017. After a 33-meter (110-foot) drive to the southeast, Opportunity’s Navcam shot a composite showing the throat of Perseverance Valley with the interior or Endeavour Crater beyond; Winnemucca mesa stands on the skyline at right. Below is a colorized Pancam (Holger Isenberg) of Casper Crater. Click either image to enlarge it.

Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map, and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.

4718-pancam-casper

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MARCI weather report, April 24-30, 2017

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

April-27-2017Dust-lifting activity over southern Sirenum and Aonia swelled into a regional-scale dust storm this past week. The storm swept northeast to southern Argyre where it waned and stretched out towards Hellas. Meanwhile, on the other side of the red planet, small transient dust storms continued to propagate eastward along the receding seasonal north polar ice cap edge. Looking just south of this activity, a few dust… [More at link, including video]

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HiRISE: Channel on a crater floor in NW Arabia Terra

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

tumblr_ooxarfW9401rlz4gso1_1280A channel on a crater floor in northwestern Arabia Terra.

Beautiful Mars series.

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Curiosity update: Touch and go or just go?

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

NRB_546906828EDR_F0622726NCAM00312M_-br2Sol 1684, May 2, 2017, update by MSL scientist Christopher Edwards: Today was a day of tradeoffs. Should Curiosity focus on driving to get to a higher priority target sooner, or conduct contact science at the current location? Ultimately the Geology Theme Group decided to forgo the “touch-and-go” option, in which contact science is carried out prior to driving, and instead focused on using that time to increase the drive distance. With today’s drive, the hope is to make it about 50 meters down the road along the strategically planned path informally known as the “Mt. Sharp Ascent Route.” At the end of today’s drive, the plan is for the rover to end up within about 2 meters of an intriguing gray hued target, having made significant progress towards a “megaripple” of high… [More at link]

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THEMIS: Tectonics in Sirenum Fossae

Posted on May 3, 2017 by rburnham

Sirenum Fossae in false color (THEMIS_IOTD_20170503)THEMIS Image of the Day, May 3, 2017. Today’s false color image shows part of Sirenum Fossae. The linear depressions in this image, called graben, were formed by tectonic activity.

The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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