Gas under pressure will choose an easy escape route. In this image, the terrain is covered with a seasonal layer of dry ice.
The weak spots, for gas sublimating from the bottom of the seasonal ice layer to escape, appear to be around craters, where the surface was broken and pulverized by an impact. Fans of surface material deposited on top of the seasonal ice layer show where the escape vents are. [More at link]
Sol 1550-51, December 14, 2016, update by USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Use of the arm and driving remain off limits while the drill continues to be diagnosed. The 2-sol plan starts with ChemCam and Right Mastcam observations of bright vein targets dubbed “Bear Brook” and “Canon Brook.” MARDI will take images during both morning and evening twilight to look for changes due to winds. Remote sensing on Sol 1551 will include ChemCam, Navcam and Mastcam observations of the sky and Sun at a couple times of day, and a set of ChemCam calibration activities. [More at link]
This image shows the floor of Suzhi Crater, an approximately 25-kilometer diameter impact crater located northeast of Hellas Planitia. The crater floor is mostly covered by dark-toned deposits; however some patches of the underlying light-toned bedrock are now exposed, like in this Context Camera image.
This enhanced-color infrared image shows a close up of the exposed bedrock on the floor of the crater. Here we can see the lighter-toned bedrock partially covered up by darker-toned bedrock and a few wind-blown… [More at link]
THEMIS Image of the Day, December 15, 2016. The numerous, closely spaced channels in this VIS image are part of Arda Valles. Such valley networks point to flowing streams and rivers in the distant martian past.
More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.
The weather patterns of Mars this past week did not deviate much from that of the previous weeks. Dust hazes over the high southern latitudes continued to waft near the remaining seasonal south polar ice cap. Focusing on the northern hemisphere, polar hood dust and water-ice clouds persisted along the mid-to-high latitudes. A few sporadic dust storms associated with the north polar hood were observed over northern Amazonis. Northwest… [More at link, including video]
Sols 1539 and 1548, December 4 and 13, 2016. On Sol 1539 (December 4), Curiosity’s Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) shot a five-frame composite of the small butte called Ireson Hill, but the frames didn’t cover the butte’s full width. On Sol 1548 (December 13), the RMI finished the task with another five frames. The composite above shows both sols’ images; click to enlarge (2.9 MB).
Sol 1548 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location.
Sol 4582, December 14, 2016. This day’s drive was nearly 17 meters (about 55 feet) toward the west-southwest. The Navcam composite image shows the way forward. Click image (2 MB) to enlarge. At right, the Hazcams’ views fore and aft at the drive’s end (also click to enlarge).
Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map, and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.
Dual craters east of Lockyer Crater (Note: North is to the left in this image).
Beautiful Mars series.
THEMIS Image of the Day, December 14, 2016. The channel in this VIS image is located in Terra Sirenum.
More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.
Sol 4581, December 13, 2016. Six composited Navcam frames show the view toward the east across the floor of Endeavour Crater to the far rim, 14 miles (22 kilometers) away.
The second and third frames from the left show three mounds the rover has driven past as it climbs the rim. The closest is Elk Point, beyond lies Pompy’s Tower, and farthest down the slope is Spirit Mound. This last was the subject of a detailed survey that began in late September and ran until early November 2016. Click the image (2.7 MB) to enlarge it.
Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map, and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.
