Sol 4501, September 21, 2016. Two Pancam multi-filtered frames let Holger Isenberg reconstruct a false-color composite (2.4 MB) of Spirit Mound. (Click to enlarge.)
Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map. and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.
The rotational axis of Mars is currently tilted by about 25 degrees, very similar to that of the Earth (at 23.4 degrees). However, while Earth’s axial tilt (also known as “obliquity”) tends to change very slightly over time (almost 3 degrees in 40,000 year-cycles), the obliquity of Mars is much more chaotic and varies widely from 0 to almost 60 degrees! The fact that it is currently similar to that of the Earth is merely a coincidence.
Currently, water-ice is stable on the Martian surface only in the polar regions. However, during times of “high obliquity,” that stability shifts towards the equatorial regions. We see evidence for recent periods of high obliquity on Mars in the form of features common in the mid-latitude regions… [More at link]
THEMIS Image of the Day, September 22, 2016. This VIS image shows part of a depression (or trough) on the polar cap.
More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.
Seasonal monitoring of region dubbed “Inca City.”
Beautiful Mars series.
The diffuse, dusty conditions over Noachis and the southern mid-latitudes was all that remained of the regional dust storm that occurred earlier in the month. There was an indication at the beginning of the week, that the storm had entered its final stage in its evolutionary cycle, known as the “decay phase”. This is when the active lifting of dust from the surface ceases and the lofted dust begins to settle out of the atmosphere. For the largest storms it is also the longest duration stage. Small transient dust storms were spotted along the edge of the receding seasonal south polar ice cap. Looking to the northern… [More at link, including video]
Sol 4500 (!), September 20, 2016. Opportunity’s next target to examine closely will be Spirit Mound, seen in the Navcam composite above (2.2 MB). At right is the Hazcam view of the ground in front the rover, which appears to have some of the same “pavement” visible earlier in Marathon Valley. Click either image to enlarge it.
Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, a location map. and atmospheric opacity, known as tau.
Sol 1467-68, September 20, 2016, update by USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The activities planned for Sol 1466 are going well so far–the only problem is that the ChemCam observation of the Quela drill hole wall is slightly out of focus. So we’ll try again on Sol 1467 with slightly modified ChemCam command parameters. We’re planning two sols today, and our top priority is to finish up our investigation of the Quela drill hole and tailings before driving away. There are a lot of measurements we’d like to make here, so it was a rather busy day for me as SOWG Chair. After retracting and stowing the arm to allow remote sensing observations of the Quela area, the Right Mastcam will image the imprint… [More at link]
THEMIS Image of the Day, September 21, 2016. This VIS image shows part of the South Polar cap. In this region the surface has numerous circular depressions, which give the appearance of a slice of swiss cheese.
More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.
It’ll be years before the first astronauts leave the launch pad on Earth to journey to Mars. But starting Sept. 19, visitors to the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex in Florida will get a taste of what those astronauts will see when they touch down on the Red Planet.
“Destination: Mars,” a mixed-reality experience designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and Microsoft HoloLens, held a kick-off event for media at the Visitor Complex on Sept. 18. The experience uses real imagery taken by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover to let users explore the Martian surface.
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined key representatives to introduce the limited-time experience, which runs through January 1, 2017. He said that the moon landing cultivated what became known as “the Apollo effect” — an enthusiasm for space research that inspired a generation to study science and engineering.
“Technology like HoloLens leads us once again toward exploration,” Aldrin said. “It’s my hope that experiences like “Destination: Mars” will continue to inspire us to explore.”
Aldrin and JPL Curiosity rover driver Erisa Hines both appear in “Destination: Mars,” where they guide users across the landscape and offer a tantalizing glimpse of a future Martian colony. The technology that accomplishes this is called “mixed reality,” where virtual elements are merged with the user’s actual environment, creating a world in which real and virtual objects can interact. [More at link]
