Fact & fiction of Martian dust storms

Posted on September 21, 2015 by rburnham

mars_0For years, science fiction writers from Edgar Rice Burroughs to C. S. Lewis have imagined what it would be like for humans to walk on Mars. As mankind comes closer to taking its first steps on the Red Planet, authors’ depictions of the experience have become more realistic.

Andy Weir’s “The Martian” begins with a massive dust storm that strands fictional astronaut Mark Watney on Mars. In the scene, powerful wind rips an antenna out of a piece of equipment and destroys parts of the astronauts’ camp.

Mars is infamous for intense dust storms, which sometimes kick up enough dust to be seen by telescopes on Earth. [More at link]

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HiRISE: Gullies on slopes of Juventae Chasma

Posted on September 21, 2015 by rburnham

tumblr_nusiqs5cvH1rlz4gso1_1280Just you wait, slopes of Juventae Chasma! Beautiful Mars series.

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Opportunity: Endeavour Crater floor – false color

Posted on September 21, 2015 by rburnham

4142-pancam-fcSol 4142, September 19, 2015. Five Pancam sets of multi-band frames drew a portrait of the interior of Endeavour Crater in false color (by Holger Isenberg). Click the image above to enlarge, and click here for a full-resolution version (3.4 MB).

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

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Curiosity update: ‘Contact science on bright outcrop’

Posted on September 21, 2015 by rburnham

NRB_495862201EDR_F0500322NCAM00346M_-br2Sol 1109-1111, September 18, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: The plan for the weekend is to do a detailed analysis of the outcrop in front of us and then drive away and do some untargeted observations. Sol 1109 includes ChemCam observations of the targets “Cody” and “Leroy”, plus a Navcam dust devil search. After that, the rover will brush the dust off of Cody, with MAHLI images before and after. APXS will then analyze the target Ferdig, and then do an overnight observation of Cody.

On sol 1110, we have some more ChemCam on the targets “Meeteetse” and “Fisch Scale”, plus a 10×5 Mastcam mosaic of some interesting nearby ridges, and then a Mastcam multispectral observation of Cody. After that, the plan is to drive about 50 meters and then collect plenty of Navcam images of the new location. [More at link]

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THEMIS: Windstreaks

Posted on September 21, 2015 by rburnham

Windstreaks (THEMIS_IOTD_20150921)THEMIS Image of the Day, September 21, 2015. Today’s VIS image shows several windstreaks located on the volcanic flows west of Ceraunius Tholus.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Curiosity: Facing the ridge

Posted on September 18, 2015 by rburnham

1108-navcamSol 1108, September 18, 2015. Curiosity’s Navcam shot a sequence along Bob Marshall Ridge, with an oddly eroded rock fragment (arrow, right foreground). The view looks approximately north. Click to enlarge.

Sol 1108 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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HiRISE: Dust and dunes in western Medusae Fossae

Posted on September 18, 2015 by rburnham

ESP_041864_1745This beautifully contrasted infrared-color image shows an area approximately 600 by 900 meters. This is a close-up of the western Medusa Fossae formation where we can see dust-covered rocky, bedrock surfaces (beige) and a bluish-tinted sand sheet that transitions into several dunes.

The bluish sand is thought to originate from the bedrock that lies beneath the dust. If true, this has implications for the composition of the formation, which has been highly debated over the years. [More at link]

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ExoMars 2016 targets March launch window

Posted on September 18, 2015 by rburnham

ExoMars2016_TGO+EDM_separationA problem recently discovered in two sensors in the propulsion system of the entry, descent and landing demonstrator module has prompted the recommendation to move the launch of the ExoMars 2016 mission, initially foreseen in January, to March, still within the launch window of early 2016.

ExoMars is a joint endeavour between ESA and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. The recommendation was made in full coordination between the two agencies and will be finally endorsed by a joint steering board on 24 September.

The Schiaparelli module will prove key technologies to demonstrate Europe’s capability to make a controlled landing on Mars. The 600 kg Schiaparelli will ride to Mars on the Trace Gas Orbiter, which will subsequently enter orbit around the Red Planet to begin its five-year mission of studying atmospheric gases potentially linked to present-day biological or geological activity. [More at link]

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THEMIS: Ares Vallis – false color

Posted on September 18, 2015 by rburnham

After the floods – Ares Vallis (THEMIS_IOTD_20150918)THEMIS Image of the Day, September 18, 2015. 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. Today’s false color image shows the beginning of Ares Vallis at the edge of Iani Chaos.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Curiosity update: ‘Limited data for planning’

Posted on September 18, 2015 by rburnham

NLB_495768147EDR_F0500250NCAM00278M_Sol 1108, September 17, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The 16.6-meter drive planned for Sol 1107 completed as planned, placing the rover in front of the bright outcrop of interest.  As expected, only a few post-drive images were received in time for Sol 1108 planning, which made it more difficult than usual to pick targets for remote sensing observations and driving.  However, we found some bright blocks that the Rover Planners confirmed would be good targets for contact science, and… [More at link]

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