Mars Odyssey: “The telemetry received from Odyssey this afternoon confirms not only that the spacecraft is in fine health but also that it conducted the planned observations of comet Siding Spring within hours of the comet’s closest approach to Mars,” said Odyssey Mission Manager Chris Potts of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., speaking from mission operations center at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver… [More at link]
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: The orbiter continues operating in good health after sheltering behind Mars during the half hour when high-velocity dust particles from comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring had the most chance of reaching the paths of Mars orbiters. It maintained radio communications with Earth throughout the comet’s closest approach, at 11:27 a.m. PDT (2:27 p.m. EDT), and the peak dust-risk period centered about 100 minutes later. “The spacecraft performed flawlessly throughout the comet flyby,” said Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Manager Dan Johnston of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “It maneuvered for the planned observations of the comet and emerged unscathed…” [More at link]
MAVEN: The MAVEN spacecraft — full name Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution — reported back to Earth in good health after about three hours of precautions against a possible collision with high-velocity dust particles released by comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring. “We’re glad the spacecraft came through, we’re excited to complete our observations of how the comet affects Mars, and we’re eager to get to our primary science phase,” said MAVEN Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado, Boulder… [More at link]
Sol 3819, October 21, 2014. Exploring in the Ulysses Crater ejecta field on Wdowiak Ridge, the rover team is currently studying a roundish rock dubbed Birmingham and a target area on it named Crimson Tide. Birmingham, about half a meter wide, appears to be igneous with layering or planes within the rock. (Planetary scientist Tom Wdowiak, for whom the ridge is named, was at the University of Alabama.)
At right a closeup on the Crimson Tide target area on Birmingham, in a false-color image by Holger Isenberg using filtered Pancam frames.
