THEMIS: Nilus Mensae

Posted on September 4, 2014 by rburnham

Nilus Mensae in Kasei Valles (THEMIS_IOTD_20140904)THEMIS Image of the Day, September 4, 2014. The hills and ridges at the top of this VIS image are part of Nilus Mensae, which is part of the complex Kasei Valles channels.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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MARCI weather report: August 25-31

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

releaseimg_140825_140831Regional scale dust-lifting continued in the northern plains this week with storms over northern Acidalia, Deuteronilus, and northern Utopia. Local dust storms were observed in Noachis in the southern hemisphere.… [More at link, including video]

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Opportunity report by A.J.S. Rayl, The Planetary Society

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

20140903_10-Around-Wdowiak---color-SASeptember 3, 2014: Opportunity Suffers Unwanted Computer Reboots, Hunkers Down for Reformat. After setting the new off-Earth rover distance record in July, Opportunity roved on in August, driving south along the eastern edge of Endeavour Crater’s western rim to Wdowiak Ridge [...] but it suffered so many unplanned computer reboots that the team ordered the rover to hunker down and prepare for the process of reformatting its flash memory…

“We can’t drive,” said John Callas, MER project manager, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “Because we’re resetting so frequently, one can’t conduct a meaningful science mission. That’s why we’re moving ahead with taking action and reformatting.”  [More at link]

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Curiosity: Approaching Amargosa Valley

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

738-pan2Sol 738, September 3, 2014. Slabby, shaly rocks cover the Zabriskie Plateau, as Curiosity approaches the head of Amargosa Valley (three-frame composite from the rover’s Navcam). Rover drivers are hoping Amargosa will provide a better route down off the plateau than sand-filled Hidden Valley did.

NASA description (middle image): This image was taken by Navcam: Left B (NAV_LEFT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 738 (2014-09-03 09:59:02 UTC).

Sol 738 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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HiRISE: Here and there in Aram Chaos

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_nb8p9vCxRy1rlz4gso1_1280Here and there in Aram Chaos. Beautiful Mars series.

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Mars Orbiter Mission update: September 3, 2014

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

1499576_brLaunched 301 days ago, ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission is now less than 6 million kms away from Mars and three weeks away from Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) on September 24, 2014.

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Results of NASA Senior Review of Mars missions

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

NASA 2014 Senior ReviewThe results of the 2014 Senior Review of ongoing major missions by NASA are given above. The table and the comments below are taken from the Senior Review Report (PDF), available at the website of the Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). A set of overview slides is available in PDF format as well.

Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Dunes

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

Crater dunes in Arabia Terra (THEMIS_IOTD_20140903)THEMIS Image of the Day, September 3, 2014. Today’s VIS image shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Curiosity update: ‘Pahrump Hills’

Posted on September 3, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 738, September 2, 2014, update from MSL Scientist Lauren Edgar: “Curiosity is driving across a plateau towards an ingress point into “Amargosa Valley.” This image from Sol 735 shows our drive-direction: We are working our way to… [More at link]

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HiRISE: Echus Chasma slopes

Posted on September 2, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_navs2hzyYi1rlz4gso1_1280Echus Chasma slopes. Beautiful Mars series.

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