HiRISE: The side of Chasma Boreale

Posted on August 14, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_037056_2650Chasma Boreale is the 560-kilometer long valley that cuts through the Northern Polar layered deposits of Mars. The section that it exposes show fine scaled layering and a major unconformity, where the azimuth of the beds changes markedly. This is is characteristic of the polar layered deposits. The formation of the unconformity suggests a time when the lower sediments were being eroded rather than deposited…. [More at link]

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Opportunity: Sol 3752, August 13, 2014

Posted on August 14, 2014 by rburnham

3752-east-panOpportunity halts on the eastern slope of Wdowiak Ridge, while the Navcam takes a panorama looking east into Endeavour Crater. At this point, the rover stands higher on Cape Tribulation than the summit of Murray Ridge — note how the Meridiani horizon (at left) lies above the top of Murray Ridge (five-frame Navcam composite).

Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, and a location map.

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THEMIS: More polar dunes

Posted on August 14, 2014 by rburnham

Dunes of the polar sand sea (THEMIS_IOTD_20140814)THEMIS Image of the Day, August 14, 2014. Today’s VIS image shows more of Olympia Undae, a large dune field located near the north polar cap.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Curiosity: Sol 717, August 12, 2014

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

717-valley-rtnWith the rover back at the head of Hidden Valley as scientists investigate possible sites to drill, Curiosity’s Navcam images the valley entrance and the churned-up sandy soil in this composite image of several frames.

Sol 717 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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HiRISE: Tall boulder rolls downhill, lands upright

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_037190_1765This image was targeted to cover part of a small “chaos” terrain, where there are lots of steep slopes. A closeup shows a boulder or block casting a long shadow, at the end of a boulder trail down the slope, and we can see it moved from upper left to middle right. The trail has a odd repeating pattern, as if the boulder couldn’t roll straight due to its shape… [More at link and at NASA/JPL press release]

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MARCI weather report: August 4-10, 2014

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

releaseimg_140804_140810Storm activity continued at mid-to-high latitudes in both hemispheres this week. In the north, dust-lifting off of the residual polar cap was observed north of Deuteronilus. Towards the end of the week, regional scale storm activity also developed in northern Acidalia, poleward of 50 degrees latitude. Local storms occurred across much of the southern mid-latitudes, nucleating at the seasonal cap edge, in Sirenum, Aonia, Noachis, and Hellas…. [More at link, including video]

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HiRISE: Strange cones and flows

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_037222_1820The north end of this long image shows a lava surface in southern Elysium Planitia. Small cones are common on the extensive young flood lavas in this region. Here, the cones are larger than usual, perhaps approaching cinder cone sizes. What’s really odd here is that the cones are associated with lighter areas with polygonal patterns. Such polygons are commonly visible on the denser portions of lava flows, while the rougher areas have more broken-up low-density crust…. [More at link]

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Curiosity update: ‘Conducting baseline tests’

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 718, August 12, 2014, update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “Planning is “restricted” this week again (Sol 717 post-drive data will not be received until late this afternoon), so only untargeted observations are planned…” [More at link]

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Opportunity: Sol 3751, August 12, 2014

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

3751-knob-pan2Opportunity’s left-side Navcam looks up into the glare of the afternoon Sun to capture the profile of The Knob at the end of Wdowiak Ridge (two-frame composite).

Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, and a location map.

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Curiosity update: ‘Vantage point’

Posted on August 13, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 717, August 11, 2014, update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ryan Anderson: “The sol 714 drive was successful and the rover traveled 37.5 meters to the vantage point we were aiming for. For the Sol 717 plan, we’re planning to…” [More at link]

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