Red Planet Report

THEMIS: Polar dunes

Posted on August 6, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, August 6, 2014. The dunes in this VIS image are part of Olympia Undae.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

Posted in Reports | Tagged Arizona State University, ASU, dunes, frost, Mars Odyssey, NASA, north polar sand sea, Olympia Undae, sand, sand dunes, THEMIS, Thermal Emission Imaging System | Comments Off

HiRISE: A rough place to be

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

A rough place to be. Beautiful Mars series.

Posted in Reports | Tagged Beautiful Mars, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, mass wasting, MRO, NASA, University of Arizona, weathering | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Deep tracks’

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 710, August 4, 2014, update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “The Sol 709 drive was not as long as planned because the minimum 2 meters of progress out of 4.5 meters commanded was not achieved. This…” [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged Aeolis Mons, Curiosity, Desert Range, Gale Crater, Hidden Valley, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, NASA | Comments Off

Two years on Mars… and counting

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

NASA’s most advanced roving laboratory on Mars celebrates its second anniversary since landing inside the Red Planet’s Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, 2012, EDT). During its first year of operations, the Curiosity rover fulfilled its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. Clay-bearing sedimentary rocks on the crater floor in an area called Yellowknife Bay yielded evidence of a lakebed environment billions of years ago that offered fresh water…. [More at link]

Posted in Reports | Tagged Aeolis Mons, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Hidden Valley, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, NASA | Comments Off

HiRISE: Nilosyrtis region crater floor

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

Nilosyrtis region crater floor. Beautiful Mars series.

Posted in Reports | Tagged Beautiful Mars, complex craters, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, Nilosyrtis, University of Arizona | Comments Off

HiRISE: Dotting the landscape

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

Dotting the landscape. Beautiful Mars series.

Posted in Reports | Tagged Beautiful Mars, dunes, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, sand dunes, University of Arizona | Comments Off

Curiosity: Sol 709, August 4, 2014

Posted on August 5, 2014 by rburnham

The low-down on Hidden Valley and its sand ripples from MAHLI. (Image at right has been rotated and contrast adjusted; click on link above or image for full-size version).

NASA description: NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), located on the turret at the end of the rover’s robotic arm, on August 4, 2014, Sol 709 of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, at 18:21:39 UTC.

Sol 709 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.