HiRISE: After all this time

Posted on August 1, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_n9juwpIdtq1rlz4gso1_1280After all this time. Beautiful Mars series.

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THEMIS: Kasei Valles

Posted on August 1, 2014 by rburnham

Channels within channels- Kasei Valles (THEMIS_IOTD_20140801)THEMIS Image of the Day, August 1, 2014. The small channels in this VIS image are located within the much larger Kasei Valles channel.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Curiosity update: ‘Hidden Valley’

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 705, July 30, 2014, update on Curiosity from MSL Scientist Lauren Edgar: “Today we are planning Sol 705, and Curiosity is just about to drive down from the Zabriskie Plateau into Hidden Valley, where the terrain should be much….” [More at link]

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MAVEN status update: July 31, 2014

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

MAVEN_location_073114MAVEN continues on a smooth journey to Mars. All spacecraft and instrument systems are operating nominally… At the end of this month, we went into a “pre-Mars Orbit Insertion moratorium.” All systems required for a safe Mars Orbit Insertion remain powered on. But other systems like the instruments are shut down until late September because they are not needed for a successful MOI [on September 21]…. [More at link]

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HiRISE: Intracrater dune changes

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_n9g2lkFIYN1rlz4gso1_1280Intracrater dune changes. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Appointment in Samara (Valles)

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_n9i0b8eB671rlz4gso1_1280Appointment in Samara (Valles). Beautiful Mars series.

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Curiosity: Sol 705, July 31, 2014

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

NRB_460082918EDR_F0391918NCAM00391M_A Garden of Layered Rocks, at the mouth of Hidden Valley.

NASA description: This image was taken by Navcam: Right B (NAV_RIGHT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 705 (2014-07-31 13:00:36 UTC).

Sol 705 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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Opportunity field report: July 30, 2014

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

traverse_EndeavourSol 3737 (July 30, 2014) Rover Field Report by Larry Crumpler, MER Science Team & New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science: “…In the last couple of weeks since the last posting here, Opportunity finished the long slow drive across the ridge where we were looking for outcrop evidence of altered outcrops. At the end of that ridge it dropped down several meters to a saddle in the rim with a quick look back…. Then the drive continued southward with the goal of eventually getting to the base of the next rim segment, Cape Tribulation. This will be a serious climb…” [More at link]

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Curiosity: Sol 705, July 31, 2014

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

705-valley-panHidden Valley: next gateway to Mount Sharp (Navcam three-frame composite).

NASA description (middle frame): This image was taken by Navcam: Right B (NAV_RIGHT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 705 (2014-07-31 13:39:47 UTC).

Sol 705 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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HiRISE: Layers and sand in Schiaparelli Crater

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_037161_1785Schiaparelli Crater is a 460 kilometer (286 mile) wide multi-ring structure. However, it is a very shallow crater, apparently filled by younger materials such as lava and/or fluvial and aeolian sediments. Most of the floor is covered by a thin layer of dust, but in places where there are patches of dark sand, there is also well-exposed bedrock… [More at link]

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