MARCI weather report: June 30-July 6, 2014

Posted on July 9, 2014 by rburnham

releaseimg_140630_140706The regional storm in Promethei, noted in last week’s report, had abated. A second storm developed early in week in Hesperia and moved north across the equator into Isidis in the northern hemisphere. This storm was smaller than the previous week’s storm. It quickly retreated back into the southern tropics by the next sol (Martian day) where it lingered for an additional two-sols before abating. However, the storm persisted… [More at link, including video]

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Curiosity update: ‘Recharging’

Posted on July 9, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 684, July 9, 2014, update on Curiosity from MSL scientist Lauren Edgar: “On Sol 683 Curiosity drove across a ripple to see how the vehicle performs in the loose sand. Today we are planning Sol 684, which is a restricted sol (meaning….” [More at link]

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THEMIS: Rupes Tenuis

Posted on July 9, 2014 by rburnham

North polar ice cap cliff (THEMIS_IOTD_20140709)THEMIS Image of the Day, July 9, 2014. The cliff face in this VIS image is called Rupes Tenuis (rupes = scarp). The polar cap is the higher region to the left and the plains are located on the right side of the image. A large elevation change occurs along the scarp.

More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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HiRISE: Giant cave on a giant volcano

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_023531_1840Pavonis Mons is a giant shield volcano similar to (although larger than) those on the Big Island of Hawaii. These volcanoes are mostly made of stacks of overlapping lava flows. These images and digital terrain model (DTM) show a collapse feature on Pavonis Mons. The walls of this conical pit are steep (about as steep as it is possible to get before loose material rolls downhill). The material that used to be here has drained downward through the opening seen in the center into a subterranean void and formed a debris pile. The top of… [More at link]

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Curiosity update: ‘Ripple driving test’

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 683, July 8, 2014, update on Curiosity from U.S. Geological Survey scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “The imaging of the rover wheels went well last weekend, and we are ready to drive again on Sol 683. After taking a couple Mastcam mosaics…” [More at link]

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HiRISE: Revealing landslide in Hebes Chasma

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_036927_1790This image shows a prominently stratified transect through the rock of a mountain of material in the middle of Hebes Chasma. The knobby material showing several lineations in the center of the scene may be remnants of landslides that exposed these tall, steep slopes in this image and just off-scene to the west. Midway up the slope (and to a lesser extent all the way up to the top) a series of alternating lighter and darker bands can be traced running east-west across the ridges and troughs of the outcrop. Just below this, dark…. [More at link]

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Curiosity: Sol 679, July 4, 2014

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

0679ML0028890030303985E01_DXXXMars is hard on wheels.

NASA description: This image was taken by Mastcam: Left (MAST_LEFT) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 679 (2014-07-04 18:32:17 UTC).

Sol 679 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

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HiRISE: Curiosity offside!

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

ESP_037117_1755Being called offside is a good thing in this case, but don’t tell the FIFA referees. HiRISE captured this image on 27 May 2014, when Curiosity had just crossed the edge of the 3-sigma landing ellipse…. OK, I don’t hear any cheering yet…you must be wondering “what the heck is a 3-sigma landing ellipse?” [More at link]

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HiRISE: Terrain near Isidis Planitia

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

tumblr_n8d7dptwnP1rlz4gso1_1280Terrain near Isidis Planitia. Beautiful Mars series.

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Opportunity: Sol 3716, July 7, 2014

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rburnham

the_finThe Pancam takes a look at The Fin, a cracked slab of rock, possibly breccia, which the rover may examine more closely. (Image has reduced contrast to reveal details on The Fin’s underside.)

Opportunity raw images, its latest mission status, and a location map. (A shortcut to Sol 3716 Pancam images is here.)

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