Tag Archives: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

HiRISE: Nilosyrtis Mensae

Posted on June 21, 2018 by rburnham

Let us now contemplate Nilosyrtis Mensae. There is a fault attached to a trough here; both have the same orientation. This image helps us to understand stress fields on Mars. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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MARCI weather report, June 11-17, 2018

Posted on June 20, 2018 by rburnham

The massive dust storm reported in the previous update, persisted over many regions of Mars last week. At the beginning of the week, a local-scale dust storm was spotted southwest of Gale Crater. Active lifting associated with the major storm … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Layers to behold

Posted on June 19, 2018 by rburnham

Layers to behold. A scarp and more on layered deposits in Ceti Mensa. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Of dunes and their stories

Posted on June 18, 2018 by rburnham

Of dunes and their stories. So far no seasonal changes have been detected here, making this site unique. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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MARCI weather report, June 4-10, 2018

Posted on June 14, 2018 by rburnham

A major regional-scale dust storm continued across Mars this past week. At the start of the week, the dust storm expanded along the northern hemisphere from eastern Tharsis to Elysium. Dust over Arabia was transported north of Syrtis along the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Once in a blue dune

Posted on June 14, 2018 by rburnham

Sand dunes often accumulate in the floors of craters. In this region of Lyot Crater there is a field of classic barchan dunes. Just to the south of the group of barchan dunes is one large dune with a more … Continue reading →

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Four NASA spacecraft tackle dust-storm science

Posted on June 14, 2018 by rburnham

One of the thickest dust storms ever observed on Mars has been spreading for the past week and a half. The storm has caused NASA’s Opportunity rover to suspend science operations, but also offers a window for four other spacecraft … Continue reading →

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Opportunity: Dust storm going global, rover likely in deep-sleep for weeks until skies clear

Posted on June 13, 2018 by rburnham

[Ed. note: Video replay of the briefing here, and a new NASA web page, Mars Storm Watch, here.] NASA scientists reported today that dust in the skies over Opportunity is thicker than ever seen before from the surface, and the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Dust and frost

Posted on June 13, 2018 by rburnham

Sand dunes in the north polar regions of Mars show light coatings of pale orange dust blown partially across the dark basaltic sand. Around the edges of the dunes, patches of seasonal dry ice remain. These patches will be gone … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Bang and whoosh!

Posted on June 12, 2018 by rburnham

This HiRISE image captures a new, dated (within about a decade) impact crater that triggered a slope streak. When the meteoroid hit the surface and exploded to make the crater, it also destabilized the slope and initiated this avalanche. The … Continue reading →

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