Tag Archives: NASA

Curiosity update: An oasis of rock in a sea of pebbles

Sols 2437-39, June 14, 2019, update by MSL scientist Catherine O’Connell-Cooper: We are investigating the ridges which are such a prominent feature in this section of Glen Torridon. The ridges appear to be composed of sand and pebbles, capped with … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Alongside the ridge

Sol 2436, June 14, 2019. As scientists probe the low ridge, they are looking for rock outcrops that can tell them something of its structure and nature under the smooth, pebble-covered surface. Click the image to enlarge it. Sol 2436 … Continue reading

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Latest weather at Gale Crater and Elysium Planitia

Daily Elysium charts and data (temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure) here.

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Curiosity update: So many choices, so little time

Sol 2436, June 14, 2019, update by MSL scientist Michelle Minitti: The planning day started with a change of plans. Due to a late-breaking change in relay pass scheduling, the decisional pass (the communication pass carrying the latest information about … Continue reading

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CRISM: Olivine and pyroxene in ejecta from northern plains crater

CRISM scene HRL00003BEE covers an area in close proximity to a crater in the northern plains of Mars. In this image, we see strong Fe-rich olivine (yellow) and high calcium pyroxene (HCP, blue) signatures in the ejecta near the crater … Continue reading

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HiRISE: A channel in the southern mid-latitudes

A channel in the southern mid-latitudes. The objective of this observation is to examine a channel on the eastern side of an eroded crater wall. This scene was also imaged by the Context Camera onboard MRO. HiRISE Picture of the … Continue reading

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Remote-sensing mast installed on 2020 rover

In this image, taken on June 5, 2019, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, take a moment after attaching the remote sensing mast to the Mars 2020 rover in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility’s High Bay 1 clean … Continue reading

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THEMIS: South polar layers

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 14, 2019. This VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. The numerous layers that comprise the polar cap are readily visible. The cap was built up over millions of years of deposition … Continue reading

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Curiosity: At the waypoint ridge

Sol 2435, June 13, 2019. The ridge at Waypoint 4 is the latest stop for Curiosity. As detailed here, the ridge is of geological interest because its origin is unclear to mission scientists and may shed light on the Glen … Continue reading

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Mars’ water-ice clouds thicken toward evening

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Michael Smith recently published in Icarus.] Local time variation of water ice clouds on Mars as observed by THEMIS • The local time variation of cloud optical depth is examined from THEMIS observations. • … Continue reading

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