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- CRISM: Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars
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- SHARAD: Shallow Radar
- THEMIS: Thermal Emission Imaging System
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Tag Archives: NASA
Defining the goals for collecting Mars samples
Returning samples from the surface of Mars has been a high-priority goal of the international Mars exploration community for many years. Although randomly collected samples would be potentially interesting, they would not be sufficient to answer the big questions that … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged ESA, European Space Agency, ExoMars, ExoMars 2020, ExoMars 2020 rover, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jezero Crater, JPL, M2020, Mars 2020, Mars 2020 rover, Mars sample return, NASA, Oxia Planum, Rosalind Franklin
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HiRISE: Colorful Mawrth Vallis
Mawrth Vallis is a place on Mars that has fascinated scientists because of the clays and other hydrated minerals detected from orbit. In this image, the enhanced black colors are most likely basaltic sands and rocks, while the green, yellow, … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged clays, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, hydrated minerals, jarosite, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mawrth Vallis, MRO, NASA, Opportunity, phyllosilicates, University of Arizona
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Seeing Mars with 2020 vision: Jezero Crater and Oxia Planum
Both NASA and ESA hope their next Mars rovers will find evidence that life once thrived on Mars, but they have different strategies to reach this goal. Their landing site choices reflect this difference. Engineers are assembling two ambitious rover … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged ESA, European Space Agency, ExoMars, ExoMars 2020, ExoMars 2020 rover, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jezero Crater, JPL, landing sites, M2020, Mars 2020, Mars 2020 rover, NASA, Oxia Planum, Rosalind Franklin, Roscosmos
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THEMIS: Canyons of Ius Chasma
THEMIS Image of the Day, March 7, 2019. This false-color VIS image shows part of the southern cliff face of Ius Chasma, part of the giant Valles Marineris rift system. The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Arizona State University, ASU, canyons, false color, Ius Chasma, Mars Odyssey, NASA, THEMIS, THEMIS Image of the Day, Thermal Emission Imaging System, Valles Marineris
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Curiosity update: And objects in the rear-view mirror may appear…interesting!
Sol 2340, March 6, 2019, update by MSL scientist Susanne Schwenzer: In the current plan, we start with a dust devil survey to look for them while they are still in season. This is followed by a ChemCam investigation “Schiehallion” … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, Arbuthnott, CBU, clay-bearing unit, Curiosity, Fife, Gale Crater, Glen Torridon, Mars Science Laboratory, Midland Valley, Motherwell, Mount Sharp, MSL, Muir of Ord, Murray Formation, NASA, Schiehallion
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MARCI weather report, Feb 25-March 3, 2019
Last week on Mars, the southern highlands experienced an uptick in local-scale dust storm activity. Meanwhile, on the other side of the red planet, a mixture of dust storms and water ice clouds continued to propagate eastward along the seasonal … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, clouds, dust, dust storms, haze, Malin Space Science Systems, MARCI, Mars Color Imager, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, MSSS, NASA, storms, weather, wind
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HiRISE: Colorful impact ejecta in Ladon Valles
This image covers the western portion of a well-preserved (recent) impact crater in Ladon Basin. Ladon is filled by diverse materials including chemically-altered sediments and unaltered lava, so the impact event ejected and deposited a wide range of elements. This … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged ejecta, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, impact processes, Ladon Valles, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, University of Arizona
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THEMIS: Crater dunes in Arabia Terra
THEMIS image of the Day, March 6, 2019. Today’s VIS image is located in Arabia Terra. The crater at the bottom of the image contains a large region of sand dunes. Dark blue in this band configuration indicates basaltic sand. … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Arabia Terra, Arizona State University, ASU, basaltic sand, dunes, false color, Mars Odyssey, NASA, sand dunes, THEMIS, THEMIS Image of the Day, Thermal Emission Imaging System
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HiRISE: Gullies in Galle
This image was taken of the hills that resulted from uplifted rocks due to an impact that formed the 230-kilometer diameter Galle Crater. These hills form a segment of a circle known as a “peak ring” and this particular formation … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged central peaks, Galle Crater, gullies, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, University of Arizona
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Curiosity: Going on —
Sol 2338, March 5, 2019. Five Navcam frames composited show the way forward through the valley behind Vera Rubin Ridge, which forms the skyline on the left side of the image. (In addition, the top of Gale Crater’s rim is … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, CBU, clay-bearing unit, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Glen Torridon, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, MSL, Murray Formation, NASA, Vera Rubin Ridge
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