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Blog Archive
Opportunity's thousand-year-old crater
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/29 10:59 CST
Since leaving Marquette Island on sol 2,122, Opportunity has been barreling southward on her journey toward Endeavour crater. On her horizon for the last several sols has been a very small but very fresh looking crater named Concepción.
NASA decides Spirit is henceforth to be a lander
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/26 03:22 CST
There was a press briefing today that announced the official end of efforts to extricate Spirit from her sand trap at Troy. Instead, the rover drivers will now focus on improving the chances that Spirit will survive the coming winter so that she can carry on doing science once the power situation improves in the spring.
Brief rover update: "We do not believe [Spirit] is extractable."
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/26 11:36 CST
Brief rover update: "We do not believe [Spirit] is extractable."
CTX and MARCI -- The OTHER Cameras on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Posted by Tanya Harrison on 2010/01/25 07:45 CST
"What?" you might say, "There are cameras other than HiRISE?" Yes indeed, there are. There are two other cameras aboard MRO: the Context Camera (CTX) and Mars Color Imager (MARCI).
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/21 04:00 CST
Moonbows represent the same phenomenon as rainbows, it's just that the light from the Sun has reflected off of the Moon first before it's separated into its colors by the myriad tiny water droplets in the cloud.
Your chance to shoot your own high-resolution pictures of Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/20 11:48 CST
The HiRISE public suggestion tool, called HiWish, is a Web site that allows you to log in and select a spot on Mars as a suggestion for where the HiRISE instrument should take an image.
Figuring out the shape of Mars (and other places)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/19 01:31 CST
An amateur named Bernhard Braun ("nirgal" on unmannedspaceflight) has been posting the results from a new piece of software he's developed that generates 3-D models of landscapes from single photos.
Buttoning up the Mars Orbiter Camera science investigation
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/15 04:21 CST
The science team for Mars Orbiter Camera, or "MOC" (pronounced "mock") has just published a paper that attempts to summarize an investigation that spanned more than two decades.
Just a Few More Approaches to Try for Extrication
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/13 10:09 CST
"The list of remaining maneuvers being considered for extricating Spirit is becoming shorter."
Odyssey's going to start listening for Phoenix
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/11 05:26 CST
Odyssey's going to start listening for Phoenix
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/08 01:08 CST
It's been two months, now, that extrication efforts have been going on. It's discouraging that the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit isn't out of the trap.
Awesome Mars Express view of Phobos and Deimos together
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/12/11 11:24 CST
My inbox was exploding this morning with messages about a tremendously cool animation released this morning by ESA's Mars Express team. It shows Phobos crossing Deimos, in what's known as a "mutual event."
Looking at Mars with the MRO CTX
Posted by Ken Edgett on 2009/05/29 12:21 CDT
Looking at Mars with the MRO CTX
Water and the Curiosity Landing Site Candidates
Posted by Ken Edgett on 2009/05/28 10:09 CDT | 2 comments
Water and the Curiosity Landing Site Candidates
The Martian Craters Asimov and Danielson
Posted by Ken Edgett on 2009/05/27 12:41 CDT | 2 comments
The Martian Craters Asimov and Danielson
Mars: "Follow the Water" Is Not Dead
Posted by Ken Edgett on 2009/05/26 11:53 CDT
Mars: "Follow the Water" Is Not Dead
Exciting Times Ahead: 2010 Will Sizzle, and 2011 Will Really Cook!
Posted by Alan Stern on 2009/05/18 03:56 CDT
Today, I'm kicking the week off with a look at the unusually intense confluence of far flung planetary exploration that's just around the corner, starting the middle of next year.
Mars Climate Sounder Gives First Warning of a Major "Dust Event"
Posted by David Kass on 2009/03/31 12:00 CDT
Mapping Mars, now and in history
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/02/26 04:23 CST
Planetary cartographer Phil Stooke has been working on a cool project to compose and compare maps of Mars that show how we saw the planet throughout the Space Age.
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