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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
A first look at distant hills
Rover fans have been excitedly watching the hills on Opportunity's horizon grow taller and taller as Opportunity rolls toward its destination, Endeavour crater.
Three things to watch
It's high summer (in the northern hemisphere anyway) and many of you may be seeking shelter from the heat. If you need to collapse on the couch and watch TV, I have three space-y recommendations for you.
Molar Tooth Texture
Ok, so remember the weird rock I showed in my Galcier Park geology post?
The Geology of Glacier National Park: Part 1
Well, the field trip is over and I am happy to say that I was not eaten by any bears. They seemed much more interested in the huckleberries.
The enigmatic mounds of Acidalia Planitia
Acidalia Planitia is a large basin in Mars' northern lowlands, a dark splotch visible even from Earth telescopes.
Is Eberswalde Really a Smoking Gun?
The other day in Mars journal club, we took a look at a paper about the
Big Sky Country
Well folks, I'm headed off to Big Sky Country tomorrow (aka Montana)! I'll start the week at the MSL camera team meeting, where I will get all sorts of cool news about the MastCam, MAHLI and MARDI cameras which I will not be able to share with you.
A spectacular new global map of Mars, which YOU can make even better
I am such a nerd. This new map of Mars just brought tears to my eyes. Honestly.
Observing the Martian Atmosphere for Two Mars Years
June 29, 2010 was the second Martian anniversary of the start of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations at Mars.
3D Anaglyph: Troughs or vents in Cerberus Fossae?
OK, it's time to look silly in your red-blue glasses again! When Tanya Harrison sent me those awesome 3D views of Olympica Fossae from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's CTX camera, she sent me two other sets of 3D landscapes on Mars.
One month, one journal, so many missed space stories!
Or: Emily reads you the table of contents of Icarus.
Sunrise on Mars
Here is a photo crafted from data that are nearly as old as I am, showing a beautiful sunrise on Mars.
Big hunks of carbonate rock on Mars at last
Carbonate rocks should be all over Mars. But it's been hard to find carbonates—surprisingly so.
Full Triple-J Laser Interview
Hey, remember when I was randomly interviewed by the Australian radio station triple j a few weeks ago as part of their feature on the 50th anniversary of the laser?
Phoenix is dead...long live Phoenix!
The latest HiRISE images of the Phoenix polar lander, taken near Mars' northern summer solstice, show why we haven't heard from the spacecraft since it fell silent on November 2, 2008: it appears the solar panels have collapsed.
Is this the eastward turn we've all been waiting for?
As I discussed on Monday, Opportunity is in the middle of a lengthy trek toward a crater named Endeavour and its tantalizing upraised smectite-bearing rim.
The goal of Opportunity's trek
Opportunity's kilometers-long march across the sands of Meridiani Planum is a great story, and the journey is fun to follow; but what could be worth such a long march?
Happy solstice -- on Mars
It's the solstice on Mars today: summer in the north, winter in the south.
Talking Lasers on Aussie Radio
Through a crazy random happenstance, I was just interviewed by a friend of a friend of a friend at Australian radio station 'triple j' for a feature on lasers!