Tag: Mars
“Now I dream of snowboarding down a Martian sand dune on a block of dry ice.”
Opportunity, now moving to another target 1.5 miles away, has found evidence of drinkable water on Mars.
Opportunity, now moving to another target 1.5 miles away, has found evidence that some of the water on Mars was once drinkable.
Before trekking off last month, Opportunity used a grinder to scrape away the top layer of a light-colored rock for a peek inside. The rock was so lumpy and covered with crud that it took the rover several tries to crack open its secrets. Unlike other rocks that Opportunity inspected during the past nine years, the latest told a different story: It contained clay minerals, a sign that water coursed through it, and formed in an environment that might have been suitable for microbes. Previous rock studies by Opportunity pointed to a watery past on Mars, but scientists said the water was acidic.
“This is water you can drink,” said mission chief scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University.
More details here, noting that this water comes from an earlier time on Mars, when the planet’s environment was more benign.
So the rover has now sampled both sides of the momentous planetary transition from a wet, benign environment more than 4 billion years ago to a colder, drier, harsher one since then
Opportunity, now moving to another target 1.5 miles away, has found evidence that some of the water on Mars was once drinkable.
Before trekking off last month, Opportunity used a grinder to scrape away the top layer of a light-colored rock for a peek inside. The rock was so lumpy and covered with crud that it took the rover several tries to crack open its secrets. Unlike other rocks that Opportunity inspected during the past nine years, the latest told a different story: It contained clay minerals, a sign that water coursed through it, and formed in an environment that might have been suitable for microbes. Previous rock studies by Opportunity pointed to a watery past on Mars, but scientists said the water was acidic.
“This is water you can drink,” said mission chief scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University.
More details here, noting that this water comes from an earlier time on Mars, when the planet’s environment was more benign.
So the rover has now sampled both sides of the momentous planetary transition from a wet, benign environment more than 4 billion years ago to a colder, drier, harsher one since then
The scientists operating Curiosity have decided it is time to begin the trek up Mt. Sharp
The scientists operating Curiosity have decided it is time to begin the trek up Mt. Sharp.
The scientists operating Curiosity have decided it is time to begin the trek up Mt. Sharp.
In celebration of its tenth year in orbit, scientists running the Mars Express mission have released global mineral maps of Mars.
In celebration of its tenth year in orbit, scientists running the Mars Express mission have released global mineral maps of Mars. With video.
The unique atlas comprises a series of maps showing the distribution of minerals formed in water, by volcanic activity, and by weathering to create the dust that makes Mars red. They create a global context for the dominant geological processes that sculpted the planet we see today.
Take a look at the video. It is fascinating to see where these minerals concentrate.
In celebration of its tenth year in orbit, scientists running the Mars Express mission have released global mineral maps of Mars. With video.
The unique atlas comprises a series of maps showing the distribution of minerals formed in water, by volcanic activity, and by weathering to create the dust that makes Mars red. They create a global context for the dominant geological processes that sculpted the planet we see today.
Take a look at the video. It is fascinating to see where these minerals concentrate.
A detailed analysis of the pebbly rocks that Curiosity traveled past last year have confirmed that this area was once a streambed.
A detailed analysis of the pebbly rocks that Curiosity traveled past last year have confirmed that this area was once a streambed.
A detailed analysis of the pebbly rocks that Curiosity traveled past last year have confirmed that this area was once a streambed.
Data collected by a radiation sensor inside Curiosity during its journey to Mars suggest that it will be possible to build ships with sufficient shielding to protect humans on such a voyage.
Data collected by a radiation sensor inside Curiosity during its journey to Mars suggest that it will be possible to build ships with sufficient shielding to protect humans on such a voyage.
Zeitlin and his colleagues analysed the radiation recorded by a small detector on board the craft that was active during most of the 253-day cruise to Mars. Although the craft was not uniformly protected from exposure to Galactic cosmic rays and charged particles from the Sun, the MSL’s shielding on average approximated that of human space-flight missions. ….
At NASA Langley, Thibeault and her colleagues are testing new types of shielding that consist of hydrogenated materials. Hydrogen offers protection because it breaks apart heavy charged particles without creating secondary particles that add to the radiation dose, she notes. One of the materials under investigation, hydrogen-filled boron nitride nanotubes, looks particularly promising because it is robust and lightweight enough to double as both the skin of a spacecraft and its shield. Using separate materials to build and shield a craft would add too much weight to a Mars-bound mission, Thibeault notes.
Thibeault says that she is heartened by the new study because she had feared that the radiation dose might be considerably higher. The results suggest “that this is a problem we can solve”, she adds.
Data collected by a radiation sensor inside Curiosity during its journey to Mars suggest that it will be possible to build ships with sufficient shielding to protect humans on such a voyage.
Zeitlin and his colleagues analysed the radiation recorded by a small detector on board the craft that was active during most of the 253-day cruise to Mars. Although the craft was not uniformly protected from exposure to Galactic cosmic rays and charged particles from the Sun, the MSL’s shielding on average approximated that of human space-flight missions. ….
At NASA Langley, Thibeault and her colleagues are testing new types of shielding that consist of hydrogenated materials. Hydrogen offers protection because it breaks apart heavy charged particles without creating secondary particles that add to the radiation dose, she notes. One of the materials under investigation, hydrogen-filled boron nitride nanotubes, looks particularly promising because it is robust and lightweight enough to double as both the skin of a spacecraft and its shield. Using separate materials to build and shield a craft would add too much weight to a Mars-bound mission, Thibeault notes.
Thibeault says that she is heartened by the new study because she had feared that the radiation dose might be considerably higher. The results suggest “that this is a problem we can solve”, she adds.
The accumulating dents and dings on Curiosity’s wheels.
The accumulating dents and dings on Curiosity’s wheels.
The accumulating dents and dings on Curiosity’s wheels.
The Mars rover Opportunity has now traveled farther than any other American rover, including the Apollo 17 rover on the Moon.
The Mars rover Opportunity has now traveled farther than any other American rover, including the Apollo 17 rover on the Moon.
The team operating NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received confirmation in a transmission from Mars today that the rover drove 263 feet (80 meters) on Thursday, bringing Opportunity’s total odometry since landing on Mars in January 2004 to 22.220 statute miles (35.760 kilometers). … The international record for driving distance on another world is still held by the Soviet Union’s remote-controlled Lunokhod 2 rover, which traveled 23 miles (37 kilometers) on the surface of Earth’s moon in 1973.
We have to once again remind ourselves that the roving part of Opportunity’s mission was originally only supposed to last 90 days, not 9 years.
The Mars rover Opportunity has now traveled farther than any other American rover, including the Apollo 17 rover on the Moon.
The team operating NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received confirmation in a transmission from Mars today that the rover drove 263 feet (80 meters) on Thursday, bringing Opportunity’s total odometry since landing on Mars in January 2004 to 22.220 statute miles (35.760 kilometers). … The international record for driving distance on another world is still held by the Soviet Union’s remote-controlled Lunokhod 2 rover, which traveled 23 miles (37 kilometers) on the surface of Earth’s moon in 1973.
We have to once again remind ourselves that the roving part of Opportunity’s mission was originally only supposed to last 90 days, not 9 years.
Astronauts today spotted an ammonia coolant leak in ISS’s left-side power truss.
Astronauts today spotted an ammonia coolant leak in ISS’s left-side power truss.
They are monitoring it, but have so far not made any decision about what to do about it, if anything.
This problem is a perfect illustration of why a flight to Mars is more complicated in terms of engineering than first appears. We might at this time be able to build that interplanetary spaceship (with the emphasis on the word “might”) but could its passengers maintain it millions of miles from Earth? Right now I’d say no. We need to learn how to build an easily repaired and self-sufficient spaceship. ISS is neither. It is also not a very good platform for testing this kind of engineering.
Update: The astronauts on ISS are preparing for a possible spacewalk on Saturday to deal with the problem. More details here.
Astronauts today spotted an ammonia coolant leak in ISS’s left-side power truss.
They are monitoring it, but have so far not made any decision about what to do about it, if anything.
This problem is a perfect illustration of why a flight to Mars is more complicated in terms of engineering than first appears. We might at this time be able to build that interplanetary spaceship (with the emphasis on the word “might”) but could its passengers maintain it millions of miles from Earth? Right now I’d say no. We need to learn how to build an easily repaired and self-sufficient spaceship. ISS is neither. It is also not a very good platform for testing this kind of engineering.
Update: The astronauts on ISS are preparing for a possible spacewalk on Saturday to deal with the problem. More details here.
Predicting snowfall on Mars.
A new high resolution image from Mars Express illustrates the violent landslides and lava flows off the eastern flank of Olympus Mons, the solar system’s largest volcano.
A new high resolution image from Mars Express illustrates the violent landslides and lava flows off the eastern flank of Olympus Mons, the solar system’s largest volcano.
A new high resolution image from Mars Express illustrates the violent landslides and lava flows off the eastern flank of Olympus Mons, the solar system’s largest volcano.
Opportunity is out of standby mode and has resumed normal operations.
Good news: Opportunity is out of standby mode and has resumed normal operations.
Good news: Opportunity is out of standby mode and has resumed normal operations.
Opportunity went into safe mode during the communications pause in April when the Sun was between Mars and the Earth.
Opportunity went into safe mode during the communications pause in April when the Sun was between Mars and the Earth.
Mission controllers for Opportunity, which landed on Mars in January 2004, first learned of the issue on Saturday (April 27). On that day, the rover got back in touch after a nearly three-week communication moratorium caused by an unfavorable planetary alignment called a Mars solar conjunction, in which Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the sun. The Opportunity rover apparently put itself into standby on April 22 after sensing a problem during a routine camera check, mission managers said.
It sounds like this is a recoverable problem and the rover will be back in operation momentarily. Stay tuned.
Opportunity went into safe mode during the communications pause in April when the Sun was between Mars and the Earth.
Mission controllers for Opportunity, which landed on Mars in January 2004, first learned of the issue on Saturday (April 27). On that day, the rover got back in touch after a nearly three-week communication moratorium caused by an unfavorable planetary alignment called a Mars solar conjunction, in which Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the sun. The Opportunity rover apparently put itself into standby on April 22 after sensing a problem during a routine camera check, mission managers said.
It sounds like this is a recoverable problem and the rover will be back in operation momentarily. Stay tuned.
Dennis Tito’s project already has hundreds of volunteers.
Want to go to Mars? You better get in line. Dennis Tito’s project already has hundreds of volunteers.
I still have doubts whether this non-private company can pull this off by 2018, but only by 2018. Given a bit more time and research, the obstacles for sending two humans on a fly-by of Mars can easily be overcome.
Want to go to Mars? You better get in line. Dennis Tito’s project already has hundreds of volunteers.
I still have doubts whether this non-private company can pull this off by 2018, but only by 2018. Given a bit more time and research, the obstacles for sending two humans on a fly-by of Mars can easily be overcome.
New calculations have significantly reduced the chance that a comet will smash into Mars in 2014.
New calculations have significantly reduced the chance that a comet will smash into Mars in 2014.
New calculations have significantly reduced the chance that a comet will smash into Mars in 2014.
Has Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the remains of a Soviet Mars lander from 1971?
Has Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the remains of a Soviet Mars lander from 1971?
Has Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the remains of a Soviet Mars lander from 1971?
New data from Curiosity has further confirmed that the atmosphere of Mars was once much thicker, and that the remaining atmosphere is still dynamic.
New data from Curiosity has further confirmed that the atmosphere of Mars was once much thicker, and that the remaining atmosphere is still dynamic.
The two most interesting bits of data is that the temperature has been steadily climbing in Gale Crater, and that the humidity has shown significant shifts, depending on the rover’s location as it has traveled through the crater.
New data from Curiosity has further confirmed that the atmosphere of Mars was once much thicker, and that the remaining atmosphere is still dynamic.
The two most interesting bits of data is that the temperature has been steadily climbing in Gale Crater, and that the humidity has shown significant shifts, depending on the rover’s location as it has traveled through the crater.
Austria goes to Mars.
Curiosity marks the return to full science operations by producing a new panorama.
Curiosity marks the return to full science operations by producing a new panorama.
Curiosity marks the return to full science operations by producing a new panorama.
Curiosity is out of safe mode and will be resuming full science operations by next week.
Curiosity is out of safe mode and will be resuming full science operations by next week.
It is imperative that the engineers clear up these computer problems now, as communications with the rover will be limited in April because the sun will be in the way.
Transmissions from Earth to the orbiters [Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter] will be suspended while Mars and the sun are two degrees or less apart in the sky, from April 9 to 26, with restricted commanding during additional days before and after. Both orbiters will continue science observations on a reduced basis compared to usual operations. Both will receive and record data from the rovers. Odyssey will continue transmissions Earthward throughout April, although engineers anticipate some data dropouts, and the recorded data will be retransmitted later.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will go into a record-only mode on April 4. “For the entire conjunction period, we’ll just be storing data on board,” said Deputy Mission Manager Reid Thomas of JPL. He anticipates that the orbiter could have about 40 gigabits of data from its own science instruments and about 12 gigabits of data from Curiosity accumulated for sending to Earth around May 1.
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is approaching its fifth solar conjunction. Its team will send no commands between April 9 and April 26. The rover will continue science activities using a long-term set of commands to be sent beforehand.
Curiosity is out of safe mode and will be resuming full science operations by next week.
It is imperative that the engineers clear up these computer problems now, as communications with the rover will be limited in April because the sun will be in the way.
Transmissions from Earth to the orbiters [Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter] will be suspended while Mars and the sun are two degrees or less apart in the sky, from April 9 to 26, with restricted commanding during additional days before and after. Both orbiters will continue science observations on a reduced basis compared to usual operations. Both will receive and record data from the rovers. Odyssey will continue transmissions Earthward throughout April, although engineers anticipate some data dropouts, and the recorded data will be retransmitted later.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will go into a record-only mode on April 4. “For the entire conjunction period, we’ll just be storing data on board,” said Deputy Mission Manager Reid Thomas of JPL. He anticipates that the orbiter could have about 40 gigabits of data from its own science instruments and about 12 gigabits of data from Curiosity accumulated for sending to Earth around May 1.
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is approaching its fifth solar conjunction. Its team will send no commands between April 9 and April 26. The rover will continue science activities using a long-term set of commands to be sent beforehand.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
The problem this time appears to be different from the previous computer issue that shutdown Curiosity’s A computer. Since it occurred on the backup B computer now in use, however, it is a problem that cannot be taken lightly.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
The problem this time appears to be different from the previous computer issue that shutdown Curiosity’s A computer. Since it occurred on the backup B computer now in use, however, it is a problem that cannot be taken lightly.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
A white balanced version, which isn’t as much like true color but looks better, can be found here.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
A white balanced version, which isn’t as much like true color but looks better, can be found here.
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Russia essentially replaces the United States, which backed out of the deal last year when the Obama administration eliminated the funding for most of NASA’s planetary program.
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Russia essentially replaces the United States, which backed out of the deal last year when the Obama administration eliminated the funding for most of NASA’s planetary program.
Curiosity’s first drilling sample has found that the ancient watery conditions in Gale Crater were especially suitable for life.
Curiosity’s first drilling sample has found that the ancient watery conditions in Gale Crater were especially suitable for life.
Curiosity’s first drilling sample has found that the ancient watery conditions in Gale Crater were especially suitable for life.
As a precaution engineers have shut Curiosity down to protect it from an oncoming solar flare.
As a precaution engineers have temporarily shut Curiosity down to protect it from an oncoming solar flare.
They have done this in conjunction with the rover’s recent computer memory problem.
As a precaution engineers have temporarily shut Curiosity down to protect it from an oncoming solar flare.
They have done this in conjunction with the rover’s recent computer memory problem.
Curiosity is easing out of safe mode as engineers switch computers.
Curiosity is easing out of safe mode as engineers switch computers.
Curiosity is easing out of safe mode as engineers switch computers.
Corrupt memory in Curiosity’s A computer system has forced engineers to switch to the rover’s back-up computer.
Corrupt memory in Curiosity’s A computer system has forced engineers to switch to the rover’s back-up computer.
The problem came to light Wednesday morning on Mars when flight controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., noticed what appeared to be memory corruption in the computer’s solid-state memory system. The flight software was not recording new data or playing back data already recorded. Instead, it was only sending back real-time telemetry. Later in the day, during a communications session using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, telemetry from Curiosity indicated the corrupted memory was still present. In addition, Cook said, flight controllers saw the computer had not completed several pre-planned activities.
At that point, the computer was expected to put itself to sleep for an hour or so and then to wake up for a communications session with NASA’s Odyssey orbiter. “It was after that second overflight that we got some more information saying hey, the memory is still corrupted and oh by the way, I didn’t go to sleep when I was supposed to, I stayed awake,” Cook said.
The next communications session came late Wednesday night Earth time, between 10:30 p.m. and midnight at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover’s computer was still awake and engineers decided to switch over to the B-side system.
The engineers suspect the problem was caused by a cosmic ray hit, and can be fixed by rebooting the computer.
Corrupt memory in Curiosity’s A computer system has forced engineers to switch to the rover’s back-up computer.
The problem came to light Wednesday morning on Mars when flight controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., noticed what appeared to be memory corruption in the computer’s solid-state memory system. The flight software was not recording new data or playing back data already recorded. Instead, it was only sending back real-time telemetry. Later in the day, during a communications session using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, telemetry from Curiosity indicated the corrupted memory was still present. In addition, Cook said, flight controllers saw the computer had not completed several pre-planned activities.
At that point, the computer was expected to put itself to sleep for an hour or so and then to wake up for a communications session with NASA’s Odyssey orbiter. “It was after that second overflight that we got some more information saying hey, the memory is still corrupted and oh by the way, I didn’t go to sleep when I was supposed to, I stayed awake,” Cook said.
The next communications session came late Wednesday night Earth time, between 10:30 p.m. and midnight at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover’s computer was still awake and engineers decided to switch over to the B-side system.
The engineers suspect the problem was caused by a cosmic ray hit, and can be fixed by rebooting the computer.
A newly discovered comet has an orbit that might collide with Mars in October 2014.
Boom! A newly discovered comet has an orbit that might have it collide with Mars in October 2014.
Boom! A newly discovered comet has an orbit that might have it collide with Mars in October 2014.
R.I.P. Dr. David S. McKay: 1936-2013
R.I.P. Dr. David S. McKay: 1936-2013. More here.
Though he was most famous for being the lead author of the 1996 paper suggesting that fossil life had found in a Martian meteorite, McKay was one of the giants of planetary science whose work was far more extensive and important. He will be missed.
R.I.P. Dr. David S. McKay: 1936-2013. More here.
Though he was most famous for being the lead author of the 1996 paper suggesting that fossil life had found in a Martian meteorite, McKay was one of the giants of planetary science whose work was far more extensive and important. He will be missed.
Curiosity has obtained its first drill sample.
Curiosity has obtained its first drill sample.
Curiosity has obtained its first drill sample.