Recently released images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor show the dynamic Martian terrain is anything but dull. Although the Martian northern plains are often considered to be “flat” or “featureless,” the MOC has shown that, at the scale of a few tens of meters (tens of yards), these plains aren’t at all “boring”. In the October 2001 MOC image shown at right, a suite of sharply-outlined pits and fractures indicate that the upper surface materials are strong and indurated (cemented).
October 2nd, 2001
Mars Before Odyssey: A Baffling Legacy of Water and Dust
A NASA orbiter set to start circling Mars later this month has tough shoes to fill — its predecessor exposed an unprecedented bounty of global data on the planet’s water history and suitability for human colonies. The earlier probe — Mars Global Surveyor — and its six scientific instruments have delivered more than 130 CD ROMS-worth of data during its primary mission which started in March 1999. The incoming spacecraft, called Mars Odyssey, will follow up with even higher quality data also aimed at paving the way for NASA’s goal to put humans on Mars.
September 21st, 2001
New Mars Images Show Polar Cap and Dust Storm
New pictures of Mars’ south polar cap and a global view of a dust storm occurring there were released Friday by the imaging team for NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Marking the four-year anniversary of its arrival at Mars, Global Surveyor’s camera took a wide-angle view of the Martian south polar region on Sept. 12, 2001. Several dramatic dust storms that began a few months ago also are seen in a color image. One is located near the Martian equator, and the other is shown northwest of the Ascraeus Mons volcano.
July 15th, 2001
Exploring Mars with TES: A Data User’s Workshop Arizona State University
There is an emerging community of scientists interested in the use of Thermal Emission Spectrometer data for exploring the surface and atmosphere of Mars. The TES data sets are both rich with potential for exciting discoveries and daunting in their scope and utilization. The tools, techniques, and knowledge that are necessary for working with TES data have been evolving since before the MGS mission and now are at a level of maturity that can be shared with the community. It is our goal to present our experience with TES data and laboratory thermal IR spectroscopy in a way that will encourage the use of both. The planned 2-day workshop is intended to be both a short course and a forum for the presentation of current TES data analysis by the community. A third (optional) day will allow attendees to visit the Granite Wash Mountains in western Arizona as part of a demonstration on the combined use of thermal IR remote sensing, field spectroscopy, and lab spectroscopy with an eye toward present and upcoming Mars missions.
July 10th, 2001
Enormous dust storm could coat all of Mars San Francisco Chronicle
Whipped by 100 mph winds, a monster dust storm is fast covering the face of Mars and could soon smother the entire planet in fine red sandy particles, scientists reported yesterday. First spotted barely a month ago in images from the Mars Global Surveyor, the storm has already covered more than 40 million square miles and is growing day by day, according to Philip Christensen, a planetary geologist at Arizona State University in Tempe.
June 28th, 2001
Vangelis honours Mars trip
Oscar-winning composer Vangelis has dedicated his latest composition to the Nasa space mission to Mars. He has confessed a life-long passion for space ahead of a gala performance in the Temple of Zeus in his native Greece. But the concert has been criticised for risking the safety of the ancient ruins at the Athens temple.
June 25th, 2001
Detecting Dust Devils on Mars
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently caught sight of a dust devil dancing across the Martian surface. While it isn’t the first of the tornado-like weather systems to be imaged, it is yet another reminder that Mars is an ever-changing planet. Dr. Ken Edgett, a staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, Calif., regularly tracks the dust devils and studies surface features. As the operator for the Surveyor’s orbiter camera, he is one of the first to see fascinating images of the red planet. Dr. Edgett recently discussed the importance of dust devils and how they are transforming the look of Mars.
June 4th, 2001
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor Captures Dust Storms
Daily global maps, created with images from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, provide a moving picture of Martian weather during 1999-2000 similar to the familiar satellite weather maps we see of Earth. The Martian weather maps will be presented today at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Boston by Dr. Andrew Ingersoll, professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and an interdisciplinary scientist with Mars Global Surveyor and member of the imaging team.
May 29th, 2001
New Streaks Revealed on Martian Surface
Now in its Extended Mission, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is into its second Mars year of systematic observations of the Red Planet. With the Extended Mission slated to run through April 2002, the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) is being used, among other things, to look for changes that have occurred in the past Martian year. (Because Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth, its year is longer — about 687 Earth days.)
April 7th, 2001
NASA Releases New Mars Images
NASA has made available 10,230 new images of the planet Mars. The latest release boosts to more than 67,500 the total number of pictures taken by cameras aboard the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and released to the public. NASA successfully launched another Martian satellite, the Mars Odyssey, on Saturday. The probe will join Surveyor in orbit around Mars this October.