An afternoon whirlwind on Mars lofts a twisting column of dust more than half a mile (800 meters) high in an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
HiRISE captured the image on Feb. 16, 2012, while the orbiter passed over the Amazonis Planitia region of northern Mars. In the area observed, paths of many previous whirlwinds, or dust devils, are visible as streaks on the dusty surface.
The active dust devil displays a delicate arc produced by a westerly breeze partway up its height. The dust plume is about 30 yards or meters in diameter.
March 10th, 2012
NASA Mars Orbiter Catches Twister in Action
January 27th, 2012
Mars-Bound Instrument Detects Solar Burst’s Effects
The largest solar particle event since 2005 has been detected by the radiation- monitoring instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, on its way from Earth to Mars.
The Radiation Assessment Detector, inside the mission’s Curiosity rover tucked inside the spacecraft, is measuring the radiation exposure that could affect a human astronaut on a potential Mars mission. It has measured an increase resulting from a Jan. 22 solar storm observed by other NASA spacecraft. No harmful effects to the Mars Science Laboratory have been detected from this solar event.
November 26th, 2011
MSL Lifts Off
Atlas V roars off the launch pad sending NASA’s next Mars rover toward the Red Planet.
November 22nd, 2011
Launch Team Preparing MSL for Saturday Liftoff
It’s launch week for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), scheduled for liftoff Nov. 26 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The one hour and 43 minute launch window opens at 10:02 a.m. EST. The MSL spacecraft, including the rover Curiosity, is sealed within the protective payload fairing atop the rocket, which is inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
On Wednesday, officials will gather for the Launch Readiness Review, followed by a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. EST.
November 10th, 2011
NASA’s Next Mission to Mars
News conference participants are:
— Doug McCuistion, director, Mars Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
— Ashwin Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory deputy project scientist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
— Pete Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager, JPL
October 20th, 2011
Mars Rover Carries Device for Underground Scouting
An instrument on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity can check for any water that might be bound into shallow underground minerals along the rover’s path.
“If we conclude that there is something unusual in the subsurface at a particular spot, we could suggest more analysis of the spot using the capabilities of other instruments,” said this instrument’s principal investigator, Igor Mitrofanov of the Space Research Institute, Russia.
The Mars Science Laboratory mission will use 10 instruments on Curiosity to investigate whether the area selected for the mission has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for life and favorable for preserving evidence about life.
“The strength of Mars Science Laboratory is the combination of all the instruments together,” Mitrofanov added.
September 18th, 2011
NASA Mars Research Helps Find Buried Water on Earth
A NASA-led team has used radar sounding technology developed to explore the subsurface of Mars to create high-resolution maps of freshwater aquifers buried deep beneath an Earth desert, in the first use of airborne sounding radar for aquifer mapping.
The research may help scientists better locate and map Earth’s desert aquifers, understand current and past hydrological conditions in Earth’s deserts and assess how climate change is impacting them. Deserts cover roughly 20 percent of Earth’s land surface, including highly populated regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, west and central Asia and the southwestern United States.
September 14th, 2011
NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
NASA is ready to move forward with the development of the Space Launch System — an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. The Space Launch System will give the nation a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the unique vantage point of space. The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth’s orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a back up for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station.