'Taffy' Terrain in Hellas

© NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

More unusual looking Martian terrain, in Hellas basin. Taffy, anyone?

Opportunity Rover Arrives at Victoria Crater

© NASA/JPL

After a long trek through the plains of Meridiani, the Opportunity rover has arrived at Victoria crater, the largest crater yet visited by any rover or lander. Tall steep layered cliffs along the crater's rim and sculpted sand dunes in the bottom are among the targets for subsequent exploration. Victoria is approximately 750 meters (2,600 feet) across and 60 meters (200 feet) deep.


© NASA/JPL


© NASA/JPL

More information:

www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/sep/HQ_06324_Rover_at_Victoria.html
space.com/scienceastronomy/060927_victoria_crater.html
www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10177-mars-rover-reaches-mouth-of-gaping-crater.html
www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=4552

More Hydrocarbon Lakes on Titan

© NASA/JPL

The Cassini spacecraft has found more hydrocarbon lakes (liquid methane/ethane) in Titan's northern hemisphere, from the September 23 flyby.

More information:

www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10163-disappearing-lakes-may-dot-titan.html

Mineral-Mapping Imager Ready to Look for Past Water on Mars

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is ready to begin its search for mineral deposits left behind from past water on Mars, either aqueous or hydrothermal, with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM).

First High-Resolution MRO Photos on September 29

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will take the first high-resolution images from its low-altitude orbit on September 29. The photos taken by MRO's HiRISE camera during its mission will be the highest resolution and most detailed ever taken of Mars' surface by any spacecraft.

Two Years at Meridiani Planum: Results from the Opportunity Rover

After more than two years now, the Opportunity rover is still studying the environment of the Meridiani Planum region. Results to date continue to provide evidence for ancient playa lakes, groundwater and episodic surface water. Interestingly, the clay mineral nontronite has tentatively been found, which on Earth forms from the weathering of biotite and basalts, precipitation of iron and silicon rich hydrothermal fluids and in deep sea hydrothermal vents, with microorganisms possibly playing a role in its formation.

New Cydonia Images from Mars Express

© ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum), MOC (Malin Space Science Systems)

The Mars Express spacecraft has taken new colour images of the "face on Mars" and other nearby formations which have been the subject of much debate since the 1970s as to whether they were possibly artificial or just natural features.

While it is easy to now assume that all these features are purely natural in origin, as has been the overwhelming consensus in many articles and forum postings the past few days, a few points should be noted.

These are not the highest resolution images of Cydonia. The earlier Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) images from 1998-2004 had a resolution down to about 2 meters/pixel. These new Mars Express (MEX) images are at 13.7 meters/pixel.

Also, the new 3-D rendered face image (above) is not entirely accurate. The prominent "peak" in the upper portion of the face was not seen in any of the previous MGS images. When viewed from directly above, the face actually does retain a lot of its face-like characteristics, albeit highly degraded. The "D&M pyramid" southwest of the face, also displayed an amazing degree of 5-sided symmetry along its longest axis. It also was seen better by MGS than MEX, at about 3 meters/pixel.

All of these features must be looked at in context of each other and the surrounding terrain. Could they be natural? Of course, and given the fact that they are surrounded by many other similarily faceted, natural appearing mesas, they likely are it turns out. Mars has a wild variety of natural yet odd-looking terrain. The point though, is that any critiques of these formations must be done with the most accurate and highest possible resolution images and a familiarity with all of the relevant research done to date.

More information:

www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060921_mars_images.html
planetary.org/news/2006/0922_Mars_Express_Casts_an_Eye_on_the_Face.html
tinyurl.com/18r
www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/themes/CYDONIA.html

Layered Mounds and Dark Sand Dunes

© NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

A beautiful new image from Mars Global Surveyor of oval "stair-stepped" layered mounds amid expanses of dark sand dunes. Showing again how unusual, varied and distinctly alien the Martian surface can be!

MRO Ready to Probe Mars' Suburface with Radar

© NASA/JPL

The Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft has been successfully deployed and will search the Martian subsurface for layers of ice, rock and liquid water. The first test images have already been taken, but not yet released.

More information:

www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10106-mars-probe-obtains-first-radar-images.html
www.sharad.org

Opportunity's First Glimpse Inside Victoria Crater

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

The Mars rover Opportunity has taken its first images of the inside rim of Victoria crater, and is now only about 50 meters (160 feet) from the crater's edge. Over the next several days, as Opportunity makes its final approach, much more of the large half-mile wide crater's interior will become visible. Note the distinct horizontal layering on the far rim wall in the larger size images.

More information:

marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20060922a.html

MRO Reaches Science Orbit Around Mars

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has successfully entered its final low-altitude orbit around Mars, from which it will examine the planet in new and unprecedented detail. The main science investigations will begin in November and will return more data about Mars than all previous Mars missions combined, including the highest-ever resolution images of the surface.

Ethane Cloud Discovered Over Titan's North Pole

A vast ethane cloud has been found by the Cassini spacecraft over the north pole of Titan, which scientists think may snow or rain into the previously discovered liquid methane/ethane lakes in that region.

More information:

www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10073-huge-ethane-cloud-discovered-on-titan.html

Dunes of Wirtz

© NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

More weird-looking sand dunes on Mars.

Earth-Like Planets May be Common

More than one-third of the giant planet systems recently detected outside Earth's solar system may harbor Earth-like planets, many covered in deep oceans with potential for life, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Pennsylvania State University.