mars reconnaissance orbiter – Page 2 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

12-Mile-High Martian Dust Devil Caught in Act

By Guest PostApril 6, 2012Scienceamazonis planitia, dust devil, earth, hirise camera, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian dust devil, martian surface, meteorite impact, NASA, northern mars, northern summer solstice, plume, red planet, tucson, university of arizona

A Martian dust devil roughly 12 miles high (20 kilometers) was captured whirling its way along the Amazonis Planitia region of Northern Mars on March 14. It was imaged by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Despite its height, the plume is little more than three-quarters of a football field wide (70 yards, or 70 meters).

Dust devils occur on Earth as well as on Mars. They are spinning columns of air, made visible by the dust they pull off the ground. Unlike a tornado, a dust devil typically forms on a clear day when the ground is heated by the sun, warming the air just above the ground. As heated air near the surface rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler air above it, the air may begin to rotate, if conditions are just right. (more…)

NASA Mars Orbiter Catches Twister in Action

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2012Scienceamazonis planitia, dust devil, earth, hirise, mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian year, NASA, sun rays, tornado, university of arizona, whirlwind

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. (more…)

New Views Show Old NASA Mars Landers

By Guest PostFebruary 9, 2012Scienceball aerospace, bonneville crater, canadian space agency, color image, denver, earth, hirise camera, liquid water, lockheed martin space systems, mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian arctic winter, martian soil particles, martian surface, meteorite, microscope, NASA, Phoenix, spacecraft, telescopic camera, three petal lander, university of arizona

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recorded a scene on Jan. 29, 2012, that includes the first color image from orbit showing the three-petal lander of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit mission. Spirit drove off that lander platform in January 2004 and spent most of its six-year working life in a range of hills about two miles to the east.

Another recent image from HiRISE, taken on Jan. 26, 2012, shows NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander and its surroundings on far-northern Mars after that spacecraft’s second Martian arctic winter. Phoenix exceeded its planned mission life in 2008, ending its work as solar energy waned during approach of its first Mars winter. (more…)

Photo from NASA Mars Orbiter Shows Wind’s Handiwork

By Guest PostJanuary 25, 2012Scienceball aerospace, Environment, hirise camera, image, impact crater, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian landscape, meteorite, NASA, noachis terra, planet, seasonal frosts, southern mars, university of arizona, wind

Some images of stark Martian landscapes provide visual appeal beyond their science value, including a recent scene of wind-sculpted features from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The scene shows dunes and sand ripples of various shapes and sizes inside an impact crater in the Noachis Terra region of southern Mars. Patterns of dune erosion and deposition provide insight into the sedimentary history of the area. (more…)

NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars

By Guest PostAugust 5, 2011Sciencealfred mcewen, charles bolden, compact reconnaissance imaging spectrometer for mars, crism, frozen water, high resolution imaging science experiment, hirise, human exploration, mars reconnaissance orbiter, mars southern hemisphere, martian slopes, NASA, red planet, richard zurek, salt deposits, saltiness, shallow subsurface flows, tucson, university of arizona, warm season

PASADENA, Calif. –– Observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.

“NASA’s Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, “and it reaffirms Mars as an important future destination for human exploration.” (more…)

NASA Orbiter Reveals Big Changes in Mars’ Atmosphere

By Guest PostApril 22, 2011Scienceatmosphere, dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide, greenhouse effect, lake superior, liquid water, mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian carbon dioxide, martian dust storms, martian surface, NASA, red planet, roberto seu, roger phillips, south pole

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered the total amount of atmosphere on Mars changes dramatically as the tilt of the planet’s axis varies. This process can affect the stability of liquid water, if it exists on the Martian surface, and increase the frequency and severity of Martian dust storms.

Researchers using the orbiter’s ground-penetrating radar identified a large, buried deposit of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, at the Red Planet’s south pole. The scientists suspect that much of this carbon dioxide enters the planet’s atmosphere and swells the atmosphere’s mass when Mars’ tilt increases. The findings are published in this week’s issue of the journal Science. (more…)

Color View from Orbit Shows Mars Rover Beside Crater

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2011Scienceball aerospace, color image, crater, denver, high resolution imaging science experiment, hirise, lockheed martin space systems, mars exploration rover opportunity, mars reconnaissance orbiter, NASA, opportunity, orbiting camera, robotic arm, ruiz garcia, santa maria, university of arizona

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has nearly completed its three-month examination of a crater informally named “Santa Maria,” but before the rover resumes its overland trek, an orbiting camera has provided a color image of Opportunity beside Santa Maria.

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired the image on March 1, while Opportunity was extending its robotic arm to take close-up photos of a rock called “Ruiz Garcia.” From orbit, the tracks Opportunity made as it approached the crater from the west are clearly visible. Santa Maria crater is about 90 meters (295 feet) in diameter. (more…)

Tag Archives: mars reconnaissance orbiter