DOCSLIB.ORG

The Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mercury Earth Jupiter Uranus Neptune Venus Mars Saturn The Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity www.nasa.gov The Mars Exploration Rover Mission Spirit found soils and rocks with extremely high con- packed the lander inside a heat shield and back shell centrations of materials that typically form in either hot attached to a cruise stage. Upon arrival, with the Spirit and Opportunity are identical twin robotic rov- springs or volcanic steam vents. These conditions may spacecraft’s velocity still increasing from the pull of ers that have gone far beyond their original scientific have been favorable for supporting microbial life. On Mars’ gravity, the entry capsule jettisoned the cruise objectives to rewrite our understanding of the early his- Earth, microbes known as “extremophiles” thrive in stage. A large supersonic parachute inflated in the tory of Mars. NASA sent these two “robotic geologists” similar environments. thin Martian atmosphere to slow the lander. Near the on a 90-day mission to search for geological clues ground, solid rocket motors fired to reduce landing regarding environmental conditions on early Mars, and Opportunity found that more chemically neutral, “drink- speed further. Airbags inflated around the lander to assess whether those environments were conducive to able” water once persisted on Mars before an acidic cushion the impact, and the lander bounced and rolled life. The mission team chose two landing sites, Gusev period in the ancient past, thus creating more favorable to a stop on Mars. Once the airbags deflated, the Crater and Meridiani Planum, for the likelihood that conditions for microbial life. The rovers’ discoveries lander’s “petals” opened, revealing the rover ready to liquid water, a prerequisite for life, was once present made a huge leap forward in expanding the possibility raise its “head,” stand up, and roll off for its adventures there. that Mars once provided habitable conditions. on Mars. Each rover far outlasted its design lifetime. Spirit Following the trail of past water on Mars, the rovers launched June 10, 2003, and landed in Gusev Crater successfully allowed scientists to characterize much of on January 4, 2004. Opportunity launched July 7, what the red planet was like when liquid water flowed The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars 2003, and landed in Meridiani Planum on January 25, there. Exploration Program, a long-term, multi-mission effort to un- 2004. Opportunity continues to operate in its tenth derstand Mars as a potential place for past or present life (its Science Tools year. Spirit’s final communication to Earth occurred on habitability), to seek signs of life, and to prepare for human exploration. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the March 22, 2010, about six years into its mission. The Each rover carries a science payload consisting of a California Institute of Technology, manages the mission on be- rover lasted 20 times longer than its original design. Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer and Pan- half of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. oramic Camera at the top of a rotatable mast (the During their journeys of exploration, Spirit and Oppor- rover’s “neck”) to survey the surrounding terrain. A tunity outperformed even the most optimistic expecta- Other NASA Center partners include Ames Research Center, robotic arm helps scientists examine rocks and soils, tions of their builders. For scientists studying Mars, the Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and Ken- by using contact instruments (Alpha Particle X-Ray robotic rovers proved to be the next best thing to actu- nedy Space Center. Science payload partners include Cornell Spectrometer, Mössbauer Spectrometer, and a Micro- ally being there with geology tools in hand. The ten- University, Arizona State University, Max Planck Institut für scopic Imager) and a Rock Abrasion Tool. Engineer- year record of discoveries compiled during the mission Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg University, Niels Bohr Institute, ing sensors and other components are also useful for has helped scientists reconstruct a past when Mars Honeybee Robotics, and the U.S. Geological Survey. science investigations and for navigation and mobility. was awash in water, which may have created environ- These include stereo navigation cameras, front and More Information ments favorable for microbial life. rear stereo hazard avoidance cameras, wheel motors, marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov Scientific Findings wheel motor current and voltage data for measuring ground properties, the wheels themselves for digging, The mission took one of the first steps in understand- gyros, accelerometers for describing terrain contours, ing the possibilities for life on Mars: whether the and solar cell readings for measuring how much dust is An artist’s concept of one of the Mars Martian environment ever could have supported life. in the atmosphere or deposited on the rover. Exploration Rovers on the surface of Analysis of rocks and soil in several of the locales ex- Mars. plored by the rovers shows changes in the rock record Spacecraft Design that could only occur from persistent soaking in water. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Each spacecraft contained a rover tucked inside a lander. For the trip from Earth to Mars, engineers JPL 400-1548A 12/13 Spirit: Ascent of Husband Hill www.nasa.gov The Mars Exploration Rover Mission brought a fascinating new landscape into view and struggled up toward a ridgeline on Husband Hill, they completely different geologic conditions to explore. churned up bright material. This unexpected discovery Spirit and Opportunity are identical twin robotic rov- For the first time in its mission, Spirit found evidence was good fortune for Spirit: the rover determined that ers that have gone far beyond their original scientific of past water. As the rover gained altitude, more and the salty material had water molecules bound to the objectives to rewrite our understanding of the early his- more signs of a wet past became apparent. From the minerals. That provided clear signs of its formation or tory of Mars. NASA sent these two “robotic geologists” composition and texture of more than six different alteration in past water. on a 90-day mission to search for geological clues types of rock inspected, scientists determined that this regarding environmental conditions on early Mars, and A View to the Future area was once a hot, violent place with volcanic explo- assess whether those environments were conducive to sions and impacts. Extensive water in the form of hot Carrying on after its rewarding climb to the hilltop, life. The mission team chose two landing sites, Gusev springs or other water features left its mark on debris Spirit returned images of the southern vista from the Crater and Meridiani Planum, for the likelihood that throughout the area. One of the rock types contained top of Husband Hill. The team used these views to liquid water, a prerequisite for life, was once present the mineral goethite, which only forms in the presence plot Spirit’s next leg of travel. Mission planners and there. of water. Thus, finding it represented the first direct evi- scientists selected an alluring feature in the distance Each rover far outlasted its design lifetime. Spirit dence of past water in the Columbia Hills. that would bring a scientific bonanza, and come to be launched June 10, 2003, and landed in Gusev Cra- known as Home Plate. ter on January 4, 2004. Opportunity launched July 7, 2003, and landed in Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004. Opportunity continues to operate in its tenth The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars year. Spirit’s final communication to Earth occurred on Exploration Program, a long-term, multi-mission effort to un- March 22, 2010, about six years into its mission. The derstand Mars as a potential place for past or present life (its rover lasted 20 times longer than its original design. habitability), to seek signs of life, and to prepare for human exploration. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Columbia Hills or Bust California Institute of Technology, manages the mission on be- When Spirit landed on a rock-strewn plain, faraway half of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. hills beckoned from about 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) Other NASA Center partners include Ames Research Center, away. Impossible to reach in the originally planned Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and Ken- 90 sols (Martian days), Spirit trekked for six months nedy Space Center. Science payload partners include Cornell to reach them, becoming the first mountain-climbing University, Arizona State University, Max Planck Institut für robot on another planet. Spirit scaled the nearest of Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg University, Niels Bohr Institute, the seven Columbia Hills, named for each member of Honeybee Robotics, and the U.S. Geological Survey. the lost crew of Space Shuttle Columbia. Husband Hill, honoring Commander Rick Husband, stands 348 feet More Information (106 meters) higher than the site where Spirit landed marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov 20 months prior. The rover’s months-long trek through Investigations of the rock dubbed “Clovis” revealed the mineral different layers of hilly terrain richly rewarded us with goethite, pointing to a watery past in Gusev Crater. new discoveries, as each layer contained clues to past Weary Traveler Seeks Water environmental conditions on Mars. 1. Spirit looks past Cumberland Ridge Long after completing its primary 90-day mission, 1 Hot Springs and Violent Volcanoes toward the summit of Husband Hill. NASA’s Spirit rover began showing slight twinges of 2. Spirit’s view from the top of While volcanic rocks covered the plain Spirit crossed wear in its mobility system from its roving and hill- 2 Husband Hill. on its way to the hill, the ascent of Husband Hill climbing experience. As Spirit dug in its wheels as it Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell JPL 400-1548B 12/13 Spirit: Comanche Outcrop www.nasa.gov The Mars Exploration Rover Mission solve in acid, so their continued presence indicates Navigation Cameras that the neutral environment persisted.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Geochemistry This
    TORONTOTORONTO Vol. 8, No. 4 April 1998 Call for Papers GSA TODAY — page C1 A Publication of the Geological Society of America Electronic Abstracts Submission — page C3 Antarctic Neogene Landscapes—In the 1998 Registration Refrigerator or in the Deep Freeze? Annual Issue Meeting — June GSA Today Introduction The present Molly F. Miller, Department of Geology, Box 117-B, Vanderbilt Antarctic landscape undergoes very University, Nashville, TN 37235, [email protected] slow environmental change because it is almost entirely covered by a thick, slow-moving ice sheet and thus effectively locked in a Mark C. G. Mabin, Department of Tropical Environmental Studies deep freeze. The ice sheet–landscape system is essentially stable, and Geography, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia, [email protected] Antarctic—Introduction continued on p. 2 Atmospheric Transport of Diatoms in the Antarctic Sirius Group: Pliocene Deep Freeze Arjen P. Stroeven, Department of Quaternary Research, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Lloyd H. Burckle, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964 Johan Kleman, Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, S-106, 91 Stockholm, Sweden Michael L. Prentice, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 INTRODUCTION How did young diatoms (including some with ranges from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene) get into the Sirius Group on the slopes of the Transantarctic Mountains? Dynamicists argue for emplacement by a wet-based ice sheet that advanced across East Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains after flooding of interior basins by relatively warm marine waters [2 to 5 °C according to Webb and Harwood (1991)].
    [Show full text]
  • Quantitative Composition and Granulometry of Aeolian Bedforms in Endeavour and Gale Craters Inferred from Visible Near-Infrared Spectra
    45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014) 1431.pdf QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION AND GRANULOMETRY OF AEOLIAN BEDFORMS IN ENDEAVOUR AND GALE CRATERS INFERRED FROM VISIBLE NEAR-INFRARED SPECTRA. Mathieu G.A. Lapotre1, Bethany L. Ehlmann1,2, Raymond E. Arvidson3. 1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, 3Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA. Introduction: Modern Mars is a wind world. Its ing Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) visible near- surface hosts a variety of aeolian features, such as line- infrared spectra (VISIR). The goal of this study is to ar, barchan and star dunes, ripples, granule ripples, compare inversions made from orbit to ground truth yardangs and ventifacts [1]. Even though active sand provided by instruments aboard Opportunity at En- transport was observed at the surface [2], it is not clear deavour Crater, Terra Meridiani and Curiosity in Gale whether all of the preserved aeolian bedforms are ac- crater. tive. In particular, transverse aeolian ridges have been We use Hapke’s bidirectional reflectance spectros- suggested to be remnant dunes that formed under past copy theory [6] to invert for optical constants of miner- climatic conditions [3]. als from laboratory spectra [e.g., 7, 8]. These are used Sand transport is largely controlled by the size and to compute single scattering albedos of mineral the density of the grains [4]. Moreover, dunes and rip- endmember components of varying grain sizes. We use ples form in unimodally distributed sand particles from an atmospheric radiative transfer approach, DISORT different instabilities, and the wavelengths of these [9], to correct the CRISM spectra for the effects of the different bedforms do not have the same dependence Martian atmosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Meteorites on Mars Observed with the Mars Exploration Rovers C
    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 113, E06S22, doi:10.1029/2007JE002990, 2008 Meteorites on Mars observed with the Mars Exploration Rovers C. Schro¨der,1 D. S. Rodionov,2,3 T. J. McCoy,4 B. L. Jolliff,5 R. Gellert,6 L. R. Nittler,7 W. H. Farrand,8 J. R. Johnson,9 S. W. Ruff,10 J. W. Ashley,10 D. W. Mittlefehldt,1 K. E. Herkenhoff,9 I. Fleischer,2 A. F. C. Haldemann,11 G. Klingelho¨fer,2 D. W. Ming,1 R. V. Morris,1 P. A. de Souza Jr.,12 S. W. Squyres,13 C. Weitz,14 A. S. Yen,15 J. Zipfel,16 and T. Economou17 Received 14 August 2007; revised 9 November 2007; accepted 21 December 2007; published 18 April 2008. [1] Reduced weathering rates due to the lack of liquid water and significantly greater typical surface ages should result in a higher density of meteorites on the surface of Mars compared to Earth. Several meteorites were identified among the rocks investigated during Opportunity’s traverse across the sandy Meridiani plains. Heat Shield Rock is a IAB iron meteorite and has been officially recognized as ‘‘Meridiani Planum.’’ Barberton is olivine-rich and contains metallic Fe in the form of kamacite, suggesting a meteoritic origin. It is chemically most consistent with a mesosiderite silicate clast. Santa Catarina is a brecciated rock with a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to Barberton. Barberton, Santa Catarina, and cobbles adjacent to Santa Catarina may be part of a strewn field. Spirit observed two probable iron meteorites from its Winter Haven location in the Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater.
    [Show full text]
  • Owner's Manual,1996 Pontiac Bonneville
    I LLt -The 1996 Pontiac Bonneville Owner’s Manual Seats and Restraint Systems ............................................................. 1-1 This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains“SRS” the system. Features and Controls ..................... ;............................................ 2-1 This section explainshow to start and operate your Pontiac. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ...................................................... 3-1 This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls andhow to operate your audio system. Your Driving and the Road .............................................................. 4-1 Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the roadhow and to drive under different conditions. ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1 This section tells you whatto do if you have a problem whiledriving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. Service and Appearance Care.. .......................................................... 6-1 Here the manual tellsyou how to keep your Pontiacrunning properly and looking good. Maintenanceschedule......... .......................................................... 7-1 This section tellp you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluidsand lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information ... .#.................................................... 8-1 \ This section tells youhow to contact Pontiac for assistance and how to get service and
    [Show full text]
  • No. 40. the System of Lunar Craters, Quadrant Ii Alice P
    NO. 40. THE SYSTEM OF LUNAR CRATERS, QUADRANT II by D. W. G. ARTHUR, ALICE P. AGNIERAY, RUTH A. HORVATH ,tl l C.A. WOOD AND C. R. CHAPMAN \_9 (_ /_) March 14, 1964 ABSTRACT The designation, diameter, position, central-peak information, and state of completeness arc listed for each discernible crater in the second lunar quadrant with a diameter exceeding 3.5 km. The catalog contains more than 2,000 items and is illustrated by a map in 11 sections. his Communication is the second part of The However, since we also have suppressed many Greek System of Lunar Craters, which is a catalog in letters used by these authorities, there was need for four parts of all craters recognizable with reasonable some care in the incorporation of new letters to certainty on photographs and having diameters avoid confusion. Accordingly, the Greek letters greater than 3.5 kilometers. Thus it is a continua- added by us are always different from those that tion of Comm. LPL No. 30 of September 1963. The have been suppressed. Observers who wish may use format is the same except for some minor changes the omitted symbols of Blagg and Miiller without to improve clarity and legibility. The information in fear of ambiguity. the text of Comm. LPL No. 30 therefore applies to The photographic coverage of the second quad- this Communication also. rant is by no means uniform in quality, and certain Some of the minor changes mentioned above phases are not well represented. Thus for small cra- have been introduced because of the particular ters in certain longitudes there are no good determi- nature of the second lunar quadrant, most of which nations of the diameters, and our values are little is covered by the dark areas Mare Imbrium and better than rough estimates.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary Glossary
    Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts.
    [Show full text]
  • Columbus Crater HLS2 Hangout: Exploration Zone Briefing
    Columbus Crater HLS2 Hangout: Exploration Zone Briefing Kennda Lynch1,2, Angela Dapremont2, Lauren Kimbrough2, Alex Sessa2, and James Wray2 1Lunar and Planetary Institute/Universities Space Research Association 2Georgia Institute of Technology Columbus Crater: An Overview • Groundwater-fed paleolake located in northwest region of Terra Sirenum • ~110 km in diameter • Diversity of Noachian & Hesperian aged deposits and outcrops • High diversity of aqueous mineral deposits • Estimated 1.5 km depth of sedimentary and/or volcanic infill • High Habitability and Biosignature Preservation Potential LZ & Field Station Latitude: 194.0194 E Longitude: 29.2058 S Altitude: +910 m SROI #1 RROI #1 LZ/HZ SROI #4 SROI #2 SROI #5 22 KM HiRISE Digital Terrain Model (DTM) • HiRISE DTMs are made from two images of the same area on the ground, taken from different look angles (known as a stereo-pair) • DTM’s are powerful research tools that allow researchers to take terrain measurements and model geological processes • For our traversability analysis of Columbus: • The HiRISE DTM was processed and completed by the University of Arizona HiRISE Operations Center. • DTM data were imported into ArcMap 10.5 software and traverses were acquired and analyzed using the 3D analyst tool. • A slope map was created in ArcMap to assess slope values along traverses as a supplement to topography observations. Slope should be ≤30°to meet human mission requirements. Conclusions Traversability • 9 out of the 17 traverses analyzed met the slope criteria for human missions. • This region of Columbus Crater is traversable and allows access to regions of astrobiological interest. It is also a possible access point to other regions of Terra Sirenum.
    [Show full text]
  • Discovery of Silica-Rich Deposits on Mars by the Spirit Rover
    Ancient Aqueous Environments at Endeavour Crater, Mars Authors: R.E. Arvidson1, S.W. Squyres2, J.F. Bell III3, J. G. Catalano1, B.C. Clark4, L.S. Crumpler5, P.A. de Souza Jr.6, A.G. Fairén2, W.H. Farrand4, V.K. Fox1, R. Gellert7, A. Ghosh8, M.P. Golombek9, J.P. Grotzinger10, E. A. Guinness1, K. E. Herkenhoff11, B. L. Jolliff1, A. H. Knoll12, R. Li13, S.M. McLennan14,D. W. Ming15, D.W. Mittlefehldt15, J.M. Moore16, R. V. Morris15, S. L. Murchie17, T.J. Parker9, G. Paulsen18, J.W. Rice19, S.W. Ruff3, M. D. Smith20, M. J. Wolff4 Affiliations: 1 Dept. Earth and Planetary Sci., Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA. 2 Dept. Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. 3 School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. 4Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO 80301, USA. 5 New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Albuquerque, NM 87104, USA. 6 CSIRO Computational Informatics, Hobart 7001 TAS, Australia. 7 Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. 8 Tharsis Inc., Gaithersburg MD 20877, USA. 9 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. 10 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. 11 U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. 12 Botanical Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA. 13 Dept. of Civil & Env. Eng. & Geodetic Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. 14 Dept. of Geosciences, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Crater Gradation in Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum, Mars J
    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 111, E02S08, doi:10.1029/2005JE002465, 2006 Crater gradation in Gusev crater and Meridiani Planum, Mars J. A. Grant,1 R. E. Arvidson,2 L. S. Crumpler,3 M. P. Golombek,4 B. Hahn,5 A. F. C. Haldemann,4 R. Li,6 L. A. Soderblom,7 S. W. Squyres,8 S. P. Wright,9 and W. A. Watters10 Received 19 April 2005; revised 21 June 2005; accepted 27 June 2005; published 6 January 2006. [1] The Mars Exploration Rovers investigated numerous craters in Gusev crater and Meridiani Planum during the first 400 sols of their missions. Craters vary in size and preservation state but are mostly due to secondary impacts at Gusev and primary impacts at Meridiani. Craters at both locations are modified primarily by eolian erosion and infilling and lack evidence for modification by aqueous processes. Effects of gradation on crater form are dependent on size, local lithology, slopes, and availability of mobile sediments. At Gusev, impacts into basaltic rubble create shallow craters and ejecta composed of resistant rocks. Ejecta initially experience eolian stripping, which becomes weathering-limited as lags develop on ejecta surfaces and sediments are trapped within craters. Subsequent eolian gradation depends on the slow production of fines by weathering and impacts and is accompanied by minor mass wasting. At Meridiani the sulfate-rich bedrock is more susceptible to eolian erosion, and exposed crater rims, walls, and ejecta are eroded, while lower interiors and low-relief surfaces are increasingly infilled and buried by mostly basaltic sediments. Eolian processes outpace early mass wasting, often produce meters of erosion, and mantle some surfaces.
    [Show full text]
  • Acidic Fluids Across Mars: Detections of Magnesium-Nickel Sulfates
    ACIDIC FLUIDS ACROSS MARS: DETECTIONS OF MAGNESIUM-NICKEL SULFATES. A. S. Yen1, D. W. Ming2, R. Gellert3, D. W. Mittlefehldt2, E. B. Rampe4, D. T. Vaniman5, L. M. Thompson6, R. V. Morris2, B. C. Clark7, S. J. VanBommel3, R. E. Arvidson8, 1JPL- Caltech ([email protected]), 2NASA-JSC, 3University of Guelph, 4Aerodyne Industries, 5Planetary Science Institute, 6University of New Brunswick, 7Space Science Insti- tute, 7Washington University in St. Louis. Introduction: Calcium, magnesium and ferric iron sulfates have been detected by the instrument suites on the Mars rovers. A subset of the magnesium sulfates show clear associations with nickel. These associations indicate Ni2+ co-precipitation with or substitution for Mg2+ from sulfate-saturated solutions. Nickel is ex- tracted from primary rocks almost exclusively at pH values less than 6, constraining the formation of these Mg-Ni sulfates to mildly to strongly acidic conditions. There is clear evidence for aqueous alteration at the rim of Endeavour Crater (Meridiani Planum), in the Murray formation mudstone (Gale Crater), and near Home Plate (Gusev Crater). The discovery of Mg-Ni sulfates at these locations indicates a history of fluid- rock interactions at low pH. Fig 1: Histogram showing significant concentrations Mars Rovers: The Mars Exploration Rovers of sulfur in APXS analyses by the three Mars rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity, landed in January 2004 (mean value: 6.6%). at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum, respectively. Spirit traversed over 7.7 km through 2210 sols of sur- face operations, and Opportunity is currently on the degraded rim of Endeavour Crater after 4600 sols and 44 km of traverse.
    [Show full text]
  • Educator's Guide
    EDUCATOR’S GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM Dear Educator, “ROVING MARS”is an exciting adventure that This movie details the development of Spirit and follows the journey of NASA’s Mars Exploration Opportunity from their assembly through their Rovers through the eyes of scientists and engineers fantastic discoveries, discoveries that have set the at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Steve Squyres, pace for a whole new era of Mars exploration: from the lead science investigator from Cornell University. the search for habitats to the search for past or present Their collective dream of Mars exploration came life… and maybe even to human exploration one day. true when two rovers landed on Mars and began Having lasted many times longer than their original their scientific quest to understand whether Mars plan of 90 Martian days (sols), Spirit and Opportunity ever could have been a habitat for life. have confirmed that water persisted on Mars, and Since the 1960s, when humans began sending the that a Martian habitat for life is a possibility. While first tentative interplanetary probes out into the solar they continue their studies, what lies ahead are system, two-thirds of all missions to Mars have NASA missions that not only “follow the water” on failed. The technical challenges are tremendous: Mars, but also “follow the carbon,” a building block building robots that can withstand the tremendous of life. In the next decade, precision landers and shaking of launch; six months in the deep cold of rovers may even search for evidence of life itself, space; a hurtling descent through the atmosphere either signs of past microbial life in the rock record (going from 10,000 miles per hour to 0 in only six or signs of past or present life where reserves of minutes!); bouncing as high as a three-story building water ice lie beneath the Martian surface today.
    [Show full text]
  • Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho
    Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho Compiled and Mapped by Kurt L. Othberg, John D. Kauffman, Virginia S. Gillerman, and Dean L. Garwood 2012 Idaho Geological Survey Third Floor, Morrill Hall University of Idaho Geologic Map 49 Moscow, Idaho 83843-3014 2012 Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho Compiled and Mapped by Kurt L. Othberg, John D. Kauffman, Virginia S. Gillerman, and Dean L. Garwood INTRODUCTION 43˚ 115˚ The geology in the 1:100,000-scale Twin Falls 30 x 23 13 18 7 8 25 60 minute quadrangle is based on field work conduct- ed by the authors from 2002 through 2005, previous 24 17 14 16 19 20 26 1:24,000-scale maps published by the Idaho Geological Survey, mapping by other researchers, and compilation 11 10 from previous work. Mapping sources are identified 9 15 12 6 in Figures 1 and 2. The geologic mapping was funded in part by the STATEMAP and EDMAP components 5 1 2 22 21 of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Cooperative 4 3 42˚ 30' Geologic Mapping Program (Figure 1). We recognize 114˚ that small map units in the Snake River Canyon are dif- 1. Bonnichsen and Godchaux, 1995a 15. Kauffman and Othberg, 2005a ficult to identify at this map scale and we direct readers 2. Bonnichsen and Godchaux, 16. Kauffman and Othberg, 2005b to the 1:24,000-scale geologic maps shown in Figure 1. 1995b; Othberg and others, 2005 17. Kauffman and others, 2005a 3.
    [Show full text]