Structural Analysis of Victoria Crater: Implications for Past Aqueous Processes on Mars
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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. -
Curiosity's Candidate Field Site in Gale Crater, Mars
Curiosity’s Candidate Field Site in Gale Crater, Mars K. S. Edgett – 27 September 2010 Simulated view from Curiosity rover in landing ellipse looking toward the field area in Gale; made using MRO CTX stereopair images; no vertical exaggeration. The mound is ~15 km away 4th MSL Landing Site Workshop, 27–29 September 2010 in this view. Note that one would see Gale’s SW wall in the distant background if this were Edgett, 1 actually taken by the Mastcams on Mars. Gale Presents Perhaps the Thickest and Most Diverse Exposed Stratigraphic Section on Mars • Gale’s Mound appears to present the thickest and most diverse exposed stratigraphic section on Mars that we can hope access in this decade. • Mound has ~5 km of stratified rock. (That’s 3 miles!) • There is no evidence that volcanism ever occurred in Gale. • Mound materials were deposited as sediment. • Diverse materials are present. • Diverse events are recorded. – Episodes of sedimentation and lithification and diagenesis. – Episodes of erosion, transport, and re-deposition of mound materials. 4th MSL Landing Site Workshop, 27–29 September 2010 Edgett, 2 Gale is at ~5°S on the “north-south dichotomy boundary” in the Aeolis and Nepenthes Mensae Region base map made by MSSS for National Geographic (February 2001); from MOC wide angle images and MOLA topography 4th MSL Landing Site Workshop, 27–29 September 2010 Edgett, 3 Proposed MSL Field Site In Gale Crater Landing ellipse - very low elevation (–4.5 km) - shown here as 25 x 20 km - alluvium from crater walls - drive to mound Anderson & Bell -
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. -
Martian Crater Morphology
ANALYSIS OF THE DEPTH-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIP OF MARTIAN CRATERS A Capstone Experience Thesis Presented by Jared Howenstine Completion Date: May 2006 Approved By: Professor M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Professor Christopher Condit, Geology Professor Judith Young, Astronomy Abstract Title: Analysis of the Depth-Diameter Relationship of Martian Craters Author: Jared Howenstine, Astronomy Approved By: Judith Young, Astronomy Approved By: M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Approved By: Christopher Condit, Geology CE Type: Departmental Honors Project Using a gridded version of maritan topography with the computer program Gridview, this project studied the depth-diameter relationship of martian impact craters. The work encompasses 361 profiles of impacts with diameters larger than 15 kilometers and is a continuation of work that was started at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas under the guidance of Dr. Walter S. Keifer. Using the most ‘pristine,’ or deepest craters in the data a depth-diameter relationship was determined: d = 0.610D 0.327 , where d is the depth of the crater and D is the diameter of the crater, both in kilometers. This relationship can then be used to estimate the theoretical depth of any impact radius, and therefore can be used to estimate the pristine shape of the crater. With a depth-diameter ratio for a particular crater, the measured depth can then be compared to this theoretical value and an estimate of the amount of material within the crater, or fill, can then be calculated. The data includes 140 named impact craters, 3 basins, and 218 other impacts. The named data encompasses all named impact structures of greater than 100 kilometers in diameter. -
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. -
Turbulence and Aeolian Morphodynamics in Craters on Mars: Application to Gale Crater, Landing Site of the Curiosity Rover
16TH EUROPEAN TURBULENCE CONFERENCE, 21-24 AUGUST, 2017, STOCKHOLM,SWEDEN TURBULENCE AND AEOLIAN MORPHODYNAMICS IN CRATERS ON MARS: APPLICATION TO GALE CRATER, LANDING SITE OF THE CURIOSITY ROVER William Anderson1, Gary Kocurek2 & Kenzie Day2 1Mechanical Engineering Dept., Univ. Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA 2Dept. Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, Univ. Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA Mars is a dry planet with a thin atmosphere. Aeolian processes – wind-driven mobilization of sediment and dust – are the dominant mode of landscape variability on the dessicated landscapes of Mars. Craters are common topographic features on the surface of Mars, and many craters on Mars contain a prominent central mound (NASA’s Curiosity rover was landed in Gale crater, shown in Figure 1a [1], while Figures 1b and 1c show Henry and Korolev crater, respectively). These mounds are composed of sedimentary fill and, therefore, they contain rich information on the evolution of climatic conditions on Mars embodied in the stratigraphic “layering” of sediments. Many other craters no longer house a mound, but contain sediment and dust from which dune fields and other features form (see, for example, Victoria Crater, Figure 1d). Using density-normalized large-eddy simulations, we have modeled turbulent flows over crater-like topographies that feature a central mound. Resultant datasets suggest a deflationary mechanism wherein vortices shed from the upwind crater rim are realigned to conform to the crater profile via stretching and tilting. This was accomplished using three- dimensional datasets (momentum and vorticity) retrieved from LES. As a result, helical vortices occupy the inner region of the crater and, therefore, are primarily responsible for aeolian morphodynamics in the crater (radial katabatic flows are also important to aeolian processes within the crater [2]). -
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. -
Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Mars Rover Opportunity
Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Mars Rover Opportunity The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Squyres, Steven W., Andrew H. Knoll, Raymond E. Arvidson, James W. Ashley, James F. III Bell, Wendy M. Calvin, Philip R. Christensen, et al. 2009. Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Mars rover Opportunity. Science 324(5930): 1058-1061. Published Version doi:10.1126/science.1170355 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3934552 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Rover Opportunity S.W. Squyres1, A.H. Knoll2, R.E. Arvidson3, J.W. Ashley4, J.F. Bell III1, W.M. Calvin5, P.R. Christensen4, B.C. Clark6, B.A. Cohen7, P.A. de Souza Jr.8, L. Edgar9, W.H. Farrand10, I. Fleischer11, R. Gellert12, M.P. Golombek13, J. Grant14, J. Grotzinger9, A. Hayes9, K.E. Herkenhoff15, J.R. Johnson15, B. Jolliff3, G. Klingelhöfer11, A. Knudson4, R. Li16, T.J. McCoy17, S.M. McLennan18, D.W. Ming19, D.W. Mittlefehldt19, R.V. Morris19, J.W. Rice Jr.4, C. Schröder11, R.J. Sullivan1, A. Yen13, R.A. Yingst20 1 Dept. of Astronomy, Space Sciences Bldg., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA 2 Botanical Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA 3 Dept. -
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity Observations Of
PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets RESEARCH ARTICLE Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity 10.1002/2014JE004686 observations of the Burns formation: Crater Key Point: hopping at Meridiani Planum • Hydrated Mg and Ca sulfate Burns formation minerals mapped with MRO R. E. Arvidson1, J. F. Bell III2, J. G. Catalano1, B. C. Clark3, V. K. Fox1, R. Gellert4, J. P. Grotzinger5, and MER data E. A. Guinness1, K. E. Herkenhoff6, A. H. Knoll7, M. G. A. Lapotre5, S. M. McLennan8, D. W. Ming9, R. V. Morris9, S. L. Murchie10, K. E. Powell1, M. D. Smith11, S. W. Squyres12, M. J. Wolff3, and J. J. Wray13 1 2 Correspondence to: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, School of Earth and Space R. E. Arvidson, Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA, 3Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 4Department of [email protected] Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 5Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 6U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, 7 8 Citation: Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Department Arvidson, R. E., et al. (2015), Mars of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA, 9NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA, Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity 10Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA, 11NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, observations of the Burns formation: Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, 12Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, 13School of Earth and Crater hopping at Meridiani Planum, J. -
The Degradational History of Endeavour Crater, Mars. J. A
The Degradational History of Endeavour Crater, Mars. J. A. Grant1, T. J. Parker2, L. S. Crumpler3, S. A. Wilson1, M. P. Golombek2, and D. W. Mittlefehldt4, Smithsonian Institution, NASM CEPS, 6th at Independence SW, Washington, DC, 20560 ([email protected]), 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, 3New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, 4Astromaterials Research Office, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058. Endeavour crater (2.28°S, 354.77°E) is a Noachian-aged 22 km-diameter impact structure of complex morphology in Meridiani Planum. The degradation state of the crater has been studied using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity rover data. Exposed rim segments rise ~10 m to ~100 m above the level of the embaying Burns Formation and the crater is 200-500 m deep with the southern interior wall exposing over ~300 m relief. Both pre-impact rocks (Matijevic Formation) and Endeavour impact ejecta (Shoemaker Formation) are present at Cape York, but only the Shoemaker crops out (up to ~140 m) along the rim segment from Murray Ridge to Cape Tribulation. Study of pristine complex craters Bopolu and Tooting, and morphometry of other martian complex craters, enables us to approximate Endeavour’s pristine form. The original rim likely averaged 410 m ±200 m in elevation and a 250-275 m section of ejecta (±50-60 m) would have composed a significant fraction of the rim height. The original crater depth was likely between 1.5 km and 2.2 km. -
March 21–25, 2016
FORTY-SEVENTH LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS MARCH 21–25, 2016 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center The Woodlands, Texas INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Universities Space Research Association Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Draper, NASA Johnson Space Center Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute PROGRAM COMMITTEE P. Doug Archer, NASA Johnson Space Center Nicolas LeCorvec, Lunar and Planetary Institute Katherine Bermingham, University of Maryland Yo Matsubara, Smithsonian Institute Janice Bishop, SETI and NASA Ames Research Center Francis McCubbin, NASA Johnson Space Center Jeremy Boyce, University of California, Los Angeles Andrew Needham, Carnegie Institution of Washington Lisa Danielson, NASA Johnson Space Center Lan-Anh Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center Deepak Dhingra, University of Idaho Paul Niles, NASA Johnson Space Center Stephen Elardo, Carnegie Institution of Washington Dorothy Oehler, NASA Johnson Space Center Marc Fries, NASA Johnson Space Center D. Alex Patthoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cyrena Goodrich, Lunar and Planetary Institute Elizabeth Rampe, Aerodyne Industries, Jacobs JETS at John Gruener, NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Johnson Space Center Justin Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey Carol Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lindsay Hays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Paul Schenk, -
Orbital Evidence for More Widespread Carbonate- 10.1002/2015JE004972 Bearing Rocks on Mars Key Point: James J
PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets RESEARCH ARTICLE Orbital evidence for more widespread carbonate- 10.1002/2015JE004972 bearing rocks on Mars Key Point: James J. Wray1, Scott L. Murchie2, Janice L. Bishop3, Bethany L. Ehlmann4, Ralph E. Milliken5, • Carbonates coexist with phyllosili- 1 2 6 cates in exhumed Noachian rocks in Mary Beth Wilhelm , Kimberly D. Seelos , and Matthew Chojnacki several regions of Mars 1School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA, 3SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA, 4Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 5Department of Geological Sciences, Brown Correspondence to: University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 6Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA J. J. Wray, [email protected] Abstract Carbonates are key minerals for understanding ancient Martian environments because they Citation: are indicators of potentially habitable, neutral-to-alkaline water and may be an important reservoir for Wray, J. J., S. L. Murchie, J. L. Bishop, paleoatmospheric CO2. Previous remote sensing studies have identified mostly Mg-rich carbonates, both in B. L. Ehlmann, R. E. Milliken, M. B. Wilhelm, Martian dust and in a Late Noachian rock unit circumferential to the Isidis basin. Here we report evidence for older K. D. Seelos, and M. Chojnacki (2016), Orbital evidence for more widespread Fe- and/or Ca-rich carbonates exposed from the subsurface by impact craters and troughs. These carbonates carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars, are found in and around the Huygens basin northwest of Hellas, in western Noachis Terra between the Argyre – J.