Processes of Science: Mars, a Case Study Processes of Science: Mars, a Case Study
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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. -
The Pancam Instrument for the Exomars Rover
ASTROBIOLOGY ExoMars Rover Mission Volume 17, Numbers 6 and 7, 2017 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1548 The PanCam Instrument for the ExoMars Rover A.J. Coates,1,2 R. Jaumann,3 A.D. Griffiths,1,2 C.E. Leff,1,2 N. Schmitz,3 J.-L. Josset,4 G. Paar,5 M. Gunn,6 E. Hauber,3 C.R. Cousins,7 R.E. Cross,6 P. Grindrod,2,8 J.C. Bridges,9 M. Balme,10 S. Gupta,11 I.A. Crawford,2,8 P. Irwin,12 R. Stabbins,1,2 D. Tirsch,3 J.L. Vago,13 T. Theodorou,1,2 M. Caballo-Perucha,5 G.R. Osinski,14 and the PanCam Team Abstract The scientific objectives of the ExoMars rover are designed to answer several key questions in the search for life on Mars. In particular, the unique subsurface drill will address some of these, such as the possible existence and stability of subsurface organics. PanCam will establish the surface geological and morphological context for the mission, working in collaboration with other context instruments. Here, we describe the PanCam scientific objectives in geology, atmospheric science, and 3-D vision. We discuss the design of PanCam, which includes a stereo pair of Wide Angle Cameras (WACs), each of which has an 11-position filter wheel and a High Resolution Camera (HRC) for high-resolution investigations of rock texture at a distance. The cameras and electronics are housed in an optical bench that provides the mechanical interface to the rover mast and a planetary protection barrier. -
Scientific Thought As a Planetary Phenomenon
21st CENTURY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SPRING-SUMMER 2012 www.21stcenturysciencetech.com $10.00 Scientific Thought as A Planetary Phenomenon Vernadsky ‘The Transition from the Biosphere to the Noösphere’ ‘The Evolution of Species and Living Matter’ 21st CENTURY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Vol. 25, Nos. 1, 2 Spring-Summer 2012 Features News GREAT PROJECTS 76 NAWAPA XXI Update INTERVIEW: BRYAN KARNEY 10 The Transition From the Biosphere to the Noösphere 77 NAWAPA: A Bold, Fascinating Vladimir I. Vernadsky Program that Deserves With introduction by translator Bill Jones Consideration! 32 Evolution of Species and Living Matter 82 Three Gorges Dam Proves Its Worth Vladimir I. Vernadsky Translated by Meghan Rouillard SPACE IN MEMORIAM 45 Are Nuclear Processes in Biology Unique? 87 Neil Armstrong: 1930-2012 Ernest Schapiro, MD The Mission and the Man 88 Curiosity Will Open a New 56 ON MIND Chapter in Understanding Mars Shawna Halevy Marsha Freeman 92 Shuttle Opened the Next Space 56 Thinking Without Words Frontier 60 Thinking the Unseen Marsha Freeman BIOLOGY SATIRE 98 The God Particle Cambrian Cannibals 67 (The Secret in the Rabbit Hole) Agnostid Trilobites and the Earliest Known Case of Frederick Harris Arthropod Cannibalism Mark McMenamin, Ph.D. Departments 72 Evolution and Organismic Communication EDITORIAL Jason Ross 2 Scales of Space and Time Jason Ross 5 NEWS BRIEFS VIEWPOINT 7 On Wonder Shawna Halevy BOOKS 94 War Against the Weak, America’s Campaign To Create A Master Race by Edwin Black 97 The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit And Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch On the Cover: Curiosity studying the Martian regolith. Image: NASA. -
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SCIENCE ADVANCES | RESEARCH ARTICLE GEOCHEMISTRY Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some Fe-oxide concretions formed by interacting carbonate rights reserved; exclusive licensee and acidic waters on Earth and Mars American Association for the Advancement 1 † 1,2 † 3 4 4 5 4 of Science. No claim to H. Yoshida * , H. Hasegawa * , N. Katsuta , I. Maruyama , S. Sirono , M. Minami , Y. Asahara , original U.S. Government 6 4 7 8 S. Nishimoto , Y. Yamaguchi , N. Ichinnorov , R. Metcalfe Works. Distributed under a Creative Spherical Fe-oxide concretions on Earth, especially in Utah, USA, have been investigated as an analog of hem- Commons Attribution atite spherules found in Meridiani Planum on Mars to support interpretations of water-rock interactions in early NonCommercial Mars. Although several formation mechanisms have been proposed for the Fe-oxide concretions on Earth, it is License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). still unclear whether these mechanisms are viable because a precise formation process and precursor of the concretions are missing. This paper presents evidence that Fe-oxide concretions in Utah and newly found Fe- oxide concretions in Mongolia had spherical calcite concretions as precursors. Different formation stages of calcite and Fe-oxide concretions observed, both in Utah and Mongolia, indicate that calcite concretions initially formed within eolian sandstone strata and were dissolved by infiltrating Fe-rich acidic waters to form spherical FeO(OH) crusts due to pH buffering. The similarity between these Fe-oxide concretions on Earth and the hem- Downloaded from atite spherule occurrences in Meridiani Planum, combined with evidence of acid sulfate water influences on Mars, suggest that the hematite spherules also formed from dissolution of preexisting carbonate spherules possibly formed under a dense carbon dioxide early martian atmosphere. -
I Identification and Characterization of Martian Acid-Sulfate Hydrothermal
Identification and Characterization of Martian Acid-Sulfate Hydrothermal Alteration: An Investigation of Instrumentation Techniques and Geochemical Processes Through Laboratory Experiments and Terrestrial Analog Studies by Sarah Rose Black B.A., State University of New York at Buffalo, 2004 M.S., State University of New York at Buffalo, 2006 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Geological Sciences 2018 i This thesis entitled: Identification and Characterization of Martian Acid-Sulfate Hydrothermal Alteration: An Investigation of Instrumentation Techniques and Geochemical Processes Through Laboratory Experiments and Terrestrial Analog Studies written by Sarah Rose Black has been approved for the Department of Geological Sciences ______________________________________ Dr. Brian M. Hynek ______________________________________ Dr. Alexis Templeton ______________________________________ Dr. Stephen Mojzsis ______________________________________ Dr. Thomas McCollom ______________________________________ Dr. Raina Gough Date: _________________________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. ii Black, Sarah Rose (Ph.D., Geological Sciences) Identification and Characterization of Martian Acid-Sulfate Hydrothermal Alteration: An Investigation -
DEGRADATION of ENDEAVOUR CRATER, MARS. J. A. Grant1, L. S. Crumpler2, T
46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2015) 2017.pdf DEGRADATION OF ENDEAVOUR CRATER, MARS. J. A. Grant1, L. S. Crumpler2, T. J. Parker3, M. P. Golombek3, S. A. Wilson1, and D. W. Mittlefehldt4, Smithsonian Institution, NASM CEPS, 6th at Independence SW, Washington, DC, 20560 ([email protected]), 2New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, 3Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, 4NASA JSC, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058. Introduction: The Opportunity rover has traversed icant degradation. A paucity of debris from the Shoe- portions of two western rim segments of Endeavour, a maker and Matijevic Formations relegates most erosion 22 km-diameter crater in Meridiani Planum (Fig. 1), to before the surrounding plains were emplaced, imply- for the past three years (e.g., [1]). The resultant data ing more efficient erosion in the past [7]. enables the evaluation of the geologic expression [2] Moreover, ejecta comprise ~50-60% of the relief and degradation state of the crater. Endeavour is Noa- around selected Mars complex craters [8] and only 20- chian-aged, complex in morphology [3], and originally 25% around selected lunar complex craters [6]. Hence, may have appeared broadly similar to the more pristine original rim relief at Endeavour may have been only 20.5 km-diameter Santa Fe complex crater in Lunae ~200-500 m or as much as ~400-800 m based on com- Palus (19.5°N, 312.0°E). By contrast, Endeavour is parison with complex Martian and lunar craters of considerably subdued and largely buried by younger broadly similar size [4, 5, 8]. -
Extreme Aqueous Alteration in Fracture Fills and Coatings at Matijevic Hill, Mars
45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014) 1419.pdf ESPÉRANCE: EXTREME AQUEOUS ALTERATION IN FRACTURE FILLS AND COATINGS AT MATIJEVIC HILL, MARS. B. C. Clark1, R.Gellert2, R.E. Arvidson3, S.W. Squyres4, S. W. Ruff5, K. E. Herken- hoff6, B. Jolliff3, Yen, A. S.7 and the Athena Science Team. 1Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut, Boulder, CO 80301 (bclark@ spacescience.org), 2Univ. of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada; 3Washington Univ., St. Lou- is, MO, 4Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 5Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, 6USGS Astrogeology Sci- ence Center, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 7Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109. Introduction: Intensive investigations of a box- indicate the substrate contains mainly Si, Al, and Cr work structure located in an area called Matijevic Hill (Fig. 3, 4), and the coating is rich in a medley of the on the eastern side of the Cape York rim segment sur- remaining elements. Both end-member compositions rounding Endeavour Crater, resulted in the discovery are significantly different from martian soils [2], typi- of fracture-fill material and coating of unique composi- cal basalts, or martian meteorites. While the fracture- tions. After major efforts resulting in partial RAT abra- filling substrate is mainly an aluminosilicate, extrapola- sion of the target subsequently named Espérance6, tion of the Al vs Si trend in Fig. 4 reveals a second, APXS analyses obtained the lowest values of FeOT non-Al phase of Si alone, possibly silica. (4.4 wt.%) and CaO (2.1 wt.%), and the highest values of SiO2 (62.5 wt.%) and Al2O3 (15.4 wt.%) measured on martian materials during the past ten year mission by the Opportunity rover at Meridiani Planum [1]. -
ISSUE 134, AUGUST 2013 2 Imperative: Venus Continued
Imperative: Venus — Virgil L. Sharpton, Lunar and Planetary Institute Venus and Earth began as twins. Their sizes and densities are nearly identical and they stand out as being considerably more massive than other terrestrial planetary bodies. Formed so close to Earth in the solar nebula, Venus likely has Earth-like proportions of volatiles, refractory elements, and heat-generating radionuclides. Yet the Venus that has been revealed through exploration missions to date is hellishly hot, devoid of oceans, lacking plate tectonics, and bathed in a thick, reactive atmosphere. A less Earth-like environment is hard to imagine. Venus, Earth, and Mars to scale. Which L of our planetary neighbors is most similar to Earth? Hint: It isn’t Mars. PWhy and when did Earth’s and Venus’ evolutionary paths diverge? This fundamental and unresolved question drives the need for vigorous new exploration of Venus. The answer is central to understanding Venus in the context of terrestrial planets and their evolutionary processes. In addition, however, and unlike virtually any other planetary body, Venus could hold important clues to understanding our own planet — how it has maintained a habitable environment for so long and how long it can continue to do so. Precisely because it began so like Earth, yet evolved to be so different, Venus is the planet most likely to cast new light on the conditions that determine whether or not a planet evolves habitable environments. NASA’s Kepler mission and other concurrent efforts to explore beyond our star system are likely to find Earth-sized planets around Sun-sized stars within a few years. -
Multispectral VNIR Evidence of Alteration Processes on Solander
Multispectral VNIR Evidence of Alteration Processes on W.H. Farrand1, J.F. Bell2, J.R. Johnson3, and D. W. Mittlefehldt4 1. Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO; [email protected] Solander Point, Endeavour Crater, Mars 2. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 3. Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Lab, Laurel, MD 1) Introduction: 4. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been exploring Noachian-aged rocks on the rim of Endeavour crater. This exploration began on the Cape York rim segment [1, 2] and has, from Sol 3393 of Opportunity’s mission to the present time, been over the rim segment known as Solander Point (Fig. 1). The visible and near infrared (VNIR) multispectral capability of the 4) Sulfates and oxide minerals in the sub- rover’s Pancam has been an important tool for use in selecting targets for in situ investigation and in it’s own right for surface? characterizing the VNIR reflectance of rock surfaces [3, 4]. Among the rock targets encountered on the Murray Ridge portion of Given the multispectral character of spectra collected by Pancam, a Solander Point were a set of outcrops that had the outward appearance of other occurrences of the Shoemaker formation impact unique identification of mineral phases is generally impractical. The drop breccia [1], but which had a distinct reflectance character. Also, the by chance overturning of the rocks Pinnacle and Stuart in reflectance from 934 to 1009 nm in the light-toned materials on Island revealed light-toned subsurface materials which were likely formed by subsurface aqueous alteration. -
High Concentrations of Manganese and Sulfur in Deposits on Murray Ridge, Endeavour Crater, Marsk
American Mineralogist, Volume 101, pages 1389–1405, 2016 High concentrations of manganese and sulfur in deposits on Murray Ridge, Endeavour Crater, Marsk RAYMOND E. ARVIDSON1,*, STEVEN W. SQUYreS2, RICHARD V. MOrrIS3, ANDrew H. KNOLL4, RALF GELLerT5, BENTON C. CLArk6, JEFFreY G. CATALANO1, BRAD L. JOLLIFF1, SCOTT M. MCLENNAN7, KENNETH E. HerkeNHOFF8, SCOTT VANBOMMEL5, DAVID W. MITTLEFEHLDT3, JOHN P. GROTZINger9, EDWARD A. GUINNESS1, JEFFreY R. JOHNSON10, JAMES F. BELL III11, WILLIAM H. FArrAND6, NATHAN STEIN1, VALerIE K. FOX1, MATTHew P. GOLOMbek12, MArgAreT A.G. HINKLE1, WENDY M. CALVIN13, AND PAULO A. DE SOUZA JR.14 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, U.S.A. 2Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A. 3Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, U.S.A. 4Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, U.S.A. 5Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada 6Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80301, U.S.A. 7Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, U.S.A. 8U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, U.S.A. 9Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, U.S.A. 10Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20723, U.S.A. 11School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, U.S.A. 12California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91011 13Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89503, U.S.A. 14CSIRO Digital Productivity Flagship, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia ABSTRACT Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE images and Opportunity rover observations of the ~22 km wide Noachian age Endeavour Crater on Mars show that the rim and surrounding terrains were densely fractured during the impact crater-forming event. -
Mars Rover Opportunity Working at 'Matijevic Hill' Site 30 September 2012
Mars rover Opportunity working at 'Matijevic Hill' site 30 September 2012 reminiscent of, but different from, the iron-rich spheres nicknamed "blueberries" at the rover's landing site nearly 22 driving miles ago (35 kilometers). The small spheres at Matijevic Hill have different composition and internal structure. Opportunity's science team is evaluating a range of possibilities for how they formed. The spheres are up to about an eighth of an inch (3 millimeters) in diameter. The "blueberries" found earlier are concretions formed by the action of mineral-laden water inside rocks, but that is only one of the ways nature can make small, rounded particles. One working hypothesis, out of several, is that the new-found spherules are also concretions but with a different Rock fins up to about 1 foot (30 centimeters) tall composition. Others include that they may be dominate this scene from the panoramic camera accretionary lapilli formed in volcanic ash eruptions, (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The component images were taken during impact spherules formed in impact events, or the 3,058th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on devitrification spherules resulting from formation of Mars (Aug. 23, 2012). The view spans an area of terrain crystals from formerly melted material. There are about 30 feet (9 meters) wide. Orbital investigation of the other possibilities, too. area has identified a possibility of clay minerals in this area of the Cape York segment of the western rim of "Right now we have multiple working hypotheses, Endeavour Crater. The view combines exposures taken and each hypothesis makes certain predictions through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 about things like what the spherules are made of nanometers (near infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and and how they are distributed," said Opportunity's 432 nanometers (violet). -
MARS EXPLORATION ROVER: RESULTS from ENDEAVOUR CRATER 1:30 P.M
44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2013) sess252.pdf Tuesday, March 19, 2013 [T252] MARS EXPLORATION ROVER: RESULTS FROM ENDEAVOUR CRATER 1:30 p.m. Waterway Ballroom 4 Chair: Matthew Golombek 1:30 p.m. Noe Dobrea E. Z. * Wray J. J. Calef F. J. Parker T. J. Murchie S. L. Hydrated Minerals on Endeavour Crater’s rim, Interior, and Surrounding Plains: New Insights from CRISM Data [#3079] New analyses of CRISM data of Endeavour Crater lead to new insights on the origin, transport, and alteration of hydrated minerals at Endeavour Crater. 1:45 p.m. Squyres S. W. * Arvidson R. E. Athena Science Team Overview of Opportunity Rover Results from Clay-Bearing Materials at Endeavour Crater [#2352] Overview of scientific results to date from Opportunity’s exploration of clay-bearing materials at Endeavour crater. 2:00 p.m. Crumpler L. S. * Athena M. E. R. Field Geologic Context of Opportunity Traverse from Greeley Haven to the Base of Matijevic Hill [#2292] Field geologic mapping results at Endeavour Crater by MER Opportunity has identified evidence for a long history of nonacidic water availability on early Mars. 2:15 p.m. Herkenhoff K. E. * Arvidson R. E. Jolliff B. L. Weitz C. M. Athena Science Team Recent Results from the Opportunity Microscopic Imager [#2462] The Microscopic Imager on the Opportunity rover continues to return useful data, most recently showing new types of spherules and bright veins at Cape York. 2:30 p.m. Farrand W. H. * Ruff S. W. Rice M. S. Arvidson R. E. Jolliff B. L. et al. Veins in Matijevic Hill Lithologic Units Observed by Opportunity [#2482] The occurrences of veins in the rock units of the Matijevic Hill portion of the rim of Endeavour crater, being explored by the Opportunity rover, are described.