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Opportunity's Second Martian
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| title |
Opportunity's Second Martian Birthday at Cape Verde |
| date |
10.20.2007 |
| description |
A promontory nicknamed "Cape Verde" can be seen jutting out from the walls of Victoria Crater in this approximate true-color picture taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The rover took this picture on martian day, or sol, 1329 (Oct. 20, 2007), more than a month after it began descending down the crater walls - and just 9 sols shy of its second Martian birthday on sol 1338 (Oct. 29, 2007). Opportunity landed on the Red Planet on Jan. 25, 2004. That's nearly four years ago on Earth, but only two on Mars because Mars takes longer to travel around the sun than Earth. One Martian year equals 687 Earth days. The overall soft quality of the image, and the "haze" seen in the lower right portion, are the result of scattered light from dust on the front sapphire window of the rover's camera. This view was taken using three panoramic-camera filters, admitting light with wavelengths centered at 750 nanometers (near infrared), 530 nanometers (green) and 430 nanometers (violet). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell |
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Silica-Rich Soil Found by Sp
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PIA09491
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Silica-Rich Soil Found by Spirit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has found a patch of bright-toned soil so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. The silica-rich patch, informally named "Gertrude Weise" after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was exposed when Spirit drove over it during the 1,150th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's Mars surface mission (March 29, 2007). One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. Most patches of disturbed, bright soil that Spirit had investigated previously are rich in sulfur, but this one has very little sulfur and is about 90 percent silica. This image is a approximately true-color composite of three images taken through different filters by Spirit's panoramic camera on Sol 1,187 (May 6). The track of disturbed soil is roughly 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, which can assess a target's mineral composition from a distance, examined the Gertrude Weise patch on Sol 1,172 (April 20). The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a decision to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's robotic arm. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer collected data about this target on sols 1,189 and 1,190 (May 8 and May 9) and produced the finding of approximately 90 percent silica. Silica is silicon dioxide. On Earth, it commonly occurs as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass. The Martian silica at Gertrude Weise is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz. In most cases, water is required to produce such a concentrated deposit of silica, according to members of the rover science team. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acidic steam produced by volcanic activity. Another could have been from water in a hot spring environment. |
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Silica-Rich Soil in Gusev Cr
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PIA09403
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Silica-Rich Soil in Gusev Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has found a patch of bright-toned soil so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. The silica-rich patch, informally named "Gertrude Weise" after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was exposed when Spirit drove over it during the 1,150th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's Mars surface mission (March 29, 2007). One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. Most patches of disturbed, bright soil that Spirit had investigated previously are rich in sulfur, but this one has very little sulfur and is about 90 percent silica. Spirit's panoramic camera imaged the bright patch through various filters on Sol 1,158 (April 6). This approximately true-color image combines images taken through three different filters. The track of disturbed soil is roughly 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, which can assess a target's mineral composition from a distance, examined the Gertrude Weise patch on Sol 1,172 (April 20). The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a decision to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's robotic arm. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer collected data about this target on sols 1,189 and 1,190 (May 8 and May 9) and produced the finding of approximately 90 percent silica. Silica is silicon dioxide. On Earth, it commonly occurs as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass. The Martian silica at Gertrude Weise is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz. In most cases, water is required to produce such a concentrated deposit of silica, according to members of the rover science team. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acidic steam produced by volcanic activity. Another could have been from water in a hot spring environment. |
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Dust Storm Time Lapse Shows
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PIA09935
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Dust Storm Time Lapse Shows Opportunity's Skies Darken |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Dust Storm Time Lapse Shows Opportunity's Skies Darken NASA's Opportunity rover is literally seeing some of its darkest days. Both Mars Exploration Rovers have been riding out a regional dust storm for several weeks. Conditions became particularly dreary in the Meridiani Planum region where Opportunity sits, perched on the edge of "Victoria Crater." This image is a time-lapse composite where each horizon-survey image has been compressed horizontally (but not vertically) to emphasize the sky. The relative brightness and darkness of the sky from sol to sol (over a 30-sol period beginning June 14, 2007) is depicted accurately in these images, which view roughly the same part of the plains southwest of the rover. The images are approximately true color composites, generated from calibrated radiance data files using the panoramic camera's 601-nanometer, 535-nanometer and 482-nanometer filters. The rovers' atmospheric science team is concerned that smaller, regional dust storms could expand into a larger, globe-encircling storm. That could extend the time the sun stays obscured, challenging the capability of Opportunity's solar panels to produce enough electricity for the rover to function. Fortunately, as of July 19, 2007, the Opportunity site is clearing slightly. When the storm ends, atmospheric scientists hope to review data from the rovers that will help them determine what sort of dust was being lifted and distributed. The numbers across the top of the image report a measurement of atmospheric opacity, called by the Greek letter tau. The lower the number, the clearer the sky. Both Opportunity and Spirit have been recording higher tau measurements in July 2007 than they had seen any time previously in their three and a half years on Mars. The five sol numbers across the bottom correspond (left to right) to June 14, June 30, July 5, July 13 and July 15, 2007. |
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Rolling into Victoria Crater
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PIA09688
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Rolling into Victoria Crater (Simulation) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image to view the animation""Lower resolution animation This animation shows a simulated rover descending into Victoria Crater via the rock-paved slopes of an alcove informally named "Duck Bay." NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is expected to make a similar drive in early July 2007, on its way to examine older rocks deeper in the crater that might hold clues to Mars' wet past. The actual rover travels much more slowly and will make the trip in short segments, rather than in one long drive. Duck Bay has slopes of about 15 to 20 degrees and exposed bedrock, making it the safest site for Opportunity to enter the crater. This movie is based on data taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera. |
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Rolling into Victoria Crater
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PIA09688
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Rolling into Victoria Crater (Simulation) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image to view the animation""Lower resolution animation This animation shows a simulated rover descending into Victoria Crater via the rock-paved slopes of an alcove informally named "Duck Bay." NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is expected to make a similar drive in early July 2007, on its way to examine older rocks deeper in the crater that might hold clues to Mars' wet past. The actual rover travels much more slowly and will make the trip in short segments, rather than in one long drive. Duck Bay has slopes of about 15 to 20 degrees and exposed bedrock, making it the safest site for Opportunity to enter the crater. This movie is based on data taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera. |
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Surveying the Scene Above Op
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PIA09687
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE, Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Surveying the Scene Above Opportunity (Simulation) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image to view the animation""Lower resolution animation This animation shows a hypothetical flyover above Victoria Crater, where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is perched on a rim. The rover is expected to begin rolling down into the crater in early July 2007. The first part of the movie is based on data taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. A simulated rover is shown at the site where Opportunity will enter the crater, an alcove nicknamed "Duck Bay." The movie then transitions to a panoramic view of Victoria Crater taken from the top of Duck Bay by Opportunity's panoramic camera. |
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Surveying the Scene Above Op
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PIA09687
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE, Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Surveying the Scene Above Opportunity (Simulation) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"" Click on the image to view the animation""Lower resolution animation This animation shows a hypothetical flyover above Victoria Crater, where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is perched on a rim. The rover is expected to begin rolling down into the crater in early July 2007. The first part of the movie is based on data taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. A simulated rover is shown at the site where Opportunity will enter the crater, an alcove nicknamed "Duck Bay." The movie then transitions to a panoramic view of Victoria Crater taken from the top of Duck Bay by Opportunity's panoramic camera. |
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Band of Bright Rock (False C
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PIA09695
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Band of Bright Rock (False Color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Cape St. Vincent," one of the many promontories that jut out from the walls of Victoria Crater, Mars. The material at the top of the promontory consists of loose, jumbled rock, then a bit further down into the crater, abruptly transitions to solid bedrock. This transition point is marked by a bright band of rock, visible around the entire crater. Scientists say this bright band represents what used to be the surface of Mars just before an impact formed Victoria Crater. After Opportunity begins to descend into the crater in early July 2007, it will examine the band carefully at an accessible location with a gentle slope. These investigations might help determine if the band's brighter appearance is the result of ancient interactions with the Martian atmosphere. This image was taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera on sol 1167 (May 6, 2007). It is presented in false color to accentuate differences in surface materials. |
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Band at Duck Bay
PIA09693
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Band at Duck Bay |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows "Duck Bay," an alcove in the rim of Victoria Crater. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will roll down the slopes of Duck Bay in early July 2007 and investigate the rocks inside the crater. One of its first targets will be the bright band of bedrock seen here lining the upper portion of the crater walls. This band appears to be unlike anything encountered before at Opportunity's landing site. Scientists say it marks the spot where the ground surface used to lie just before an impact formed Victoria Crater. Future investigations with Opportunity might help determine whether the band's brighter appearance is the result of ancient interactions with the Martian atmosphere. This false-color view, taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera, was previously released as part of a larger picture (see PIA09103 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09103 ]). |
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Band of Bright Rock
PIA09694
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Band of Bright Rock |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Cape St. Vincent," one of the many promontories that jut out from the walls of Victoria Crater, Mars. The material at the top of the promontory consists of loose, jumbled rock, then a bit further down into the crater, abruptly transitions to solid bedrock. This transition point is marked by a bright band of rock, visible around the entire crater. Scientists say this bright band represents what used to be the surface of Mars before it was impacted to form Victoria Crater. As Opportunity begins to descend into the crater in early July 2007, it will examine the band carefully at an accessible location with a gentle slope. These investigations might help determine if the band's brighter appearance is the result of ancient interactions with the Martian atmosphere. This image was taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera on sol 1167 (May 6, 2007). It is presented in approximately true color. |
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