|
|
Mars Reconaissance Orbiter A
…
| title |
Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Aerobraking |
| date |
12.10.2003 |
| description |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter dips into the thin Martian atmosphere to adjust its orbit in this illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 for arrival at Mars in March 2006. The plans call for controlled use of atmospheric friction in a process called aerobraking for about six months after arrival to change the initial, very elongated orbit into a rounder shape optimal for science operations. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is designed to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL |
|
Anatahan Island
| Title |
Anatahan Island |
| Description |
The Anatahan Volcano emitted a plume of volcanic ash and/or steam in late May 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on May 30. In this image, a plume of volcanic ash blows westward over the Pacific, away from the small volcanic island. The ash plume is darker than the region's clouds.Anatahan [ http://www.volcano.si.edu//world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0804-20= ] is a 9-kilometer-long island in the central Mariana Islands. It is a 790-meter-tall stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of lava, ash, and rocks ejected by previous eruptions. The first historical eruption of Anatahan occurred in May 2003. It remained fairly active through the fall of 2005, then entered a quiet period. Its emissions picked up [ http://www.volcano.si.edu//world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0804-20=&volpage=weekly&wname=anatahan&VErupt=Y&VSources=Y&VRep=Y&VWeekly=Y ] again in March 2006. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Anatahan/2005122/Anatahan ] of Anatahan. |
|
Ash Plume from Anatahan
| Title |
Ash Plume from Anatahan |
| Description |
The Anatahan Volcano emitted a plume of volcanic ash on March 19, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the tiny volcanic island sends a plume of volcanic ash or dust toward the southwest, over the Pacific Ocean. The right edge of the image shows a phenomenon called sunglint caused when sunlight bounces off the ocean's surface and into the satellite sensor. Anatahan sits near the center of the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands result from a collision between the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Plate. As the Pacific Plate slides under the Philippine Plate, rocks heat up and break up. They eventually force their way to the surface through weak spots in the Philippine Plate and emerge as volcanoes like Anatahan. This volcano began erupting in January 2005 and remained active for much of the year. In August 2005, the volcano quieted, but in early March 2006, the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands extended the state of emergency for the island of Anatahan, citing continued volcanic activity. Except for those conducting scientific research, the island remained off limits for human habitation and travel. Volcanic ash can pose hazards for local air travel as well, as dustings from volcanoes can damage airplane engines. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Anatahan ] of Anatahan. |
|
Floods in Southeastern Europ
…
| Title |
Floods in Southeastern Europe |
| Description |
Devastated by floods in 2005, Romania once again faced widespread springtime flooding in March 2006. Reuters reported that as much as 75 percent of the country may be flooded under the combined onslaught of rain and snow falling on saturated ground. These images show a section of the Danube River in Romania as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The top image was taken on March 20, 2006, and shows a river that has swollen considerably since March 3, when the lower image was taken. On March 3, snow dusted the region along the top edge of the image. The snow appears blue in this false-color image. It had melted by March 20, and may have contributed to the floods. The land to the north and west of the river is marked by multi-colored squares formed by agricultural land. Much of the land is brick-red, indicating that it is probably charred from agricultural burning. On March 20, MODIS detected two fires, outlined in red, to the west of the river. The large images provided above have a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_03 ] of southeastern Europe are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Southeastern Europ
…
| Title |
Floods in Southeastern Europe |
| Description |
Devastated by floods in 2005, Romania once again faced widespread springtime flooding in March 2006. Reuters reported that as much as 75 percent of the country may be flooded under the combined onslaught of rain and snow falling on saturated ground. These images show a section of the Danube River in Romania as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The top image was taken on March 20, 2006, and shows a river that has swollen considerably since March 3, when the lower image was taken. On March 3, snow dusted the region along the top edge of the image. The snow appears blue in this false-color image. It had melted by March 20, and may have contributed to the floods. The land to the north and west of the river is marked by multi-colored squares formed by agricultural land. Much of the land is brick-red, indicating that it is probably charred from agricultural burning. On March 20, MODIS detected two fires, outlined in red, to the west of the river. The large images provided above have a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_03 ] of southeastern Europe are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Oshigambo River and Etosha P
…
| Title |
Oshigambo River and Etosha Pan, Namibia |
| Description |
Etosha Pan in northern Namibia is a large, dry lakebed in the Kalahari Desert. The 120-kilometer-long (75-mile-long) lake and its surroundings are protected as one of Namibia's largest wildlife parks. Herds of elephants occupy the dense mopane woodland on the south side of the lake. Mopane trees are common throughout south-central Africa, and host the mopane worm, [ http://www.mopane.org/biology.htm ] which is the larval form of the Mopane Emperor Moth and an important source of protein for rural communities. About 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across Northern Hemisphere land masses, a wet climate phase in southern Africa filled Etosha Lake. Today, Etosha Pan is seldom seen with even a thin sheet of water covering the salt pan. Two images taken about nine months apart document an unusually wet summer in southern Africa. The upper view (March 2006) shows the point where the Oshigambo River flows into the salt lake, the lower regional image (June 2005) shows the same inlet—but dry—on the north shore of Etosha Pan. The Oshigambo River is almost never seen with water, but in early 2006, rainfall twice the average amount in the river's catchment generated flow. Greens and browns show vegetation and algae growing in different depths of water where the river enters the dry lake (upper image, center). Typically, little river water or sediment reaches the dry lake because water seeps into the riverbed along its 250-kilometer (55-mile) course, reducing discharge along the way. In this image, there was enough surface flow to reach the Etosha Pan, but too little water reached the mouth of the river to flow beyond the inlet bay. The unusual levels of precipitation also filled several small, usually dry lakes to the north (upper image, right). Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-23057 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=23057 ] was acquired March 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 180 mm lens. The regional oblique view, ISS011-E-9504, [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=9504 ] was taken June 24, 2005, also with the Kodak 760C and a 180 mm lens. Both images are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The images in this article have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Oshigambo River and Etosha P
…
| Title |
Oshigambo River and Etosha Pan, Namibia |
| Description |
Etosha Pan in northern Namibia is a large, dry lakebed in the Kalahari Desert. The 120-kilometer-long (75-mile-long) lake and its surroundings are protected as one of Namibia's largest wildlife parks. Herds of elephants occupy the dense mopane woodland on the south side of the lake. Mopane trees are common throughout south-central Africa, and host the mopane worm, [ http://www.mopane.org/biology.htm ] which is the larval form of the Mopane Emperor Moth and an important source of protein for rural communities. About 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across Northern Hemisphere land masses, a wet climate phase in southern Africa filled Etosha Lake. Today, Etosha Pan is seldom seen with even a thin sheet of water covering the salt pan. Two images taken about nine months apart document an unusually wet summer in southern Africa. The upper view (March 2006) shows the point where the Oshigambo River flows into the salt lake, the lower regional image (June 2005) shows the same inlet—but dry—on the north shore of Etosha Pan. The Oshigambo River is almost never seen with water, but in early 2006, rainfall twice the average amount in the river's catchment generated flow. Greens and browns show vegetation and algae growing in different depths of water where the river enters the dry lake (upper image, center). Typically, little river water or sediment reaches the dry lake because water seeps into the riverbed along its 250-kilometer (55-mile) course, reducing discharge along the way. In this image, there was enough surface flow to reach the Etosha Pan, but too little water reached the mouth of the river to flow beyond the inlet bay. The unusual levels of precipitation also filled several small, usually dry lakes to the north (upper image, right). Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-23057 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=23057 ] was acquired March 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 180 mm lens. The regional oblique view, ISS011-E-9504, [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=9504 ] was taken June 24, 2005, also with the Kodak 760C and a 180 mm lens. Both images are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The images in this article have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Clouds, Plane, Sun, Eclipse
| Title |
Clouds, Plane, Sun, Eclipse |
| Explanation |
How can part of the Sun just disappear? When that part is really hiding behind the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050407.html ]. Last Friday, the first partial solar eclipse [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/eclipses.html ] of 2005 and the last total eclipse [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html ] of the Sun until March 2006 was visible. During a solar eclipse [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse ], the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ], Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031011.html ] and Earth are aligned. The total solar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010408.html ] was primarily visible from the Southern Pacific Ocean [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/zn.html ], while a partial solar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040926.html ] was discoverable across South America [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_America ] and lower North America [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America ]. The above image composite was taken with a handheld digital camera last Friday. After a day of rain in Mt. Holly, North Carolina [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ], a partially eclipsed Sun momentarily peeked through a cloudy sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030618.html ]. After taking a sequence of images, the best eclipse shot [ http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_08apr05.html ] was digitally combined with a less good eclipse shot that featured a passing airplane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010129.html ]. |
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
…
| Title |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Aerobraking |
| Description |
December 10, 2003 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter dips into the thin martian atmosphere to adjust its orbit in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 for arrival at Mars in March 2006. The plans call for controlled use of atmospheric friction in a process called aerobraking for about six months after arrival to change the initial, very elongated orbit into a rounder shape optimal for science operations. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is designed to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL's main industrial partner in the project, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft. |
| Date |
12.10.2003 |
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
…
PIA04917
| Title |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Aerobraking |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
December 10, 2003 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter dips into the thin martian atmosphere to adjust its orbit in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 for arrival at Mars in March 2006. The plans call for controlled use of atmospheric friction in a process called aerobraking for about six months after arrival to change the initial, very elongated orbit into a rounder shape optimal for science operations. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is designed to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL's main industrial partner in the project, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Second of Two Fresh Impact C
…
PIA09024
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Second of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With "Before" and "After" Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pictured here is the second of 2 of the 20 new impact craters identified by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team to have formed between May 1999 and March 2006 that occur at a location that the MOC narrow angle camera imaged previously. This is surprising, given that the narrow angle camera, with its 3 kilometer- (1.9 miles)-wide field of view, has only covered about 5.2% of the martian surface. The other such case is described in an accompanying release, "One of Two Fresh Impact Crater Sites With Before and After Narrow Angle Mars Orbiter Camera Images" (see PIA09023 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09023 ] or MOC2-1614 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site11/index.html ]). Figure A: This picture shows the impact site. It is located in Arabia Terra near 25.8°N, 308.0°W. The figure is a composite of sub-frames of MOC images S15-02322, obtained on 22 February 2006, and S17-01393, from 17 April 2006. The largest crater at the center of the impact zone has a diameter of about 16.0 ± 1.7 meters (about 52 feet). Several other smaller craters were formed by this impact event. Figure B: This figure shows how the impact site appeared in a previous MOC narrow angle camera image, R13-00039, on 1 January 2004, before the impact occurred. This is compared with MOC image S15-02322, obtained after the impact. Figure C: This figure shows the impact site as it appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ] visible camera on 21 December 2005. Most importantly, the crater did not exist on 21 December 2005, but the dark spot the impact produced was seen 42 days later in MOC red wide angle image S14-03311 on 31 January 2006. In other words, the impact occurred between 21 December 2005 and 31 January 2006. It is possible that the crater formed in January 2006, after we began our survey for fresh martian impact craters! The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
Procedure for Finding New Im
…
PIA09021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Procedure for Finding New Impact Sites on Mars Using the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
), the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) science operations team considered it possible to find more such impact sites using the MOC red wide angle camera. The most recent, freshest craters would be expected to be quite small, ranging from a few meters across to maybe a few hundred meters or so, at most, in diameter (100 meters is about 109 yards, compare that with a 100 yard U.S.-style football field). Something less than 100 meters across would not show up easily in a 240 meters per pixel red wide angle image. But the 6 January 2006 image showed that it could, because these small impacts, if they occur in an area thickly mantled with dust, will create a much larger "blast zone" around them. Thus, the MOC science operations team set out to image a few of the dustiest regions on Mars -- Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia -- with the red wide angle camera. The same camera had, in May and early June 1999, already imaged most of the planet at about 240 meters per pixel scale. By repeating areas already imaged in May/June 1999 during the January/March 2006 timeframe, we would be able to identify more dark spots. And, so, that is what we did. The Tharsis, Amazonis, and Arabia regions were re-imaged using the MOC red wide angle camera during January through March 2006. The data covered about 21,506,000 square kilometers (~8.3 million square miles, ~1/3 the surface area of Mars and more than twice the area of the United States). As each picture was received on Earth, we compared it with the images acquired during May/June 1999. Over the entire area surveyed, we found 39 dark spots that were present in early 2006 but not visible in May/June 1999. The 39 dark spots, then, were the candidate impact sites. Each one of these became a target for the MOC narrow angle camera, which would be used to take an image of about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) per pixel of each site. The targets were entered into the MOC database. Then, as the predicted MGS ground track came near each site, the MOC team targeted an image by working with the spacecraft engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver, Colorado) and the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, California) to point the spacecraft and camera at each site using the Roll Only Targeted Observation (ROTO) maneuver. Of the 39 dark spots, 20 turned out to be fresh impact sites, and 19 of them were not. The other 19 included mistaken identifications (one was a transient, large dust devil shadow, several were craters that had been present in earlier images but had changed in brightness owing to dust removal), new dark wind streaks, and new dark slope streaks created by avalanching dust on steep slopes. Some of the 20 new impact sites received further attention, as the spacecraft and MOC were used to obtain cPROTO (compensated Pitch and Roll Targeted Observations) views that have a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in the downtrack dimension and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in the cross, Having realized that a new dark spot on Mars, seen in a red wide angle camera image acquired on 6 January 2006, might be an indication of a recent meteor impact site (see PIA09020 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09020 ] or MOC2-1611 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/12/06/craters/site1/index.html ], track direction. The cPROTO views, where obtained, have a higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the original ROTO images. Finally, while our approach of comparing MOC red wide angle camera images obtained in May/June 1999 with those obtained in January/March 2006 constrains the 20 craters all to having formed during the May 1999 to March 2006 time interval, we found in all cases that there were already other images that had been received on Earth that helped constrain the time of the impact more tightly. In some cases, the date of the impact could be pinned down to within a month or two, in other cases the interval covered several years. Data from the MGS MOC, Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) [ http://themis.asu.edu/ ], and Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) [ http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml ], were all employed in the search. Shown on this page (above) are pictures that illustrate our work to find new impact craters: Figure A: This picture shows one of the new impact sites identified by the MOC team. Located in northern Arabia Terra near 29.3°N, 333.2°W, the actual crater is quite small, only 11.2 ± 3.0 meters in diameter. This is a sub-frame of MOC image S16-01105, acquired using a ROTO maneuver on 12 March 2006. Figures B and C: These pictures are MOC red wide angle camera images, obtained at a scale of about 240 meters per pixel, of portions of Arabia Terra. Figure B is M01-01610 and was acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign (see PIA02022 and PIA02023, or MOC2-127) on 14 May 1999. Figure C, MOC S14-02741, was obtained on 26 January 2006 as part of the campaign to find new impact craters. By comparing the two images, one from 1999 and one from 2006, we were able to identify all new dark spots that formed during that interval. In this case, the new dark spot seen in the 2006 image, S14-02741, is inside the white circle. The same location is also indicated by a circle in the May 1999 image, but no dark spot is present there. In both cases, the white circle is about 12 km (7.5 mi) across. Figure D: This map of Mars, showing the location of all the MOC red wide angle camera images acquired for the search for new craters during January through March 2006. These images cover most of Amazonis, Tharsis, and Arabia Terra. The base map is a product that combines the May/June 1999 MOC red wide angle data (plus later data for the south polar region) and laser altimeter data from MGS. Figure E: This picture shows portions of two red wide angle camera context images that more tightly constrain when the new crater shown here (above, top, left) formed. The first picture, R05-00427, was acquired on 5 May 2003 and shows no dark spot at the site of the impact. The second picture, S05-01885, shows that the dark spot was present on 29 April 2005. Thus, these two images tell us that the impact occurred sometime between those dates: 5 May 2003 and 29 April 2005. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]. |
|
| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the ground are dwarfed by the towering Atlas V launch vehicle and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as they roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Viewed from the NASA News Center, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket streaks through the morning sky. The MRO launched at 7:43 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen on the horizon just past the NASA News Center?s countdown clock, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop its Atlas V launch vehicle are seen in closeup with the launch gantry (left) as they roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop its Atlas V launch vehicle (right) and launch gantry roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, is reflected in a puddle following an afternoon shower at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery is towed along the tow-way from NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery rests inside the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery rests on its wheels under the mate/demate device on NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. The equipment that lowered it to the ground is being removed. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Visible on Discovery is the tail cone that covers and protects the main engines during the ferry flight. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery nears bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility after being towed from NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A tow vehicle maneuvers Discovery on NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility into a position for towing. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery is viewed across Banana Creek as the orbiter is towed along the tow-way from NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery is pushed from the mate/demate device on NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. The SCA is in the background. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A tow vehicle begins moving Discovery away from NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Enclosed by the work platforms, Discovery rests inside the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Discovery begins rolling away from the mate/demate device on NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. The equipment that lowered it to the ground has been removed. Discovery was returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base in California, arriving Aug. 21. Visible on Discovery is the tail cone that covers and protects the main engines during the ferry flight. Discovery will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility where the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello still inside will be removed from the payload bay and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The orbiter will then begin processing for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2006. |
| Release Date |
08/22/2005 |
|
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