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Spare Ion Engine Being Check …
title Spare Ion Engine Being Checked
date 07.21.2003
description An ion thruster is removed from a vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., its job done following almost five years of testing. Engineers John Anderson and Keith Goodfellow, from left, are part of JPL's Advanced Propulsion Technology Group. The thruster, a spare engine from NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, ran for a record 30,352 hours, giving researchers the ability to observe its performance and wear at different power levels throughout the test. This information will be vital to future missions that use ion propulsion. Ion propulsion systems can be very lightweight, running on just a few grams of xenon gas a day. This fuel efficiency can lower launch vehicle costs. Xenon is the same gas that is found in photo flash bulbs. The very successful Deep Space 1 mission featured the first use of an ion engine as the primary means of propulsion on a NASA spacecraft. NASA's next-generation ion propulsion efforts are led by the In-Space Propulsion Program, managed by the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.. The program seeks to develop advanced propulsion technologies that will help near and mid-term NASA science missions by significantly reducing cost, mass or travel times. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL/Caltech
Deep Impact Spacecraft Colli …
Name of Image Deep Impact Spacecraft Collides With Comet Tempel 1 (Video)
Date of Image 2005-07-04
Full Description After 172 days and 268 million miles of deep space travel, the NASA Deep Impact spacecraft successfully reached out and touched comet Tempel 1. The collision between the coffee table-sized space probe and city-sized comet occurred July 4, 2005 at 12:52 a.m. CDT. Comprised of images taken by the targeting sensor aboard the impactor probe, this movie shows the spacecraft approaching the comet up to just seconds before impact. Mission scientists expect Deep Impact to provide answers to basic questions about the formation of the solar system. Principal investigator for Deep Impact, Dr. Michael A?Hearn of the University of Maryland in College Park, is responsible for the mission, and project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The program office at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama assisted the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington with program management, technology planning, systems assessment, flight assurance and public outreach. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colorado. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD)
Deep Impact Spacecraft Colli …
Name of Image Deep Impact Spacecraft Collides With Comet Tempel 1-Video
Date of Image 2005-07-04
Full Description After 172 days and 268 million miles of deep space travel, the NASA Deep Impact spacecraft successfully reached out and touched comet Tempel 1. The collision between the coffee table-sized space probe and city-sized comet occurred July 4, 2005 at 12:52 a.m. CDT. The objects met at 23,000 miles per hour. The heat produced by the impact was at least several thousand degrees Kelvin and at that extreme temperature, just about any material begins to glow. This movie, made up of images taken by the medium resolution camera aboard the spacecraft, from May 1 to July 2, shows the Deep Impact approach to comet Tempel 1. The spacecraft detected 3 outbursts during this time period, on June 14th, June 22nd, and July 2nd. The movie ends during the final outburst. Mission scientists expect Deep Impact to provide answers to basic questions about the formation of the solar system. Principal investigator, Dr. Michael A?Hearn of the University of Maryland in College Park, is responsible for the mission, and project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The program office at Marshall Space Flight Center MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, assisted the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington with program management, technology planning, systems assessment, flight assurance and public outreach. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colorado. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD)
Spare Ion Engine Being Check …
Title Spare Ion Engine Being Checked
Description July 21, 2003 An ion thruster is removed from a vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., its job done following almost five years of testing. Engineers John Anderson and Keith Goodfellow, from left, are part of JPL's Advanced Propulsion Technology Group. The thruster, a spare engine from NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, ran for a record 30,352 hours, giving researchers the ability to observe its performance and wear at different power levels throughout the test. This information will be vital to future missions that use ion propulsion. Ion propulsion systems can be very lightweight, running on just a few grams of xenon gas a day. This fuel efficiency can lower launch vehicle costs. Xenon is the same gas that is found in photo flash bulbs. The very successful Deep Space 1 mission featured the first use of an ion engine as the primary means of propulsion on a NASA spacecraft. NASA's next-generation ion propulsion efforts are led by the In-Space Propulsion Program, managed by the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.. The program seeks to develop advanced propulsion technologies that will help near and mid-term NASA science missions by significantly reducing cost, mass or travel times. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA.
Date 07.30.2003
NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D Missio …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Amit Sen, Aquarius Project M …
5731307266_d10d2ffbe6_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-05-17
creator NASA
identifier 5731307266_d10d2ffbe6_o
Mars Science Laboratory Pres …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Michael Watkins (third from …
5964838992_da607400dd_b
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-07-22
creator NASA
identifier 5964838992_da607400dd_b
NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D Missio …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Seated from left, Eric Linds …
5731307090_0281f263eb_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-05-17
creator NASA
identifier 5731307090_0281f263eb_o
NASA Science Update - Voyage …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Ed Stone, Voyager Project Sc …
5666098140_676ab961b8_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-04-28
creator NASA
identifier 5666098140_676ab961b8_o
NASA Science Update - Voyage …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Suzanne Dodd (second from le …
5666096918_22c86c156d_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-04-28
creator NASA
identifier 5666096918_22c86c156d_o
NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D Missio …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
A reporter asks a question t …
5730757683_7a546c4edd_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-05-17
creator NASA
identifier 5730757683_7a546c4edd_o
NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D Missio …
nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr …
Amit Sen, center, Aquarius P …
5731307398_37d53e50bc_o
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2011-05-17
creator NASA
identifier 5731307398_37d53e50bc_o
Pacific Dictates Droughts an …
PIA05071
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Pacific Dictates Droughts and Drenchings
Original Caption Released with Image The latest remote sensing data from NASA's Jason satellite show that the equatorial Pacific sea surface levels are higher, indicating warmer sea surface temperatures in the central and west Pacific Ocean. This pattern has the appearance of La Niña rather than El Niño. This contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast where lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue and purple areas). The image above is a global map of sea surface height, accurate to within 30 millimeters. The image represents data collected and composited over a 10-day period, ending on Jan 23, 2004. The height of the water relates to the temperature of the water. As the ocean warms, its level rises, and as it cools, its level falls. Yellow and red areas indicate where the waters are relatively warmer and have expanded above sea level, green indicates near normal sea level, and blue and purple areas show where the waters are relatively colder and the surface is lower than sea level. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. (For more details, visit the Jason Website [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].) The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov.
NASA Data Helps Track Heat P …
PIA06342
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title NASA Data Helps Track Heat Potential Fueling Rita
Original Caption Released with Image Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP) field in the Gulf of Mexico during September 22, 2005. The path of Hurricane Rita is indicated with circles spaced every 3 hours with their size and color representing intensity (see legend). This hurricane intensified to category 5 as it traveled over the Loop Current and a warm core ring (the finger of red and yellow). Rita diminished to category 3 as its path went over a region of lower TCHP (and cooler waters) outside the Loop Current and ring. The diamonds indicate the National Hurricane Center predicted track and intensity as it makes landfall, and are spaced by 24 hours. Altimeter data on NASA's Jason-1, the US Navy's GFO, and the European Envisat satellites provide sea surface height data used in generating the TCHP fields. The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].)
Rita Roars Through a Warm Gu …
PIA06428
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Rita Roars Through a Warm Gulf (September 21, 2005)
Original Caption Released with Image This sea surface height map of the Gulf of Mexico, with the Florida peninsula on the right and the Texas-Mexico Gulf Coast on the left, is based on altimeter data from four satellites including NASA?s Topex/Poseidon and Jason. Red indicates a strong circulation of much warmer waters, which can feed energy to a hurricane. This area stands 35 to 60 centimeters (about 13 to 23 inches) higher than the surrounding waters of the Gulf. The actual track of a hurricane is primarily dependent upon steering winds, which are forecasted through the use of atmospheric models. However, the interaction of the hurricane with the upper ocean is the primary source of energy for the storm. Hurricane intensity is therefore greatly affected by the upper ocean temperature structure and can exhibit explosive growth over warm ocean currents and eddies. Eddies are currents of water that run contrary to the direction of the main current. According to the forecasted track through the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Rita will continue crossing the warm waters of a Gulf of Mexico circulation feature called the Loop Current and then pass near a warm-water eddy called the Eddy Vortex, located in the north central Gulf, south of Louisiana. The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].)
Rita Roars Through a Warm Gu …
PIA06427
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Rita Roars Through a Warm Gulf (September 22, 2005)
Original Caption Released with Image This sea surface height map of the Gulf of Mexico, with the Florida peninsula on the right and the Texas-Mexico Gulf Coast on the left, is based on altimeter data from four satellites including NASA?s Topex/Poseidon and Jason. Red indicates a strong circulation of much warmer waters, which can feed energy to a hurricane. This area stands 35 to 60 centimeters (about 13 to 23 inches) higher than the surrounding waters of the Gulf. The actual track of a hurricane is primarily dependent upon steering winds, which are forecasted through the use of atmospheric models. However, the interaction of the hurricane with the upper ocean is the primary source of energy for the storm. Hurricane intensity is therefore greatly affected by the upper ocean temperature structure and can exhibit explosive growth over warm ocean currents and eddies. Eddies are currents of water that run contrary to the direction of the main current. According to the forecasted track through the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Rita will continue crossing the warm waters of a Gulf of Mexico circulation feature called the Loop Current and then pass near a warm-water eddy called the Eddy Vortex, located in the north central Gulf, south of Louisiana. The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].)
Wilma's Trek Through Warm Ca …
PIA03055
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Wilma's Trek Through Warm Caribbean/Gulf Waters
Original Caption Released with Image This sea surface height map of the Gulf of Mexico and the northwestern Caribbean Sea, with the Florida peninsula on the upper right, is based on altimeter data from three satellites including NASA's Jason-1. Red indicates a strong circulation of much warmer waters, which can feed energy to a hurricane. This area stands 35 to 45 centimeters (about 13 to 17 inches) higher than the surrounding waters of the Gulf. The actual track of a hurricane is primarily dependent upon steering winds, which are forecasted through the use of atmospheric models. However, the interaction of the hurricane with the upper ocean is the primary source of energy for the storm. Hurricane intensity is therefore greatly affected by the upper ocean temperature structure and can exhibit explosive growth over warm ocean currents and eddies. According to the forecasted track through the Yucatan Channel, Hurricane Wilma will cross the Yucatan Peninsula and then turn sharply to the northeast, passing over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico circulation feature called the Loop Current on its way towards southeast Florida. The storm may intensify as it passes over the warm water of the Loop Current. The Jason-1 satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. The joint U.S.-French Jason-1 mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason-1 and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Jason-1, see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov ].)
Jason Satellite Observes Mil …
PIA01939
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Jason Satellite Observes Mild El Nino in 2006
Original Caption Released with Image In September 2006, NASA satellite data indicated that El Niño had returned to the tropical Pacific Ocean, although it was relatively weak. As of early October, scientists were not sure if the event would persist, and it was much less intense than the last major El Niño episode, which happened in 1997-1998. That event brought devastating floods to California that cost millions of dollars in damage while severe drought struck Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines. Among the ocean characteristics that signal developing El Niño events is a change in average sea surface height compared to normal sea level. When water warms, it expands a little, which changes its volume slightly. When heat begins to build up in the Pacific during an El Niño event, the sea surface height begins to creep up. NASA observes changes in average sea surface height using its Jason satellite. The image is based on the average of 10 days of data centered on September 15, 2006, compared to the long-term average of observations from 1993-2005. In this image, places where the Pacific sea surface height is higher (warmer) than normal are yellow, orange, and red, and places where the sea surface is lower (cooler) than normal are blue and purple. Green shows where conditions are near normal. The swath of red in the center of the scene reveals that an El Niño was in progress when Jason observed the Pacific. El Niño is a cyclical warming of the ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific that generally occurs every 3 to 7 years. It is linked with changes in air pressure and high-level winds that can affect weather worldwide. Typically peaking during the Northern Hemisphere winter months, El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. It alternates with La Niña, the cooling of ocean waters in the same region of the Pacific. According to Bill Patzert, oceanographer and climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "The present conditions indicate that the intensity of this El Niño is too weak to have a major influence on current weather patterns. But, if the ocean waters continue to warm and spread eastward, this event would likely strengthen, perhaps bringing much-needed rainfall to the southwestern and southeastern United States this winter." The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other, space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Science Mission Directorate to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on NASA's ocean surface topography missions, see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ [ http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] or to view the latest Jason data see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/jason1-quick-look/ [ http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/jason1-quick-look/ ].
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
PIA03460
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Original Caption Released with Image Like fall and winter of 2000, this year's Topex/Poseidon satellite data shows that the Pacific ocean continues to be dominated by the strong Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which is larger than the El Niño/La Niña pattern. The data, taken during a ten-day collection cycle ending Oct. 29,2001, show that the near-equatorial ocean has been very quiet in the past year, and sea levels and sea surface temperatures are near normal. Above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures, indicated by the red and white areas, still blanket the far western tropical Pacific and much of the north mid-Pacific. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4inches) above normal, white areas show the sea surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal. In the western Pacific, the buildup of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation pattern, first noted by Topex/Poseidon oceanographers more than three years ago, has outlasted both the El Niño and La Niña of the past few years. This warmth contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and the west coast of the United States, where lower than normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue, as indicated by the blue areas. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, while the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. According to oceanographer Dr. William Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., the striking similarity between data taken in 2000 and the same time period in 2001 indicates that winter weather forecasts for this year will be similar to last year. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see the Topex/Poseidon Web Site [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].
Where is La Niña?
PIA04622
Sol (our sun)
Altimeter
Title Where is La Niña?
Original Caption Released with Image Since the weak El Niño event of last winter, the equatorial Pacific has cooled and oceanographers have been on a La Niña "watch." Thus far, equatorial waters have seesawed between cooling and the present slight warming. Elsewhere, the northern and northeastern Pacific Ocean remains quite cool and sea levels are much lower than normal. These cooler ocean waters off the U.S. West Coast have driven a cooler and foggier spring and early summer along the coast, and guided the North Pacific Jet Stream north, keeping the West and Southwest in the grip of a 5-year drought. Sea-surface heights are a measure of how much heat is stored in the ocean below to influence future planetary climate events. Jason scientists will continue to monitor the Pacific closely for further signs of La Niña formation and intensity, or not. These Jason data were taken during a 10-day collection cycle ending July 3, 2003. The near-equatorial ocean has been very quiet, although sea levels and sea-surface temperatures are near normal or slightly warmer throughout the far western and central equatorial Pacific. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal, white areas show the sea-surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal. This slight rise in sea levels (warming) contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast, where lower-than-normal sea-surface levels (blue areas) and cool ocean temperatures continue. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, and the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Research on Earth's oceans using Jason and other space-based capabilities is conducted by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to better understand and protect our home planet. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov ].
Spare Ion Engine Being Check …
PIA04668
Ion Engine
Title Spare Ion Engine Being Checked
Original Caption Released with Image July 21, 2003 An ion thruster is removed from a vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., its job done following almost five years of testing. Engineers John Anderson and Keith Goodfellow, from left, are part of JPL's Advanced Propulsion Technology Group. The thruster, a spare engine from NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, ran for a record 30,352 hours, giving researchers the ability to observe its performance and wear at different power levels throughout the test. This information will be vital to future missions that use ion propulsion. Ion propulsion systems can be very lightweight, running on just a few grams of xenon gas a day. This fuel efficiency can lower launch vehicle costs. Xenon is the same gas that is found in photo flash bulbs. The very successful Deep Space 1 mission featured the first use of an ion engine as the primary means of propulsion on a NASA spacecraft. NASA's next-generation ion propulsion efforts are led by the In-Space Propulsion Program, managed by the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.. The program seeks to develop advanced propulsion technologies that will help near and mid-term NASA science missions by significantly reducing cost, mass or travel times. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA.
Moon/Mars Landing Commemorat …
PIA01454
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Moon/Mars Landing Commemorative Release: Gusev Crater and Ma'adim Vallis
Original Caption Released with Image (NASA SP-530), that included Gusev Crater as a possible priority site for future Mars exploration because it might once have been a lake. At 12:17 a.m. (PDT) on April 24, 1998-- during Mars Global Surveyor's 259th orbit--MOC obtained the high resolution image of Gusev Crater and Ma'adim Vallis shown above, in part to test some of the proposed hypotheses. The raw image has a scale of 7.3 meters (24 feet) per pixel. At this scale, there are no obvious shorelines that would indicate the past presence of a lake in either Ma'adim Vallis or Gusev Crater. There are several alternative explanations for this absence, including: * It is possible that any lake in Gusev occurred so long ago that erosion by wind and hillslope processes have long since removed such features. * It is possible that 7.3 meters per pixel is insufficient to identify key diagnostic lake features. * It is possible that a lake once existed, but that shore- and near-shore processes as they occur in terrestrial lake environments did not occur on Mars. * It is possible no lake ever existed. When Mars Global Surveyor achieves its Mapping Orbit in March 1999, MOC will have the ability to obtain pictures with resolutions around 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel. Sometime during the mapping mission, it may be possible to image Gusev Crater again to look for potential lake features and possible future landing sites. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO., On July 20, 1969, the first human beings landed on the Moon. On July 20, 1976, the first robotic lander touched down on Mars. This July 20th-- 29 years after Apollo 11 and 22 years since the Viking 1 Mars landing-- we take a look forward toward one possible future exploration site on the red planet. One of the advantages of the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) over its predecessors on the Viking and Mariner spacecraft is resolution. The ability to see"-- resolve--"fine details on the martian surface is key to planning future landing sites for robotic and, perhaps, human explorers that may one day visit the planet. At present, NASA is studying potential landing sites for the Mars Surveyor landers, rovers, and sample return vehicles that are scheduled to be launched in 2001, 2003, and 2005. Among the types of sites being considered for these early 21st Century landings are those with "exobiologic potential"--that is, locations on Mars that are in some way related to the past presence of water. For more than a decade, two of the prime candidates suggested by various Mars research scientists are Gusev Crater and Ma'adim Vallis. Located in the martian southern cratered highlands at 14.7° S, 184.5° W, Gusev Crater is a large, ancient, meteor impact basin that--after it formed--was breached by Ma'adim Vallis. Viking Orbiter observations provided some evidence to suggest that a fluid--most likely, water--once flowed through Ma'adim Vallis and into Gusev Crater. Some scientists have suggested that there were many episodes of flow into Gusev Crater (as well as flow out of Gusev through its topographically-lower northwestern rim). Some have also indicated that there were times when Ma'adim Vallis, also, was full of water such that it formed a long, narrow lake. The possibility that water flowed into Gusev Crater and formed a lake has led to the suggestion that the materials seen on the floor of this crater--smooth-surfaced deposits, buried craters, and huge mesas near the mouth of Ma'adim Vallis--are composed of sediment that eroded out of the highlands to the south of Gusev Crater. In 1995, the Exobiology Program Office at NASA Headquarters produced a report, "An Exobiological Strategy for Mars Exploration"
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