[Space] NASA - Mars Exploration Rover MER-A "Spirit" - Update Thread

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da gpc
Vabbè il grande capo qui non risponde, per cui io le metto ancora di questa dimensione...

... se mi si da il tempo di rispondere...

certo che se danno un nome ad ogni pezzettino ti marte, mi sa che non gli bastano...

[gpc]

Wiggling Its Way to Discovery

This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's view from its new location inside the shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow." To get a better look at the soil making up the hollow, Spirit drove forward a bit, wiggled its wheels, then turned and backed up. The result - a scrape on the floor and a clod of dirt stuck on one of Spirit's wheels - told scientists that the soil is sticky and reminiscent of that observed at the airbag drag mark nicknamed "Magic Carpet." Spirit will further investigate this disturbed patch of soil with its robotic arm beginning today (Feb. 19, 2004). It will also dig a trench at "Laguna Hollow" with one of its wheels. This fish-eye image was taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.




Sampling the Varying Textures of Mars

This image shows the shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow" before the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit drove into it to sample its bed of fine sediments on the 45th sol or day, of its mission (Feb. 18, 2004). The hollow provides scientists with a laboratory for studying the atmospheric processes that shaped Mars because, in contrast to surrounding rocky terrain, it contains windblown dust and possibly salty clumps of soil. Spirit is scheduled to dig a trench at the bottom of "Laguna Hollow" on sol 47. The image was taken by the rover's panoramic camera.




'Laguna Hollow' Undisturbed

This image shows the patch of soil at the bottom of the shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow" where the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will soon begin trenching. Scientists are intrigued by the clustering of small pebbles and the crack-like fine lines, which indicate a coherent surface that expands and contracts. A number of processes can cause materials to expand and contract, including cycles of heating and cooling; freezing and thawing; and rising and falling of salty liquids within a substance. This false-color image was created using the blue, green and infrared filters of the rover's panoramic camera. Scientists chose this particular combination of filters to enhance the heterogeneity of the martian soil.

[GioFX]

bella la laguna... c'erto non è blu, ma insomma...

[gpc]

Originariamente inviato da GioFX
... se mi si da il tempo di rispondere...

certo che se danno un nome ad ogni pezzettino ti marte, mi sa che non gli bastano...

Ma se sei lento mica è colpa mia!

Comunque in effetti dare un nome ad ogni sasso e ad ogni buco mi pare... utopico

[gpc]

Originariamente inviato da GioFX
bella la laguna... c'erto non è blu, ma insomma...

Eh... se non ci fossi io a sistemare i thread che TU apri...

[gpc]

Qui ci stiamo dimenticando dello Spiritello che continua a lavorare...

Long and Winding Road



Link alle immagini più grandi (articoli sempre più completi grazie al vostro gpc! Altro che GioFX... ):
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...A053R1_br2.jpg
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...ack-A053R1.jpg

This image shows the path the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has traveled since it landed 53 martian days, or sols, ago. "Laguna Hollow," the shallow depression where Spirit dug a trench, can be seen to the right of center. Spirit stayed at "Laguna Hollow" for 3 sols, investigating the fine-grained soil contained there and the trench it dug with one of its wheels. The rover is headed northeast toward a large crater nicknamed "Bonneville." This panoramic camera image was taken from the rover's new location, a region dubbed "Middle Ground" located 98 meters (322 feet) away from "Bonneville."

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The Bumpy Road Ahead



Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...A053R1_br2.jpg
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...ard-A053R1.jpg

This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's view of the rocky terrain that lies between it and its intended target, the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." The landscape here is roughly two times as bumpy and more difficult to traverse than that crossed so far. Spirit has currently stopped to examine the soil and rocks at a region nicknamed "Middle Ground." The rover is 98 meters (322 feet) away from "Bonneville" and facing northeast. The large rock called "Humphries" can be seen in the lower right corner. The image was taken on the 53rd martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission by the rover's panoramic camera.

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Getting Closer



Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...A053R1_br2.jpg
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...map-A053R1.jpg

This map shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's travels since arriving on the red planet Jan. 3, 2004 PST. Spirit is on its way to a large crater nicknamed "Bonneville." On the 52nd day, or sol, of its mission (Feb. 25, 2004), it stopped off at a region nicknamed "Middle Ground" to investigate rocks and soil. The rover is facing northeast and is 98 meters (322 feet) away from the rim of "Bonneville." Data within the yellow box represent a digital map made of images taken by the rover's panoramic and navigation cameras. Data outside this box are a composite of images from the rover's descent image motion estimation system camera and NASA's orbiter Mars Global Surveyor.

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Ripples or Dunes?



Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...fts-A053R1.jpg

This approximate true-color image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera shows the windblown waves of soil that characterize the rocky surface of Gusev Crater, Mars. Scientists were puzzled about whether these geologic features were "ripples" or "dunes." Ripples are shaped by gentle winds that deposit coarse grains on the tops or crests of the waves. Dunes are carved by faster winds and contain a more uniform distribution of material. Images taken of these features by the rover's microscopic imager on the 41st martian sol, or day, of the rover's mission revealed their identity to be ripples. This information helps scientists better understand the winds that shape the landscape of Mars. This image was taken early in Spirit's mission.

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Are They Telltale Ripples?



Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...ple-A053R1.jpg

This false-color image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera shows peak-like formations on the martian terrain at Gusev Crater. Scientists have been analyzing these formations, which have coarse particles accumulating on their tops, or crests. This characteristic classifies them as ripples instead of dunes, which have a more uniform distribution of particle sizes. Scientists are looking further into such formations, which can give insight to the wind direction and velocity on Mars, as well as the material that is being moved by the wind. This image was taken on the 40th martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission.

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Blowing in the Wind



Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...nds-A053R1.jpg

This diagram illustrates how windblown sediments travel. There are three basic types of particles that undergo different motions depending on their size. These particles are dust, sand and coarse sand, and their sizes approximate flour, sugar, and ball bearings, respectively. Sand particles move along the "saltation" path, hitting the surface downwind. When the sand hits the surface, it sends dust into the atmosphere and gives coarse sand a little shove. Mars Exploration Rover scientists are studying the distribution of material on the surface of Mars to better understand how winds shape the landscape.

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The Answer is in the Crests and Troughs





Link alle immagini più grandi:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...ugh-A053R1.jpg
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...est-A053R1.jpg

This microscopic image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the troughs between the waves of windblown soil that characterize the surface of Gusev Crater, Mars. The fine-grained soil in the troughs, combined with the coarse grains observed in a similar microscopic image taken of the waves' crests, indicate that the waves are geologic features known as ripples, and not dunes. Dunes contain a more uniform distribution of material. This information helps scientists better understand the winds that shape the landscape of Mars. The image was taken on the 41st martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission by its microscopic imager. The observed area is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across.

[gpc]

SPIRIT UPDATE: Eyeing Martian Dust Devils - sol 53, Feb 26, 2004



On sol 53, which ends at 4:34 p.m. PST on February 26, Spirit woke up to the 70s ballad "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas, with the anticipation of possibly capturing dust devils spinning across the martian surface. The rear hazard avoidance camera was commanded to "roll tape" from 12:00 to 12:30 local solar time to record these so-called "mini-tornadoes." The behavior of dust devils helps scientists track the transfer of dust on the red planet.

A final, .85-meter (about 2.8 feet) drive brought Spirit to its exact target at the "Middle Ground" site. The rover also conducted an examination, using its microscopic imager and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, of the magnet arrays that are collecting airborne dust.

In the coming sols Spirit will inspect the soil at its current position with the tools on its arm. Following that, the plans call for the rover to approach the rock called "Humphrey." After a thorough assessment of "Humphrey," the rock abrasion tool will be used to brush and then grind.

[GioFX]

Volcanic rock in Mars' Gusev Crater hints at past water

MISSION CONTROL REPORT
Posted: March 5, 2004

NASA's Spirit has found hints of a water history in a rock at Mars' Gusev Crater, but it is a very different type of rock than those in which NASA's Opportunity found clues to a wet past on the opposite side of the planet.

A dark volcanic rock dubbed "Humphrey," about 60 centimeters (2 feet) tall, shows bright material in interior crevices and cracks that looks like minerals crystallized out of water, Dr. Ray Arvidson of Washington University, St. Louis, reported at a NASA news briefing today at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. He is the deputy principal investigator for the rovers' science instruments.


This image taken by the navigation camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a hole drilled by the rover in the rock dubbed "Humphrey." Spirit ground into the rock with the rock abrasion tool located on its robotic arm on the 60th martian day, or sol, of its mission. Credit: NASA/JPL

"If we found this rock on Earth, we would say it is a volcanic rock that had a little fluid moving through it," Arvidson said. If this interpretation is correct, the fluid -- water with minerals dissolved in it -- may have been carried in the original magma that formed the rock or may have interacted with the rock later, he said.

The clues appear in an interior exposure of "Humphrey" where Spirit's rock abrasion tool scraped away the rock's surface to a depth of 2 millimeters (.08 inch). To gain more confidence that the bright material seen in cracks and pores is not dust that has intruded from the surface over the millenia, scientists intend to have Spirit grind more deeply into another dark rock, not yet selected. The bright material is not debris from the grinding process, said Stephen Gorevan of Honeybee Robotics, New York, lead scientist for the abrasion tool.

The amount of water suggested by the possible crystals in "Humphrey" is far less than what is indicated by the minerals and structures that Opportunity has revealed in rocks at Meridiani. Rover scientists announced the Opportunity findings earlier this week. "Mars is a diverse planet," Arvidson said today.

Spirit is headed toward a crater nicknamed "Bonneville," about 150 meters (500 feet) in diameter, where scientists hope to see rocks from beneath the region's surface volcanic layer. Those rocks may tell yet a different story from an earlier era of Gusev Crater's past.

At Meridiani Planum, Opportunity has finished taking a set of 114 microscope images of a rock called "Last Chance" to examine details of the rock's layering structure. The sequence required more than 400 commands and more than 200 positions of Opportunity's robotic arm, said Opportunity Mission Manager Matt Wallace of JPL. "Our activities are getting increasingly complex," he noted.

Spirit completed its 60th martian day, or sol, at Gusev late Thursday. Opportunity completed its 40th sol at Meridiani at 9:32 a.m. Friday, PST. "Between the two rovers, we've had a terrific 100 days on Mars. This last week has been particularly exciting," Wallace said.

A new color view, combining several frames from Opportunity's panoramic camera, adds information about the rover's likely destination after finishing work in and around the small crater where it landed. From partway up the inner slope of that 22-meter-diameter (72-foot-diameter) crater, the rover has an improved view of a crater nicknamed "Endurance," about 10 times as big and about 700 meters (2,300 feet) to the east. "We can see features in the rim, maybe streaks, maybe layers," said Dr. Jim Bell of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., lead scientist for both rovers' panoramic cameras.

The same new view across the flat plain of Meridiani also shows Opportunity's jettisoned heat shield, a trail of marks left by the airbag bounces and a solitary dark rock about 40 centimeters (16 inches) across. Bell said, "Not only did we get incredibly lucky to get this hole-in-one in the crater, but on the way into the crater we hit with the airbags the only rock around."

Both rovers carry magnets supplied by Denmark for experiments to analyze martian dust. Dust covers much of Mars' surface and hangs in the atmosphere, occasionally rising into giant dust storms. One of the magnets is designed to exclude any magnetic dust particles from landing in the center of a target area. During Spirit's time on Mars, dust has accumulated on other parts of the target while the center has remained "probably the cleanest area anywhere on the surface of the rover," said Dr. Morten Madsen, science team member from the Center for Planetary Science, Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Most, if not all of the dust particles in the martian atmosphere are magnetic," Madsen said. Another of the magnets is within reach of the rover's robotic arm. Examination of dust on the target by instruments on the end of the arm will soon yield further information about the composition of the dust, he said.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

[gegeg]

Quanto odio sto' copia/incolla in inglese

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da gegeg
Quanto odio sto' copia/incolla in inglese

ci si aspetta che ci sia qualcuno, specie se interessanto in astronomia e nel campo aerospaziale che conosca un minimo di inglese, e poi, mica pretenderai che traduca tutto...

[GioFX]

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2004

Twin rover Spirit remains on the move, surpassing the 300-meter mark Monday night (U.S. time).

"Spirit completed another 29 meters (94 feet) of its drive toward the rim of Bonneville Crater on sol 64, which ended at 11:49 p.m. PST, bringing its total odometry to 314 meters (1,030 feet) -- 14 meters (45.9 feet) past the minimum mission success criterion," NASA said.

"Spirit began the morning with an 18-meter (59 feet) direct drive that safely maneuvered the rover through a field of rocks. Spirit then traversed 11 more meters (35 feet) using autonomous navigation and at 11:30 a.m. Mars Local Solar Time completed the drive. Spirit had some difficulty finding a way around an obstacle during the last portion of the commanded drive. That resulted in some repeated forward and backward maneuvering which left an interesting 'trench' for scientists to have the rover peer into.

"Spirit is climbing up a very steep part of Bonneville now, and ended this sol's drive tilted at a forward pitch of about 15 degrees."

[gegeg]

Originariamente inviato da GioFX
ci si aspetta che ci sia qualcuno, specie se interessanto in astronomia e nel campo aerospaziale che conosca un minimo di inglese, e poi, mica pretenderai che traduca tutto...

No, non pretendo che truduci tutto, ma mi fa na' rabbia, xche' l'argomento mi interessa !

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da gegeg
No, non pretendo che truduci tutto, ma mi fa na' rabbia, xche' l'argomento mi interessa !

Diciamo che è tutto ok, per ora... Spirit è arrivato al margine del cratere Gusev (300 m dal lander) e si sta lentamente dirigento verso le colline a nord (2 km).

Opportunity ha appena "forato" un'altra roccia, "Humphrey".

[gegeg]

Ok grazie

[gpc]

Spirit ha raggiunto il cratere:

[GioFX]

Mars Rovers See Earth, Moons and Stars

By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 03:00 pm ET
11 March 2004

The Spirit rover on Mars took the first picture of Earth ever made from the surface of another planet. It also did a little astronomy, imaging bright stars.

It also spotted what could be a Viking Orbiter spacecraft or a meteor -- scientists aren't sure which.

The photo of Earth shows the planet as a bright dot above the horizon about an hour before sunrise. The image is not in color, though scientists say if a human stood in the same spot and looked earthward, home would probably appear pale blue.

On the other side of the planet, Opportunity captured animated images of Mars' moon Phobos eclipsing the sun. This, along with the previous image of Deimos' solar eclipse, will help astronomers pin down the small moons' orbits around the planet. Mark Lemmon, a rover science team member from Texas A&M University, said Phobos' orbital position is uncertain, with its actual route varying by about 6 miles (10 kilometers), which is roughly the size of the moon itself.

Knowing Phobos' exact orbital path would allow satellites orbiting Mars to obtain close-up photos of the moon. Researchers do not know if the moons formed along with Mars or are captured asteroids.


Stars and streaks

Spirit is also seeing stars. The rover took nighttime images in the direction of the constellation Orion. The bright star Betelgeuse is visible in the upper right. Orion's belt, a row of three bright stars, can be seen near the bottom of the photograph.

Faint specks on the image are the result of cosmic rays hitting the camera, Lemmon said.

None of Spirit's astronomy images are part of the rover's primary mission, but by taking more of them, scientists hope to learn something about the amount of dust and water vapor in the nighttime atmosphere of Mars.

Another sky photo from Spirit shows a thin and short streak of light.

"That streak could have been a meteor," Lemmon said. Or it could have been the Viking Orbiter 2, still circling Mars long after its 1970s mission ended. Lemmon said the other nine spacecraft currently orbiting Mars -- three of which are presently in working order -- have known positions and did not create the streak.


Spirit reaches Bonneville

Meanwhile, carrying out its day job, Spirit has finally peered down into an impact crater called Bonneville. It is the first view of a good-sized impact crater on Mars ever taken from this vantagepoint, said Matt Golombek of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

The crater does not appear to harbor any sedimentary rock outcroppings, like what was found at the Opportunity landing site, Golombek said at a press conference today. Instead, the rocks around the rim appear to all be similar to rocks the rover has encountered running up to the rim. They are all thought to have been cast out by an ancient impact.

The lack of outcroppings of bedrock is somewhat of a disappointment for scientists, because it suggest there might not be any easy-to-find signs of standing water at the Spirit site. The craft has found signs of past water associated with volcanic activity, but not the sort of soggy situation revealed by Opportunity.

Spirit will explore the crater rim for a week or two before deciding whether to drive down in or move on toward the distant East Hills. The decision will be made based on both science and rover safety.

On the other side of the planet, the Opportunity rover is in the process of analyzing the "blueberry bowl," a high concentration of BB-sized spheres. Scientists are confident the spheres, which they sometimes call blueberries, formed in water, but they don't yet know their composition.


Hematite was water-generated

One of Opportunity's next tasks will be to further investigate a mineral called hematite, which is abundant on the plains that surround the shallow depression in which the robot landed. Phil Christensen of Arizona State University in Tempe said the latest infrared observations show the hematite is highly concentrated in hot spots.

"We call them the mother lode of hematite," Christensen said. The hotspots suggest the hematite has been on the plains for perhaps a billion years and has been broken up from an original rock. He also figures the hematite was long ago punched out of the landing-site crater, which contains very low quantities of the mineral.

Over the eons, some hematite has been transported back down into the shallow crater, but "that's a very slow process," he said.

On Earth, hematite usually forms in the presence of standing water. Scientists had sought to determine if water was the source of the Martian hematite, which had first been detected from orbiting spacecraft and was one reason Opportunity's landing site was picked.

Given the discovery of past water at Opportunity site announced earlier this month, "I think it's fair to say the hematite also formed in water," Christensen said. His team will now try to find out how the hematite fits into the overall story of past water on Mars.



Spirit took images in direction of the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is the bright star in upper right-hand corner. Orion's 'belt' is near bottom. Faint spots on the image are cosmic rays hitting the detector. Credit: NASA/JPL


Spirit also captured the Earth in the sky during sunrise on Mars. Mars' rotation is different than Earth's rotation, so the trails of the stars are not what Earth-based observers would see here at home. Credit: NASA/JPL

[GioFX]

Spirit looks down into crater after reaching rim

MISSION CONTROL REPORT
Posted: March 11, 2004

NASA's Spirit has begun looking down into a crater it has been approaching for several weeks, providing a view of what's below the surrounding surface.


Spirit reaches Bonneville. Credit: NASA/JPL

Spirit has also been looking up, seeing stars and the first observation of Earth from the surface of another planet. Its twin, Opportunity, has shown scientists a "mother lode" of hematite now considered a target for close-up investigation.

"It's been an extremely exciting and productive week for both of the rovers," said Spirit Mission Manager Jennifer Trosper at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Dr. Chris Leger, a rover driver at JPL, said, "The terrain has been getting trickier and trickier as we've gotten close to the crater. The slopes have been getting steeper and we have more rocks." Spirit has now traveled a total of 335 meters (1,099 feet).

Spirit's new position on the rim of the crater nicknamed "Bonneville" offers a vista in all directions, including the crater interior. The distance to the opposite rim is about the length of two football fields, nearly 10 times the diameter of Opportunity's landing-site crater halfway around the planet from Spirit.

Initial images from Spirit's navigation camera do not reveal any obvious layers in "Bonneville's" inner wall, but they do show tantalizing clues of rock features high on the far side, science-team member Dr. Matt Golombek of JPL said at a news briefing today. "This place where we've just arrived has opened up, and it's going to take us a few days to get our arms around it."

Scientists anticipate soon learning more about the crater from Spirit's higher-resolution panoramic camera and the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, both of which can identify minerals from a distance. They will use that information for deciding whether to send Spirit down into the crater.

From the crater rim and during martian nighttime earlier today, Spirit took pictures of stars, including a portion of the constellation Orion. Shortly before dawn four martian days earlier, it photographed Earth as a speck of light in the morning twilight. The tests of rover capabilities for astronomical observations will be used in planning possible studies of Mars' atmospheric characteristics at night. Those studies might include estimating the amounts of dust and ice particles in the atmosphere from their effects on starlight, said Dr. Mark Lemmon, a science team member from Texas A&M University, College Station.


Earth as seen from Mars' surface. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas A&M

Opportunity has been looking up, too. It has photographed Mars' larger moon, Phobos, passing in front of the Sun twice in the past week, and Mars' smaller moon, Deimos, doing so once.

Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer has taken upward-looking readings of the atmospheric temperature at the same time as a similar instrument, the thermal emission spectrometer on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter, took downward-pointed readings while passing overhead. "They were actually looking directly along the same path," said science team member Dr. Michael Wolff of the Martinez, Ga., branch of the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. The combined readings give the first full temperature profile from the top of Mars' atmosphere to the surface."

When pointed at the ground, Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer has checked the abundance of hematite in all directions from the rover's location inside its landing-site crater. This mineral, in its coarse-grained form, usually forms in a wet environment. Detection of hematite from orbit was the prime factor in selection of the Meridiani Planum region for Opportunity's landing site.

"The plains outside our crater are covered with hematite," said Dr. Phil Christensen of Arizona State University, Tempe, lead scientist for the instrument. "The rock outcrop we've been studying has some hematite. Parts of the floor of the crater, interestingly enough, have virtually none." The pattern fits a theory that the crater was dug by an impact that punched through a hematite-rich surface layer, he said. One goal for Opportunity's future work is to learn more about that surface layer to get more clues about the wet past environment indicated by sulfate minerals identified last week in the crater's outcrop.

Christensen said that before Opportunity drives out of the crater in about 10 days, scientists plan to investigate one area on the inner slope of the crater that he called "the mother lode of hematite."

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

[Schummacherr]

Che impressione vedere la terra da marte

[gegeg]

Originariamente inviato da Schummacherr
Che impressione vedere la terra da marte

Vi rendete conto che esseri piccoli ed insignificanti che siamo ?

[gpc]

Bellissima immagine del cratere a colori:



Domanda: che cos'è quella cosa color grigio che si trova sul bordo del cratere, dalla parte opposta, verso sinistra? L'avevo notata anche nella foto in bianco e nero, ma adesso si vede proprio bene. Speriamo che vadano alla svelta a vedere che cos'è...

A chi interessasse, qui c'è il link per l'immagine ad alta risoluzione da 26Mb:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...lor-A071R1.jpg