Astrogeology Science Center
News
Sol 2409: Playing in the Sand
The sol 2408 plan ended with the rover using its front wheel to dig a small trench in a ripple at the ripple field named "Rigg." That means today’s plan is focused on studying what that scuff uncovered. There is a lot that we can learn from these patches of active sand that we occasionally encounter as we explore Gale crater!
Scientist Discovers a New Warm Spot in Yellowstone
R. Greg Vaughan, a research scientist at the Astrogeology Science Center, has found a new thermal area in Yellowstone National Park!
Before the Moon Landing: Astronaut Training in Flagstaff
Lunar Legacy Celebration: Great information upcoming on CBS!
Did you know every Astronaut that walked on the Moon trained in Flagstaff?
Mike and the Moon
Lunar Legacy Celebration
One night after dinner the topic of conversation drifted to my work with the USGS Astrogeology Science Center here in Flagstaff as an IT Specialist. My friends were visiting from out of town and had seen Internet articles about the Flagstaff Lunar Legacy Celebration of the 50th...
Sols 2397-2399: Go SAM, Go!
Written by Kristen Bennett on 05.03.2019.
Sol 2393-2394: Putting the L in MSL
Today's main activities use the "laboratory" instruments SAM and CheMin inside of Curiosity to analyze some of the powder from the Kilmarie drill hole. SAM will do an Evolved Gas Analysis, which involves heating the sample and measuring the gases that are generated, and CheMin will do its usual analysis, shining x-rays through the sample to determine what minerals are present.
MER team members mourn loss of Opportunity
Local MER Team members has had to cope with the death of Mars Rover, Opportunity, due to a huge dust storm. NASA declared the mission and Opportunity done on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at JPL. Arizona Daily Sun sheds light on how the team is faring. Get the details...
Sols 2386-2387: A new drill hole!
The drilling planned for last weekend was successful, so the top priority for Sol 2386 is to drop portions of the Kilmarie sample onto a closed SAM inlet cover and take Mastcam images after each dropoff to characterize the size of each portion. The results of this...
USGS Scientist Discusses Lunar Legacy with 3TV
In the following video, 3TV joined with the Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff to celebrate the lunar legacy. The video features interviews with Kevin Schindler at Lowell and USGS scientist, Ryan Anderson. This aired in Phoenix on the show "Your Life Arizona" on March 13, with a supposed reach of 61K viewers.
Sol 2375: CheMin Success at Aberlady!
Today we received the initial results from CheMin's analysis of the "Aberlady" drill sample, and they look great! This means that CheMin received enough sample and we do not need to deliver more material. Based on the initial questions about how much sample was obtained (see the ...
Discovering new thermal areas in Yellowstone's dynamic landscape!
Yellowstone's thermal areas are the surface expression of the deeper magmatic system, and they are always changing. Recently, we have discovered another phenomenal example of thermal change—the emergence of an entirely new thermal area, which has taken place over the past 20 years!
Astrogeology Stepping Out for STEM Night
Members of the Astrogeology Science Center (ASC) stepped out on March 11 to join with other USGS Flagstaff Field Center employees and the greater Flagstaff Community in celebration of all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The 6th annual Flagstaff Community STEM celebration was held at the Northern Arizona University Skydome. Over 2000 people braved the rainy...