Publications
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Properties and distribution of paired candidate stony meteorites at Meridiani Planum Properties and distribution of paired candidate stony meteorites at Meridiani Planum
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity investigated four rocks, informally dubbed Barberton, Santa Catarina, Santorini, and Kasos, that are possible stony meteorites. Their chemical and mineralogical composition is similar to the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite group but with additional metal, similar to mesosiderite silicate clasts. Because of their virtually identical composition and...
Authors
Christian Schroder, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, William H. Farrand, John E. Chappelow, Wei Wang, L.R. Nittler, James W. Ashley, Iris Fleischer, Ralf Gellert, Matthew P. Golombek, Jeffrey R. Johnson, G. Klingelhoefer, Ron Li, Richard V. Morris, Steven W. Squyres
Regional and grain size influences on the geochemistry of soil at Gusev Crater Regional and grain size influences on the geochemistry of soil at Gusev Crater
Congruous with earlier work, Martian soil along the Spirit Rover's traverse at Gusev crater can be divided into three broad groups by size: fines (
Authors
Suniti Karunatillake, Scott M. McLennan, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff
Gone with the wind: Eolian erasure of the Mars Rover tracks Gone with the wind: Eolian erasure of the Mars Rover tracks
The wheel tracks left by the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity are unique artificial markings on the surface of Mars. The tracks stretch several kilometers across diverse terrain in two widely separated regions of the planet. The initial appearance and characteristics of the tracks were well documented by the science and navigation cameras aboard the vehicles at the time the...
Authors
Paul E. Geissler, R. Sullivan, M. Golombek, J. R. Johnson, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, N. Bridges, Amy Vaughan, J. Maki, T. Parker, J. Bell
Spirit Mars Rover Mission: Overview and selected results from the northern Home Plate Winter Haven to the side of Scamander crater Spirit Mars Rover Mission: Overview and selected results from the northern Home Plate Winter Haven to the side of Scamander crater
This paper summarizes Spirit Rover operations in the Columbia Hills, Gusev crater, from sol 1410 (start of the third winter campaign) to sol 2169 (when extrication attempts from Troy stopped to winterize the vehicle) and provides an overview of key scientific results. The third winter campaign took advantage of parking on the northern slope of Home Plate to tilt the vehicle to track the...
Authors
R. E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell, P. Bellutta, N.A. Cabrol, J.G. Catalano, J. Cohen, L.S. Crumpler, D. J. Des Marais, T.A. Estlin, W.H. Farrand, R. Gellert, J. A. Grant, Rebecca N Greenberger, E.A. Guinness, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, J.A. Herman, K.D. Iagnemma, J. R. Johnson, G. Klingelhoefer, K.A. Lichtenberg, S.A. Maxwell, D. W. Ming, R.V. Morris, M.S. Rice, S. W. Ruff, A. Shaw, Kirsten L. Siebach, Paulo A. de Souza, A.W. Stroupe, S. W. Squyres, R.J. Sullivan, K.P. Talley, J.A. Townsend, A. Wang, J.R. Wright, A. S. Yen
Mineralogy and chemistry of cobbles at Meridiani Planum, Mars, investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Mineralogy and chemistry of cobbles at Meridiani Planum, Mars, investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
Numerous loose rocks with dimensions of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters and with no obvious physical relationship to outcrop rocks have been observed along the traverse of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. To date, about a dozen of these rocks have been analyzed with Opportunity's contact instruments, providing information about elemental chemistry (Alpha Particle X‐ray...
Authors
I. Fleischer, J. Bruckner, C. Schroder, W. Farrand, E. Treguier, R.V. Morris, G. Klingelhoefer, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, David W. Mittlefehldt, J. Ashley, M. Golombek, J. R. Johnson, B. Jolliff, Steve W. Squyres, C. Weitz, R. Gellert, Paulo A. de Souza, B. A. Cohen
A comparison of Martian north and south polar cold spots and the long‐term effects of the 2001 global dust storm A comparison of Martian north and south polar cold spots and the long‐term effects of the 2001 global dust storm
In the 1970s, Viking and Mariner observed areas in the polar regions of Mars with winter brightness temperatures below the expected kinetic temperatures for CO2 ice sublimation. These areas have since been termed “cold spots” and have been identified as surface deposits of CO2 atmospheric condensates and, occasionally, active CO2 storms. Three Mars years of data from the Mars Global...
Authors
C. Cornwall, Timothy N. Titus
Global geological mapping of Ganymede Global geological mapping of Ganymede
We have compiled a global geological map of Ganymede that represents the most recent understanding of the satellite based on Galileo mission results. This contribution builds on important previous accomplishments in the study of Ganymede utilizing Voyager data and incorporates the many new discoveries that were brought about by examination of Galileo data. We discuss the material...
Authors
G. Wesley Patterson, Geoffrey C. Collins, James W. Head, Robert T. Pappalardo, Louise M. Prockter, Baerbel K. Lucchitta, Jonathan P. Kay
The construction of Chasma Boreale on Mars The construction of Chasma Boreale on Mars
The polar layered deposits of Mars contain the planet’s largest known reservoir of water ice1,2 and the prospect of revealing a detailed Martian palaeoclimate record3,4, but the mechanisms responsible for the formation of the dominant features of the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) are unclear, despite decades of debate. Stratigraphic analyses of the exposed portions of Chasma...
Authors
J.W. Holt, Kathryn E. Fishbaugh, S. Byrne, S. Christian, Kenneth L. Tanaka, P.S. Russell, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, A. Safaeinili, Nathaniel E. Putzig, R.J. Phillips
Acquisition and history of water on Mars Acquisition and history of water on Mars
The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the geologic history of Mars and the role water has played in the evolution of the surface so that subsequent chapters on more specific topics can be viewed in a broader context. It focuses mainly on surficial processes such as erosion, sedimentation, and weathering, rather than on primary terrain-building processes such as impact, tectonism...
Authors
M. H. Carr, James W. Head
Geologic history of Mars Geologic history of Mars
Mars accumulated and differentiated into crust, mantle and core within a few tens of millions of years of Solar System formation. Formation of Hellas, which has been adopted as the base of the Noachian period, is estimated to have occurred around 4.1 to 3.8 Gyr ago, depending on whether or not the planet experienced a late cataclysm. Little is known of the pre-Noachian period except that...
Authors
Michael H. Carr, James W. Head
Seasonal H2O and CO2 ice cycles at the Mars Phoenix landing site: 1. Prelanding CRISM and HiRISE observations Seasonal H2O and CO2 ice cycles at the Mars Phoenix landing site: 1. Prelanding CRISM and HiRISE observations
The condensation, evolution, and sublimation of seasonal water and carbon dioxide ices were characterized at the Mars Phoenix landing site from Martian northern midsummer to midspring (Ls ∼ 142° – Ls ∼ 60°) for the year prior to the Phoenix landing on 25 May 2008. Ice relative abundances and grain sizes were estimated using data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for...
Authors
Selby Cull, Raymond E. Arvidson, Michael T. Mellon, Sandra M. Wiseman, Roger N. Clark, Timothy N. Titus, Richard V. Morris, Patrick E. McGuire
The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars
Platy‐ridged surfaces in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars exhibit different crater densities on rafted plates and polygonally patterned areas between them. Rather than being indicative of different ages, these differences provide insight into the variable strength of different types of lava surface. The sizes of small craters, and the resulting size‐frequency distribution (SFD)...
Authors
Colin M. Dundas, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Veronica J. Bray, Alfred S. McEwen