Mars News and Discussions

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Solving the mystery of frost hiding on Mars
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-mystery-frost-mars.html
by Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Martian surface frost, made up largely of carbon dioxide, appears blueish-white in these images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera aboard NASA’s 2001 Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS takes images in both visible light perceptible to the human eye and
A new study using data from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter may explain why Martian frost can be invisible to the naked eye and why dust avalanches appear on some slopes.

Scientists were baffled last year when studying images of the Martian surface taken at dawn by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. When they looked at the surface using visible light—the kind that the human eye perceives—they could see ghostly, blue-white morning frost illuminated by the rising sun. But using the orbiter's heat-sensitive camera, the frost appeared more widely, including in areas where none was visible.

The scientists knew they were looking at frost that forms overnight and is made mostly of carbon dioxide—essentially, dry ice, which often appears as frost on the Red Planet rather than as water ice. But why was this dry ice frost visible in some places and not others?

In a paper published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, these scientists proposed a surprising answer that may also explain how dust avalanches, which are reshaping the planet, are triggered after sunrise.
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Chinese rover finds evidence that water was present on Mars more recently than thought
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-chinese-r ... ought.html
by Bob Yirka , Phys.org
A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with a colleague from the University of Copenhagen, has found evidence that water was present on Mars more recently than has been thought. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their analysis of data from China's Zhurong rover and what it showed them about ice in hydrated minerals.

Prior research has suggested that parts of the Martian surface were covered with water up until approximately 3 billion years ago. The time since the water dried up on Mars is known as the Amazonia period. In this new effort, data from the Chinese rover Zhurong has shown the researchers evidence that water on Mars might have persisted longer than has been thought.

Rover Zhurong has been traveling around in an impact crater on the Mars surface for approximately one year. During that time, it has used its two spectrometers to analyze rocks. It also takes pictures of the rocks using its microimaging camera. The rover also blasts them with a laser to create smoke that can be analyzed. The researchers compared the signatures they found in the rocks on Mars with rocks on Earth, finding that some of the rocks are hydrated minerals, which are minerals containing water. They also found instances of layers of duricrust, the formation of which they note would have required a large amount of water either rising from below the surface or from a large quantity of melting ice.
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Study reveals new way to reconstruct past climate on Mars
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-reveals-r ... -mars.html
by Silvia Dropulich, Monash University
A study led by a Monash University geologist has provided fresh evidence for when high rates of erosion occurred throughout the history of Mars.

The findings, published today in Geology date when climate was far more erosive in Mars' past—with the implication that there were sustained periods of time when liquid water moved across the planet's surface.

Scientists have long been keen to understand how Mars went from a state potentially more like modern Earth, to the desolate inhospitable place it is today.

"If we want to know if there was life on Mars, we need to understand the sedimentary rock record," said lead study author Dr. Andrew Gunn, from the Monash University School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment.

"Our study determines the timing and rates of sediment erosion and accumulation over Mars' geologic history in a completely novel way, and for the first time quantifies a measure of the erodibility of each of the types of rocks we see on Mars' surface," he said.

"It is significant because we show that the abundance of sands blown by wind into craters on Mars' surface can be linked to the climate history of the planet, unlocking a new way to understand when in geologic time Mars may have been habitable."
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New Study Reveals Solar Heat to be the Likely Cause of Dust Storms on Mars
by Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.

Introduction:
(University Space Research Association) Columbia, MD and Houston, TX—May 16, 2022. A team of scientists, including Dr. Germán Martínez from the Universities Space Research Association at LPI, just published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study indicates there are seasonal energy imbalances in the amount of solar energy absorbed and released by Mars which is a likely cause of dust storms, and could play an important role in understanding the climate and atmosphere of the red planet.

The radiant energy budget (a term referring to the measurement of solar energy a planet takes in from the sun then releases as heat) of a planet is a fundamental metric. Based on observations from multiple missions, a team of scientists provided a global picture of Mars’ climate. Measurements from the NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover, and InSight missions reveal strong seasonal and diurnal variations of Mars’ emitted power.

“One of the most interesting findings is that energy excess—more energy being absorbed than produced—could be one of the generating mechanisms of dust storms on Mars,” says Ellen Creecy, the lead author of the study1 and a doctoral student from the University of Houston, Texas.

“Our results showing strong energy imbalances suggest that current numerical models should be revisited, as these typically assume that Mars’ radiant energy is balanced between Mars’ seasons,” said Dr. Germán Martínez, USRA Staff Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and co-author of the paper. “Furthermore, our results highlight the connection between dust storms and energy imbalances, and thus can provide new insights into the generation of dust storms on Mars.”

In this study, a team of scientists used observations from martian satellites, landers, and rovers to estimate Mars’ emitted energy globally as a function of season, including periods with a global dust storm. They found that there is a strong energy imbalance of ~15.3 % between Mars’ seasons, which is much larger than on Earth (0.4%) or Titan (2.9%). They also found that during the 2001 planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, the global-average emitted power decreased by 22% during daytime but increased by 29% during nighttime.
Read more here: https://newsroom.usra.edu/new-study-rev ... s-on-mars/

Image
June 2018 Mars dust storm taken from NASA's Curiosity Rover standing inside Gale Crater looking out to the crater rim.
Credits: NASA
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caltrek wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:22 pm New Study Reveals Solar Heat to be the Likely Cause of Dust Storms on Mars
by Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.

Introduction:
(University Space Research Association) Columbia, MD and Houston, TX—May 16, 2022. A team of scientists, including Dr. Germán Martínez from the Universities Space Research Association at LPI, just published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study indicates there are seasonal energy imbalances in the amount of solar energy absorbed and released by Mars which is a likely cause of dust storms, and could play an important role in understanding the climate and atmosphere of the red planet.

The radiant energy budget (a term referring to the measurement of solar energy a planet takes in from the sun then releases as heat) of a planet is a fundamental metric. Based on observations from multiple missions, a team of scientists provided a global picture of Mars’ climate. Measurements from the NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover, and InSight missions reveal strong seasonal and diurnal variations of Mars’ emitted power.

“One of the most interesting findings is that energy excess—more energy being absorbed than produced—could be one of the generating mechanisms of dust storms on Mars,” says Ellen Creecy, the lead author of the study1 and a doctoral student from the University of Houston, Texas.

“Our results showing strong energy imbalances suggest that current numerical models should be revisited, as these typically assume that Mars’ radiant energy is balanced between Mars’ seasons,” said Dr. Germán Martínez, USRA Staff Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and co-author of the paper. “Furthermore, our results highlight the connection between dust storms and energy imbalances, and thus can provide new insights into the generation of dust storms on Mars.”

In this study, a team of scientists used observations from martian satellites, landers, and rovers to estimate Mars’ emitted energy globally as a function of season, including periods with a global dust storm. They found that there is a strong energy imbalance of ~15.3 % between Mars’ seasons, which is much larger than on Earth (0.4%) or Titan (2.9%). They also found that during the 2001 planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, the global-average emitted power decreased by 22% during daytime but increased by 29% during nighttime.
Read more here: https://newsroom.usra.edu/new-study-rev ... s-on-mars/

Image
June 2018 Mars dust storm taken from NASA's Curiosity Rover standing inside Gale Crater looking out to the crater rim.
Credits: NASA

Pretty much the same thing that causes it on earth and causes convective storms. ;)
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NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter captures video of record flight

by Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Imagery has come down from Mars capturing a recent flight in which the rotorcraft flew farther and faster than ever before.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's black-and-white navigation camera has provided dramatic video of its record-breaking 25th flight, which took place on April 18. Covering a distance of 2,310 feet (704 meters) at a speed of 12 mph (5.5 meters per second), it was the Red Planet rotorcraft's longest and fastest flight to date. (Ingenuity is currently preparing for its 29th flight.)

"For our record-breaking flight, Ingenuity's downward-looking navigation camera provided us with a breathtaking sense of what it would feel like gliding 33 feet above the surface of Mars at 12 miles per hour," said Ingenuity team lead Teddy Tzanetos of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-nasa-inge ... tures.html
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NASA’s Mars Insight Lander Detects Monster "Marsquake"
by David Dickinson
May 18, 2022

Introduction:
(Sky and Telescope) Mars Insight researchers have caught a lucky break — for a change. The lander’s Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument witnessed a magnitude-5.0 marsquake on May 4, 2022. Though not large by Earth standards, the temblor was the largest recorded on another planet.

The event occurred just three days before power levels on the lander dropped due to accumulation of Martian dust on its solar panels, and the lander entered a preemptive safe mode.

The finding breaks the previous record for largest marsquake, a 4.2-magnitude quake that Insight detected on August 25, 2021. To date, Insight has detected more than 1,313 marsquakes since it touched down on the Red Planet in November 2018. The quakes give researchers a way to look into the Martian interior, enabling them to measure the thickness of the crust and the size and structure of the planet's mantle and core.

"Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we've been waiting for 'the big one,'" says Bruce Banerdt (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in a recent press release. "This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come."
Read more here: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-b ... marsquake/
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Curiosity Has Found Some Truly Weird-Looking, Twisty Rock Towers on Mars
by Carly Cassella
June 7, 2022

Introduction:
(Science Alert) The Curiosity rover has found an outstanding rock formation piercing the alien landscape of Mars. Amongst the shallow sands and boulders of the Gale Crater rise several twisting towers of rock – the spikes of sediment look almost like frozen streams of water poured from an invisible jug in the sky.

In reality, experts say the columns were probably created from cement-like substances that once filled ancient cracks of bedrock. As the softer rock gradually eroded away, the snaking streams of compact material remained standing.

The rock formations were snapped by a camera on board the Curiosity rover on May 17, but the image was only shared last week by NASA and experts at the SETI institute (which stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), as part of SETI's planetary picture of the day initiative.

#PPOD: Here is another cool rock at Gale crater on Mars! The spikes are most likely the cemented fillings of ancient fractures in a sedimentary rock. The rest of the rock was made of softer material and was eroded away. 📷: @NASA @NASAJPL @Caltech #MSSS fredk, acquired on May 17. pic.twitter.com/RGfjmRBfI7
— The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) May 26, 2022

As alien as the structures might look, they aren't without precedent.
Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/check-out ... d-on-mars

Image
Rock formations found on Mars.
NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
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NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity needs a patch to keep flying after sensor failure
https://phys.org/news/2022-06-nasa-mars ... patch.html
by Bob Yirka , Phys.org
NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has suffered a sensor failure, according to Håvard Grip, the chief helicopter pilot on the project. In a recent blog post on the NASA Science page, he described some of the challenges the tiny robot is experiencing in the harsh environment and also noted that a sensor failure is going to require a computer patch.

Ingenuity has been on Mars since February 2021, along with the Perseverance rover. Since that time, it has flown 28 times, significantly more than was originally planned. Its initial assignment was to determine if a helicopter could be flown on Mars. Ingenuity has shown that it can—and far more. Its current missions generally entail surveying the landscape around Perseverance, helping to plot its course.

But the harsh environment on Mars has posed challenges for the tiny helicopter and the crew working to keep it flying. First of all, according to Grip, since the helicopter was not expected to last as long as it did, measures were not taken to ensure it could get enough power from the sun during the short Martian winter days. Thus, it has to shut down at night. That leaves it exposed to temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius, which could lead to damage of its electronics. And the constant shift in temperature extremes could lead to damage as well. The helicopter, along with every other vehicle sent to Mars, also has to contend with constant dust, which is even more prevalent in the winter.
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