The same is true for views of the Earth: when we can look down from above we can see things differently and even barren landscapes and polluted cities can be beautiful.  Today's post over at The Big Picture has a fantastic series of images of the earth from above. I especially liked this one of Iceland:

I'm not the only one who thinks that the beautiful images taken of planets qualify as art. In fact, Cornell is hosting the 40th annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting next weekend, and along with the conference the art museum on campus is displaying a selection of spectacular images from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. The Cornell Symphony Orchestra will also be playing Holst's famous symphony "The Planets", with a photographic accompaniment assembled by myself and many others. (we're hoping to post the videos online at some point) They'll also be playing a never-before-performed piece of music inspired by the same amazing images of Saturn that will be on display at the art museum.

It is easy to think about science and art as existing totally isolated from one another, but both are among humanity's greatest accomplishments. It only seems fitting that they sometimes overlap.

Groundwater flow on Mars has been speculated for a long time, but it takes powerful cameras like HiRISE to actually find the evidence. These cracks resisted erosion because they were filled with minerals deposited by groundwater, so now we can see them as positive relief.

From the press release:

"This study provides a picture of not just surface water erosion, but true groundwater effects widely distributed over the planet," said Suzanne Smrekar, deputy project scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Groundwater movement has important implications for how the temperature and chemistry of the crust have changed over time, which in turn affects the potential for habitats for past life."

Too bad we didn't find these a year ago so they could be considered as an MSL landing site...

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Description:

This image covers a relatively dark-toned patch of ground west of the Olympus Mons volcano. This spot is one of several dark areas in this region of Mars.

These dark spots are distinctive because much of the surrounding area appears to be covered by light-toned dust. In pre-HiRISE images, the origin of this dark spot was ambiguous. This HiRISE image reveals that the dark color is likely the result of accumulations of basaltic sand (smooth, blue-colored material in the color swath) on top of otherwise relatively dust-free bedrock.

Evidence of layering is also visible within the dark (blue) area. There are alternating bands of lighter- and darker-toned material, consistent with alternating layers of bedrock. These alternating bands are not apparent outside of the dark area. This may mean that alternating layers of bedrock only occur within the dark area, or that these bedrock layers occur throughout the region but are covered and obscured by light-toned dust outside of the dark area

The Mawrth Vallis landing site is actually a set of four possible landing ellipses in an area with huge clay mineral signatures that is cut by a meandering outflow channel. There was some grumbling in the past about the fact that Mawrth advocates proposed four ellipses when everyone else followed the rules and only submitted one, but in the end I think it hurt them. They ran way over time today and had to speed through several very good presentations.

Part of the reason they went over time is because their first presentation spent a long time trying to convince people that the mission must go to a location from early in Mars history. We already knew that! They also had a lot of overlap between the individual presentations. But anyway, on with the science.

Mawrth is a bonanza of clay minerals. We saw modeling evidence which indicates that in some places >60% of the minerals in the rocks have water in them. I don't know how much I trust the models, and I am suspicious of such large numbers, but at any rate, if there are thick beds of clays anywhere on Mars, Mawrth is a great candidate for that. The great thing about Mawrth is that not only is there a very strong phyllosilicate detection, but there are both Aluminum and Iron/Magnesium bearing clays, and they have a definite stratigraphic relationship. Throughout the area, and even in locations hundreds of kilometers away, the same layers are seen: a bottom layer of iron/magnesium clays, a top layer of aluminum clays and hydrated silicates, and a capping layer of something else. In between the two clay layers there may be another layer that represents a chemical reaction between them.

There is also a lot of interesting morphology in the area, including polygons that seem to correlate with clays, fractures in the bedrock that have light or dark "haloes" around them that may indicate fluid flow, deformed layers of sediment, and filled craters. Also, some of the layers appear to follow the topography so that maybe they were draped over it. This would be possible if they were some sort of ash fall from a huge eruption, or some other sedimentary unit that was draped over and then altered in place.

As i mentioned briefly above, the same layering sequence is seen in areas many hundreds of kilometers away from Mawrth Vallis, meaning that if we figured out Mawrth, we could figure out a big area of Mars. One of the confusing things about Mawrht is that there is no clear basin that would collect sediment, so the question arises: how do we know that these are huge stacks of ash or dust or sand or something blown by the wind? This was discussed at great length, but the bottom  line that I took away was that, yes, it could all be air-blown. John Grotzinger, the project scientist, pointed out that on Earth, we learn a lot from stuff that has been transported and that to him it's still an interesting site whether the clays were transported or formed in place.

Some people expressed the thought that, after being bombarded by a series of presentations about the site, they couldn't see how a story would come out of it. The response to this was that, yes it is complicated, but it is not a complete mess with no coherent relationship. There are a lot of observables at the site with MSL, and I found this complaint kind of odd for this site. The group presenting showed us lots of hypotheses even if they didn't call them that, and I don't think it would be incomprehensible from the ground with the rover.

One of the final points raised was that, if the layers appear to drape current topography, how do we know they aren't much younger than they seem. The answer given to this was extremely unsatisfying to me. Basically they said that one current theory (which happens to be the favorite one of the proposers of this site, since they came up with it) says that phyllosilicates formed early in Mars history, and therefor this site with phyllosilicates must be from that period. That wasn't how they said it, but that's what it amounted to, and that's dangerous thinking.

Mawrth is definitely a fascinating site that could tell us a lot about Mars, and it has the best evidence for clay minerals seen on the planet. But life can be well preserved without clays and clays don't always preserve life. A lot of people at this workshop are equating clays with biomarker preservation but it is not that simple. I think the presenters shot themselves in their collective feet by not being organized, not following the same pattern that the other presentations did and running way over time. I like Mawrth, but I came away feeling like there is a lot that we don't know regarding its habitability and potential to preserve organics, so I don't know if it will be carried.

The first is a program called "jmars". This java-based program distributed by Arizona State University lets you overlay all sorts of global datasets, from MOLA topography to THEMIS nighttime infrared maps to H2O abundance from the Odyssey gamma ray spectrometer. It also shows the location of high-resolution images from MOC, HiRISE and CTX, and lets you either load a low-resolution version of the images right in jmars, or click a link and web-browse to a higher-resolution version. I use this program all the time. Here's a screenshot of what I'm (supposed to be) working on right now. It shows a THEMIS day-IR map of the Meridiani region of Mars with CTX images overlaid on top and outlines of the locations of all the HiRISE (red) and MOC (pink) images of the area. (click for a bigger version)

I also discovered yesterday that you can generate a 3D view of Mars with jmars also! Check out this view of Valles Marineris (no vertical exaggeration).

The second tool that I often use is Google Earth. "But wait!" you say, "I thought we were talking about Mars!" Oh, we are. The trick is, you just drape earth in Mars data and everything works great! Here's a link to a website describing how to set up Google earth to display all sorts of Mars data. Follow the directions and soon you too can click and zoom on a globe that looks like this:

Have fun!

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Description:

This image shows a part of the Cerberus Fossae, a system of aligned fissures east of Elysium. The fissures were probably the source of floods of both water and lava. The most recent event was a massive outpouring of basaltic lava (a fluid-type of lava like that commonly erupted by Kilauea in Hawaii), which produced a host of volcanic features in the region, as described by Jaeger et al. (2007).

Here, as at other locations, the fossae appear a striking blue in HiRISE false color. Blue tones are usually associated with basaltic rock. The blue ripples found on the trough floor could be wind-blown sand comprised of fine fragments of basalt. The upper plains are a relatively bland tone, perhaps due to a thin coating of dust; however, impact craters in the image also show bluish boulders and ripples, indicating that they have excavated the same basaltic rock layers cut by the fossae. This is typical of the region, as floods of lava coat much of the area.

The mesas of older rock just north of the fissures are remnants of a former surface, now eroded. The surrounding region has many knobs and larger protruding topography, which may be remnants of the same materials. The topmost layer in each mesa is very resistant to weathering, as in places it actually overhangs the lower rocks. This cap layer could be solidified lava, although it appears somewhat bland in color.

Although the mesa is clearly eroded and the cap rock breaks up into boulders, few rocks are visible at the bottom of the slope. The lava plains may have buried the former basal slope, or debris may have been swept away by lava or floodwater, that could also have contributed to eroding the mesa

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Description:

The crater featured in this scene formed on top of ejecta from a nearby rampart crater, located to the north.

The crater’s distinct rim indicates it is relatively young. There is bright material on many of the crater walls that might be landslides of dust or another bright substance.

The mounds of material on the crater floor probably formed during late stages of crater’s own formation. The crater floor is speckled with even smaller craters.

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Description:

This image shows the floor of an unnamed impact crater in Arabia Terra that has layered deposits. There are many craters in this region where layering is observed.

These layers are often exposed along the sides of large isolated mounds, small knobs and mesas, and other positive relief features. In some cases, the layering is expressed as narrow sinuous ridge-like structures along crater floors.

The presence of layered deposits is of particular interest because these materials are not likely to be related to the impact event, but rather post-impact infill of the crater. Modification of the deposits has now revealed layers of material.

HiRISE and other instruments onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter may provide more clues to the origin of the these deposits.

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Description:

This image shows layered sedimentary rocks that fill an impact crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars.

These layered rocks may have formed through the accumulation of sediment (sand and dust) that were transported into this crater by blowing wind or flowing water. These sediments formed an extensive deposit that once covered the floor of the surrounding impact crater.

This crater is so large that the HiRISE image is entirely within it, and the crater rim is not visible. These sedimentary rocks were then eroded, likely by the wind. The original sand and dust were deposited in distinct layers within the crater; these layers now give the mounds their distinctive stair-stepped appearance, and are all that remain from this once extensive deposit.

Wallpapper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Description:

Nili Fossae trough is a linear trough about 25 kilometers wide, formed in response to the creation of the Isidis basin.

Nili Fossae has diverse deposits, some containing phyllosilicates (clay deposits which typically form in the presence of water), and others with the minerals olivine and pyroxene.

This image is part of a series covering the 25 km landing ellipse; these images are used to determine the safest possible landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory rover. In this image, relatively smooth rock exposures is visible, as well as sand ripples and some small knobs. There are few large rocks in the area, while the surface seems to be mostly flat, fractured rock. This image is located in the southeastern part of the landing ellipse.

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

Credit:

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Description:

This image was targeted because a previous MOC image (R1100035) showed an distinctive field of mounds on the floor of an ancient, large, filled-in crater.

The origin of the mounds was unclear, so we hoped that a HiRISE image with higher resolution and color would solve the mystery. The HiRISE image shows much more detail on the mounds and other rough textures, indicating that this is an eroded bedrock surface, perhaps exposed by removal of an overlying layer of fine-grained materials by the wind.

But how did the rocks form, and why did they erode onto mounds? It could have been lava or impact ejecta or fluvial sediments, perhaps altered and indurated by groundwater. The mounds could be due to how it was deposited—like hummocky impact ejecta—or how it was indurated. In other words, we haven't solved the mystery!

Yet we may get new clues from future images of similar terrains in places where the origin is more interpretable, or from other datasets such as the mineral content determined by CRISM.

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

we have identified an area [for landing] that is very flat and relatively free of large boulders

Soon after Phoenix's landing, news was published that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE had captured a picture of Phoenix and its lander during descent.  Pretty cool, I thought - the chute, the cords, and the lander were clearly visible in that picture.  Still, nothing in that news article made me question the "flat" assumption.

But this morning, when I was browsing the Phoenix page on Wikipedia, I realized that the full chute picture showed that the landing region was anything but boring:

Phoenix didn't land in "Heimdall" crater - it landed 20km away.  But since this crater is 10km wide, I think NASA would've been justified in hyping the context of the parachute shot.

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Description:

The north polar region is surrounded by a large sea (erg) of dark sand dunes that become covered by seasonal carbon dioxide frost. As the northern hemisphere begins to warm in the spring, the frozen carbon dioxide sublimates. The wind blows from an east-northeasterly direction and leaves dark streaks behind (exposed basalt) from the evaporating carbon dioxide. This image displays defrosting sand dunes in an unnamed crater.

The dune morphology in this image is complex. Because of the presence of the ice, it is difficult to determine all of the dune types. These jumbled dunes may result from erosion of the layers within the crater walls that act as a dune source.. However, two common types of dunes can be classified: the outer ring of the dune field is composed of chains of barchan dunes whereas the central area of the field contains transverse dunes.

Barchans are characterized by their crescent-shape with steep horns in the downwind direction. The transverse dunes have asymmetric, nearly parallel ridges and are oriented perpendicular to the wind direction.

Another feature of interest is the sublimating polygons that have very small ripples on top of them. Polygons are created from a freeze-thaw processes similar to features on Earth that undergo annual contraction of the permafrost regolith.

Wallpaper:

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536
2560x1600

MRO’s HiRISE camera acquired this image of the Phoenix landing site 22 hours after landing. The image shows three unusual features; seen also is the image acquired 11 hours after landing. These three features were not present in a pre-landing HiRISE image.

We expect to find three main pieces of hardware: the parachute attached to the backshell, the heat shield, and the lander itself.

The parachute (bottom) is easy to identify because it is especially bright, and this image also clearly shows the backshell. We can even see the stripes on the parachute.

The dark marking (middle right) appears most consistent with disturbance of the ground from impact and bouncing of the heat shield, which fell from a height of about 13 kilometers.

The last object (top) is the lander, and we can clearly see the solar arrays on each side. The solar arrays were relatively dark in the image acquired 11 hours after landing, but are brighter than the Mars surface in this daytime image acquired with the HiRISE blue-green filter.

There are dark halos around all three locations, perhaps due to disturbing a thin dust coating. North is about 7 degrees to the right of straight up in this image and illumination is from the lower left.

The first image is taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the HiRISE camera. It shows Phoenix as it is descending beneath its parachute!

Click for a larger image

The second image was taken as Phoenix descended, but from a different point of view. The crater is referred to as "Heimdall" and the lander is descending not into the crater, but past it. The POV can fool you.

Click for larger image

This third image shows the Phoenix lander sitting on the surface of Mars, and you can also see where the heat shield, parachute, and backshell have landed as well.

Click for larger image

Aren't those images amazing? The image of Phoenix descending past the crater is something never before seen in the decades of space travel and missions to other worlds. It is truly a one-of-a-kind shot.

And if these weren't enough, how about some sound? Yes, you read correctly!! The European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter was monitoring the landers' radio transmissions as it approached the Martian surface, and you can actually hear this audio for yourselves.

Pretty cool, eh?

We hope you will continue to follow the mission (as all of us are) and be amazed and transfixed by the science coming to us from millions of miles away in space.

Links to Image Pages

Phoenix and Parachute
Phoenix and Crater
Phoenix Lands
Phoenix Sounds

Note: A quick google search tells me that there is dispute about the genitive of Phoenix. Some use Phoenix' and others use Phoenix's.

Enjoy from Youtube.

Both images are from the HiRISE satellite which is orbiting Mars. The darker picture shows the Phoenix lander with its two solar panels unfurled, whereas the other picture show Phoenix parachuting down during its descent. Here's another excellent picture of parachute in action:

Find out more at NASA, at HiRise, and of course, the Bad Astronomy Blog.

And don't forget that the Face on Mars mystery has been solved by an unknown artist. See my article about it here.

Phil Plait over at Bad Astronomy has a detailed interpretation of what we're seeing here. What struck me was how much darker the landing site looks compared to its surroundings. The dust on Mars is generally lighter than the rocks underneath, so the dark halo around the lander means that its rockets blew some dust away.

Phoenix was actually in front of the 10km Heimdall crater from HiRISE's perspective! It looks like it is falling right into the giant hole in the ground! Phoenix actually didn't land in the crater but still. Best. Picture. Ever.

(Hat-tip to Emily at the Planetary Society blog)

Its not a whole hell of a lot to look at but it fills me with an unbelievable sense of being.

Taken from NASA's site:

NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is the first time that a spacecraft has imaged the final descent of another spacecraft onto a planetary body.

The HiRISE acquired this image on May 25, 2008, at 4:36 p.m. Pacific Time (7:36 p.m. Eastern Time). It is a highly oblique view of the Martian surface, 26 degrees above the horizon, or 64 degrees from the normal straight-down imaging of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image has a scale of 0.76 meters per pixel.

There's just something about this image that strikes me.  Maybe its the achievement of landing this spacecraft so far from our home or maybe its the fact that someday we too could make this trip.

- Jason

A bigger photo is over there. From the mission Website:

At the time the image was taken, Earth was 142 million kilometers (88 million miles) from Mars, giving the HiRISE image a scale of 142 kilometers (88 miles) per pixel, an Earth diameter of about 90 pixels and a moon diameter of 24 pixels. The phase angle is 98 degrees, which means that less than half of the disk of the Earth and the disk of the moon have direct illumination. We could image Earth and moon at full disk illumination only when they are on the opposite side of the sun from Mars, but then the range would be much greater and the image would show less detail.