Dawn Spacecraft Contribution and Fate
30 October 2017Halloween day prompts a chilling question: If you were a spacecraft, which fate would you prefer? Would you choose to remain in a stable orbit forever around Ceres or would you prefer to crash into Saturn and burn? The Cassini spacecraft crashed into Saturn and was engulfed in flames in… Read More
Name Approved for Crater on Mars: Kotido
24 October 2017The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Kotido for a crater on Mars. For more information, see Mars map MC-11 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Sols 1852-1853: Feeding SAM some sand
20 October 2017MSL drove over 20 meters on Sol 1850, to an area with lots of bedrock exposed. We had several nice targets to choose from, but were limited in what we could plan because we want to prepare for a SAM evolved gas analysis (EGA) of sand from "Ogunquit Beach," which requires significant… Read More
Sols 1848-1849: How far we’ve come
16 October 2017Today felt like any other planning day: a straightforward plan involving remote sensing, a drive, post-drive imaging, and some untargeted observations on the second sol. Just a typical day in the office. Maybe even an easy one. It wasn’t until I sat down to write this blog… Read More
Seven New Names Approved for Paterae on Mars
16 October 2017The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved names for seven features on Mars: Olympus Paterae, Apollo Patera, Athena Patera, Dionysus Patera, Hermes Patera, Hera Patera, and Zeus Patera. For more information, see the map of MC-9 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
New Naming Method Approved for Use on Mars
16 October 2017The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved a new naming method for groups of smaller features within a larger named feature. In such cases the normal naming convention shall be suspended and instead their names shall be chosen so that they bear a mnemonic relationship to the… Read More
Rare Photos by Early NASA Astronauts for Sale
16 October 2017Did you know famous NASA photographs captured by astronauts are objets d’art these days and are auctioned and sold for a considerable price tag? Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers in Marlborough, Massachusetts will allow people to leave bids online starting later this week. The live auction… Read More
Astro Making a Difference in STEM Education
6 October 2017USGS Astrogeology Science Center is on board for the development of STEM curricula for middle and elementary school students to facilitate interest in learning about planetary science, technology and engineering. In 2015, NASA funded the Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering,… Read More
First Names for Pluto
21 September 2017The first fourteen names approved for use on Pluto by the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, have been added to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The features are Tombaugh Regio, Sputnik Planitia, Tenzing Montes, Hillary Montes, Al-Idrisi Montes, Djanggawul Fossae, Sleipnir… Read More
Sol 1822: Onward and upward!
20 September 2017On Sol 1821, Curiosity successfully completed contact science activities at “Pennessewassee” and “Passadumkeag.” Perhaps in an effort to get to more easily pronounceable rock targets, today’s tactical team planned a nice long drive towards our next waypoint on… Read More
