Publications
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Mars Global Digital Dune Database; MC-1
The Mars Global Digital Dune Database presents data and describes the methodology used in creating the global database of moderate- to large-size dune fields on Mars. The database is being released in a series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File Reports. The first release (Hayward and others, 2007) included dune fields from 65 degrees N to 65 degrees S (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1158/).
Authors
R.K. Hayward, L.K. Fenton, K. L. Tanaka, T.N. Titus, A. Colaprete, P. R. Christensen
Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits
Present‐day accumulation in the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) is thought to occur via deposition on the north polar residual cap. Understanding current mass balance in relation to current climate would provide insight into the climatic record of the NPLD. To constrain processes and rates of NPLD resurfacing, a search for craters was conducted using images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Authors
Maria E. Banks, Shane Byrne, Kapil Galla, Alfred S. McEwen, Veronica J. Bray, Colin M. Dundas, Kathryn E. Fishbaugh, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Bruce C. Murray
The thermal signature of volcanic eruptions on Io and Earth,
We investigate a spectrum-based technique to identify the style of active volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io. Thermal remote sensing of Io has had to rely primarily on low-spatial-resolution data, similar to low-spatial-resolution satellite data applied to detecting and charting the temporal evolution of terrestrial hot spots. These terrestrial analyses use data from sensors designed to monit
Authors
Ashley G. Davies, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Andrew J. L. Harris
Visible and near-infrared multispectral analysis of geochemically measured rock fragments at the Opportunity landing site in Meridiani Planum
We have used visible and near‐infrared Panoramic Camera (Pancam) spectral data acquired by the Opportunity rover to analyze 15 rock fragments at the Meridiani Planum landing site. These spectral results were then compared to geochemistry measurements made by the in situ instruments Mössbauer (MB) and Alpha Particle X‐ray Spectrometer (APXS) to determine the feasibility of mineralogic characterizat
Authors
Catherine M. Weitz, William H. Farrand, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Iris Fleischer, Christian Schröder, Aileen Yingst, Bradley L. Jolliff, Ralf Gellert, Jim Bell, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, G. Klingelhoefer, Barbara Cohen, Wendy M. Calvin, Malcolm Rutherford, James W. Ashley
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 because t
Authors
Christian Schröder, 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
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 (<150 μm), sand, and a mix of various grain sizes. The key chemical observation is greater homogeneity in fines relative to the other two, consistent with regional‐ and global‐scale sampling of chemical compositions by finer particle sizes. The mix class
Authors
Suniti Karunatillake, Scott M. McLennan, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff
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 tracks we
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
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 sun and th
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
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 Spectrometer
Authors
I. Fleischer, J. Brückner, C. Schröder, W. Farrand, E. Tréguier, 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
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 Surveyor Therm
Authors
C. Cornwall, Timothy N. Titus
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 properties of geo
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 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 Boreale—a large
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