Week in Review March 6 - March 12

2. The Rocky Road to the Crater Rim The top image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rocky road the rover traversed on its way to the rim of the crater called "Bonneville." The terrain here slopes upward about five degrees. To the upper right is the rock dubbed "Hole Point," which is about 60 centimeters (two feet) across. This image was taken on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission, March 7, 2004. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell A Steep Climb The screenshot is from software used by engineers to drive the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit up toward the rim of the crater dubbed "Bonneville." The software simulates the rover's movements across the martian terrain, helping to plot a safe course. The virtual 3-D world around the rover is built from images taken by Spirit's stereo navigation cameras. Regions for which the rover has not yet acquired 3-D data are represented in beige. The red darts show target destinations. Red lines indicate the path the rover's wheels will follow to reach the target, and the blue line denotes the path of the rover's "belly button," as engineers like to call it. In this picture, Spirit is parked 16 meters (52 feet) away from the crater's rim.The Rocky Road to the Crater Rim The top image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rocky road the rover traversed on its way to the rim of the crater called "Bonneville." The terrain here slopes upward about five degrees. To the upper right is the rock dubbed "Hole Point," which is about 60 centimeters (two feet) across. This image was taken on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission, March 7, 2004. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell A Steep Climb The screenshot is from software used by engineers to drive the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit up toward the rim of the crater dubbed "Bonneville." The software simulates the rover's movements across the martian terrain, helping to plot a safe course. The virtual 3-D world around the rover is built from images taken by Spirit's stereo navigation cameras. Regions for which the rover has not yet acquired 3-D data are represented in beige. The red darts show target destinations. Red lines indicate the path the rover's wheels will follow to reach the target, and the blue line denotes the path of the rover's "belly button," as engineers like to call it. In this picture, Spirit is parked 16 meters (52 feet) away from the crater's rim.

3. The Biggest Microscopic Image Ever This is a mosaic of four individual frames taken by the microscopic imager that have been very carefully stitched together to reveal the entire 5-centimeter-diameter (almost 2-inch) hole left on the rock dubbed "Humphrey." The holes were created by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rock abrasion tool. The mosaic, created on March 7, 2004, is the first of its kind of an abraded surface on Mars, and it gave scientists their first ever microscopic imager view of the entire drilled area. While it is easy for the panoramic camera and the navigation cameras to fit an area this size into their field of view, the microscopic imager can only capture a portion of the ground area with each image. Scientists are interested in many of the small features on "Humphrey" uncovered by the rock abrasion tool and made visible by the microscopic imager. The sinuous veins within the rock could be evidence that water was trickling through the material while it was deep underground, whereas the dark "age spots" in the center of the hole may be crystals of the mineral olivine. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS/Honeybee Robotics The Biggest Microscopic Image Ever This is a mosaic of four individual frames taken by the microscopic imager that have been very carefully stitched together to reveal the entire 5-centimeter-diameter (almost 2-inch) hole left on the rock dubbed "Humphrey." The holes were created by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rock abrasion tool. The mosaic, created on March 7, 2004, is the first of its kind of an abraded surface on Mars, and it gave scientists their first ever microscopic imager view of the entire drilled area. While it is easy for the panoramic camera and the navigation cameras to fit an area this size into their field of view, the microscopic imager can only capture a portion of the ground area with each image. Scientists are interested in many of the small features on "Humphrey" uncovered by the rock abrasion tool and made visible by the microscopic imager. The sinuous veins within the rock could be evidence that water was trickling through the material while it was deep underground, whereas the dark "age spots" in the center of the hole may be crystals of the mineral olivine. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS/Honeybee Robotics

4. You are here: Earth as seen from Mars This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit one hour before sunrise on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of its mission. The image is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera showing a broad view of the sky, and an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera of Earth. The contrast in the panoramic camera image was increased two times to make Earth easier to see.The inset shows a combination of four panoramic camera images zoomed in on Earth. The arrow points to Earth. Earth was too faint to be detected in images taken with the panoramic camera's color filters. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas A&M You are here: Earth as seen from Mars This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit one hour before sunrise on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of its mission. The image is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera showing a broad view of the sky, and an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera of Earth. The contrast in the panoramic camera image was increased two times to make Earth easier to see.The inset shows a combination of four panoramic camera images zoomed in on Earth. The arrow points to Earth. Earth was too faint to be detected in images taken with the panoramic camera's color filters. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas A&M

5. Stars in Orion as Seen from Mars Stars in the upper portion of the constellation Orion the Hunter, including the bright shoulder star Betelgeuse and Orion's three-star belt, appear in this image taken from the surface of Mars by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Spirit imaged stars on March 11, 2004, after it awoke during the martian night for a communication session with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. This image is an eight-second exposure. Longer exposures were also taken. The images tested the capabilities of the rover for night-sky observations. Scientists will use the results to aid planning for possible future astronomical observations from Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell Stars in Orion as Seen from Mars Stars in the upper portion of the constellation Orion the Hunter, including the bright shoulder star Betelgeuse and Orion's three-star belt, appear in this image taken from the surface of Mars by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Spirit imaged stars on March 11, 2004, after it awoke during the martian night for a communication session with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. This image is an eight-second exposure. Longer exposures were also taken. The images tested the capabilities of the rover for night-sky observations. Scientists will use the results to aid planning for possible future astronomical observations from Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

6. It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Spacecraft? Observing the sky with the green filter of its panoramic camera, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit came across a surprise: a streak across the sky. The streak, seen in the middle of this mosaic of images taken by the navigation and panoramic cameras, was probably the brightest object in the sky at the time. Scientists theorize that the mystery line could be either a meteorite or one of seven out-of-commission spacecraft still orbiting Mars. Because the object appeared to move 4 degrees of an arc in 15 seconds it is probably not the Russian probes Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, or Phobos 2; or the American probes Mariner 9 or Viking 1. That leaves Viking 2, which has a polar orbit that would fit with the north-south orientation of the streak. In addition, only Viking 1 and 2 were left in orbits that could produce motion as fast as that seen by Spirit. Said Mark Lemmon, a rover team member from Texas A&M University, Texas, "Is this the first image of a meteor on Mars, or an image of a spacecraft sent from another world during the dawn of our robotic space exploration program? We may never know, but we are still looking for clues." Image credit: NASA/JPL/CornellIt's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Spacecraft? Observing the sky with the green filter of its panoramic camera, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit came across a surprise: a streak across the sky. The streak, seen in the middle of this mosaic of images taken by the navigation and panoramic cameras, was probably the brightest object in the sky at the time. Scientists theorize that the mystery line could be either a meteorite or one of seven out-of-commission spacecraft still orbiting Mars. Because the object appeared to move 4 degrees of an arc in 15 seconds it is probably not the Russian probes Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, or Phobos 2; or the American probes Mariner 9 or Viking 1. That leaves Viking 2, which has a polar orbit that would fit with the north-south orientation of the streak. In addition, only Viking 1 and 2 were left in orbits that could produce motion as fast as that seen by Spirit. Said Mark Lemmon, a rover team member from Texas A&M University, Texas, "Is this the first image of a meteor on Mars, or an image of a spacecraft sent from another world during the dawn of our robotic space exploration program? We may never know, but we are still looking for clues." Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

7. The Outcrop in a Nutshell This image mosaic taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights various rock targets within the outcrop lining the inner edge of the small crater where the rover landed. Opportunity recently finished examining the rocks in the �El Capitan� area, then rolled over to a section of rock in the region nicknamed "The Dells." Later, the rover took a series of "touch-and-go" microscopic images before heading to another rock region with targets named "Slickrock" and "Berry Bowl." On sol 45, which ended at 12:50 p.m. PST on Wednesday, March 10, Opportunity awoke to "Meet Me Halfway" by Kenny Loggins. The song was played because Opportunity reached its halfway mark of its primary 90-sol surface mission. Image credit: NASA/JPL/CornellThe Outcrop in a Nutshell This image mosaic taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights various rock targets within the outcrop lining the inner edge of the small crater where the rover landed. Opportunity recently finished examining the rocks in the �El Capitan� area, then rolled over to a section of rock in the region nicknamed "The Dells." Later, the rover took a series of "touch-and-go" microscopic images before heading to another rock region with targets named "Slickrock" and "Berry Bowl." On sol 45, which ended at 12:50 p.m. PST on Wednesday, March 10, Opportunity awoke to "Meet Me Halfway" by Kenny Loggins. The song was played because Opportunity reached its halfway mark of its primary 90-sol surface mission. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

8. Rover Magnets All Around The top illustration shows the locations of the various magnets on the Mars Exploration Rover, which are: two on its front side, or chest; one on its back, near the color calibration target; and four on its rock abrasion tool. Scientists use these tools to collect dust for detailed studies. The origins of martian dust are a mystery, although it is believed to come from at least one of three sources: volcanic ash, pulverized rocks or mineral precipitates from liqiud water. By studying the dust with the rover's two spectrometers, scientists hope to find an answer. Image credit: NASA/JPL Rules of Attraction The bottom image composite shows two of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's magnets, the "capture" magnet (upper portion of left panel) and the "filter" magnet (lower portion of left panel). Scientists use these tools to study the origins of martian dust in the atmosphere. The left panel was taken by the rover's panoramic camera. The two panels to the right, taken by the microscopic imager, show close-up views of the two magnets. The bull's-eye appearance of the capture magnet is a result of alternating magnetic fields, which are used to increase overall magnetic force. The filter magnet lacks these alternating fields and consequently produces a weaker magnetic force. This weaker force selectively attracts only strong magnetic particles. Scientists were surprised by the large dark particles on the magnets because airborne particles are smaller in size. They theorize that these spots might be aggregates of small particles that clump together in a magnetic field. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS Rover Magnets All Around The top illustration shows the locations of the various magnets on the Mars Exploration Rover, which are: two on its front side, or chest; one on its back, near the color calibration target; and four on its rock abrasion tool. Scientists use these tools to collect dust for detailed studies. The origins of martian dust are a mystery, although it is believed to come from at least one of three sources: volcanic ash, pulverized rocks or mineral precipitates from liqiud water. By studying the dust with the rover's two spectrometers, scientists hope to find an answer. Image credit: NASA/JPL Rules of Attraction The bottom image composite shows two of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's magnets, the "capture" magnet (upper portion of left panel) and the "filter" magnet (lower portion of left panel). Scientists use these tools to study the origins of martian dust in the atmosphere. The left panel was taken by the rover's panoramic camera. The two panels to the right, taken by the microscopic imager, show close-up views of the two magnets. The bull's-eye appearance of the capture magnet is a result of alternating magnetic fields, which are used to increase overall magnetic force. The filter magnet lacks these alternating fields and consequently produces a weaker magnetic force. This weaker force selectively attracts only strong magnetic particles. Scientists were surprised by the large dark particles on the magnets because airborne particles are smaller in size. They theorize that these spots might be aggregates of small particles that clump together in a magnetic field. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS

9. Deimos Crosses Face of Sun The top image shows the passing, or transit, of the martian moon Deimos over the Sun. This event is similar to solar eclipses seen from Earth in which our Moon crosses in front of the Sun. The image was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on sol 39 of its mission. Deimos passed slightly closer to the center of the Sun than expected, and arrived about 30 seconds early. This observation will help refine our knowledge of the orbit and position of Deimos. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell Martian Moon Phobos Eclipsing Sun, in Stages The bottom panel illustrates the transit of the martian moon Phobos across the Sun. It is made up of images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the morning of the 45th martian day, or sol, of its mission. This observation will help refine our knowledge of the orbit and position of Phobos. Other spacecraft may be able to take better images of Phobos using this new information. This event is similar to solar eclipses seen on Earth in which our Moon passes in front of the Sun. The images were taken by the rover's panoramic camera. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell Deimos Crosses Face of Sun The top image shows the passing, or transit, of the martian moon Deimos over the Sun. This event is similar to solar eclipses seen from Earth in which our Moon crosses in front of the Sun. The image was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on sol 39 of its mission. Deimos passed slightly closer to the center of the Sun than expected, and arrived about 30 seconds early. This observation will help refine our knowledge of the orbit and position of Deimos. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell Martian Moon Phobos Eclipsing Sun, in Stages The bottom panel illustrates the transit of the martian moon Phobos across the Sun. It is made up of images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the morning of the 45th martian day, or sol, of its mission. This observation will help refine our knowledge of the orbit and position of Phobos. Other spacecraft may be able to take better images of Phobos using this new information. This event is similar to solar eclipses seen on Earth in which our Moon passes in front of the Sun. The images were taken by the rover's panoramic camera. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

10. Here-a-Hematite, There-a-Hematite This map, created with data from the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera mast assembly, show the hematite abundance as detected by the instrument from inside the crater at Opportunity's landing site. Hematite data was taken at infrared wavelengths to create these maps, which have been superimposed on images from the rover's navigation camera to provide the visual context of how the hematite is distributed across the martian surface. The hematite abundance has been color-coded, with blue showing relatively no abundance to red showing about 20 percent abundance. Each roughly circular spot represents a single observation by the instrument. The sharp boundary from hematite-rich (red) to hematite-poor (yellow, green, and blue) surfaces corresponds to a change in the surface texture and color. The hematite-rich surfaces have ripple-like forms suggesting wind transported hematite to these surfaces. The bounce marks produced during landing at the base of the slope on the left are low in hematite (blue). Any hematite grains that had blown inside the crater in the area where Opportunity bounced and landed were pushed below the surface by the lander, exposing a soil that has even less hematite. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU Here-a-Hematite, There-a-Hematite This map, created with data from the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera mast assembly, show the hematite abundance as detected by the instrument from inside the crater at Opportunity's landing site. Hematite data was taken at infrared wavelengths to create these maps, which have been superimposed on images from the rover's navigation camera to provide the visual context of how the hematite is distributed across the martian surface. The hematite abundance has been color-coded, with blue showing relatively no abundance to red showing about 20 percent abundance. Each roughly circular spot represents a single observation by the instrument. The sharp boundary from hematite-rich (red) to hematite-poor (yellow, green, and blue) surfaces corresponds to a change in the surface texture and color. The hematite-rich surfaces have ripple-like forms suggesting wind transported hematite to these surfaces. The bounce marks produced during landing at the base of the slope on the left are low in hematite (blue). Any hematite grains that had blown inside the crater in the area where Opportunity bounced and landed were pushed below the surface by the lander, exposing a soil that has even less hematite. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU

11. Finding the "Blueberry" Muffin Recipe Scientists are hunting down the recipe for the "blueberries" they've discovered on Mars. Taken with the front hazard-avoidance camera on the 45th martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission (March 10, 2004), image A shows the area dubbed "Berry Bowl" where many dark and mysterious spherules or "blueberries" collected in a depression on the surface of a rock. Image B is the microscopic image of the same area taken on sol 46 (March 11, 2004) magnifying "Berry Bowl." To figure out the chemical composition of the blueberries, scientists are currently analyzing the area shown in the microscopic image with the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and M�ssbauer spectrometer. The field of view for the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer is about equal to the field of view of the microscopic image and the field of view for the M�ssbauer spectrometer is about half the size of the microscopic image, so the spectrometers will observe a mix of sand, rock, and blueberries. The blueberries are too small to analyze alone. Scientists will discern the blueberry spectra, or light signatures, from the observed blend of spectra by subtracting out the known sand and rock spectra. Basically, finding the blueberry recipe is like making a recipe in reverse. Chemical measurements of the sand were taken earlier, and a measurement of the same rock in an area clear of the blueberries will be taken with the spectrometers on sol 48. The "triple berry" seen in the center of the microscopic image is intriguing to scientists because it reveals a clue about how the blueberries formed. Spheres formed from impacts or volcanoes do not tend to mold together like the spheres seen in the microscopic image. Spheres from impacts or craters are usually round or teardrop-shaped from flying in the air and freezing before hitting the ground. Any droplets of magma that combine with other droplets usually grow into a single mass in a spherical, dumbbell, or teardrop shape. In contrast, concretions could form this triple berry shape. Concretions are spherical mineral structures formed by groundwater percolating through porous rocks. On Earth, as concretions grow in close proximity to each other, their outer edges often intersect each other, giving an appearance like a triple soap bubble. Images credit: NASA/JPL Finding the "Blueberry" Muffin Recipe Scientists are hunting down the recipe for the "blueberries" they've discovered on Mars. Taken with the front hazard-avoidance camera on the 45th martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission (March 10, 2004), image A shows the area dubbed "Berry Bowl" where many dark and mysterious spherules or "blueberries" collected in a depression on the surface of a rock. Image B is the microscopic image of the same area taken on sol 46 (March 11, 2004) magnifying "Berry Bowl." To figure out the chemical composition of the blueberries, scientists are currently analyzing the area shown in the microscopic image with the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and M�ssbauer spectrometer. The field of view for the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer is about equal to the field of view of the microscopic image and the field of view for the M�ssbauer spectrometer is about half the size of the microscopic image, so the spectrometers will observe a mix of sand, rock, and blueberries. The blueberries are too small to analyze alone. Scientists will discern the blueberry spectra, or light signatures, from the observed blend of spectra by subtracting out the known sand and rock spectra. Basically, finding the blueberry recipe is like making a recipe in reverse. Chemical measurements of the sand were taken earlier, and a measurement of the same rock in an area clear of the blueberries will be taken with the spectrometers on sol 48. The "triple berry" seen in the center of the microscopic image is intriguing to scientists because it reveals a clue about how the blueberries formed. Spheres formed from impacts or volcanoes do not tend to mold together like the spheres seen in the microscopic image. Spheres from impacts or craters are usually round or teardrop-shaped from flying in the air and freezing before hitting the ground. Any droplets of magma that combine with other droplets usually grow into a single mass in a spherical, dumbbell, or teardrop shape. In contrast, concretions could form this triple berry shape. Concretions are spherical mineral structures formed by groundwater percolating through porous rocks. On Earth, as concretions grow in close proximity to each other, their outer edges often intersect each other, giving an appearance like a triple soap bubble. Images credit: NASA/JPL

12. At the Rim, Looking In The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this navigation camera mosaic of the crater called "Bonneville" after driving approximately 13 meters (42.7 feet) to get a better vantage point. Spirit's current position is close enough to the edge to see the interior of the crater, but high enough and far enough back to get a view of all of the walls. Because scientists and rover controllers are so pleased with this location, they will stay here for at least two more martian days, or sols, to take high resolution panoramic camera images of "Bonneville" in its entirety. Just above the far crater rim, on the left side, is the rover's heatshield, which is visible as a tiny reflective speck. Image credit: NASA/JPL Next week, Opportunity will stow its arm and drive toward an area dubbed "Shoemaker's Patio" at the southwestern end of the outcrop the rover has been studying since it arrived on Mars. This informal name pays tribute to the late geologist Dr. Eugene Shoemaker of the U.S. Geological Survey. Opportunity's more specific target is a rock called "Shark's Tooth" at the near edge of the patio. At the Rim, Looking In The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this navigation camera mosaic of the crater called "Bonneville" after driving approximately 13 meters (42.7 feet) to get a better vantage point. Spirit's current position is close enough to the edge to see the interior of the crater, but high enough and far enough back to get a view of all of the walls. Because scientists and rover controllers are so pleased with this location, they will stay here for at least two more martian days, or sols, to take high resolution panoramic camera images of "Bonneville" in its entirety. Just above the far crater rim, on the left side, is the rover's heatshield, which is visible as a tiny reflective speck. Image credit: NASA/JPL Next week, Opportunity will stow its arm and drive toward an area dubbed "Shoemaker's Patio" at the southwestern end of the outcrop the rover has been studying since it arrived on Mars. This informal name pays tribute to the late geologist Dr. Eugene Shoemaker of the U.S. Geological Survey. Opportunity's more specific target is a rock called "Shark's Tooth" at the near edge of the patio.