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15 February 2009
The MOC "Book": Subsurface Patterns and Properties
The MOC paper saga continues. If you’re just tuning in, I’ve been writing a series of posts detailing a slow and detailed reading of the classic 2001 paper summarizing the results from the Mars Orbital Camera (MOC), the first high-resolution camera in orbit around Mars. Check out the previous posts here and here. Also, a reader pointed out to me that the full PDF of the paper is freely available …
Carnival of Space #90
Apologies for a slow week here at Martian Chronicles. Research and non-blog writing got in the way this week for me, but the rest of the space-related blogosphere has been posting away as usual. Check out this week’s Carnival of Space for all your space-blogging needs!
12 February 2009
Happy Birthday Darwin!
Mr. Charles Darwin is 200 years old today! Since he’s not around to talk about evolution, I’ll let Carl do it instead:
7 February 2009
OpEd: Beyond the Moon
My adviser and Planetary Society President Jim Bell, and founder of the Space Science and Exploration Consulting Group Doug Stetson have an OpEd in the February 3 issue of Space News discussing the Planetary Society’s Roadmap for Space Exploration. The OpEd is a nice summary, though I encourage you to look at the full Roadmap PDF too.
6 February 2009
Weird Outcrops in Schiaparelli Crater
Today while we were discussing the section of the MOC paper that I posted about yesterday, we decided to look more closely at one of the figures. In the paper, the authors suggest that the light-colored rocks are on top of the dunes, implying that the dunes are fossilized, were buried and are now being uncovered. We found a HiRISE image of the area and found out that the truth …
Science to be Cut from Stimulus?
I just heard some disturbing news: in an attempt to cut unnecessary spending from the stimulus package, Senators Ben Nelson and Susan Collins have put forward a proposal that would cut much of the money directed to agencies like NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. Here’s a breakdown of the reductions in stimulus money: NASA exploration $750,000,000 = 50% NSF $1,402,000,000 = 100% NOAA $427,000,000 = …
5 February 2009
The MOC "book": Surface Patterns and Properties
Welcome to part 2 of our attempt at tackling The Beast. If you missed Part 1, check it out here. We are working our way, slowly but surely, through the monstrous 2001 Mars Orbital Camera paper by Malin and Edgett. This paper summarizes the results from MOC, which revolutionized the scientific community’s view of Mars. This week we’re going to be looking at the section discussing surface patterns and properties. …
Would You Go?
Imagine you were given the chance of a lifetime: you would launch on the largest rocket ever created, on a daring mission never before attempted. Like the arrow from a marksman’s bow, your rocket would fly unfaltering through space for six months. For six months you would communicate with Earth, monitor your progress, and fight the atrophy of microgravity. And then your travels would culminate in seven minutes of scorching …
4 February 2009
NASA on the Pancam Spinoff
[email protected] has a nice article about the Mars rover spinoff technology and the awesome inauguration picture that I wrote about before. Go check it out!
