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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Brief rover update: "We do not believe [Spirit] is extractable."
There's a press briefing going on right now that marks today, January 26, 2010, more than six years after she landed, the day that NASA decided that Spirit's roving days were over.
NASA decides Spirit is henceforth to be a lander
There was a press briefing today that announced the official end of efforts to extricate Spirit from her sand trap at Troy. Instead, the rover drivers will now focus on improving the chances that Spirit will survive the coming winter so that she can carry on doing science once the power situation improves in the spring.
Mars and a moonbow
Moonbows represent the same phenomenon as rainbows, it's just that the light from the Sun has reflected off of the Moon first before it's separated into its colors by the myriad tiny water droplets in the cloud.
Your chance to shoot your own high-resolution pictures of Mars
The HiRISE public suggestion tool, called HiWish, is a Web site that allows you to log in and select a spot on Mars as a suggestion for where the HiRISE instrument should take an image.
Figuring out the shape of Mars (and other places)
An amateur named Bernhard Braun (
Buttoning up the Mars Orbiter Camera science investigation
The science team for Mars Orbiter Camera, or
Odyssey's going to start listening for Phoenix
It's been the second most popular question I get from readers:
Spirit's still "extricating"
It's been two months, now, that extrication efforts have been going on. It's discouraging that the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit isn't out of the trap.
Happy Christmas on Mars!
This was so cute I had to repost it -- and record it too.
Planetary Society Advent Calendar for December 23: Deimos
Mars' moon Deimos never gets as much love as Phobos.
Watch that front wheel spin!
Holy cow, look at that right front wheel spin. I am alternately amazed and horrified by this animation.
Class announcement: How to play with Mars Express VMC images
Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I've been fiddling with images from the Mars Webcam, more officially known as the Mars Express Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC), for the last couple of weeks.
Planetary Society Advent Calendar for December 15: Mars
We have three orbiters and two rovers currently exploring Mars, each of which returns breathtaking photos on a daily basis.
A teeny weeny bit of movement in Spirit's right front wheel
The ever-vigilant Doug Ellison just posted this animation, which really actually does show a teeny tiny bit of motion in the right front wheel. If you don't notice any motion, look closer.
Awesome Mars Express view of Phobos and Deimos together
My inbox was exploding this morning with messages about a tremendously cool animation released this morning by ESA's Mars Express team. It shows Phobos crossing Deimos, in what's known as a
Encouraging motion on Spirit
It really looks like the second attempt at driving Spirit out of the trap has had the hoped-for result: some forward progress (maybe about a centimeter), and no evidence for further downward sinking.
Opportunity's poking at Marquette Island; Cassini's catching dancing moons
Since tomorrow's class is going to be on playing with raw images from the rovers and Cassini, I've been playing with recent raw images from the rovers and Cassini! I just thought I'd share a couple of the fun items I've been working with.
Be a Martian!
I think the new