Category: Blog

Posted on

Solar Wind (Slight Return)

Circling back to my note on solar wind and the Martian atmosphere.

In the note, I described how the solar wind interacts with the ionosphere of Mars to create an induced magnetosphere. Recent data from ESA’s Mars Express mission suggests that this induced magnetosphere actually protects the Martian atmosphere from the ion loss expected to be caused by that same solar wind. Thus, the long held idea that the solar wind blew away Mars’ atmosphere is now in question.

The article below outlines an alternative hypothesis. Rather than losing atmosphere to the solar wind, maybe Mars can’t hold onto one because its gravity is just too weak.


Leaky atmosphere linked to lightweight planet

Leaky atmosphere linked to lightweight planet

The Red Planet’s low gravity and lack of magnetic field makes its outermost atmosphere an easy target to be swept away by the solar wind, but new evidence from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft shows that the Sun’s radiation may play a surprising role in its escape.

phys.org phys.org
Posted on

Starman Update

“According to the revised data, Rivkin says, it will take the Tesla about 18.8 months to complete one trip around the sun. This means that the car will reach its farthest distance from Earth in about half that time. The Tesla will cross the orbit of Mars twice per orbit, so Musk is still fulfilling his wish to send his Tesla “to” Mars—it’ll just take a little longer between visits.”


Where Is Elon Musk's Space Tesla Actually Going?

Where Is Elon Musk’s Space Tesla Actually Going?

The payload of SpaceX’s recently launched rocket overshot its planned orbit near Mars.

The Atlantic The Atlantic
Posted on

Gale Crater Panorama

JPL posted a nifty panorama from Curiosity today.

There’s also a video description at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5nrrnAukwI.

(Regarding the color of the sky, note the comment at the end of the video: “To aid geologists, colors in the image are white balanced so rocks appear the same color as the same rocks would on Earth.”)


Wide-Angle Panorama from Ridge in Mars' Gale Crater

Wide-Angle Panorama from Ridge in Mars’ Gale Crater

Climbing ‘Vera Rubin Ridge’ provided NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover this sweeping vista of the interior and rim of Gale Crater, including much of the rover’s route during its first five-and-a-half years on Mars.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Posted on

Buried Ice

“The new study not only suggests that underground water ice lies under a thin covering over wide areas, it also identifies eight sites where ice is directly accessible, at latitudes with less hostile conditions than at Mars’ polar ice caps. “Astronauts could essentially just go there with a bucket and a shovel and get all the water they need,” Byrne said.”


Steep Slopes on Mars Reveal Structure of Buried Ice

Steep Slopes on Mars Reveal Structure of Buried Ice

Researchers using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have found eight sites where thick deposits of ice beneath Mars’ surface are exposed in faces of eroding slopes.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)