[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Curiosity Can Choose Laser Targets on Its Own

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6575

NASA Mars Rover Can Choose Laser Targets on Its Own
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 21, 2016

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is now selecting rock targets for its laser 
spectrometer -- the first time autonomous target selection is available 
for an instrument of this kind on any robotic planetary mission.

Using software developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, 
California, Curiosity is now frequently choosing multiple targets per 
week for a laser and a telescopic camera that are parts of the rover's 
Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument. Most ChemCam targets are still 
selected by scientists discussing rocks or soil seen in images the rover 
has sent to Earth, but the autonomous targeting adds a new capability.

During Curiosity's nearly four years on Mars, ChemCam has inspected multiple 
points on more than 1,400 targets by detecting the color spectrum of plasmas 
generated when laser pulses zap a target -- more than 350,000 total laser 
shots at about 10,000 points in all. ChemCam's spectrometers record the 
wavelengths seen through a telescope while the laser is firing. This 
information 
enables scientists to identify the chemical compositions of the targets. 
Through the same telescope, the instrument takes images that are of the 
highest resolution available from the rover's mast.

AEGIS software, for Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science, 
had previously been used on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, 
though less frequently and for a different type of instrument. That rover 
uses the software to analyze images from a wide-angle camera as the basis 
for autonomously selecting rocks to photograph with a narrower-angle camera. 
Development work on AEGIS won a NASA Software of the Year Award in 2011.

"This autonomy is particularly useful at times when getting the science 
team in the loop is difficult or impossible -- in the middle of a long 
drive, perhaps, or when the schedules of Earth, Mars and spacecraft activities 
lead to delays in sharing information between the planets," said robotics 
engineer Tara Estlin, the leader of AEGIS development at JPL.

The most frequent application of AEGIS uses onboard computer analysis 
of images from Curiosity's stereo Navigation Camera (Navcam), which are 
taken routinely at each location where the rover ends a drive. AEGIS selects 
a target and directs ChemCam pointing, typically before the Navcam images 
are transmitted to Earth. This gives the team an extra jump in assessing 
the rover's latest surroundings and planning operations for upcoming days.

To select a target autonomously, the software's analysis of images uses 
adjustable criteria specified by scientists, such as identifying rocks 
based on their size or brightness. The criteria can be changed depending 
on the rover's surroundings and the scientific goals of the measurements.

Another AEGIS mode starts with images from ChemCam's own Remote Micro-Imager, 
rather than the Navcam, and uses image analysis to hone pointing of the 
laser at fine-scale targets chosen in advance by scientists. For example, 
scientists might select a threadlike vein or a small concretion in a rock, 
based on images received on Earth. AEGIS then controls the laser sharpshooting.

"Due to their small size and other pointing challenges, hitting these 
targets accurately with the laser has often required the rover to stay 
in place while ground operators fine tune pointing parameters," Estlin 
said. "AEGIS enables these targets to be hit on the first try by automatically 
identifying them and calculating a pointing that will center a ChemCam 
measurement on the target."

>From the top of Curiosity's mast, the instrument can analyze the composition 
of a rock or soil target from up to about 23 feet (7 meters) away.

"AEGIS brings an extra opportunity to use ChemCam, to do more, when the 
interaction with scientists is limited," said ChemCam Science Operation 
Lead Olivier Gasnault, at the Research Institute in Astrophysics and 
Planetology 
(IRAP), of France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and 
the University of Toulouse, France. "It does not replace an existing mode, 
but complements it."

The U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New 
Mexico leads the U.S. and French team that jointly developed and operates 
ChemCam. IRAP is a co-developer and shares operation of the instrument 
with France's national space agency (CNES), NASA and Los Alamos.

The Curiosity mission is using ChemCam and other instruments on the rover 
as the vehicle investigates geological layers on lower Mount Sharp. The 
rover's extended mission is analyzing evidence about how the environment 
in this part of Mars changed billions of years ago from conditions well 
suited to microbial life -- if life ever existed on Mars -- to dry, 
inhospitable 
conditions. For more information about Curiosity, visit:

[meteorite-list] NASA Selects Five Mars Orbiter Concept Studies

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6565

NASA Selects Five Mars Orbiter Concept Studies
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 18, 2016

NASA has selected five U.S. aerospace companies to conduct concept studies 
for a potential future Mars orbiter mission. Such a mission would continue 
key capabilities including telecommunications and global high-resolution 
imaging in support of the agency's Journey to Mars.

The companies contracted for these four-month studies are: The Boeing 
Company in Huntington Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Space Systems 
in Denver; Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, California; 
Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia; and Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, 
California.

"We're excited to continue planning for the next decade of Mars exploration," 
said Geoffrey Yoder, acting associate administrator for NASA's Science 
Mission Directorate in Washington.

The concept studies will address how a potential new Mars orbiter mission 
could best provide communications, imaging and operational capabilities. 
They also will assess the possibilities for supporting additional scientific 
instruments and functionalities, in addition to optical communications. 
The orbiter concept under study would take advantage of U.S. industry's 
technology capacities by using solar electric propulsion to provide flexible 
launch, mission and orbit capabilities.

The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, an organization designed 
to provide input to NASA from the Mars research science community, published 
a report six months ago on recommended science objectives for a Mars orbiter. 
These studies will provide input for assessing the feasibility of addressing 
these objectives. NASA also is pursuing partnership interest in contributing 
to this potential mission.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is managing 
the concept studies under the direction of the agency's Mars Exploration 
Program.

NASA is on an ambitious Journey to Mars that includes sending humans to 
the Red Planet in the 2030s. The agency's robotic spacecraft are leading 
the way, with two active rovers, three active orbiters, the planned launch 
of the InSight lander in 2018, and development of the Mars 2020 rover.

For more information about NASA's Journey to Mars, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/journeytomars

News Media Contact
Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.w.webs...@jpl.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown / Laurie Cantillo
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726 / 202-358-1077
dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov / laura.l.canti...@nasa.gov

2016-190 
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[meteorite-list] Exploding Meteor over Argentina

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6784334/2016/07/22/what-was-explosion-meteor-it-turns-out

What was that explosion? A meteor, it turns out
Agence France-Presse
July 22, 2016

Residents of a city in southern Argentina got a scare when a series of 
powerful explosions shook homes and buildings Wednesday, but the cause 
turned out to be a natural wonder: a meteor disintegrating overhead.

It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon in General Roca, a city of 85,000 
people, when suddenly a series of loud blasts caused buildings to shake 
and windows to rattle.

"Everything trembled," said Martin Soria, the local mayor.

Police, firefighters and emergency workers rushed to the scene, but found 
no evidence of a bomb, earthquake or calamity.

Finally, scientists pieced together the reason: A meteor had entered the 
Earth's atmosphere some 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) overhead, traveling 
at 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) per hour.

"It took everyone by surprise because it entered the atmosphere over an 
inhabited area. If it had fallen over the desert, the sea, Antarctica, 
we would never have known," said astronomer Roberto Figueroa, head of 
the nearby Neuquen observatory.

He estimated the meteor measured about 12 meters in diameter before breaking 
into three fragments.

"It was likely a mineral meteor that entered the atmosphere at high speed 
at a very close angle to the Earth. As soon as it contacted the (atmospheric) 
gases, it heated up, the stone dilated, broke apart and fell as ash," 
he said.

"Some of the larger pieces may have reached the lower layers of the atmosphere 
and burned up there. Since they arrived at tremendous speed, they produced 
an expansive wave that could be heard as a boom."

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[meteorite-list] NASA's Next Mars Rover Progresses Toward 2020 Launch

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6569

NASA's Next Mars Rover Progresses Toward 2020 Launch
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 15, 2016

After an extensive review process and passing a major development milestone, 
NASA is ready to proceed with final design and construction of its next 
Mars rover, currently targeted to launch in summer of 2020 and arrive 
on the Red Planet in February 2021.

The Mars 2020 rover will investigate a region of Mars where the ancient 
environment may have been favorable for microbial life, probing the Martian 
rocks for evidence of past life. Throughout its investigation, it will 
collect samples of soil and rock, and cache them on the surface for potential 
return to Earth by a future mission.

"The Mars 2020 rover is the first step in a potential multi-mission campaign 
to return carefully selected and sealed samples of Martian rocks and soil 
to Earth," said Geoffrey Yoder, acting associate administrator of NASA's 
Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "This mission marks a significant 
milestone in NASA's Journey to Mars -- to determine whether life has ever 
existed on Mars, and to advance our goal of sending humans to the Red 
Planet."

To reduce risk and provide cost savings, the 2020 rover will look much 
like its six-wheeled, one-ton predecessor, Curiosity, but with an array 
of new science instruments and enhancements to explore Mars as never before. 
For example, the rover will conduct the first investigation into the usability 
and availability of Martian resources, including oxygen, in preparation 
for human missions.

Mars 2020 will carry an entirely new subsystem to collect and prepare 
Martian rocks and soil samples that includes a coring drill on its arm 
and a rack of sample tubes. About 30 of these sample tubes will be deposited 
at select locations for return on a potential future sample-retrieval 
mission. In laboratories on Earth, specimens from Mars could be analyzed 
for evidence of past life on Mars and possible health hazards for future 
human missions.

Two science instruments mounted on the rover's robotic arm will be used 
to search for signs of past life and determine where to collect samples 
by analyzing the chemical, mineral, physical and organic characteristics 
of Martian rocks. On the rover's mast, two science instruments will provide 
high-resolution imaging and three types of spectroscopy for characterizing 
rocks and soil from a distance, also helping to determine which rock targets 
to explore up close.

A suite of sensors on the mast and deck will monitor weather conditions 
and the dust environment, and a ground-penetrating radar will assess 
sub-surface 
geologic structure.

The Mars 2020 rover will use the same sky crane landing system as Curiosity, 
but will have the ability to land in more challenging terrain with two 
enhancements, making more rugged sites eligible as safe landing candidates.

"By adding what's known as range trigger, we can specify where we want 
the parachute to open, not just at what velocity we want it to open," 
said Allen Chen, Mars 2020 entry, descent and landing lead at NASA's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "That shrinks our landing 
area by nearly half."

Terrain-relative navigation on the new rover will use onboard analysis 
of downward-looking images taken during descent, matching them to a map 
that indicates zones designated unsafe for landing.

"As it is descending, the spacecraft can tell whether it is headed for 
one of the unsafe zones and divert to safe ground nearby," said Chen. 
"With this capability, we can now consider landing areas with unsafe zones 
that previously would have disqualified the whole area. Also, we can land 
closer to a specific science destination, for less driving after landing."

There will be a suite of cameras and a microphone that will capture the 
never-before-seen or heard imagery and sounds of the entry, descent and 
landing sequence. Information from the descent cameras and microphone 
will provide valuable data to assist in planning future Mars landings, 
and make for thrilling video.

"Nobody has ever seen what a parachute looks like as it is opening in 
the Martian atmosphere," said JPL's David Gruel, assistant flight system 
manager for the Mars 2020 mission. "So this will provide valuable engineering 
information."

Microphones have flown on previous missions to Mars, including NASA's 
Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008, but never have actually been used on the 
surface of the Red Planet.

"This will be a great opportunity for the public to hear the sounds of 
Mars for the first time, and it could also provide useful engineering 
information," said Mars 2020 Deputy Project Manager Matt Wallace of JPL.

Once a mission receives preliminary approval, it must go through four 
rigorous technical and programmatic reviews - known as Key Decision Points 
(KDP) - to proceed through the phases of development prior to launch. 
Phase A 

[meteorite-list] AD: Whitecourt, Wairarapa Valleym Martian Chassignite NWA 2737 and Silver meteorite jewellery

[Martin Goff via Meteorite-list]

Paid AD 9 of 12

Hi all,

I have loaded up a nice selection of Canadian Whitecourt iron
specimens on my website and also Wairarapa Valley and some Martian
Chassignite display boxes (NWA 2737)

I also have a new selection of handcrafted solid silver meteorite
jewellery, what better romantic gift than a piece of the Moon or Mars
:-) Not just necklaces and earrings but cufflinks for the gents too!
:-)

I am also very pleased to be able to offer some amazing limited edition
prints of the fantastic oriented Middlesbrough meteorite by Tom
Hughes. These are signed and numbered from an edition of only 30.

You can see all information on these prints, meteorite specimens and
jewellery on my
website sales page here:

(http://msg-meteorites.co.uk/tradesale/)

Please take a look if interested and as always, first come, first served :-)

Cheers

Martin

-- 
Martin Goff
www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
IMCA #3387
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Re: [meteorite-list] Earth time dilation: minimal latitude-dependence

[Ben Fisler via Meteorite-list]

Yes, thanks Doug and Rob.  That is more about physics than having an inside 
seat at NASA.  You guys are truly Wu-Li Masters!
   Ben Fisler, Phoenix

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 22, 2016, at 5:38 AM, Doug Ross via Meteorite-list 
 wrote:

>> However given the speed he travels at, I would think Santa's waistline would 
>> be ablated after the run, and he would leave ionic trails. Not to mention, 
>> Rudolf's nose would be blue-shifted beyond UV the spectrum of visible light.
> 
> Lol! You guys crack me up. Thanks for livening up the list with a great 
> thread.
> 
> Doug Ross
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and the 
> Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
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Re: [meteorite-list] Earth time dilation: minimal latitude-dependence

[Doug Ross via Meteorite-list]

> However given the speed he travels at, I would think Santa's waistline would 
> be ablated after the run, and he would leave ionic trails. Not to mention, 
> Rudolf's nose would be blue-shifted beyond UV the spectrum of visible light.

Lol! You guys crack me up. Thanks for livening up the list with a great thread.

Doug Ross






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[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day

[Paul Swartz via Meteorite-list]

Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: Holbrook

Contributed by: Jason Snyder

http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp?DD=07/22/2016
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