Coordinated CRISM and Opportunity Observations to Characterize the Mineralogy and Geologic History of Meridiani Planum Outcrops

Details Coordinated CRISM and Opportunity Observations to Characterize the Mineralogy and Geologic History of Meridiani Planum Outcrops Coordinated CRISM and Opportunity Observations to Characterize the Mineralogy and Geologic History of Meridiani Planum Outcrops

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p22a..03a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P22A-03

Physics

Optics

[5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars

Scientific paper

The Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover has traversed over 30 km across Meridiani Planum since January 2004, acquiring numerous remote sensing and in-situ measurements of rocks and soils at dozens of locations. Over the past year Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM (0.362 to 3.92 micrometer imaging spectrometer) observations have been used to directly support planning of Opportunity traverses and locations for detailed remote sensing and in-situ measurements. As part of these coordinated observations CRISM's gimbaled optics have been used to spatially oversample acquisition of image data in the along-track direction (ATO or along track oversampled observations). This new acquisition mode allows sharpening the spatial detail from the normal ~18 m/pixel observations to values as small as ~6 m/pixel, with due formal consideration of the decrease in S/N with decreasing pixel sizes for retrieval of the 544 band spectra for each pixel. CRISM ATO observations show that mono-hydrated sulfates, most likely kieserite, outcrop on the walls of Victoria crater and the southeastern rim of Santa Maria crater. Unfortunately, the Victoria identifications are on the opposite side of the crater relative to where Opportunity made measurements of Victoria wall rocks. On the other hand, Opportunity was directed to Santa Maria's southeastern rim based on CRISM spectral reflectance data, spending the last solar conjunction period acquiring long-duration in-situ measurements of outcrop that likely carries the mono-hydrated sulfate signature. Additional ATO data collected over the relatively fresh, 2.3 km wide Ada crater located in southeastern Meridiani Planum show a similar mono-hydrated sulfate signature, implying that these deposits are widespread. Further, ATO observations allow detailed mapping of extensive hydrated sulfates in Botany Bay immediately to the south of Cape York, a rim segment of the largely buried, Noachian age Endeavour crater. Opportunity will cross these hydrated bedrock exposures on the way to Cape York outcrops. We will report on results from Opportunity's measurements on Victoria, Santa Maria, and Ada craters, together with measurements within Botany Bay, focusing on the synergistic use of Opportunity and CRISM observations to understand the mineralogy and geologic history of Meridiani Planum.

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