Coordinated Orbital and Landed Observations for Understanding Martian Soil and Rock Mineralogy and Textures

Details Coordinated Orbital and Landed Observations for Understanding Martian Soil and Rock Mineralogy and Textures Coordinated Orbital and Landed Observations for Understanding Martian Soil and Rock Mineralogy and Textures

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p33c..01a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P33C-01

Physics

5462 Polar Regions, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

Coordinated observations between the orbiting Mars Express OMEGA hyperspectral imager (0.4 to 5 micrometers) and the MER rovers Spirit and Opportunity have provided a self-consistent view of surface materials at the rover traverse sites and beyond. Coordinated observations now include the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM hyperspectral imager (0.4 to 4 micrometers), the two rovers, and the Phoenix Lander (touched down 5/25/08). Coordinated observations with Phoenix include dozens of near simultaneous and simultaneous measurements of the atmosphere and surface, spaced throughout the northern hemisphere summer period. For Spirit the results show that the Gusev plains are dominated by weakly altered basaltic sands with a variable cover of nanophase iron oxide-rich dust. The hydrated sulfate and opaline silica deposits found by Spirit could not be seen using orbital data because of their small areal extent and subsurface provenance (exposed by rover wheels). Opportunity joint observations show that the Meridiani Plains are covered by aeolian deposits dominated by basaltic sand, hematitic concretions, and outcrops with orbital spectral signatures consistent with weakly hydrated nanophase iron oxides, although jarosite (OH-bearing) and hydrated phases were detected by Moessbauer and, on surfaces excavated by the Rock Abrasion Tool, by Mini-TES. Phoenix joint observations show that water ice frost is retained during the summer in a nearby small (~6 km) bowl-shaped crater and on the north facing slopes of the ~10 km wide Heimdall Crater. The landing site and immediate surroundings are on the differentially eroded ejecta deposits from Heimdall, and the soil exposures are dominated by basaltic sandy silt deposits mixed with nanophase iron oxide-rich dust. No carbonates, sulfates, nitrates, or phyllosilicates are evident in the orbit- based spectra, but ice is present in the subsurface. Monitoring of the Phoenix site during the transition from summer to fall will allow us to track the deposition of water ice and perhaps carbon dioxide ice as the northern seasonal cap forms.

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