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Orientation and distribution of recent gullies in the southern hemisphere of Mars: Observations from High Resolution Stereo Camera/Mars Express (HRSC/MEX) and Mars Orbiter Camera/Mars Global Surveyor (MOC/MGS) data
Mangold, Nicolas; Neukum, Gerhard; Balme, Matthew +5 more
Geologically recent small gullies on Mars display morphologies consistent with erosion by water or by debris flows. Suggested formation models are divided into two main categories: (1) groundwater or (2) melting of near-surface ice/snow sourced from the atmosphere. We have measured location and orientation and recorded the local contexts of gullie…
Nature and origin of the hematite-bearing plains of Terra Meridiani based on analyses of orbital and Mars Exploration rover data sets
Bibring, J. -P.; Arvidson, R. E.; Gondet, B. +23 more
The ~5 km of traverses and observations completed by the Opportunity rover from Endurance crater to the Fruitbasket outcrop show that the Meridiani plains consist of sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks that are largely covered by poorly-sorted basaltic aeolian sands and a lag of granule-sized hematitic concretions. Orbital reflectance spectra obtained …
SPICAM on Mars Express: Observing modes and overview of UV spectrometer data and scientific results
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Perrier, Séverine +13 more
This paper is intended as an introduction to several companion papers describing the results obtained by the SPICAM instrument on board Mars Express orbiter. SPICAM is a lightweight (4.7 kg) UV-IR dual spectrometer dedicated primarily to the study of the atmosphere of Mars. The SPICAM IR spectrometer and its results are described in another compan…
Gusev crater: Wind-related features and processes observed by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit
Arvidson, R. E.; Christensen, P. R.; Greeley, Ronald +19 more
Wind-related features observed by the rover Spirit in Gusev crater, Mars, include patches of soil on the surface, some of which are organized into bed forms. Windblown grains include dust (inferred to be <3 µm in diameter), sands (up to a few hundred µm in diameter), and granules (>2 mm in diameter). Microscopic Imager data show …
Martian dayglow as seen by the SPICAM UV spectrograph on Mars Express
Bertaux, J. -L.; Leblanc, F.; Witasse, O. +2 more
In this paper we describe measurements of the Martian dayglow obtained by SPICAM UV spectrograph on board Mars Express between October 2004 and March 2005. Typical spectra (of more than 24,000 individual spectra) display the main features of the dayglow already reported more than 30 years ago (Barth et al., 1971, 1972). The variations with altitud…
Valley formation and methane precipitation rates on Titan
Perron, J. Taylor; Lamb, Michael P.; Koven, Charles D. +3 more
Branching valley networks near the landing site of the Huygens probe on Titan imply that fluid has eroded the surface. The fluid was most likely methane, which forms several percent of Titan's atmosphere and can exist as a liquid at the surface. The morphology of the valley networks and the nature of Titan's surface environment are inconsistent wi…
Stellar occultations at UV wavelengths by the SPICAM instrument: Retrieval and analysis of Martian haze profiles
Montmessin, F.; Korablev, O.; Bertaux, J. L. +3 more
Observations made by the SPICAM ultraviolet spectrometer on board the Mars Express orbiter are presented. We focus on several hundreds of atmospheric profiles which have been collected over 3/4 of a Martian year by making use of the stellar occultation technique. The typical structure of the Martian haze possesses at least one discrete layer (60% …
Global distribution of total ozone on Mars from SPICAM/MEX UV measurements
Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O. +4 more
The dual UV/IR spectrometer SPICAM on board the European mission Mars Express is dedicated to monitoring the Martian atmosphere and has recorded spectra for more than one Martian year, from January 2004 to April 2006, over a large range of latitudes and longitudes. SPICAM UV spectra were recorded on the day side in a nadir geometry, in the 110-320…
Stellar occultations observed by SPICAM on Mars Express
Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Korablev, Oleg; Quémerais, Eric +4 more
Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM) is the first instrument orbiting a planet other than Earth that is dedicated to the technique of stellar occultation. During the first year of operation on board Mars Express, SPICAM observed more than 500 star occultations, yielding vertical profiles of C…
Cassini imaging of Saturn: Southern hemisphere winds and vortices
West, R. A.; Kennedy, M. R.; Porco, C. C. +4 more
High-resolution images of Saturn's southern hemisphere acquired by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem between February and October 2004 are used to create maps of cloud morphology at several wavelengths, to derive zonal winds, and to characterize the distribution, frequency, size, morphology, color, behavior, and lifetime of vortices. Nonequato…