Search Publications
Context Camera Investigation on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Bell, James F.; Thomas, Peter C.; Wolff, Michael J. +11 more
The Context Camera (CTX) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a Facility Instrument (i.e., government-furnished equipment operated by a science team not responsible for design and fabrication) designed, built, and operated by Malin Space Science Systems and the MRO Mars Color Imager team (MARCI). CTX will (1) provide context images for data…
CRISM multispectral summary products: Parameterizing mineral diversity on Mars from reflectance
Bibring, J. -P.; Gendrin, A.; Gondet, B. +9 more
The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is the most recent spectrometer to arrive at Mars. The instrument is a hyperspectral imager covering visible to near-infrared wavelengths (0.37-3.92 µm at 6.55 nm/channel). Summary products based on multispectral parameters will be d…
Martian surface mineralogy from Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité on board the Mars Express spacecraft (OMEGA/MEx): Global mineral maps
Bibring, J. -P.; Gondet, B.; Langevin, Y. +5 more
After 2 years of operation the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA) imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express has acquired data coverage of the Martian surface with spatial resolution varying between 300 m and 4.8 km, depending on the pericenter altitude of the spacecraft's elliptical orbit. We report the glob…
Mineralogy of the Nili Fossae region with OMEGA/Mars Express data: 2. Aqueous alteration of the crust
Mangold, N.; Bibring, J. -P.; Gondet, B. +9 more
Nili Fossae is a region with fresh exposures of old material. OMEGA spectral data have revealed a strong diversity of minerals in the Nili Fossae region, including mafic minerals and phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates are found to be primarily Fe-rich smectites (a type of clay minerals). These phyllosilicates are observed only on the Noachian crust,…
Phyllosilicates in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars
Mangold, N.; Bibring, J. -P.; Gendrin, A. +8 more
OMEGA/Mars Express has discovered large outcrops rich in phyllosilicates in the region of Mawrth Vallis, Mars (around 20°W, 25°N). The region is located in Noachian highly cratered terrains, close to the limit of the Martian dichotomy, where the outflow channel Mawrth Vallis cuts the highlands. We have examined this region using OMEGA spectra of t…
Recent formation and evolution of northern Martian polar layered deposits as inferred from a Global Climate Model
Forget, F.; Montmessin, F.; Laskar, J. +1 more
We present a time-marching model which simulates the exchange of water ice between the Martian northern cap, the tropics, and a high-latitude surface reservoir. Net annual exchange rates of water and their sensitivity to variations in orbital/rotational parameters are examined using the Martian water cycle modeled by the LMD three-dimensional Glob…
Mineralogy of the Nili Fossae region with OMEGA/Mars Express data: 1. Ancient impact melt in the Isidis Basin and implications for the transition from the Noachian to Hesperian
Mangold, N.; Bibring, J. -P.; Langevin, Y. +6 more
The Nili Fossae region located on the northwestern quadrant of the Isidis Basin, Mars, displays superb exposures of bedrock outcrops that reveal mineralogy and composition of the crust. Previous work has shown that this region exhibits the largest exposures of olivine-dominated rock units on Mars. Visible-infrared imaging spectrometer data acquire…
Observations of the south seasonal cap of Mars during recession in 2004-2006 by the OMEGA visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express
Bibring, J. -P.; Gondet, B.; Langevin, Y. +5 more
The OMEGA visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express has observed the southern seasonal cap in late 2004 and 2005 and then in the summer of 2006. These observations extended from the period of maximum extension, close to the southern winter solstice, to the end of the recession at Ls 325°. The spectral range and sp…
Deposition and degradation of a volatile-rich layer in Utopia Planitia and implications for climate history on Mars
Reiss, Dennis; van Gasselt, Stephan; Hauber, Ernst +3 more
We investigate the surface morphology of a study area in western Utopia Planitia, Mars, which is characterized by a variety of landforms that resemble those of terrestrial periglacial landscapes. Polygonally fractured ground and thermokarst-like depressions are found to be located in a young mantling deposit with a thickness of several tens of met…
Trends in effusive style at the Tharsis Montes, Mars, and implications for the development of the Tharsis province
Greeley, Ronald; Williams, David A.; Bleacher, Jacob E. +2 more
We mapped lava flows on the Tharsis Montes (Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons) using High Resolution Stereo Camera images that centrally transect each shield from north to south, covering ~20% of each shield's surface. These data were co-registered to Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Thermal Emission Imaging System, and Mars Orbiter Camera …