LROC: On January 19, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the Moon. Five days later, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft orbit passed over the landing site, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) acquired an image from an altitude of about 80 kilometers (50 miles). Bright ejecta seen on the left side of the image is from the nearby fresh crater Shioli. https://ow.ly/zCAB50Qvp5s
INGENUITY: The Ingenuity Mars helicopter has now completed 61 flights! It has completed 110.9 flying minutes, covered 13.6 kilometers (8.5 miles), and reached altitudes as high as 24 meters (78.7 feet). https://ow.ly/j1Cw50PVjP6
LUCY: The Lucy spacecraft captured its first images of the main belt asteroid Dinkinesh, the first of 10 asteroids that the spacecraft will visit on its 12-year voyage. Lucy took these images in early September while it was 23 million kilometers away from the asteroid, which is only about a kilometer wide. https://ow.ly/wohO50PKyEZ
Saturn’s rings, composed of dust and ice, are remnants of earlier planetesimals that catastrophically broke up as they entered Saturn’s gravitational field. Microscopic dust particles in the rings are electrically charged and are affected by Saturn’s magnetic field, generating phenomena known as “spokes” during Saturn’s fall and spring equinoxes. Spokes appear as roughly perpendicular disruptions in the ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of Saturn’s rings and look like wheel spokes revolving around Saturn. Read more: http://ow.ly/8rNz50NblUf
Scientists are about to get a new look at Mars, thanks to a multicolored 5.6-gigapixel map. Covering 86% of the Red Planet’s surface, the map reveals the distribution of dozens of key minerals. By looking at mineral distribution, scientists can better understand Mars’ watery past and can prioritize which regions need to be studied in more depth.
Read the full story: http://ow.ly/qp0450K7HuB
Ever wonder how NASA’s Planetary Science Division obtains community feedback? Learn all about it from Stephen Rinehart, Director of Planetary Research Programs at NASA, in LPIB 169’s Featured Story. Learn more: http://ow.ly/neVP50KcK80
“Advancing an entire field can seem daunting, but we are the community that launched missions to explore the outermost edges of the solar system and learned to overcome extreme environments just for a glimpse of what lies beyond Earth. If each of us takes a step forward, we can take giant leaps together!”
The latest Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin included a new section called IDEA in Action, highlighting inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in planetary science. Read these stories as well as the inspiring introduction by Edgard G. Rivera-Valentín: http://ow.ly/9fWW50KcJUh
The abstract deadline for the Brines Across the Solar System: Ancient Brines conference has been extended to this Tuesday, July 19 at 5 p.m.
This conference will focus on integrating diverse fields of study, including but not limited to geology, mineralogy, (astro)biology, chemistry, planetary science, and physics. Of particular interest are the intersections of these fields as they apply to understanding the formation, location, and potential habitability of ancient brines on planetary bodies and any possible biosignatures that may be observed today. More information: http://ow.ly/IvEg50JQCNm
We are happy to announce the Brines Across the Solar System: Ancient Brines conference scheduled for September 12–15, 2022, in Reno, Nevada! This conference will focus on integrating diverse fields of study, including but not limited to geology, mineralogy, (astro)biology, chemistry, planetary science, and physics. Of particular interest are the intersections of these fields as they apply to understanding the formation, location, and potential habitability of ancient brines on planetary bodies and any possible biosignatures that may be observed today.
The abstract deadline is this Tuesday, July 12 at 5 p.m. CDT. More information: http://ow.ly/IvEg50JQCNm
PERSEVERANCE: The Perseverance Mars rover is studying martian weather phenomena including the winds of Jezero Crater. The rover used its navigation camera to capture these dust devils swirling across the crater on July 20, 2021, the 148th martian day of the mission. http://ow.ly/9E8V50Jp2sy
On January 15, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano erupted in the Pacific Ocean, 65 kilometers north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu. Orbiting satellite missions detected that space also felt the effects of the volcanic eruption. Read more: http://ow.ly/LnFG50Jbm9M
On September 1, the Perseverance rover unfurled its arm, placed a drill bit at the martian surface, and drilled about two inches down to extract a rock core. The rover later sealed the rock core in its tube. This historic event marked the first time a spacecraft packed up a rock sample from another planet that could be returned to Earth by future spacecraft. http://ow.ly/D9AP50GqZnd
