Stunning New Views From HiRISE; Plus Big Announcement?

Caption: Dune symmetry on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

It is so wonderful to see the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter back in action, especially our favorite camera, the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE. The HiRISE team released some of their latest images this week, and they are particularly stunning, including this one of symmetrical dunes in a small crater in Noachis Terra, west of the giant Hellas impact basin. Alfred McEwan, from the HiRISE team and the University of Arizona says the dunes here are linear, and are thought to be created due to shifting wind directions. In places, each dune is remarkably similar to adjacent dunes. The linear dune fields on Mars are similar to the ones seen on Titan, although not quite as large. The debris between the dunes are large boulders.

More images below, but on another note, HiRISE Twitter notes there will be a "big announcement" on Wednesday, January 20. A major discovery? Mission extension? Website redesign? Stay tuned.

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Read the rest of Stunning New Views From HiRISE; Plus Big Announcement? (367 words)

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© nancy for Universe Today, 2010. |
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Full story at http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/16/stunning-new-views-from-hirise-plus-big-announcement/