NASA / JPL-Caltech / UA / TAMU The Surface Stereo Imager on Phoenix Mars Lander sent back this view of the probe's workspace in Mars' north polar region at the mission's 90-day mark. Click on the image for a larger view from the Phoenix imaging team. |
Looking for the latest, greatest, biggest pictures from the Red Planet and other celestial hot spots? We've got 'em right here - starting with some fresh views of the Phoenix Mars Lander's excavations and the Opportunity rover's climb-out from the biggest crater it's visited.
Phoenix was originally scheduled to conduct a 90-day mission to study water ice and other chemicals in the frosty soil of Mars' north polar region. The mission has already been extended through the end of next month, but this week Phoenix sent back a visual progress report as it passed the 90-day mark - or more accurately, the 90-sol mark, because Martian days are slightly longer than Earth days.
The picture you see above is a mosaic that shows the workspace surrounding the lander. Phoenix has been digging up a storm over the past few months, so another picture shows the 4-inch-high (10-centimeter-high) mound of excavated soil piled up by the lander. Yet another picture shows an eerie Martian sunrise on the 90th day (which was Monday on Earth).
You've probably already guessed that you can get bigger versions of the Phoenix pictures from NASA's mission Web site or the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
Meanwhile, farther south, the Opportunity and Spirit rovers are continuing their work on opposite sides of the Red Planet. Opportunity has spent nearly a year studying intriguing layers of bedrock down in Victoria Crater, but just today NASA reported that the six-wheeled robot has worked its way back up to level ground.
NASA / JPL-Caltech |
| NASA's Opportunity rover captured this view looking back at its own tracks and Victoria Crater's Cape Verde promontory Thursday after climbing back onto level ground. Click on the image for a larger view. |
The picture of the day shows what's now in Opportunity's rear-view mirror: Victoria Crater's Cape Verde promontory and the tracks rolling out of the crater. You can also check out a closer look at Cape Verde and a 180-degree panorama of Spirit's surroundings as that power-challenged rover waits out the Martian winter.
And to mark the Labor Day weekend, NASA has put together a slideshow that highlights the six U.S. flags on Mars. The flags are emblazoned on the two Mars rovers and Phoenix Mars Lander as well as three probes that have passed on: the Pathfinder lander and the two Viking landers.
There's plenty more to keep you clicking over the holiday weekend, including our latest roundup of celestial highlights in the "Month in Space" slide show. Every time we come out with a fresh selection, some folks ask where they can download larger versions of the imagery for their desktop or printer. Here are links to the bigger pictures, and in most cases additional background about the images as well:
- Family portrait: More about the Spitzer Space Telescope's multigenerational picture of starbirth.
- Olympic high jump: Satellite imagery of the Beijing sports site from DigitalGlobe's WorldView-1 satellite.
- Obstructed view: Monster solar panels add bling to the view out the international space station's window.
- Janus in profile: Learn more about the Cassini orbiter's view of Janus, a craggy, cratered moon of Saturn.
- Bewitched: The Witch's Broom Nebula was a hit on the Astronomy Picture of the Day site, a.k.a. APOD.
- Eye on the storm: The international space station's crew got an eyeful when they looked for Tropical Storm Fay.
- Rumble in the jungle: Get a bigger view of the Ariane 5 liftoff from French Guiana, and learn more from Arianespace's Web site.
- Chilly morn on Mars: The full story behind Phoenix Mars Lander's picture of morning frost at its landing site.
- Lighting up the lake: SpaceWeather.com is your best source for images of the northern lights (and sometimes the southern lights).
- Moon overshadowed: You'll find a bigger view of the lunar eclipse as seen from Jordan, as well as more background on the event that most Americans missed out on.
- A clearer Cat's Eye: Find out more about the Cat's Eye Nebula, a perennial favorite for fans of space imagery.
- Stripes in the ice: Cassini hit a bull's-eye with its observations of Enceladus, Saturn's mysterious ice-spewing moon.
- The eaten sun: Click on the link for a bigger view of the Aug. 1 solar eclipse as seen from China, and check out our coverage as well. There's also this unusual view of the eclipse as seen by NASA's Terra satellite, and this view from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO.
- Cosmic fire: The Hubble Space Telescope's picture of a star-forming region marks its 100,000th orbit.
- The cones of Mars: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has a wealth of pictures, as you can see if you check the HiRISE team's catalog.
- High and dry: NASA's Earth Observatory tells you more about the Dry Tortugas, as seen from the international space station.
- Catch a falling star: See a bigger version of the Perseid meteor streak over Florida, and learn more about the annual sky show.
- Space monster: Scary views of the galaxy NGC 1275 were captured by Hubble as well as the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
- Phobos up close: Europe's Mars Express orbiter snapped the latest high-resolution views of the Martian moon.
- Four flares flash: SOHO is the premiere probe for seeing solar flares in detail.
I'll be taking Labor Day off, and regular postings will resume Tuesday.
