Science Opportunities offered by Mercury's Ice-Bearing Polar Deposits

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Curiosity at Vera Rubin Ridge: Major Findings and Implications for Habitability

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Using Mineralogy of the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale Crater to Interpret Eolian Sediment Sorting on the Martian Surface

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to characterize modern and ancient surface environments. Curiosity executed a two-phase campaign to study the morphology, activity, physical properties, and chemical and mineralogical composition of the Bagnold Dune Field, an active eolian dune field on the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp). Detectable aspects of dune sand mineralogy have been examined from orbit with the visible/short-wave infrared spectrometer CRISMand the thermal-infrared spectrometers THEMIS and TES. CRISM data demonstrate variations in plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine abundances across the dune field. Curiosity analyzed sediments from two locations in the dune field to evaluate the causes of the mineralogical differences observed from orbit. The Gobabeb sample was collected from Namib Dune, a barchanoidal dune on the upwind margin of the dune field, and the Ogunquit Beach sample was collected from the Mount Desert Island sand patch located downwind from Namib. These samples were sieved to <150 m and delivered to the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument for quantitative mineralogical analysis. CRISM-derived mineralogy of the Namib Dune and Mount Desert Island and CheMin-derived mineralogy of the Gobabeb and Ogunquit Beach samples can be used in a value-added manner to interpret grain segregation at the bedform to dune-field scale and evaluate contributions from local sediment sources. Models of CRISM data demonstrate that Mount Desert Island is more enriched in olivine and less enriched in plagioclase than Namib dune, suggesting that fine-grained mafic sediments are preferentially mobilized downwind. Curiosity data indicate olivine also forms a coarse lag on the lee sides of barchanoidal dunes. Minor abundances of hematite, quartz, and anhydrite and small differences in the crystal chemistry of plagioclase and pyroxene derived from CheMin data suggest that sediments from the underlying lacustrine rocks also contribute to the Bagnold sands

Lunar Volatiles and Solar System Science

Understanding the origin and evolution of the lunar volatile system is not only compelling lunar science, but also fundamental Solar System science. This white paper (submitted to the US National Academies' Decadal Survey in Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032) summarizes recent advances in our understanding of lunar volatiles, identifies outstanding questions for the next decade, and discusses key steps required to address these questions

A martian case study of segmenting images automatically for granulometry and sedimentology, Part 1: Algorithm

In planetary exploration, delineating individual grains in images via segmentation is a key path to sedimentological comparisons with the extensive terrestrial literature. Samples that contain a substantial fine grain component, common at Meridiani and Gusev at Mars, would involve prohibitive effort if attempted manually. Unavailability of physical samples also precludes standard terrestrial methods such as sieving. Furthermore, planetary scientists have been thwarted by the dearth of segmentation algorithms customized for planetary applications, including Mars, and often rely on sub-optimal solutions adapted from medical software. We address this with an original algorithm optimized to segment whole images from the Microscopic Imager of the Mars Exploration Rovers. While our code operates with minimal human guidance, its default parameters can be modified easily for different geologic settings and imagers on Earth and other planets, such as the Curiosity Rover\u27s Mars Hand Lens Instrument. We assess the algorithm\u27s robustness in a companion work. © 2013 Elsevier Inc

A martian case study of segmenting images automatically for granulometry and sedimentology, Part 2: Assessment

In a companion work, we bridge the gap between mature segmentation software used in terrestrial sedimentology and emergent planetary segmentation with an original algorithm optimized to segment whole images from the Microscopic Imager (MI) of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). In this work, we compare its semi-automated outcome with manual photoanalyses using unconsolidated sediment at Gusev and Meridiani Planum sites for geologic context. On average, our code and manual segmentation converge to within ~10% in the number and total area of identified grains in a pseudo-random, single blind comparison of 50 samples. Unlike manual segmentation, it also locates finer grains in an image with internal consistency, enabling robust comparisons across geologic contexts. When implemented in Mathematica-8, the algorithm segments an entire MI image within minutes, surpassing the extent and speed possible with manual segmentation by about a factor of ten. These results indicate that our algorithm enables not only new sedimentological insight from the MER MI data, but also detailed sedimentology with the Mars Science Laboratory\u27s Mars Hand Lens Instrument. © 2013 Elsevier Inc

NEUTRON-1 Mission: Low Earth Orbit Neutron Flux Detection and COSMOS Mission Operations Technology Demonstration

The Neutron-1 mission is scheduled to launch on ELaNa 25 during the Fall of 2019. The 3U CubeSat will measure low energy neutron flux in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The CubeSat was developed by the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). The science payload, a small neutron detector developed by Arizona State University (ASU) for the LunaH-Map, will focus on measurements of low energy secondary neutrons, one of the components of the LEO neutron environment. In addition, this mission presents an excellent opportunity to establish flight heritage and demonstrate the technological capabilities of the NASA EPSCoR funded Comprehensive Open-architecture Solution for Mission Operations Systems (COSMOS, http://cosmos-project.org ). COSMOS is an open source set of tools that is being developed at HSFL as an integrated operations solution (including flight software, ground station operations, and mission operations center) for Small Satellite missions. It is intended to enable/facilitate SmallSat mission operations at universities with limited budgets and short schedules

THE AMAPARI MARKER BAND, GALE CRATER, MARS: METAL ENRICHMENTS AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF FORMATION

International audienceThe Amapari Marker Band (AMB) is a unique resistant feature in the sulfate-rich Mirador formation (Mf), and is a feature that spans Mt Sharp, the central sedimentary mound within Gale crater, Mars [1]. From orbital observations, the AMB appears darker and retains craters, exhibits a high-Ca pyroxene signature, and varies in thickness [1]. The AMB was initially interpreted as a volcanic or more indurated sulfate deposit [1–2]. NASA Curiosity rover data has shown the AMB is a chemically and sedimentologically unique feature in the stratigraphy and only a thin interval in the Mount Sharp group (MSg) sequence [3–10]. The sedimentary textures and chemistry of the units above (Chenapau member) and below (Catrimani and Contigo members) the AMB are very similar but differ in mineralogy (Mg-sulfate in Catrimani [11] and siderite+Mg-sulfate in Chenapau [12])

THE AMAPARI MARKER BAND, GALE CRATER, MARS: METAL ENRICHMENTS AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF FORMATION

International audienceThe Amapari Marker Band (AMB) is a unique resistant feature in the sulfate-rich Mirador formation (Mf), and is a feature that spans Mt Sharp, the central sedimentary mound within Gale crater, Mars [1]. From orbital observations, the AMB appears darker and retains craters, exhibits a high-Ca pyroxene signature, and varies in thickness [1]. The AMB was initially interpreted as a volcanic or more indurated sulfate deposit [1–2]. NASA Curiosity rover data has shown the AMB is a chemically and sedimentologically unique feature in the stratigraphy and only a thin interval in the Mount Sharp group (MSg) sequence [3–10]. The sedimentary textures and chemistry of the units above (Chenapau member) and below (Catrimani and Contigo members) the AMB are very similar but differ in mineralogy (Mg-sulfate in Catrimani [11] and siderite+Mg-sulfate in Chenapau [12])

THE AMAPARI MARKER BAND, GALE CRATER, MARS: METAL ENRICHMENTS AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF FORMATION

International audienceThe Amapari Marker Band (AMB) is a unique resistant feature in the sulfate-rich Mirador formation (Mf), and is a feature that spans Mt Sharp, the central sedimentary mound within Gale crater, Mars [1]. From orbital observations, the AMB appears darker and retains craters, exhibits a high-Ca pyroxene signature, and varies in thickness [1]. The AMB was initially interpreted as a volcanic or more indurated sulfate deposit [1–2]. NASA Curiosity rover data has shown the AMB is a chemically and sedimentologically unique feature in the stratigraphy and only a thin interval in the Mount Sharp group (MSg) sequence [3–10]. The sedimentary textures and chemistry of the units above (Chenapau member) and below (Catrimani and Contigo members) the AMB are very similar but differ in mineralogy (Mg-sulfate in Catrimani [11] and siderite+Mg-sulfate in Chenapau [12])