Aeolian processes at the Mars Exploration Rover Meridiani Planum landing site.

The martian surface is a natural laboratory for testing our understanding of the physics of aeolian (wind-related) processes in an environment different from that of Earth. Martian surface markings and atmospheric opacity are time-variable, indicating that fine particles at the surface are mobilized regularly by wind. Regolith (unconsolidated surface material) at the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site has been affected greatly by wind, which has created and reoriented bedforms, sorted grains, and eroded bedrock. Aeolian features here preserve a unique record of changing wind direction and wind strength. Here we present an in situ examination of a martian bright wind streak, which provides evidence consistent with a previously proposed formational model for such features. We also show that a widely used criterion for distinguishing between aeolian saltation- and suspension-dominated grain behaviour is different on Mars, and that estimated wind friction speeds between 2 and 3 m s(-1), most recently from the northwest, are associated with recent global dust storms, providing ground truth for climate model predictions.

Assessment of Mars Exploration Rover landing site predictions.

Comprehensive analyses of remote sensing data during the three-year effort to select the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites at Gusev crater and at Meridiani Planum correctly predicted the atmospheric density profile during entry and descent and the safe and trafficable surfaces explored by the two rovers. The Gusev crater site was correctly predicted to be a low-relief surface that was less rocky than the Viking landing sites but comparably dusty. A dark, low-albedo, flat plain composed of basaltic sand and haematite with very few rocks was expected and found at Meridiani Planum. These results argue that future efforts to select safe landing sites based on existing and acquired remote sensing data will be successful. In contrast, geological interpretations of the sites based on remote sensing data were less certain and less successful, which emphasizes the inherent ambiguities in understanding surface geology from remotely sensed data and the uncertainty in predicting exactly what materials will be available for study at a landing site.

Release of juvenile water on Mars: estimated amounts and timing associated with volcanism.

The amount of water released on Mars in association with volcanism is estimated to equal a layer 46 meters deep over the entire planet. Most of this water was released in the first 2 billion years of martian history. The estimate is based on mapping the volcanic materials and by inferring the volatile content of the lavas. Water from other sources, such as plutonic activity and cometary contributions, is not included in the estimate.

Lunar hadley rille: considerations of its origin.

Geomorphology, topographic configuration, comparisons with terrestrial analogs, and considerations of the chemical and physical characteristics of mare lavas indicate that the Hadley Rille is a lava channel. Some of the structure was roofed to form a lava tube, parts of which have subsequently collapsed.

Magma generation on Mars: amounts, rates, and comparisons with Earth, moon, and venus.

Total extrusive and intrusive magma generated on Mars over the last approximately 3.8 billion years is estimated at 654 x 10(6) cubic kilometers, or 0.17 cubic kilometers per year (km(3)/yr), substantially less than rates for Earth (26 to 34 km(3)/yr) and Venus (less than 20 km(3)/yr) but much more than for the Moon (0.025 km(3)/yr). When scaled to Earth's mass the martian rate is much smaller than that for Earth or Venus and slightly smaller than for the Moon.

Endogenetic craters interpreted from crater counts on the inner wall of copernicus.

Collapse craters formed in terrestrial basalt flows exhibit size-frequency distributions that are similar to distributions for craters located in terraces in the inner wall of the lunar crater Copernicus. These distributions and surface morphology suggest that the interior terraces are basalt lava flows containing collapse craters as well as impact craters.

Wind tunnel simulations of light and dark streaks on Mars.

Wind tunnel experiments have revealed a characteristic flow field pattern over raised-rim craters which causes distinctive zones of aeolian erosion and deposition. Comparisons of the results with Mariner 9 images of Mars show that some crater-associated dark zones result from wind erosion and that some crater-associated light streaks are depositional.

North polar region of Mars: imaging results from viking 2.

During October 1976, the Viking 2 orbiter acquired approximately 700 high-resolution images of the north polar region of Mars. These images confirm the existence at the north pole of extensive layered deposits largely covered over with deposits of perennial ice. An unconformity within the layered deposits suggests a complex history of climate change during their time of deposition. A pole-girdling accumulation of dunes composed of very dark materials is revealed for the first time by the Viking cameras. The entire region is devoid of fresh impact craters. Rapid rates of erosion or deposition are implied. A scenario for polar geological evolution, involving two types of climate change, is proposed.

Wind streaks on venus: clues to atmospheric circulation.

Magellan images reveal surface features on Venus attributed to wind processes. Sand dunes, wind-sculpted hills, and more than 5830 wind streaks have been identified. The streaks serve as local "wind vanes," representing wind direction at the time of streak formation and allowing the first global mapping of near-surface wind patterns on Venus. Wind streaks are oriented both toward the equator and toward the west. When streaks associated with local transient events, such as impact cratering, are deleted, the westward component is mostly lost but the equatorward component remains. This pattern is consistent with a Hadley circulation of the lower atmosphere.

Preliminary results from the viking orbiter imaging experiment.

During its first 30 orbits around Mars, the Viking orbiter took approximately 1000 photographic frames of the surface of Mars with resolutions that ranged from 100 meters to a little more than 1 kilometer. Most were of potential landing sites in Chryse Planitia and Cydonia and near Capri Chasma. Contiguous high-resolution coverage in these areas has led to an increased understanding of surface processes, particularly cratering, fluvial, and mass-wasting phenomena. Most of the surfaces examined appear relatively old, channel features abound, and a variety of features suggestive of permafrost have been identified. The ejecta patterns around large craters imply that fluid flow of ejecta occurred after ballistic deposition. Variable features in the photographed area appear to have changed little since observed 5 years ago from Mariner 9. A variety of atmospheric phenomena were observed, including diffuse morning hazes, both stationary and moving discrete white clouds, and wave clouds covering extensive areas.

Images from galileo of the venus cloud deck.

Images of Venus taken at 418 (violet) and 986 [near-infrared (NIR)] nanometers show that the morphology and motions of large-scale features change with depth in the cloud deck. Poleward meridional velocities, seen in both spectral regions, are much reduced in the NIR In the south polar region the markings in the two wavelength bands are strongly anticorrelated. The images follow the changing state of the upper cloud layer downwind of the subsolar point, and the zonal flow field shows a longitudinal periodicity that may be coupled to the formation of large-scale planetary waves. No optical lightning was detected.

First images of asteroid 243 ida.

The first images of the asteroid 243 Ida from Galileo show an irregular object measuring 56-kilometers by 24 kilometers by 21 kilometers. Its surface is rich in geologic features, including systems of grooves, blocks, chutes, albedo features, crater chains, and a full range of crater morphologies. The largest blocks may be distributed nonuniformly across the surface; lineaments and dark-floored craters also have preferential locations. Ida is interpreted to have a substantial regolith. The high crater density and size-frequency distribution (-3 differential power-law index) indicate a surface in equilibrium with saturated cratering. A minimum model crater age for Ida-and therefore for the Koronis family to which Ida belongs-is estimated at 1 billion years, older than expected.

Lunar impact basins and crustal heterogeneity: new Western limb and far side data from galileo.

Multispectral images of the lunar western limb and far side obtained from Galileo reveal the compositional nature of several prominent lunar features and provide new information on lunar evolution. The data reveal that the ejecta from the Orientale impact basin (900 kilometers in diameter) lying outside the Cordillera Mountains was excavated from the crust, not the mantle, and covers pre-Orientale terrain that consisted of both highland materials and relatively large expanses of ancient mare basalts. The inside of the far side South Pole-Aitken basin (>2000 kilometers in diameter) has low albedo, red color, and a relatively high abundance of iron- and magnesium-rich materials. These features suggest that the impact may have penetrated into the deep crust or lunar mantle or that the basin contains ancient mare basalts that were later covered by highlands ejecta.

Galileo encounter with 951 gaspra: first pictures of an asteroid.

Galileo images of Gaspra reveal it to be an irregularly shaped object (19 by 12 by 11 kilometers) that appears to have been created by a catastrophic collisional disruption of a precursor parent body. The cratering age of the surface is about 200 million years. Subtle albedo and color variations appear to correlate with morphological features: Brighter materials are associated with craters especially along the crests of ridges, have a stronger 1-micrometer absorption, and may represent freshly excavated mafic materials; darker materials exhibiting a significantly weaker 1-micrometer absorption appear concentrated in interridge areas. One explanation of these patterns is that Gaspra is covered with a thin regolith and that some of this material has migrated downslope in some areas.

Galileo multispectral imaging of the north polar and eastern limb regions of the moon.

Multispectral images obtained during the Galileo probe's second encounter with the moon reveal the compositional nature of the north polar regions and the northeastern limb. Mare deposits in these regions are found to be primarily low to medium titanium lavas and, as on the western limb, show only slight spectral heterogeneity. The northern light plains are found to have the spectral characteristics of highlands materials, show little evidence for the presence of cryptomaria, and were most likely emplaced by impact processes regardless of their age.

Galileo at Io: results from high-resolution imaging.

During late 1999/early 2000, the solid state imaging experiment on the Galileo spacecraft returned more than 100 high-resolution (5 to 500 meters per pixel) images of volcanically active Io. We observed an active lava lake, an active curtain of lava, active lava flows, calderas, mountains, plateaus, and plains. Several of the sulfur dioxide-rich plumes are erupting from distal flows, rather than from the source of silicate lava (caldera or fissure, often with red pyroclastic deposits). Most of the active flows in equatorial regions are being emplaced slowly beneath insulated crust, but rapidly emplaced channelized flows are also found at all latitudes. There is no evidence for high-viscosity lava, but some bright flows may consist of sulfur rather than mafic silicates. The mountains, plateaus, and calderas are strongly influenced by tectonics and gravitational collapse. Sapping channels and scarps suggest that many portions of the upper approximately 1 kilometer are rich in volatiles.

Results from the Mars Pathfinder camera.

Images of the martian surface returned by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) show a complex surface of ridges and troughs covered by rocks that have been transported and modified by fluvial, aeolian, and impact processes. Analysis of the spectral signatures in the scene (at 440- to 1000-nanometer wavelength) reveal three types of rock and four classes of soil. Upward-looking IMP images of the predawn sky show thin, bluish clouds that probably represent water ice forming on local atmospheric haze (opacity approximately 0.5). Haze particles are about 1 micrometer in radius and the water vapor column abundance is about 10 precipitable micrometers.

Galileo's First Images of Jupiter and the Galilean Satellites

The first images of Jupiter, Io, Europa, and Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft reveal new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) and the surfaces of the Galilean satellites. Features similar to clusters of thunderstorms were found in the GRS. Nearby wave structures suggest that the GRS may be a shallow atmospheric feature. Changes in surface color and plume distribution indicate differences in resurfacing processes near hot spots on Io. Patchy emissions were seen while Io was in eclipse by Jupiter. The outer margins of prominent linear markings (triple bands) on Europa are diffuse, suggesting that material has been vented from fractures. Numerous small circular craters indicate localized areas of relatively old surface. Pervasive brittle deformation of an ice layer appears to have formed grooves on Ganymede. Dark terrain unexpectedly shows distinctive albedo variations to the limit of resolution.

Mass determination of polyphosphoinositides and inositol triphosphate in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells with a microspectrophotometric method.

A method is described for the assay of subnanogram amounts of phosphorus in phospholipids and organic phosphates. The formation of a complex with a high molar absorption coefficient at 600 nm when malachite green is added to phosphomolybdate at low pH and the adaptation of a microspectrophotometer to quantify the color in 10 microliters solution have made it possible for a dose-response curve from 0.1-1.2 ng phosphorus to be developed. The method has been applied to the assay of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns 4-P), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-diphosphate (PtdIns 4,5-P2), and inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (Ins 1,4,5-P3) in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells after stimulation with angiotensin II (AII), K+, and ACTH for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 60 sec. A control (nonstimulated) sample was incubated concomitantly for every time period. Nonstimulated cell levels (mean +/- SEM; n = 216) were: PtdIns, 577 +/- 6.4; PtdIns 4-P, 183 +/- 3.1; PtdIns 4,5-P2, 59 +/- 1.8; and Ins 1,4,5-P3, 94 +/- 1.3 pmol/incubate. Maximum increase in levels of PtdIns, PtdIns 4-P, PtdIns 4,5-P2, and Ins 1,4,5-P3 above control values was obtained after 8 sec with AII (10(-8) M) and after 6 sec with K+ (8.7 mM) stimulation. The values (picomoles per 2 X 10(5) cell incubate; n = 4) were: PtdIns, 808 +/- 28; PtdIns 4-P, 263 +/- 20; PtdIns 4,5-P2, 112 +/- 10; and Ins 1,4,5-P3, 136 +/- 4 for AII stimulation, and PtdIns, 925 +/- 76, PtdIns 4-P, 308 +/- 11; PtdIns 4,5-P2 146 +/- 28; and Ins 1,4,5-P3, 149 +/- 5 for K+ stimulation. No increase above control levels could be found at any incubation time after ACTH stimulation. Thus, both AII and K+ stimulate a short-lived increase in the mass of several elements of the phosphatidylinositol pathway. The discrepancy between these mass determinations and isotope study suggests that only some, but not all, pools are labeled by currently available techniques.

Site selection for Mars exobiology.

The selection of sites on Mars that have a high priority for exobiological research is fundamental for planning future exploration. The most immediate need is to identify targets for high resolution orbital imaging during the Mars Observer and Mars '94/'96 missions that can be used to refine site priorities for surface exploration. We present an objective approach to site selection whereby individual sites are selected and scored, based on the presence of key geological features which indicate high priority environments. Prime sites are those that show evidence for the prolonged activity of liquid water and which have sedimentary deposits that are likely to have accumulated in environments favorable for life. High priority areas include fluvio-lacustrine (stream-fed lake systems), springs, and periglacial environments. Sites where mineralization may have occurred in the presence of organisms (e.g. springs) are given high priority in the search for a fossil record on Mars. A systematic review of Viking data for 83 sites in the Mars Landing Site Catalog resulted in the selection of 13 as being of exobiological interest. The descriptions of these sites were expanded to address exobiological concerns. An additional five sites were identified for inclusion in the second edition of the MLSC. We plan to broaden our site selection activities to include a systematic global reconnaissance of Mars using Viking data, and will continue to refine site priorities for exobiological research based on data from future missions in order to define strategies for surface exploration.