Kate Rauner's Blog

#scifi Rover Inspired by Classic Lost... Eat Like a Martian – Mealworm Snack :...

Sand Dunes on #Mars are Different – a first for #NASA :)

Look at its wheels – not a sand dune

No Mars rover has ever climbed a sand dune – only small drifts – but Curiosity is about to try. Martian dunes are active – they move, almost flow across the surface. That takes wind, but the thin atmosphere of Mars doesn’t pack much of a wallop (despite the storm that opens The Martian.)

In my #scifi book Glory on Mars, I claim that wind is sorting sand dunes on the Tharsis Plain. (Geek alert: “sorting” describes the distribution of grain size in sediments). My settlers sinter the uniform sands of Tharsis into construction stone for their habitat – they want well-sorted sand.

Perhaps NASA will find out if I’m right. Though Curiosity is in Aelois, two Martian Quadrangles away from Tharsis, so I guess I can always claim my sand is different.

The rover is moving slowly towards Dune 1 – 200 yards to go – good luck Curiosity.

Thanks to newsledge.com