exogeology
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USGS releases first complete geologic map of the Moon
The USGS has made it easy to study the Moon's surface by releasing the first comprehensive geologic map of the lunar landscape.
NASA's InSight lander can finally dig a hole for its Mars heat probe
NASA's InSight lander was supposed be digging a hole so a probe (above) could measure the heat escaping from Mars' interior, but it hasn't made much progress since work got started in February -- it hadn't even finished burying itself. At last, it's making some headway. The agency has revealed that the probe, nicknamed "the mole," is finally digging in earnest thanks to a new strategy. The arm had been stymied by unusually rough soil, but the team found it could get the necessary friction by having InSight press its robotic arm against the probe.
Meteor impact may have started a 'mega-tsunami' on early Mars
There appears to be stronger evidence of a possible ocean on ancient Mars. A recent study indicates that the meteor that created the 75-mile Lomonosov crater may have produced a "mega-tsunami" that left its mark on the planet. Its rim is the same height as the estimated depth of the ocean and resembles marine craters on Earth. Also, a hole in the southern lip of the crater could have been the result of the ocean roaring back from that direction. Earlier evidence had hinted the ocean's shores were shaped by at least one impact in the same general area as the Lomonosov crater -- this latest study, however, has narrowed things down to a specific impact site.
