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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2017
ASTRONAUTICS
Panorama with active linear dune in Gale Crater, Mars.
This mosaic from the Mastcam on Curiosity looks out over a portion of the Bagnold Dunes, which stretch for several
miles. From early February to early April 2017, the rover examined four sites near linear dunes for comparison with
what it found in late 2015 and early 2016 during its investigation of crescent-shaped dunes. This two-phase cam-
paign is the first close-up study of active dunes anywhere other than Earth. The dark, rippled surface of a linear
dune is visible at the center of the view and receding into the distance to the left. The bedrock of the Murray for-
mation, made from sediments deposited in lakes billions of years ago, is in the foreground, along with some com-
ponents of the rover. The location, called "Ogunquit Beach," is on the northwestern flank of lower Mount Sharp.