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This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows two of the channel segments of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows two of the channel segments of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. The system is approximately 750km long. It is likely that both water and lava played a part in creation of the feature.Orbit Number: 88156 Latitude: 28.6099 Longitude: 129.149 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-29 01:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the spacecraft's activity site on June 16, 2008, after the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet's northern polar plains. Parts of Phoenix can be seen in the foreground. | This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the spacecraft's recent activity site as of the 23rd Martian day of the mission, or Sol 22 (June 16, 2008), after the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet's northern polar plains. The mosaic was taken by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI). Parts of Phoenix can be seen in the foreground.The first two trenches dug by the lander's Robotic Arm, called "Dodo" and "Goldilocks," were enlarged on the 19th Martian day of the mission, or Sol 18 (June 12, 2008), to form one trench, dubbed "Dodo-Goldilocks." Scoops of material taken from those trenches are informally called "Baby Bear" and "Mama Bear." Baby Bear was carried to Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, instrument for analysis, while Mama Bear was delivered to Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer instrument suite, or MECA, for a closer look.The color inset picture of the Dodo-Goldilocks trench, also taken with Phoenix's SSI, reveals white material thought to be ice.More recently, on Sol 22 (June 16, 2008), Phoenix's Robotic Arm began digging a trench, dubbed "Snow White," in a patch of Martian soil near the center of a polygonal surface feature, nicknamed "Cheshire Cat." The "dump pile" is located at the top of the trench, and has been dubbed "Croquet Ground." The digging site has been nicknamed "Wonderland."The Snow White trench, seen here in an SSI image from Sol 22 (June 16, 2008) is about 2 centimeters (.8 inches) deep and 30 centimeters (12 inches) long. As of Sol 25 (June 19, 2008), the trench is 5 centimeters (2 inches deep) and the trench has been renamed "Snow White 1," as a second trench has been dug to its right and nicknamed "Snow White 2."The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
These lava flows and channels are part of Alba Patera, a large collapsed volcano in the Tharsis region on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01329Alba PateraThese lava flows and channels are part of Alba Patera, a large collapsed volcano in the Tharsis region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 44.0N, Longitude 244.8E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This NASA Mars Odyssey image shows the effects of erosion on a beautiful sequence of dramatically layered rocks within Candor Chasma, which is part of the Valles Marineris. | (Released 27 June 2002)The ScienceThis THEMIS visible image shows the effects of erosion on a beautiful sequence of dramatically layered rocks within Candor Chasma, which is part of the Valles Marineris. These layers were initially deposited within Candor, and have subsequently been eroded by a variety of processes, including wind and downslope motion due to gravity. The effect of erosion is manifest differently in the different layers and at different locations within the layered material. For example, the upper portion of the Candor deposit seen in the lower one-third of the image appears more intact, whereas downslope there is pronounced fluting to create produced "spur and gully" slopes. Relatively dark materials are seen throughout the image and appear to mantle select areas of the layered deposits. When seen in other areas by THEMIS, and at higher resolution by the Mars Global Surveyor camera, these dark materials often form sand dunes. The dark mantling material in Candor is likely dark sand as well. Several particularly dark patches can be seen near the left (western) edge of the image, approximately one quarter of the way up from the bottom of the image. Very few impact craters of any size can be seen in this image, indicating that the erosion and transport of material is occurring at a relatively rapid rate, so that any craters that form are rapidly buried or eroded.The StoryThe smooth, triangular shape near the center of this image is the plateau of a canyon, with walls that dramatically descend on either side. This canyon is named Chasma, which means "blaze" or "white" in Latin. The lighter, brighter material of the southern canyon wall displays erosional streaks that almost do happen to look like a white blaze.Toward the bottom left of the image, you can see how the relatively brighter material from the top has been carried down to the bottom. Notice that the upper, grayer part of the southern canyon walls don't seem to have the same erosional flutes as the brighter material just below it. By looking at such differences on the same canyon wall, geologists can begin to understand the kinds of materials that make up each layer of the canyon wall, and how resistant each is to erosion.No matter what part of the canyon you look at, erosion has created the beautiful sequence of layered rocks within Candor. Sometimes it's the wind that acts, and sometimes gravity, which pulls material from the upper parts of the canyon downslope. Be sure to click on the above image for a close-up view of all of the subtle layers and ripples.Look also for some dark, almost black patches (bottom left, about a quarter of the way up). These dark splotches are most likely made of sand. In fact, much of the darker areas seen in this image are probably made of sand. The sand often forms in dunes, as both THEMIS and the higher resolution camera on Mars Global Surveyor, Odyssey's sister orbiter, have shown.With all of the wind and downslope erosion, this area is fairly active geologically. You can tell because there are very few impact craters of any size to be seen. That means material is being transported at a rate that's rapid enough to bury or erode any craters that do form.Candor Chasma is part of Valles Marineris, the large canyon system that slices across a large part of the red planet. If Valles Marineris were located on Earth, it would stretch all the way from the west coast to the east coast of the United States. | |
The linear depression in the center of this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a graben - a fault bounded block of material. The graben crosses the crater and ejecta in the middle of the image. | Context imageThe linear depression in the center of this VIS image is a graben - a fault bounded block of material. The graben crosses the crater and ejecta in the middle of the image, indicating that the graben formed after the impact that created the crater.Orbit Number: 56477 Latitude: -36.522 Longitude: 193.781 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-09-07 01:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A green star marks the location of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover after a drive on the mission's 957th Martian day, or sol, (April 16, 2015). The map covers an area about 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) wide. | A green star marks the location of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover after a drive on the mission's 957th Martian day, or sol, (April 16, 2015). The map covers an area about 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) wide.Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012. The drive on Sol 957 brought the mission's total driving distance past the 10-kilometer mark (6.214 miles). The rover is passing through a series of shallow valleys on a path from the "Pahrump Hills" outcrop, which it investigated for six months, toward its next science destination, called "Logan Pass." The rover's traverse line enters this map at the location Curiosity reached in mid-July 2014. The base map uses imagery from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
The dark, narrow band of sand dunes in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is called Hyperboreae Undae. | Context imageThe dark, narrow band of sand dunes in this VIS image is called Hyperboreae Undae.Orbit Number: 54911 Latitude: 82.0738 Longitude: 313.513 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-05-01 04:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Map of Hills on the Horizon | This overhead view maps the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's approximate location in relation to nearby craters and hills. By combining images from both the camera on Mars Global Surveyor and the descent image motion estimation system camera located on the bottom of the rover's lander, scientists and engineers can tell how far away the hills are from the rover. This information would be more difficult to obtain from the panoramic images. The hills and hill ranges are marked by yellow lines, and the rover is located where the yellow lines intersect. Black arrows locate the east hill complex, a potential rover destination. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows lighter-toned patches of ground ofsulfate-rich bedrock. Darker patches are dark, windblown sand. The metal post in the foreground is the top of Opportunity's low-gain antenna. | This 360-degree panorama shows the vista from the location where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity spent five weeks in November and December 2008 while the sun was nearly directly in between Mars and Earth, limiting communications.Opportunity is approaching the fifth Earth-year anniversary of its landing on Mars, continuing a surface mission that was initially scheduled to last three months. The rover landed on Jan. 24, 2004 (Pacific Standard Time; Jan. 25, 2004 Universal Time). When it reached the location from which its panoramic camera (Pancam) captured this view, it had driven a total of 13,616 meters (8.46 miles) since its landing. The view combines 276 different exposures taken with Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam)—92 pointings, with three filters at each pointing. The component images were taken during the period from the rover's 1,716th Martian day, or sol, to the mission's Sol 1719 (Nov. 21 to 24, 2008). Opportunity has driven 1.83 kilometers (1.14 miles) since it exited Victoria Crater on Sol 1634 (Aug. 28, 2008). It skirted the west rim of Victoria and, at the point from which this panorama was taken, had reached a position about a kilometer (six-tenths of a mile) southwest of the south rim of the crater. North is in the center of the panorama. Rover tracks are visible from the drive to the location from which the Pancam captured this view. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about one meter (3 feet).Opportunity is on a 12-kilometer (7-mile) trek toward Endeavour crater (see PIA11737) a crater more than 20 times the size of Victoria Crater, which Opportunity studied for about two years. On the way toward Endeavour the rover is pausing to examine selected loose rocks on the surface. At the location from which this panorama was taken, the rover used the spectrometers on its robotic arm to examine a cobble informally called "Santorini," a dark rock about 8 centimeters (3 inches) long, which the inspection indicates is probably a meteorite. The rock is too close to the rover to be visible in this panorama.The lighter-toned patches of ground in this view are sulfate-rich bedrock. Darker patches are dark, windblown sand. The metal post in the foreground is the top of Opportunity's low-gain antenna.Opportunity began driving again on Sol 1748 (Dec. 23, 2008).This is an approximate true-color, red-green-blue composite panorama generated from images taken through the Pancam's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters. This "natural color" view is the rover team's best estimate of what the scene would look like if we were there and able to see it with our own eyes. | |
The most conspicuous feature yet observed on Mars by NASA's Mariner 9 in 1971 is the darkish spot located near the top of this picture. It had been tentatively identified as Nix Olympica. | The most conspicuous feature yet observed on Mars by Mariner 9 is the darkish spot located near the top of this picture. It has been tentatively identified as Nix Olympica, a curious ring-shaped feature photographed by Mariners 6 and 7 in 1969 and a point which radar indicates is one of the highest on Mars. One possible explanation suggests a high mountain or plateau which is being seen as it rises up through the bright dust surrounding the rest of the planet. The picture, one of a series of 31 recorded on the first tape-load during approach to Mars, was taken at 8:46 a.m. PST, November 11, 1971, at a range of about 408,000 miles. North is at the top.Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The spacecraft was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by Mariners 6 and 7, and to map over 70% of the Martian surface from the lowest altitude (1500 kilometers [900 miles]) and at the highest resolutions (1 kilometer per pixel to 100 meters per pixel) of any previous Mars mission.Mariner 9 was launched on May 30, 1971 and arrived on November 14, 1971. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the interior of an unnamed crater in northern Arabia Terra. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the interior of an unnamed crater in northern Arabia Terra. There is a large mound of material covering part of the crater floor. It appears that part of the mound is layered. It is unknown how and when the mound formed.Orbit Number: 80112 Latitude: 33.8048 Longitude: 348.643 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-01-05 17:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an area at Nili Patera in Syrtis Major Planum, revealing regions of small dunes. | Context imageToday's false color image is located at Nili Patera in Syrtis Major Planum. There are regions of small dunes towards the top and the bottom of the image. The wide range of colors indicate the complexity of surface materials in this area.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 61810 Latitude: 8.37503 Longitude: 67.4659 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-11-20 04:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. The inner rim of the crater has numerous dark streaks. It is possible that these features form due to downslope material motion revealing the darker rock beneath the surface dust coating.Orbit Number: 64394 Latitude: 19.6731 Longitude: 18.8573 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-20 00:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dust storms on Mars observed during the northern spring in May 2002. The north polar cap is the bright, frosty surface at the top. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-321, 12 December 2002As on the Earth, many severe storms brew in the martian polar regions. Here, temperature contrasts between the cold carbon dioxide ("dry ice") seasonal frost cap and the warm ground adjacent to it--combined with a flow of cool polar air evaporating off the cap--sweeps up dust and funnels it into swirling dust storms along the cap edge. The dust storms shown here were observed during the recent northern spring by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in May 2002. The picture is a mosaic of daily global images from the MOC wide angle cameras. The north polar cap is the bright, frosty surface at the top. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an inverted valley in eastern Arabia Terra on Mars. The relatively flat-topped ridge was once the floor, or a material covering the floor, of an ancient martian valley. | 10 September 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an inverted valley in eastern Arabia Terra. The relatively flat-topped ridge that runs down much of the length of this picture was once the floor, or a material covering the floor, of an ancient martian valley. The floor material was harder and more resistant to erosion than the rocks into which the valley had been cut. Thus, erosion removed the rocks that were cut by the valley, and then removed additional rocks that were lower than the valley floor, leaving what was once a valley as a high-standing ridge.Location near: 11.4°N, 312.9°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Maja Valles, a large channel system in Lunae Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Maja Valles, a large channel system in Lunae Planum. The main part of the channel is visible at the upper left in this image. The lower part of the image is located within an old crater called Stege Crater. The channel in the central part of the image is flowing along the inner rim of the crater and into the main Maja Valles channel just off the image to the left. Maja Valles in 1600 km (1000 miles) long. Like most outflow channels in the region, Maja Valles arises from Valles Marineris and drains into Chryse Planitia. Maja Valles starts in Juventae Chasma.Orbit Number: 79128 Latitude: 4.32803 Longitude: 300.896 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-16 17:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Spirit's Course | Figure 1Figure 2This digital elevation map shows the topography of the "Columbia Hills," just in front of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's current position. Rover planners have plotted the safest route for Spirit to climb to the front hill, called "West Spur." The black line in the middle of the image represents the rover's traverse path, which starts at "Hank's Hollow" and ends at the top of "West Spur." Scientists are sending Spirit up the hill to investigate the interesting rock outcrops visible in images taken by the rover. Data from the Mars Orbital Camera on the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor were used to create this 3-D map.In figure 1, the digital map shows the slopes of the "Columbia Hills," just in front of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's current position. Colors indicate the slopes of the hills, with red areas being the gentlest and blue the steepest. Rover planners have plotted the safest route for Spirit to climb the front hill, called "West Spur." The path is indicated here with a curved black line. Stereo images from the Mars Orbital Camera on the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor were used to create this 3-D map.In figure 2, the map shows the north-facing slopes of the "Columbia Hills," just in front of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's current position. Bright areas indicate surfaces sloping more toward the north than dark areas. To reach the rock outcrop at the top of the hill, engineers will aim to drive the rover around the dark areas, which would yield less solar power. The curved black line in the middle represents the rover's planned traverse path. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Bahram Vallis. This channel is located in northern Lunae Planum, south of Kasei Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Bahram Vallis. This channel is located in northern Lunae Planum, south of Kasei Valles. Bharam Vallis drains from the higher elevations of Lunae Planum towards the Chryse Planitia basin. This channel is over 300km long (186miles). In this image Bahram Vallis enters Waspam Crater (right side of image) and then exits the crater (top right corner).Orbit Number: 81374 Latitude: 20.3853 Longitude: 303.032 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-18 15:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a surface in Isidis Planitia, littered with degraded impact craters. Windblown ripples of various sizes and shapes are prevalent with wave-like patterns on the floors of some of the larger impact craters. | 17 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a surface in Isidis Planitia, littered with degraded impact craters. Windblown ripples of various sizes and shapes are prevalent throughout the scene as well, producing wave-like patterns on the floors of some of the larger impact craters.Location near: 16.8°N, 266.4°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks on the surface of Sisyphi Planum. | Context imageThis VIS image shows dust devil tracks on the surface of Sisyphi Planum.Orbit Number: 58886 Latitude: -69.1396 Longitude: 2.19479 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-03-24 09:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken on Nov. 11, 2004, by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity rock layers in the wall, with a portion of Opportunity's solar array visible at the bottom right. | The navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took images during the rover's 285th martian day (Nov. 11, 2004) that are combined into this panorama. Opportunity had reached the base of "Burns Cliff," a portion of the inner wall of "Endurance Crater." This view shows rock layers in the wall, with a portion of Opportunity's solar array visible at the bottom right. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the two channel segments of Nirgal Vallis that join just off the image to the east. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the two channel segments of Nirgal Vallis that join just off the image to the east (right). Arising in Noachis Terra, the eastward flowing Nirgal Vallis is 610 km long and empties into Uzboi Vallis.Orbit Number: 81561 Latitude: -27.4288 Longitude: 314.736 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-04 01:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows ridges exposed by erosion in the Aeolis region of Mars. The curved and crisscrossing ridges were once channels in a fan of sediment deposited in the Aeolis lowlands. | 13 April 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows ridges exposed by erosion in the Aeolis region of Mars. The curved and crisscrossing ridges were once channels in a fan of sediment deposited in the Aeolis lowlands. The channels were more resistant to wind erosion than the surrounding materials, so today they are left standing as ridges rather than valleys.Location near: 6.1°S, 209.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image released on Sept 8, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. If this canyon were on Earth, it would stretch from New York to Los Angeles. Seen here is a double landslide. | The Odyssey spacecraft has taken some great pictures of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. If this canyon were on Earth, it would stretch from New York to Los Angeles. For the next several weeks, the Image of the Day will tour some of the canyons that make up this vast system. We will start with Ius Chasma in the west, and end with Coprates Chasma to the east. For more information on Vallis Marineris, please see http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/science/vm.html.This image shows the central ridge that runs through Ius Chasma. A small double landslide is visible on the northern side of the central ridge.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -7.5, Longitude 277.1 East (82.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Tractus Catena, just one of many north/south trending tectonic graben located south and east of Alba Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Tractus Catena, just one of many north/south trending tectonic graben located south and east of Alba Mons. The graben with circular pits are part of Tractus Catena. The graben without pits are part of Tractus Fossae. The pits most likely formed as a result of roof collapse into an underlying open space such as a lava tube.Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending generally north/south. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the east/west direction. The large number of graben around Alba Mons is generally believed to be the result of extensional forces associated with the uplift of the volcano.Orbit Number: 94890 Latitude: 25.2421 Longitude: 256.932 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-05-06 13:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey is located south of Olympus Mons and east of Gordii Dorsum, in a heavily wind eroded region. The winds are predominately east/west in this area. | Context imageThis VIS image is located south of Olympus Mons and east of Gordii Dorsum, in a heavily wind eroded region. The winds are predominately east/west in this area.Orbit Number: 36583 Latitude: 6.26331 Longitude: 219.992 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-03-14 14:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image is an illustration of NASA's Perseverance rover exploring inside Mars' Jezero Crater. | An illustration of NASA's Perseverance rover exploring inside Mars' Jezero Crater. The 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer-wide) crater is located on the western edge of a flat plain called Isidis Planitia, which lies just north of the Martian equator. NASA believes the ancient lake-delta system there is the best place for Perseverance, in its hunt for signs of past microscopic life, to find and collect promising rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) samples for a possible future return to Earth.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/. | |
High on 'West Spur' (Right Eye) | A rock outcrop with a view of the surrounding landscape beckons NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 203 (July 29, 2004) of its journey of exploration on the red planet. This view is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera at a position labeled as Site 80, near the top of the "West Spur" portion of the "Columbia Hills." Directly ahead are rock outcrops that scientists will examine for clues that might indicate the presence of water in the past. In the upper right-hand corner is the so-called "sea of basalt," consisting of lava flows that lapped onto the flanks of the hills. The view is toward the south. The field of view is approximately 170 degrees from right to left and is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction. This is the right-eye view of a stereo pair.See PIA06736 for 3-D view and PIA06737 for left eye view of this right eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used the WATSON camera on the end of its robotic arm to conduct a focus test on May 9, 2021, the 78th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | Click here for animationNASA's Perseverance Mars rover used the WATSON camera on the end of its robotic arm to conduct a focus test on May 9, 2021, the 78th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) is located on the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, located at the end of Perseverance's long robotic arm. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and is operated jointly by MSSS and JPL. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance | |
This data shows chemicals detected within a single rock on Mars by PIXL, one of the instruments on the end of the robotic arm aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. | This data shows chemicals detected within a single rock on Mars by the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), one of the instruments on the end of the robotic arm aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. PIXL allows scientists to study where specific chemicals can be found within an area as small as a postage stamp.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. The entire crater floor is covered by materials of unknown origin. | Context imageThis VIS image crosses an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. The entire crater floor is covered by materials of unknown origin. Those materials are be eroded and appear to be forming chaos. The channel feature may be related to fluid activity, where the underlying material is losing water and the surface is collapsing – rather than the flow of a river over the surface.Orbit Number: 88009 Latitude: 2.76492 Longitude: 53.6692 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-16 23:10Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
On Dec. 18, 2004, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was on its way from 'Endurance Crater' toward the spacecraft's jettisoned heat shield when the navigation camera took the images combined into this 360-degree polar projection. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was on its way from "Endurance Crater" toward the spacecraft's jettisoned heat shield when the navigation camera took the images combined into this 360-degree panorama. Opportunity drove 60 meters (197 feet) on its 321st martian day, or sol (Dec. 18, 2004). These images were taken later that sol and on the following sol. The rover had spent 181 sols inside the crater. This view is presented in a polar projection without seam correction. | |
Images acquired January 9, 2022, from the Mars Color Imager instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter were combined to create this view showing a regional dust storm obscuring the location of Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. | Multiple images from the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) were used to generate this view of a regional dust storm obscuring Syrtis Major and Jezero Crater (white circle). The images were acquired on Jan. 9, 2022.MRO creates global maps of Mars but roll maneuvers for targeted observations produce gaps in the coverage, which appear as black gores in the maps. On some days there are data drops where partial or full orbits of coverage are missing. Green and purple observed in the south polar region indicate saturated pixels.Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego provided and operates MARCI. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the MRO for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. | |
Gullies in Inner Slope of Crater and Exposed Bedrock | Image PSP_001493_2235 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 20, 2006. The complete image is centered at 42.9 degrees latitude, 354.9 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 299.9 km (187.5 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 30.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 60.0 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:22 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 50 degrees, thus the sun was about 40 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 138.4 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows pits on the south polar cap. The terrain has the appearance of a slice of swiss cheese, giving rise to the informal name. | Context imageThis false color image shows pits on the south polar cap. The terrain has the appearance of a slice of swiss cheese, giving rise to the informal name. This is thought that these depressions form by sublimation. Sublimation is the process where the solid changes directly into a gas phase - ie. no fluid form in between the solid and gaseous forms. Sublimation occurs due to the arrival of the sun in the spring and summer seasons at the pole. These pits have been shown to grow in size over a short time period, with the surface changing over the course of years rather than thousands of years.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 65383 Latitude: -86.7696 Longitude: 354.379 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-09-09 11:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the inner rim, central peak ring and floor of Sagan Crater. | Context imageThis false color image shows part of the inner rim (bottom of image), central peak ring (top of image) and floor of Sagan Crater. This 90 km (56 miles) crater was named for Carl Sagan. Peak rings are created during impact by uplift of the center and slumping of the walls of large craters (~100 km). The small blue dots are sand dunes. Basaltic sands are typically blue in this false color combination.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 64034 Latitude: 10.3433 Longitude: 329.431 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-05-21 08:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The complex region of channels at the top of this image, captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, are lava channels. These channels are called Olympica Fossae. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThe complex region of channels at the top of this VIS image are lava channels. These channels are called Olympica Fossae.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 23.8N, Longitude 244.7E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey image shows a portion of Nirgal Vallis. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image shows a portion of Nirgal Vallis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -27.4N, Longitude 316.4E. 22 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the smaller summit caldera of Pavonis Mons. This caldera is approximately 5km deep. Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. | Context image This image shows part smaller summit caldera of Pavonis Mons. This caldera is approximately 5km deep. Near the bottom of the image is a region where part of the caldera side has collapsed into the bottom of the caldera. In shield volcanoes calderas are typically formed where the surface collapses into the void formed by an emptied magma chamber.Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. The four Tharsis volcanoes are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mars. All four are shield type volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. The Hawaiian islands on Earth are shield volcanoes. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the four volcanoes, rising 14km above the mean Mars surface level with a width of 375km. It has a complex summit caldera, with the smallest caldera deeper than the larger caldera. Like most shield volcanoes the surface has a low profile. In the case of Pavonis Mons the average slope is only 4 degrees.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 32776 Latitude: 0.446561 Longitude: 247.283 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2009-05-05 03:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This artist's concept depicts an aerial view of what the Jezero Crater area of Mars may have looked like billions of years ago. | This artist's concept depicts an aerial view of what the Jezero Crater area of Mars may have looked like billions of years ago.More information about Mars 2020 is online at https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the margin between Thaumasia Planum and Coracis Fossae. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's VIS image is located on the margin between Thaumasia Planum and Coracis Fossae.Orbit Number: 60137 Latitude: -29.3915 Longitude: 283.341 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-07-05 09:29Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This set of images from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the so-called 'face on Mars' landform located in the northern plains of Mars. | (Released 24 July 2002)This set of THEMIS infrared images shows the so-called "face on Mars" landform located in the northern plains of Mars near 40° N, 10° W (350 ° E). The "face" is located near the center of the image approximately 1/6 of the way down from the top, and is one of a large number of knobs, mesas, hills, and buttes that are visible in this THEMIS image. The THEMIS infrared camera has ten different filters between 6.2 and 15 micrometers - nine view the surface and one views the CO2 atmosphere. The calibrated and geometrically projected data from all of the nine surface-viewing filters are shown in this figure. The major differences seen in this region are due to temperature effects -- sunlit slopes are warm (bright), whereas those in shadow are cold (dark), The temperature in this scene ranges from ~50 °C (darkest) to ~15 °C (brightest). The major differences between the different filters are due to the expected variation in the amount of energy emitted from the surface at different wavelengths. Minor spectral differences (infrared "color") also exist between the different filters, but these differences are small in this region due to the uniform composition of the rocks and soils exposed at the surface.The THEMIS infrared camera provides an excellent regional view of Mars - this image covers an area 32 kilometers (~20 miles) by approximately 200 kilometers (~125 miles) at a resolution of 100 meters per picture element ('pixel'). This image provides a broad perspective of the landscape and geology of the Cydonia region, showing numerous knobs and hills that have been eroded into a remarkable array of different shapes. In this "big picture" view the Cydonia region is seen to be covered with dozens of interesting knobs and mesas that are similar in many ways to the knob named the "face" - so many in fact that it requires care to discover the "face" among this jumble of knobs and hills. The 3-km long "face" knob was first imaged by the Viking spacecraft in the 1970's and was seen by some to resemble a face carved into the rocks of Mars. Since that time the Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has provided detailed views of this hill that clearly show that it is a normal geologic feature with slopes and ridges carved by eons of wind and downslope motion due to gravity. Many of the knobs in Cydonia, including the "face," have several flat ledges partway up the hill slopes. These ledges are made of more resistant layers of rock and are the last remnants of layers that once were continuous across this entire region. Erosion has completely removed these layers in most places, leaving behind only the small isolated hills and knobs seen today. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 5, 2004 shows volcanic flows from Olympus Mons and the formation of the structural feature can be deduced by which flows are cut by the fracture and which flows fill and cross the fracture. | Released 5 April 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.This image was collected June 2, 2002 during early northern spring. The relative timing of volcanic flows from Olympus Mons and the formation of the structural feature can be deduced by which flows are cut by the fracture and which flows fill and cross the fracture.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 19.8, Longitude 233 East (127 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This full-resolution color image from NASA's Curiosity Rover shows the gravel-covered surface of Mars. It was taken by the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) several minutes after Curiosity touched down on Mars. | Annotated ImageThis full-resolution color image from NASA's Curiosity Rover shows the gravel-covered surface of Mars. It was taken by the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) several minutes after Curiosity touched down on Mars. The camera is about 30 inches (70 centimeters) from the surface as the rover sits on the ground. The image pixel scale is about 0.02 inches (0.5 millimeters), but the camera is slightly out of focus at this distance, so the actual ground scale is about 0.06 inches (1.5 millimeters). A sliver of sunlight passing through the structure of the rover illuminates the surface. The largest rock fragment in the image is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. Most are much smaller. A rover wheel is visible at the top left.This is the 1,008th image that MARDI took. The original image from MARDI has been geometrically corrected to look flat. Curiosity landed inside of a crater known as Gale Crater. | |
Exposure of Polar Layered Deposits | Image PSP_001379_2680 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 11, 2006. The complete image is centered at 88.1 degrees latitude, 135.6 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 318.2 km (198.9 miles). At this distance the image scale is 63.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~191 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 9:39 AM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 71 degrees, thus the sun was about 19 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 134.0 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows neighboring networks of gullies in the northwest wall of a south middle-latitude crater west of Hellas Planitia on Mars. | 18 May 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows neighboring networks of gullies in the northwest wall of a south middle-latitude crater west of Hellas Planitia. The faint crisscrossing streaks, also observed on the wall of the crater, are evidence of passing dust devils, a common phenomenon in this region. The gullies might have formed by erosion caused by running water, mixed with debris.Location near: 16.4°N, 92.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the Valles Marineris canyon system -- a mega gully enters Capri Chasma. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the Valles Marineris canyon system. This image shows a mega gully that enters Capri Chasma.Orbit Number: 42708 Latitude: -13.0383 Longitude: 308.186 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-07-31 20:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies formed in the wall of a depression located on the floor of Rabe Crater west of the giant impact basin, Hellas Planitia on Mars. | 26 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows gullies formed in the wall of a depression located on the floor of Rabe Crater west of the giant impact basin, Hellas Planitia. Gullies such as these are common features on Mars, but the process by which they are formed is not fully understood. The debate centers on the role and source of fluids in the genesis of these features.Location near: 44.1°S, 325.9°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows shear striations, dark dunes banked up against the toe of the slide and over-riding light-toned ripples and boulders on the toe of Ganges Chasma on Mars. | This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows shear striations, dark dunes banked up against the toe of the slide and over-riding light-toned ripples and boulders on surface of slide. These features can be used to determine quantitative aspects of surface processes.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This March 20, 2014, image from the MARCI camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has a dark spot (at center of rectangle) noticed while the image was being examined for a weather report. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger versionThis image from the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has a dark spot (at center of inscribed rectangle) noticed while the image was being examined for a weekly Mars weather report. This wide-angle camera provides daily global coverage of Mars for monitoring dust storms and other changes in weather. The image was taken March 20, 2014. Other observations confirmed that the dark spot is a scar from a space rock hitting Mars. Detection of the dark spot in this image triggered a check of earlier MARCI images. The spot resembles fresh impact scars seen with other cameras. The check of earlier MARCI images confirmed that this spot resulted from an event that occurred in the interval between images taken during Martian afternoons on March 27, 2012, and March 28, 2012 (see https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18381). Mars orbiters have located about 400 fresh impacts on Mars that have been confirmed with before-and-after images. This is the only one to be detected in a MARCI image. MARCI's daily global imaging enabled determining the impact timing more precisely than in any other case.This image covers an area about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) wide. The dark spot confirmed to be an impact scar is about 5 miles (8 kilometers) across, at 3 degrees north latitude, 219 degrees east longitude.Figure 1 is version of the same image without the inscribed rectangle.Follow-up observations with two telescopic cameras on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed craters within this impact scar that had not been present in January 2012. The largest of these craters -- 159 feet (48.5 meters) wide -- is the biggest fresh impact crater ever clearly confirmed anywhere with before-and-after images.MARCI is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The camera was built by and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows dunes are situated on top of transverse aeolian ridges in Proctor Crater, Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Rover (MRO) has observed two types of wind (aeolian) features in Proctor Crater: large, dark features that are sand dunes, made up of basaltic particles, and smaller, light-toned ripples that we call "TAR," or "transverse aeolian ridges." The origin of the TARs is a mystery. They might be dust deposits, or perhaps coarse grained ripples that are coated in bright dust.These TARs are less than 10 meters tall, and are much smaller than the sand dunes that reach impressive heights of over 130 meters. In other places on Mars, TARs are generally older than sand dunes, but here in Proctor Crater, it is not so obvious. How can we tell which came first, the TARs or the dunes? The dunes are situated on top of the TARs, and with this information, we can say the dunes are clearly the younger formations here in Proctor Crater. Fortunately, HiRISE has a tool that can solve this riddle. By taking stereo images of the same region from two different locations, we can estimate the topography of the region by measuring the displacement of surface features from one picture to the other. The result is a quantitative estimate of the local surface topography, called a digital terrain model. The dunes are situated on top of the TARs, and with this information, we can say the dunes are clearly the younger formations here in Proctor Crater.
The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 50.6 centimeters (21 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 152 centimeters (59.8 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.
The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Viking 1 Orbiter spacecraft photographed this region in the northern latitudes of Mars on July 25, 1976 while searching for a landing site for the Viking 2 Lander. | NASA's Viking 1 Orbiter spacecraft photographed this region in the northern latitudes of Mars on July 25, 1976 while searching for a landing site for the Viking 2 Lander. The speckled appearance of the image is due to missing data, called bit errors, caused by problems in transmission of the photographic data from Mars to Earth. Bit errors comprise part of one of the 'eyes' and 'nostrils' on the eroded rock that resembles a human face near the center of the image. Shadows in the rock formation give the illusion of a nose and mouth. Planetary geologists attribute the origin of the formation to purely natural processes. The feature is 1.5 kilometers (one mile) across, with the sun angle at approximately 20 degrees. The picture was taken from a range of 1,873 kilometers (1,162 miles). | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Solis Planum. Both volcanic and tectonic forces created the features in this image. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Solis Planum. Both volcanic and tectonic forces created the features in this image. The linear features that run diagonally across the image are fault features called graben. The rough surfaced regions are volcanic flows.Orbit Number: 74613 Latitude: -20.2864 Longitude: 257.634 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-09 21:29Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered material of the north polar region of Mars. | 27 March 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered material of the north polar region.Location near: 84.6°N, 225.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in July 2003, showing the strange landscape of the eroding Medusa Fossae Formation. In the southern portion, small mounds of sedimentary material are all that remains of a once more continuous layer. | Through the haze of a dissipating dust storm in the southern hemisphere, the strange landscape of the eroding Medusa Fossae Formation is still evident. In the southern portion of this image, small mounds of sedimentary material are all that remains of a once more continuous layer. This former layer was deposited on a pre-existing landscape that was itself already heavily eroded and disrupted.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4, Longitude 155 East (205 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The channel in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a portion of Hrad Vallis. | Context imageThe channel in this VIS image is a portion of Hrad Vallis.Orbit Number: 54899 Latitude: 36.0662 Longitude: 140.235 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-30 05:19Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 9, 2004 shows the relatively young volcanic flows from Arsia Mons, while the bottom exhibits the flow front texture of older flows. The older flows are most likely also from Arsia Mons. | Released 9 April 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles -- with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels -- the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.This daytime infrared image was collected Aug. 13, 2003 during southern spring. The upper part of the image shows the relatively young volcanic flows from Arsia Mons, while the bottom exhibits the flow front texture of older flows. The older flows are most likely also from Arsia Mons.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -27.8, Longitude 237.5 East (122.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity gained this stereo vista from the top of a raised segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The view appears three-dimensional when seen through 3D glasses with red lens on the left. | This stereo panorama shows the view NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity gained from the top of the "Cape Tribulation" segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover reached this point three weeks before the 11th anniversary of its January 2004 landing on Mars.The image combines views from the left eye and right eye of Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) to appear three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses with the red lens on the left. The component Pancam images were taken during the week after the rover's arrival at the summit on Jan. 6, 2015, the 3,894th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.This location is the highest elevation Opportunity has reached since departing the Victoria Crater area in 2008 on a three-year, down-slope journey to Endeavour Crater. Endeavour spans about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter, with its interior and rim laid out in this 245-degree panorama centered toward east-northeast. The left edge of the scene is toward west-northwest and the right edge is southward.Rover tracks imprinted during the rover's approach to the site appear on the left. The far horizon in the right half of the scene includes portions of the rim of a crater farther south, Iazu Crater. An orbital image showing the regional context is at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13082.The rover climbed about 440 feet (about 135 meters) in elevation from a lower section of the Endeavour rim that it crossed in mid-2013, "Botany Bay," in its drive to the Tribulation summit. It departed the summit on Jan. 17, 2015 (Sol 3902), continuing toward a science destination at "Marathon Valley."At the summit, Opportunity held its robotic arm so that the U.S. flag would be visible in the scene. The flag is printed on the aluminum cable guard of the rover's rock abrasion tool, which is used for grinding away weathered rock surfaces to expose fresh interior material for examination. The flag is intended as a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The aluminum used for the cable guard was recovered from the site of the twin towers in the weeks following the attacks. Workers at Honeybee Robotics in lower Manhattan, less than a mile from the World Trade Center, were making the rock abrasion tool for Opportunity and NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, in September 2001.Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, Universal Time (evening of Jan. 24, 2004, PST). | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Candor Chasma. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the floor of Candor Chasma.Orbit Number: 56461 Latitude: -6.12623 Longitude: 290.797 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-09-05 18:01Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The ejecta surrounding the crater rim shows both layering and radial grooves. These features formed during the impact event. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The ejecta surrounding the crater rim shows both layering and radial grooves. These features formed during the impact event.Orbit Number: 94546 Latitude: 38.5545 Longitude: 98.9045 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-08 05:31Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers Raga Crater, the location of well-studied recurring slope lineae (RSL). RSL are dark flows that disappear and re-form every Mars year at certain locations. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image covers Raga Crater, the location of well-studied recurring slope lineae (RSL). RSL are dark flows that disappear and re-form every Mars year at certain locations.A closeup image compares the dark flows at the same time in three consecutive Mars years. We can see that the pattern of lineae is nearly the same every year, but in the latest image they are slightly shorter.Comparisons like these will help the HiRISE team learn how much the flows vary from year to year, as well as why they are different. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dunes in this polar crater on Mars starting to darken as the sun warms the surface and the frost sublimates (becomes gas). | Context image for PIA10819Polar DunesThe dunes in this polar crater are starting to darken as the sun warms the surface and the frost sublimates (becomes gas).Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 79.2N, Longitude 61.1E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view from NASA's Sojourner rover's rear color camera shows wheel tracks in the orange-red martian soil. One of the rover's cleated wheels is visible at left. | This view from the Sojourner rover's rear color camera shows wheel tracks in the orange-red martian soil. One of the rover's cleated wheels is visible at left.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Syrtis Major Planum. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Syrtis Major Planum.Orbit Number: 45886 Latitude: 19.0521 Longitude: 75.685 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-04-18 11:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This large dune field is located on the floor of Proctor Crater on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03293Proctor Cr. DunesThis large dune field is located on the floor of Proctor Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.4N, Longitude 30.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view of a portion of the spacecraft deck and one of the footpads of NASA's three-legged Phoenix Mars Lander shows a solid surface at the spacecraft's landing site. | This view of a portion of the spacecraft deck and one of the footpads of NASA's three-legged Phoenix Mars Lander shows a solid surface at the spacecraft's landing site. As the legs touched down on the surface of Mars, they kicked up some loose material on top of the footpad, but overall, the surface is unperturbed.Each footpad is about the size of a large dinner plate, measuring 11.5 inches from rim to rim. The base of the footpad is shaped like the bottom of a shallow bowl to provide stability.This image was taken by the Phoenix spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager shortly after landing on Mars. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This false color image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the summit caldera of Arsia Mons. The mottled bluish tones are from clouds. | Context imageThis false color image shows part of the summit caldera of Arsia Mons. The mottled bluish tones are from clouds.Orbit Number: 56650 Latitude: -9.51318 Longitude: 239.933 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-09-21 07:27Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The pointy features in this image generate major scientific interest. Dubbed 'Razorback,' this chunk of rock sticks up at the edge of flat rocks in 'Endurance Crater' as seen by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | The pointy features in this image may only be a few centimeters high and less than 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) wide, but they generate major scientific interest. Dubbed "Razorback," this chunk of rock sticks up at the edge of flat rocks in "Endurance Crater." Based on their understanding of processes on Earth, scientists believe these features may have formed when fluids migrated through fractures, depositing minerals. Fracture-filling minerals would have formed veins composed of a harder material that eroded more slowly than the rock slabs.Possible examination of these features using the instruments on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity may further explain what these features have to do with the history of water on Mars. This false-color image was taken by the rover's panoramic camera. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 8, 2004 shows most of the eastern side of Gusev Crater. The norther end of Ma'adim Vallis is seen, which is thought to have brought water into Gusev Crater in the distant past. | Released 8 January 2004Long before the MER landers were named or launched, the two orbiters at Mars were asked to examine landing sites. Both the Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have been collecting landing site data for the past two years. The MGS and ODY data were used as part of the decision making process in the final selection of the two landing sites. The types of data collected by the two orbiters included not only images of the surface but also thermal data about the surface composition, atmospheric data about the climate at each location, and the tracking of major dust storms in the region prior to landing. The presence of, and data collected by, the MGS and ODY orbiters have proven invaluable in MER mission planning.This infrared image covers most of the eastern side of Gusev Crater, slightly to the east of Spirit's landing spot. To the south, it shows the northern end of Ma'adim Vallis, which is thought to have brought water into Gusev Crater in the distant past. This image was taken on 2 August 2002.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -14.4, Longitude 176.2 East (183.8 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These lava flows in Elysium Planitia captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey are called platy flows. The surface of the lava flow cooled and solidified, while liquid lava beneath kept flowing. | Context imageThese lava flows in Elysium Planitia are called platy flows. The surface of the lava flow cooled and solidified, while liquid lava beneath kept flowing. The continued flow broke apart the solid surface and moved the pieces like rafts. This VIS image shows a channel of such movement.Orbit Number: 38819 Latitude: 6.03444 Longitude: 153.571 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-14 16:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of southern Utopia Planitia. The irregular channel features are called Adamas Labyrinthus. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of southern Utopia Planitia. The irregular channel features are called Adamas Labyrinthus. Adamas Labyrinthus is approximately 853km (530 miles) along it's widest part.Orbit Number: 93897 Latitude: 35.6024 Longitude: 102.309 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-13 19:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This combined image taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey, and Mars Global Surveyor, shows the route that Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity had taken its landing site inside 'Eagle Crater' to its position on Nov. 27, 2005, at the edge of Erebus Crater. | Annotated Opportunity Traverse MapThis image shows the route that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has taken from its landing site inside "Eagle Crater" to its position on its 656th Martian day, or sol, (Nov. 27, 2005) at the edge of "Erebus Crater." The base image is a portion of a mosaic (previously released as PIA07506) combining images from the Mars Observer Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter, the Thermal Emission Imaging System on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, and Opportunity's own Descent Image Motion Estimation System. The scale bar at lower right is 800 meters (one-half mile). As of sol 656, Opportunity had driven a total of 6,502 meters (4.04 miles). | |
This image released on Oct 28, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows the Martian north polar cap. Streamers of dust moving downslope over the darker trough sides showing the laminar flow regime coming off the cap. | This week we will be looking at five examples of laminar wind flow on the north polar cap. On Earth, gravity-driven south polar cap winds are termed "catabatic" winds. Catabatic winds begin over the smooth expanse of the cap interior due to temperature differences between the atmosphere and the surface. Once begun, the winds sweep outward along the surface of the polar cap toward the sea. As the polar surface slopes down toward sealevel, the wind speeds increase. Catabatic wind speeds in the Antartic can reach several hundreds of miles per hour.In the images of the Martian north polar cap we can see these same type of winds. Notice the streamers of dust moving downslope over the darker trough sides, these streamers show the laminar flow regime coming off the cap. Within the trough we see turbulent clouds of dust, kicked up at the trough base as the winds slow down and enter a chaotic flow regime.The horizontal lines in these images are due to framelet overlap and lighting conditions over the bright polar cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 86.5, Longitude 64.5 East (295.5 West). 40 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This annotated image highlights potential routes that NASA's Perseverance team is considering in September 2022 for the rover to drive. | This annotated image highlights potential routes that NASA's Perseverance team is considering in September 2022 for the rover to drive from the front of an ancient river delta to the rim of Jezero Crater. The team will continue to investigate the Martian terrain and consider the science potential of these options before choosing the rover's route.The Perseverance team and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated on the base map seen here, combining multiple images from the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera with color from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), both instruments aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The HiRISE images used span a period from 2007 to 2017. Perseverance landed on the floor of Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The delta, which Perseverance reached in April 2022, is a fan-shaped area where an ancient river once flowed into an ancient lake and deposited rocks and sediment.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/JPL manages MRO for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built and leads the CRISM instrument. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the rover Opportunity's landing site in Meridiani Planum on Mars. Dark-toned materials of Meridiani Planum cover a lighter-toned substrate that may consist of layered rock. | Mosaic (Click on image for larger view) Wide Angle View (Click on image for larger view) Narrow Angle View (Click on image for larger view) 24 January 2004 The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-B), Opportunity, is set to land on Mars around 9:05 p.m. Pacific Standard Time today, 24 January 2004 (25 January 2004 UTC). Above are shown three perspectives on the Opportunity landing site, which is an ellipse in Meridiani Planum approximately 87 km (54 mi) long by 11 km (6.8 mi) wide. All images are oriented with north up and east to the right. The lander will be coming through the atmosphere from the west/southwest, roughly following the long axis of the ellipse. It is most likely to touch down somewhere near the center of the ellipse.The first image (top) is a mosaic of MGS MOC and Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System visible images (THEMIS-VIS). The THEMIS-VIS instrument provides pictures with a spatial resolution of 18 meters per pixel (~59 ft/pixel); the MOC images used in the mosaic have resolutions ranging from 1.4 m/pixel to 12 m/pixel. A total of 15 THEMIS-VIS images were used to form the background, on which 61 MOC high resolution images were mosaiced. These data were acquired over a period spanning parts of 3 Mars years between April 1999 through January 2004. These pictures were acquired not only in different years, but in different seasons, so the illumination angle, overall brightness, and patterns of ephemeral windblown dust and, in some cases, dark dust devil streaks, are different from image to image within the mosaic.The second image (middle) is a Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle view obtained in November 2003 as part of an on-going effort to monitor the weather at the landing site. The wide angle view provides a sense of the regional context. The third image (bottom) is a 1.8 m/pixel (6 ft/pixel) view near the center of the landing ellipse. It was also acquired by MOC in November 2003, and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. The light-toned, somewhat circular features are believed to be either the location of ancient, buried, nearly-filled meteor impact craters or the eroded remains of craters that formed in bedrock that has long since been removed from the region.The Opportunity landing site in Meridiani Planum was selected to provide access, it is hoped, to materials bearing the iron oxide mineral, hematite. Hematite was detected in this region by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) on MGS. This mineral is suspected of providing a clue that liquid water may have once played a role in the region. The dark-toned materials of Meridiani Planum cover a lighter-toned substrate that may consist of layered rock. Small ridges have formed in the dark material in some parts of the landing ellipse, but no one will know until the first images are returned, exactly what features will be present at the Opportunity site. One thing is certain: no previous Mars lander has ever gone to a setting like Meridiani Planum. The landscape is almost certain to be different than the Viking 1, Viking 2, Mars Pathfinder, and Spirit sites.Sunlight illuminates the wide and narrow angle views, and each image in the mosaic, from the left. The THEMIS instrument is operated by a team at Arizona State University; the THEMIS-VIS camera was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), which also operates the MGS MOC. Opportunity will land in the mid-afternoon, local time, on Mars. At the same time, Mars Global Surveyor will pass over the site and listen for a transmission of Opportunity's entry, descent, and landing data. These data will be relayed back to Earth by the MOC. For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers, visit NASA/JPL's Mars Exploration Program Web site. For more information about the work that Malin Space Science Systems and MGS MOC are doing in support of the rover missions, see: http://www.msss.com/mer_mission/. For information about how MSSS will use this mosaic of the landing site to help find Opportunity after it touches down, see Finding MERs. MER landing site weather reports are located at: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/mer_weather/. | |
This navigation camera mosiac created from images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a dramatic view of 'Endurance Crater' on Mars. | This navigation camera mosaic, created from images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on sols 115 and 116 (May 21 and 22, 2004) provides a dramatic view of "Endurance Crater." The rover engineering team carefully plotted the safest path into the football field-sized crater, eventually easing the rover down the slopes around sol 130 (June 12, 2004). To the upper left of the crater sits the rover's protective heatshield, which sheltered Opportunity as it passed through the martian atmosphere. The 360-degree view is presented in a polar projection, with geometric and radiometric seam correction. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. Data from the filters can be combined in many ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the margin between the highlands of Margaritifer Terra and Eos Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows the margin between the highlands of Margaritifer Terra and Eos Chasma. An unnamed channel in the center of the image empties into the chasma.Orbit Number: 8191 Latitude: -10.784 Longitude: 322.952 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-10-19 19:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The Call of the Dark Rocks | This approximate true-color rendering from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a set of darker rocks dubbed "Toltecs" lying southeast of the rover's current position. These rocks are believed to be basaltic, or volcanic, in composition, because their spectral properties match those of other basaltic rocks studied in Gusev Crater. Scientists hope to use these presumably unaltered rocks as a geologic standard for comparison to altered rocks in the area, such as "Clovis." This image was taken with the panoramic camera's 600-, 530-, and 480-nanometer filters on sol 220 (Aug. 15, 2004). | |
Northern Plains | Image PSP_001497_2480 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 21, 2006. The complete image is centered at 68.0 degrees latitude, 241.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 315.6 km (197.2 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~95 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:12 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 60 degrees, thus the sun was about 30 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 138.5 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This false-color image shows how special filters of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover's Mastcam can help reveal certain minerals in target rocks. It is a composite of images taken Sept. 17, 2017. | This false-color image demonstrates how use of special filters available on the Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover can reveal the presence of certain minerals in target rocks. It is a composite of images taken through three "science" filters chosen for making hematite, an iron-oxide mineral, stand out as exaggerated purple.This target rock, called "Christmas Cove," lies in an area on Mars' "Vera Rubin Ridge" where Mastcam reconnaissance imaging (see PIA22065) with science filters suggested a patchy distribution of exposed hematite. Bright lines within the rocks are fractures filled with calcium sulfate minerals.Christmas Cove did not appear to contain much hematite until the rover team conducted an experiment on this target: Curiosity's wire-bristled brush, the Dust Removal Tool, scrubbed the rock, and a close-up (see PIA22064) with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) confirmed the brushing. The brushed area is about is about 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) across. The next day -- Sept. 17, 2017, on the mission's Sol 1819 -- this observation with Mastcam and others with the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) (see PIA22068) showed a strong hematite presence that had been subdued beneath the dust. The team is continuing to explore whether the patchiness in the reconnaissance imaging may result more from variations in the amount of dust cover rather than from variations in hematite content.Curiosity's Mastcam combines two cameras: one with a telephoto lens and the other with a wider-angle lens. Each camera has a filter wheel that can be rotated in front of the lens for a choice of eight different filters. One filter for each camera is clear to all visible light, for regular full-color photos, and another is specifically for viewing the Sun. Some of the other filters were selected to admit wavelengths of light that are useful for identifying iron minerals.Each of the filters used for this image admits light from a narrow band of wavelengths, extending to only about 5 nanometers longer or shorter than the filter's central wavelength. Three observations are combined for this image, each through one of the filters centered at 751 nanometers (in the near-infrared part of the spectrum just beyond red light), 527 nanometers (green) and 445 nanometers (blue). Usual color photographs from digital cameras -- such as a Mastcam one of this same place (see PIA22067) -- also combine information from red, green and blue filtering, but the filters are in a microscopic grid in a "Bayer" filter array situated directly over the detector behind the lens, with wider bands of wavelengths. Mastcam's narrow-band filters used for this view help to increase spectral contrast, making blues bluer and reds redder, particularly with the processing used to boost contrast in each of the component images of this composite. Fine-grained hematite preferentially absorbs sunlight around in the green portion of the spectrum around 527 nanometers. That gives it the purple look from a combination of red and blue light reflected by the hematite and reaching the camera through the other two filters.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights the patch of soil in a shallow crater at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | This image highlights the patch of soil examined by the rover's microscopic imager on the 10th day, or sol, of its mission. The outer image was taken by the rover's navigation camera, the middle image by the panoramic camera and the inner image by the microscopic imager. Opportunity is currently sitting 1 meter (3 feet) away from its now-empty lander in a shallow crater at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Tantalus Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Tantalus Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northeast to south-southwest. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the west-northwest/east-southeast direction.The large number of graben around Alba Mons is generally believed to be the result of extensional forces associated with the uplift of the volcano. Tantalus Fossae is 2361 km (1467 miles) long.Orbit Number: 94553 Latitude: 41.4418 Longitude: 256.44 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-08 19:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This right-eye view from the base of 'Burns Cliff' in the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater' combines several frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera during the NASA rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). | This view from the base of "Burns Cliff" in the inner wall of "Endurance Crater" combines several frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera during the NASA rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). It is the right-eye member of a stereo pair, presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. The cliff dominates the left and right portions of the image, while the central portion looks down into the crater. The "U" shape of this mosaic results from the rover's tilt of about 30 degrees on the sloped ground below the cliff. Rover wheel tracks in the left half of the image show some of the slippage the rover experienced in making its way to this point. The site from which this image was taken has been designated as Opportunity's Site 37. | |
This image, part of an images as art series from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Feb 7, 2004 shows sunlight reflecting off martian dunes giving a very aquatic feel to this area, as if looking at ripples of water. | Released 7 February 2004Humanity is a very visual species. We rely on our eyes to tell us what is going on in the world around us. Put any image in front of a person and that person will examine the picture looking for anything familiar. Even if the examiner has no idea what he/she is looking at in a picture, he/she will still be able to make a statement about the picture, usually preceded by the words "it looks like..." The image above is part of the surface of Mars, but is presented for its artistic value rather than its scientific value. When first viewed, this image solicited a statement that "it looks like..." something seen in everyday life.The sunlight reflecting off these dunes gives a very aquatic feel to this area, as if we were looking at ripples of water.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Sulci Gordii, a complexly fractured region east of Olympus Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Sulci Gordii, a complexly fractured region east of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 44732 Latitude: 18.3454 Longitude: 234.278 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-01-14 12:13Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft -- areoshell (encapsulating the rover and lander) plus cruise stage. | December 5, 2002Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft -- areoshell (encapsulating the rover and lander) plus cruise stage. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the northern rim of a 30-kilometer diameter crater situated in the western part of the Tharsis volcanic province. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionVarious researchers are often pre-occupied with the quest for flowing water on Mars. However, this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), shows one of the many examples from Mars where lava (when it was molten) behaved in a similar fashion to liquid water.In a 3D image from MRO's Context Camera, the northern rim of a 30-kilometer diameter crater situated in the western part of the Tharsis volcanic province is shown. (See the HiRISE 3D image as well.) The image shows that a lava flow coming from the north-northeast surrounded the crater rim, and rose to such levels that it breached the crater rim at four locations to produce spectacular multi-level lava falls (one in the northwest and three in the north). These lava "falls" cascaded down the wall and terraces of the crater to produce a quasi-circular flow deposit. It seems that the flows were insufficient to fill or even cover the pre-existing deposits of the crater floor. This is evidenced by the darker-toned lavas that overlie the older, and possibly dustier, lighter-toned deposits on the crater floor.This image covers the three falls in the north-central region of the crater wall. The lava flows and falls are distinct as they are rougher than the original features that are smooth and knobby. In a close-up image the rough-textured lava flow to the north has breached the crater wall at a narrow point, where it then cascades downwards, fanning out and draping the steeper slopes of the wall in the process.This is a stereo pair with ESP_050472_1585.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 54.5 centimeters (21.5 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 164 centimeters (64.6 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Complex central deposits in the floor of the Candor Chasma section of Vallis Marineris. This 3.3 x 3.1 km image (frame 8405) is centered near 6.7 degrees south, 75.4 degrees west, taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter. | Complex central deposits in the floor of the Candor Chasma section of Vallis Marineris. This 3.3 x 3.1 km image (frame 8405) is centered near 6.7 degrees south, 75.4 degrees west.Figure caption from Science Magazine. | |
The circular depressions prevalent throughout this scene from NASA's Mars Odyssey at first glance appear to be craters, but are they? Could they be pits formed by devolatilization? It is not clear. Scientists are studying these features in search of answe | Released 10 April 2003The circular depressions prevalent throughout this scene at first glance appear to be craters, but are they? Could they be pits formed by devolatilization? It is not clear. We are studying these features in search of answers. Once again, another example of a Martian mystery.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 39.4, Longitude 40.9 East (319.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
Eroded by countless years of wind action, the material in this region of Zephyria Planum is being sculpted into yardangs -- long, thin hills separated by narrow valleys. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageEroded by countless years of wind action, the material in this region of Zephyria Planum is being sculpted into yardangs - long, thin hills separated by narrow valleys.Orbit Number: 39082 Latitude: -3.19012 Longitude: 153.663 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-06 06:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the plains of Terra Sirenum. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image.l These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the plains of Terra Sirenum.Orbit Number: 42973 Latitude: -38.8923 Longitude: 220.888 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-08-22 15:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-December 2005. | 27 December 2005This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 341° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 341° occurred in mid-December 2005. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: Northern Winter/Southern Summer | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the interior deposit in Firsoff Crater. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the interior deposit in Firsoff Crater. The dark blue material is most likely basaltic sand.Orbit Number: 43467 Latitude: 2.73971 Longitude: 350.606 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-02 09:29Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's was captured after landing on May 7, 2021, by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard the agency's Perseverance rover. This was the helicopter's fifth flight, and the first time the helicopter flew to a new landing site. | NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's was captured after landing on May 7, 2021, by the Mastcam-Z imager, one of the instruments aboard the agency's Perseverance rover. The helicopter ascended to a new height record of 33 feet (10 meters) and flew 424 feet (129 meters) to a new landing site. This was the helicopter's fifth flight, and the first time the helicopter made a one-way flight. It was airborne a total of 108 seconds.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the floor of this unnamed crater on Mars in the northern lowlands is partially filled by a sand sheet with surface dune forms. | Context imageThe floor of this unnamed crater in the northern lowlands is partial filled by a sand sheet with surface dune forms.Orbit Number: 46415 Latitude: 61.4899 Longitude: 307.84 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-06-01 00:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter targets some unknown fill or mantling material within valleys on a crater floor and within a central pit. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis observation targets some unknown fill or mantling material within valleys on a crater floor and within a central pit.High resolution imagery can help determine what this material may be (e.g., ice-rich fill, dust, or other mantling unit?) and estimates of its thickness. With knowledge of its thickness, we can discern how deep the valleys and pit would be without its presence. This is necessary information, because without knowing the thickness of the material, appropriate discharge values for the valleys cannot be determined and neither can the history of the crater prior to infill.This caption is based on the original science rationale.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The channels in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the southern margin of the Elysium Volcanic region. | Context imageThe channels in today's VIS image are located on the southern margin of the Elysium Volcanic region.Orbit Number: 47469 Latitude: 14.3914 Longitude: 144.117 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-26 19:01Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Dark slope steaks mark the ridges of this region in Lycus Sulci in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDark slope steaks mark the ridges of this region in Lycus Sulci.Orbit Number: 47641 Latitude: 30.6268 Longitude: 227.15 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-09-09 22:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These dark streaks, also known as slope streaks, resulted from dust avalanches in an area of Mars called Acheron Fossae. The HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured them on Dec. 3, 2006. | These dark streaks, also known as "slope streaks," in an area of Mars called Acheron Fossae resulted from dust avalanches. The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured them on Dec. 3, 2006.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages MRO for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the floor of Proctor Crater, including the large dune field. Proctor Crater is located in Noachis Terra. | The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows the floor of Proctor Crater, including the large dune field. Basaltic sands are typically blue in false color images. Proctor Crater is located in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 59946 Latitude: -47.9086 Longitude: 30.1317 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-06-19 16:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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