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This artist's concept shows NASA's Mars orbiters lining up behind the Red Planet for their 'duck and cover' maneuver to shield them from comet dust that may result from the close flyby of comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) on Oct. 19, 2014. | Click on the image for larger versionThis artist's concept shows NASA's Mars orbiters lining up behind the Red Planet for their "duck and cover" maneuver to shield them from comet dust that may result from the close flyby of comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) on Oct. 19, 2014. The comet's nucleus will miss Mars by about 87,000 miles (139,500 kilometers), shedding material as it hurtles by at about 126,000 miles per hour miles (56 kilometers per second), relative to Mars and Mars-orbiting spacecraft. NASA is taking steps to protect its Mars orbiters, while preserving opportunities to gather valuable scientific data. The NASA orbiters at Mars are Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey and MAVEN.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the NASA's Mars Exploration Program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more information about the flyby of Mars by comet Siding Spring, visit http://mars.nasa.gov/comets/sidingspring/.For more about the Mars Exploration Program, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
Gigas Sulci is a region comprised of parallel to subparallel ridges and linear dunes perdendicular to the ridges on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09144 Gigas SulciGigas Sulci is a region comprised of parallel to subparallel ridges and linear dunes perdendicular to the ridges.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 7.9N, Longitude 230.0E. 18 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 Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes within Proctor Crater. These dunes are composed of basaltic sand that has collected in the bottom of the crater. | Context imageThis VIS image displays sand dunes within Proctor Crater. These dunes are composed of basaltic sand that has collected in the bottom of the crater. The topographic depression of the crater forms a sand trap that prevents the sand from escaping. Dune fields are common in the bottoms of craters on Mars and appear as dark splotches that lean up against the downwind walls of the craters. Dunes are useful for studying both the geology and meteorology of Mars. The sand forms by erosion of larger rocks, but it is unclear when and where this erosion took place on Mars or how such large volumes of sand could be formed. The dunes also indicate the local wind directions by their morphology. In this case, there are few clear slipfaces that would indicate the downwind direction. The crests of the dunes also typically run north-south in the image. This dune form indicates that there are probably two prevailing wind directions that run east and west (left to right and right to left). Proctor Crater is located in Noachis Terra and is 168 km (104 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 90356 Latitude: -47.4835 Longitude: 30.3891 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-04-28 05:00Please 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 image taken on August 31, 1998 by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows polygon cracks, or troughs, graben formed by faults. | Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) continued to obtain images of the red planet during August and into September 1998. MOC has seen many features that address old questions and ideas about the geologic history of Mars.Among the geological features examined by MOC in recent weeks--the enigmatic "Giant Polygons" on the martian northern plains. In the 1970s the Viking Orbiters saw huge cracks, some more than 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) wide, arranged in a polygonal pattern that outlined flat-lying areas sometimes 5 to 20 kilometers (3 to 12 miles) across. Giant polygons are most common in parts of Utopia Planitia and Acidalia Planitia, but there is also a cluster of them in the lowlands west of the Elysium volcanoes, on Elysium Planitia.The exact origin of the giant polygons has never been determined. At first glance, they appear to resemble mud cracks that one might see on the surface of a dried-up puddle, pond, or lake. However, mud cracks and the polygonal patterns they create are small features--like the size of a human hand. The giant polygons on Mars are big enough to hold the entire downtown area of a moderate-sized city.Mud cracks form by dessication--i.e., the removal of water by evaporation (drying). Many ideas about the polygons on Mars have centered on the idea that they are somehow related to the dessication of thick layers of wet sediment--perhaps deposited by some of the giant floods that Mars is known to have had. However, there has been considerable debate about whether the polygons formed in lava instead of sediment. Cooling lava might also crack and give the polygon texture, some have argued. Two observations have been made--using Viking images--that constrain the types of origins that can be proposed: (1) most of the "cracks" appear to be graben--down-dropped blocks caused by faulting, and (2) some of the "cracks" appear to indicate the outlines of buried craters. These observations suggest that whatever caused the polygons, the process appears to be confined to material that has buried older terrain.The new MOC image confirms the impression--from Viking images--that the polygon cracks--troughs--are graben formed by faults. Unfortunately, the image does not provide ample information to distinguish between the various models for the origin of the polygons or the material in which they occur. The images, however, do show features of interest. The floors of the polygon troughs, highlighted in these sub-areas of the MOC image (locations on MOC image) have bright, almost evenly spaced, windblown ripples or drifts(see also detailed sub-areas). Similar drifts can also be seen in and encroaching upon the surrounding, small impact craters. These drifts attest to the movement of sediment on the surface, and their brightness and shape suggests that they have not been active recently.MOC image 52706 was taken at about 11:36 p.m. (PDT) on August 31, 1998, during the 526th orbit of Mars Global Surveyor as the spacecraft was nearing its 527th periapsis (closest point to the planet during the orbit).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. | |
A large sand sheet with surface dune forms covers the floor of this unnamed northern crater, as shown in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageA large sand sheet with surface dune forms covers the floor of this unnamed northern crater.Orbit Number: 54631 Latitude: 74.2979 Longitude: 319.195 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-08 03:46Please 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 artist's concept of the proposed NASA Mars Sample Return mission shows rendezvous of the orbiting sample container with the Earth return vehicle. | This artist's concept of the proposed Mars Sample Return mission shows rendezvous of the orbiting sample container with the Earth return vehicle. This image is part of a series designed to describe the current groundbreaking Mars Sample Return mission concept (see figure 1 below for a composite of the series), with a tentative launch date of 2013.Figure 1: series composite | |
The frosted gullies in this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are located along an irregularly shaped pit which lies within an impact crater in Sisyphi Planum ocated northwards of the Southern polar layered deposits. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe frosted gullies in this observation are located along an irregularly shaped pit approximately 15 kilometers wide. The pit lies within an impact crater in Sisyphi Planum that is about 35 kilometers in diameter and is located northwards of the Southern polar layered deposits.Carbon dioxide frost covers much of the region and helps to reveal subtle textures in the landscape. The layered sediment visible in the walls of the pit and in which these gullies formed likely originally filled much of the impact crater.Evidence for a variety of processes abound in this region. The dark, low albedo spots along some of the gullies and on the frosted debris aprons, especially along the base of the layered terrain are likely areas of defrosting, where carbon dioxide frost sublimates during southern spring. Periglacial terrain forming polygonal patterns suggests that the region is rich in near surface ground ice and volatiles.Ice-rich landslide-like forms and sinuous ridges running along the base of the pit wall are also common, owing to the unstableness of the layered sediment that comprises the pit walls.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 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 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Asimov Crater, located in Noachis Terra, has an unusual crater floor morphology. | Context imageLocated in Noachis Terra, Asimov Crater has an unusual crater floor morphology. At some point after the crater formed, the interior was filled by materials that reached almost to the top of the crater rim. At some later point, deep depressions formed along the inner crater rim. Channels dissect both sides of these depressions. The mechanism of both the filling of the crater and the formation of the depressions is not known. Two other nearby craters also have filled floors and interior depressions. This VIS image shows the southwestern section of the interior depression.Orbit Number: 74834 Latitude: -47.6066 Longitude: 4.28931 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-28 02:12Please 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 spacecraft shows Solis Planum, a huge mound south of Valles Marineris. Like Earth's water table, Mars has an ice table. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionLike Earth's water table, Mars has an ice table. Sometimes, the ice table coincides with the ground's surface as it does here. The knobby, pitted terrain is caused when ice is deposited and then sublimates over and over again. This geologic process is called "accrescence" and "decrescence" and also occurs on Neptune's moon Triton and on Pluto, though in the outer Solar System the ice is not water ice.Other evidence for ice here includes the rope-like, curved flow feature that resembles glacial flow.Solis Planum -- a huge mound south of Valles Marineris -- is the location of this image.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows clouds, dust storms, and patches of polar frost around Hellas Planitia in the martian southern hemisphere. | One of the primary objectives for the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) during the Extended Mission is to continue daily monitoring of martian weather as expressed in clouds, dust storms, and patches of polar frost. During the Primary Mission, which lasted from March 1999 through January 2001, changes that occurred over a single martian year (687 Earth days) were observed. Now it is possible to see what the martian atmosphere will do for at least two-thirds of a second martian year, because the Extended Mission will run into April 2002.This picture captures two dust storms, each large enough to cover Arizona or New Mexico. One is located near the lower left, the other at the lower right. Taken on April 8, 2001 (mid-southern winter), this is a mosaic of six MOC daily global images centered around Hellas Planitia in the martian southern hemisphere. Hellas Planitia is the dominant elliptical feature just below the center of the picture. The bright, nearly white surfaces along the lower (southern) edge of the picture are covered by wintertime frost. The strong temperature difference between the winter frost and the warmer air just off the edge of this polar cap generates winds that--at this time of year--are often strong enough to lift dust into large, reddish-brown, billowy clouds.North is up and sunlight illuminates the area from the upper left. The martian equator forms the arc along the top of the picture; 500 kilometers (km) is equal to about 311 miles. The approximately 500 kilometer-wide circular feature just above the center is the crater Huygens. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in September 2003, showing dark dunes sit on a rough, eroding sedimentary surface in the floor of a crater on Mars, one of dozens in Noachis Terra, to have both dark dunes and an eroding surface. | Released 5 September 2003Dark dunes sit on a rough, eroding sedimentary surface in the floor of an 83 km diameter crater. This crater is one of dozens in Noachis Terra, in the southern highlands of Mars, to have both dark dunes and an eroding surface. Note how the dunes seem to ignore the underlying rough surface in some cases, while in other places the dunes seem to have wrapped themselves around sharp knobs.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -40.5, Longitude 34.6 East (325.4 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 Global Surveyor shows | 19 January 2004 This somewhat oblique Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle view of Lyot Crater and the mesas of the Deuteronilus Mensae was acquired in January 2004 on the day after the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, landed in Gusev Crater on the other side of the planet. It is winter in the northern hemisphere of Mars, and winter for Lyot Crater means clouds. The brighter features in the atmosphere above the surface in this image are clouds. Lyot Crater is about 236 km (~147 mi.) in diameter. The center of this image is near 48.5°N, 331.0°W, and is illuminated from the lower left. | |
Oudemans Crater | This image of the interior of Oudemans Crater was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at 1800 UTC (1:00 p.m. EDT) on October 2, 2006, near 9.8 degrees south latitude, 268.5 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 20 meters (66 feet) across.Oudemans Crater is located at the extreme western end of Valles Marineris in the Sinai Planum region of Mars. The crater measures some 124 kilometers (77 miles) across and sports a large central peak.Complex craters like Oudemans are formed when an object, such as an asteroid or comet, impacts the planet. The size, speed and angle at which the object hits all determine the type of crater that forms. The initial impact creates a bowl-shaped crater and flings material (known as ejecta) out in all directions along and beyond the margins of the bowl forming an ejecta blanket. As the initial crater cavity succumbs to gravity, it rebounds to form a central peak while material along the bowl_x0092_s rim slumps back into the crater forming terraces along the inner wall. If the force of the impact is strong enough, a central peak forms and begins to collapse back into the crater basin, forming a central peak ring.The uppermost image in the montage above shows the location of CRISM data on a mosaic taken by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft_x0092_s Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The CRISM data was taken inside the crater, on the northeast slope of the central peak.The lower left image is an infrared false-color image that reveals several distinctive deposits. The center of the image holds a ruddy-brown deposit that appears to correlates with a ridge running southwest to northeast. Lighter, buff-colored deposits occupy low areas interspersed within the ruddy-brown deposit. The southeast corner holds small hills that form part of the central peak complex.The lower right image shows spectral indicators of different materials, and reveals the composition of the crater floor and its central peak. Rocks rich in the volcanic mineral pyroxene, shown in blue, dominate the north-central part of the image. There is an enhanced content of the volcanic mineral olivine (shown in greens and yellows) in those parts of the images that appear ruddy brown in false color. The low-lying parts of the image that appear buff in false color are covered in dust, and shown in red. This view provides insight into the relationships of deposits beneath Oudemans Crater. The impact excavated the underlying olivine that that is enriched in the crater_x0092_s central peak. Pyroxene-rich material covered the crater's floor, and later, low-lying areas filled with dust.CRISM is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Science Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity 's instrument deployment device, or 'arm,' shows partial 'clodding' or cementation of the sand-sized grains within twall trenched by the rover. | This image, taken by the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity 's instrument deployment device, or "arm," shows the partial "clodding" or cementation of the sand-sized grains within the trench wall. The area in this image measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across and makes up half of the projected "Stucco Walls" image. | |
This graphic shows the pattern of winds predicted to be swirling around and inside Gale Crater, where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars. Modeling the winds gives scientists a context for the data from Curiosity's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station | This graphic shows the pattern of winds predicted to be swirling around and inside Gale Crater, which is where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars. Modeling the winds gives scientists a context for the data from Curiosity's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS). Curiosity's current location is marked with an "X." The rover's setting within a broad depression between the mountain dubbed "Mount Sharp" to the southeast and the rim of Gale Crater to the northwest strongly affects wind measurements collected by REMS.This snapshot shows midday conditions. In the daytime, winds rise out of the crater, shown by the red arrows, and up the mountain, shown by the yellow arrows. Blue arrows indicate winds that flow along the depression and seem, to Curiosity, to be coming up out of the depression since Curiosity is near the bottom. At its current location, Curiosity may be seeing a mixture of these winds, making it challenging to understand its weather readings. The patterns reverse in the evening and overnight, when winds flow in the downhill direction.The background image is an oblique view of Gale Crater, looking toward the southeast. It is an artist's impression using two-fold vertical exaggeration to emphasize the area's topography. The crater's diameter is 96 miles (154 kilometers).The image combines elevation data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, image data from the Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and color information from Viking Orbiter imagery.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the rover. For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows wide impact crater on the floor of a larger crater in the Nepenthes Mensae region on Mars. | Peering down into craters offers Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) scientists an opportunity to examine one of the few landforms that Mars shares in common with the other planets and moons of our Solar System.The picture on the left (above) is a MOC context frame taken at the same time as the MOC high resolution image on the right. The white box on the left shows the location of the high resolution view. The high resolution image was targeted on a 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide impact crater on the floor of a larger crater in the Nepenthes Mensae region (near 3°S, 239°W). The context image is about 115 km (71 mi) across, the high-resolution image is 3 km (1.9 mi) across, and both are illuminated from the left/lower left.The 3 km diameter crater in the MOC image on the right is three times wider than the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, USA. The high resolution image shows many small windblown drifts or dunes in the low areas both within the crater and outside on the surrounding terrain. Some portions of the crater's walls exhibit outcrops of bare, layered rock. Large boulders have been dislodged from the walls and have tumbled down the slopes to the crater floor. Many of these boulders are bigger than school buses and automobiles. | |
Two Moons and the Pleiades from Mars | Inverted image of two moonsand the Pleiades from MarsTaking advantage of extra solar energy collected during the day, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit recently settled in for an evening of stargazing, photographing the two moons of Mars as they crossed the night sky. In this view, the Pleiades, a star cluster also known as the "Seven Sisters," is visible in the lower left corner. The bright star Aldebaran and some of the stars in the constellation Taurus are visible on the right. Spirit acquired this image the evening of martian day, or sol, 590 (Aug. 30, 2005). The image on the right provides an enhanced-contrast view with annotation. Within the enhanced halo of light is an insert of an unsaturated view of Phobos taken a few images later in the same sequence. On Mars, Phobos would be easily visible to the naked eye at night, but would be only about one-third as large as the full Moon appears from Earth. Astronauts staring at Phobos from the surface of Mars would notice its oblong, potato-like shape and that it moves quickly against the background stars. Phobos takes only 7 hours, 39 minutes to complete one orbit of Mars. That is so fast, relative to the 24-hour-and-39-minute sol on Mars (the length of time it takes for Mars to complete one rotation), that Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east. Earth's moon, by comparison, rises in the east and sets in the west. The smaller martian moon, Deimos, takes 30 hours, 12 minutes to complete one orbit of Mars. That orbital period is longer than a martian sol, and so Deimos rises, like most solar system moons, in the east and sets in the west.Scientists will use images of the two moons to better map their orbital positions, learn more about their composition, and monitor the presence of nighttime clouds or haze. Spirit took the five images that make up this composite with the panoramic camera, using the camera's broadband filter, which was designed specifically for acquiring images under low-light conditions. | |
The robotic arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander slid a rock out of the way on Sept. 22, 2008 to gain access to soil that had been underneath the rock called 'Headless,' after the arm pushed it about 16 inches from its previous location. | The robotic arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander slid a rock out of the way during the mission's 117th Martian day (Sept. 22, 2008) to gain access to soil that had been underneath the rock.The lander's Surface Stereo Imager took the two images for this stereo view later the same day, showing the rock, called "Headless," after the arm pushed it about 40 centimeters (16 inches) from its previous location."The rock ended up exactly where we intended it to," said Matt Robinson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, robotic arm flight software lead for the Phoenix team.The arm had enlarged the trench near Headless two days earlier in preparation for sliding the rock into the trench. The trench was dug to about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) deep. The ground surface between the rock's prior position and the lip of the trench had a slope of about 3 degrees downward toward the trench. Headless is about the size and shape of a VHS videotape.The Phoenix science team sought to move the rock in order to study the soil and the depth to subsurface ice underneath where the rock had been.This image was taken at about 12:30 p.m., local solar time on Mars. The view is to the north northeast of the lander.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by JPL, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development was 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey of part of Meridiani Planum contains windstreaks that formed in several directions around a single crater. This indicates that wind directions changed, forming new tails for each prevailing wind direction. | Context imageThis VIS image of part of Meridiani Planum contains windstreaks that formed in several directions around a single crater. This indicates that wind directions changed, forming new tails for each prevailing wind direction.Orbit Number: 37976 Latitude: 11.1947 Longitude: 354.791 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-07-07 06:58Please 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a line of clouds over the south polar cap. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a line of clouds over the south polar cap. These clouds are at an altitude above the surface where they are not directly interacting with the surface topography of the ice. During seasonal changes surface winds will sweep along the cap and create clouds where the winds dip into the troughs of the ice.Orbit Number: 91751 Latitude: -86.915 Longitude: 182.233 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-21 01:31Please 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. | |
Large boulders are visible in this enlargement of pictures taken by the Imager for NASA's Mars Pathfinder (IMP) lander camera on July 4, 1997. | Large boulders are visible in this enlargement of pictures taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) lander camera on July 4, 1997. The landing site is in the dry flood channel named Ares Valles. The boulders probably represent deposits from one of the catastrophic floods that carved the ancient channel. Between the rocks is brownish windblown soil. The gray-tan sky results from dust particles in the atmosphere.Pathfinder, a low-cost Discovery mission, is the first of a new fleet of spacecraft that are planned to explore Mars over the next ten years. Mars Global Surveyor, already en route, arrives at Mars on September 11 to begin a two year orbital reconnaissance of the planet's composition, topography, and climate. Additional orbiters and landers will follow every 26 months.Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
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 windstreak in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey is located on lava flows from Arsia Mons. | Context imageThe windstreak in this image is located on lava flows from Arsia Mons.Orbit Number: 37008 Latitude: -3.79565 Longitude: 227.07 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-04-18 12:11Please 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 March 26, 2004 shows an area in the Warrego Valles region on Mars. The image shows multiple channels dissecting the terrain. | Released 26 March 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.The image shows an area in the Warrego Valles region. It was collected July 6, 2003 during northern summer season. The local time is 5pm. The image shows multiple channels dissecting the terrain. With this image, the 448th, the THEMIS Image of the Day completes its second (Earth) year. (The first image, of Nirgal Vallis, was released on 27 March 2002.) On behalf of the THEMIS team, we'd like to thank you for your continued interest and we hope you continue to come back through our third year and beyond.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -42.3, Longitude 267.5 East (92.5 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a depression that is part of the fracture system called Cerberus Fossae on Mars. The fossae cut through hills as well as plains materials. | Context image for PIA11323Cerberus FossaeThe depression seen in this image is part of the fracture system called Cerberus Fossae. The fossae cut through hills as well as plains materials.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 10.4N, Longitude 159.9E. 18 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 Mars Odyssey shows the part of the northern side of Tithonium Chasma. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows the part of the northern side of Tithonium Chasma. Tithonium Chasma is at the western end of Valles Marineris. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long, almost as wide as the United States. Tithonium Chasma is almost 810 kilometers long (499 miles), 50 kilometers wide and over 6 kilometers deep. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 175 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, and only 2 kilometers deep. The canyons of Valles Marineris were formed by extensive fracturing and pulling apart of the crust during the uplift of the vast Tharsis plateau. Landslides have enlarged the canyon walls and created deposits on the canyon floor. Weathering of the surface and influx of dust and sand have modified the canyon floor, both creating and modifying layered materials. The layered materials are at the bottom of the image, while a small landslide deposit can be seen in the center of the image.Orbit Number: 90884 Latitude: -4.28132 Longitude: 271.232 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-06-10 16:39Please 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 view of a sandstone target called 'Big Arm' covers an area about 1.3 inches (33 millimeters) wide in detail that shows differing shapes and colors of sand grains in the stone. | This view of a sandstone target called "Big Arm" covers an area about 1.3 inches (33 millimeters) wide in detail that shows differing shapes and colors of sand grains in the stone.Three separate images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, at different focus settings, were combined into this focus-merge view. The Big Arm target on lower Mount Sharp is at a location near "Marias Pass" where a mudstone bedrock is in contact with overlying sandstone bedrock. MAHLI recorded the component images on May 29, 2015, during the 999th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The rounded shape of some grains visible here suggests they traveled long distances before becoming part of the sediment that later hardened into sandstone. Other grains are more angular and may have originated closer to the rock's current location. Lighter and darker grains may have different compositions. MAHLI was built 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 Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the floor of Spallanzani Crater. At some point after the crater was created the floor was covered by a fill material. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the floor of Spallanzani Crater. At some point after the crater was created the floor was covered by a fill material. The material was laid down in layers, which are easily identifiable at the eroded margins of the desposit. Spallanzani Crater is located near the southeast margin of Hellas Planitia in Promethei Terra.Orbit Number: 75249 Latitude: -58.0904 Longitude: 86.3064 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-12-01 06:07Please 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 picture from NASA's Curiosity rover puts a color view obtained by the rover in the context of a computer simulation derived from images acquired from orbiting spacecraft. The view looks north, showing the distant ridge of Gale Crater. | This picture of the Martian landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover puts a color view obtained by the rover in the context of a computer simulation derived from images acquired from orbiting spacecraft. The view looks north, showing a distant ridge that is the north wall and rim of Gale Crater. The color image was obtained by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on Aug. 6 PDT (Aug. 7 UTC), the first Martian day after Curiosity's landing on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 UTC). It has been rendered about 10 percent transparent so that scientists can see how it matches the simulated terrain in the background. The MAHLI image was taken while the camera's transparent dust cover was still on. Curiosity's descent coated the cover with a thin film of dust.The computer simulation is a digital elevation model that incorporates data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA's Mars Express. The peak seen on the left-side of the MAHLI image is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) distant with a height of about 3,775 feet (1,150 meters) high. The box with arrows at the upper left indicates direction. The arrow pointing up is "up" with respect to the gravity of Mars. The arrow pointing to the right is east. North would be an arrow pointing into the image (that is, the MAHLI view is toward the north).The MAHLI is located on the turret at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. At the time the MAHLI image was acquired, the robotic arm was in its stowed position. It has been stowed since the rover was packaged for its Nov. 26, 2011, launch. When the robotic arm, turret and MAHLI are stowed, the MAHLI is in a position that is rotated 30 degrees relative to the rover deck. The MAHLI image shown here has been rotated to correct for that tilt, so that the sky is "up" and the ground is "down." Here, MAHLI is looking out from the front left side of the rover. This is much like the view from the driver's side of cars sold in the U.S. The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity. This means it can, as shown here, also obtain pictures of the Martian landscape. This was the first time the MAHLI focus mechanism was operated since before launch and it performed flawlessly. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a knobby terrain and eroded impact crater in the Eumenides Dorsum region of Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-468, 30 August 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle camera image, acquired in July 2003, shows a field of eroded dunes and patches of sand covered by carbon dioxide frost that accumulated during the previous winter. This springtime view shows that the frost has begun to sublime away, leaving dark patches and streaks on the dune surfaces. Wind has blown across the terrain, as well, causing some of the dark spots to elongate toward the left (west). The sand is located in a depression near 78.5°S, 254.3°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The area shown is about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in July 2003, showing valley networks, a relatively common feature in the southern highlands of Mars. | Released 30 July 2003Valley networks are a relatively common feature in the southern highlands of Mars. This THEMIS visible image contains several of these small channels. Some appear clustered near the smaller crater at the top of the image. There is still some debate over the origin of these enigmatic martian landforms. Were they caused by overland flow after precipitation, underground sapping, or a combination of both?Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -40.6, Longitude 165.2 East (194.8 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 is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide (4-centimeter-wide) scoop on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012 and shows some of the details regarding the properties of the 'Rocknest' wind drift sand. | Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide (4-centimeter-wide) scoop on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012. The image was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012) and shows some of the details regarding the properties of the "Rocknest" wind drift sand. The upper surface of the drift is covered by coarse sand grains approximately 0.02 to 0.06 inches (0.5 to 1.5 millimeters) in size. These coarse grains are mantled with fine dust, giving the drift surface a light brownish red color. The coarse sand is somewhat cemented to form a thin crust about 0.2 inches (0.5 centimeters) thick. Evidence for the crusting is seen by the presence of angular clods in and around the troughs and in the sharp, jagged indentations and overhangs on one wall of each trench (the walls closest to the top of this figure). Beneath the crust surface, as revealed in the scoop troughs and the piles of sediment on the right side of each, is finer sand, which is darker brown as compared with the dust on the surface. The left end of each trough wall shows alternating light and dark bands, indicating that the sand inside the drift is not completely uniform. This banding might result from different amounts of infiltrated dust, chemical alteration or deposition of sands of slightly different color. JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured on on sol 107. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This three-dimensional, cylindrical-perspective projection was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 107 (April 21, 2004) at a region dubbed "site 32." Spirit is sitting east of "Missoula Crater," no longer in the crater's ejecta field, but on outer plains. Since landing, Spirit has traveled almost exclusively over ejecta fields. This new landscape looks different with fewer angular rocks and more rounded, vesicle-filled rocks. Spirit will continue another 1,900 meters (1.18 miles) along this terrain before reaching the western base of the "Columbia Hills."See PIA05810 for left eye view and PIA05811 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This view of the American flag medallion on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was taken by the rover's MAHLI camera during the 44th Martian sol on Sept. 19, 2012. The flag is one of four 'mobility logos' placed on the rover's mobility rocker arms. | This view of the American flag medallion on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 44th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 19, 2012). The flag is one of four "mobility logos" placed on the rover's mobility rocker arms.The circular medallion of the flag is made of anodized aluminum and measures 2.68 inches (68 millimeters) in diameter. The medallion was affixed with bolts to locations on the rocker arms where flight hardware was once considered, but ultimately deemed unnecessary. The other three medallions adorning the rover's rocker arms are the NASA logo, the JPL logo and the Curiosity mission logo.The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity, providing versatility for other uses, such as views of the rover itself from different angles. | |
Unusual Structure on Crater Rim in West Utopia Planitia | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image is PSP_001503_2180.Observation GeometryAcquisition date: 11 November 2006Local Mars time: 3:23 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 37.5 °Degrees longitude (East): 82.8 °Range to target site: 293.5 km (183.5 miles) Original image scale range: 29.4 cm/pixel(with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~88 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 0.3 °Phase angle: 49.5 °Solar incidence angle: 49 °, with the Sun about 41 ° above the horizonSolar longitude: 138.8 °, Northern SummerNASA'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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. | Context imageThe polar caps of Mars were deposited over millions of years. Seasonal depositions of ice and dust have created layer upon layer of material. In this false color image the white and orange layered features are the polar cap. The greenish and purplish regions are ice free surfaces.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: 62954 Latitude: 78.1067 Longitude: 3.4796 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-02-22 10:34Please 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 illustration depicts the Mars Earth Entry System for the Mars Sample Return campaign. The system would contain the orbiting sample inside a disk-shaped vehicle with a heat shield for safe entry through the Earth's atmosphere. | This illustration depicts the Mars Earth Entry System for the Mars Sample Return campaign. The system would contain the orbiting sample inside a disk-shaped vehicle with a heat shield for safe entry through the Earth's atmosphere.NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) will revolutionize our understanding of Mars by returning scientifically-selected samples for study using the most sophisticated instruments around the world. The mission will fulfill a solar system exploration goal as identified by the National Academy of Sciences. This strategic partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) will be the first mission to return samples from another planet, including the first launch from the surface of another planet. These samples collected by Perseverance during its exploration of an ancient river-delta are thought to be the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for life. | |
Possible Meteorites in the Martian Hills (False Color) | From its winter outpost at "Low Ridge" inside Gusev Crater, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this spectacular, color mosaic of hilly, sandy terrain and two potential iron meteorites. The two light-colored, smooth rocks about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the frame have been labeled "Zhong Shan" and "Allan Hills."The two rocks' informal names are in keeping with the rover science team's campaign to nickname rocks and soils in the area after locations in Antarctica. Zhong Shang is an Antarctic base that the People's Republic of China opened on Feb. 26, 1989, at the Larsemann Hills in Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Allan Hills is a location where researchers have found many Martian meteorites, including the controversial ALH84001, which achieved fame in 1996 when NASA scientists suggested that it might contain evidence for fossilized extraterrestrial life. Zhong Shan was the given name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), known as the "Father of Modern China." Born to a peasant family in Guangdong, Sun moved to live with his brother in Honolulu at age 13 and later became a medical doctor. He led a series of uprisings against the Qing dynasty that began in 1894 and eventually succeeded in 1911. Sun served as the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912.The Zhong Shan and Allan Hills rocks, at the left and right, respectively, have unusual morphologies and miniature thermal emission spectrometer signatures that resemble those of a rock known as "Heat Shield" at the Meridiani site explored by Spirit's twin, Opportunity. Opportunity's analyses revealed Heat Shield to be an iron meteorite.Spirit acquired this false-color image on the rover's 872nd Martian day, or sol (June 16, 2006), using exposures taken through three of the panoramic camera's filters, centered on wavelengths of 750 nanometers, 530 nanometers, and 430 nanometers. The image is presented in false color to emphasize differences among materials in the rocks and soil. | |
The odd pattern on the floor of this channel suggests that a volitile such as ice played a part in its formation on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08695Channel "Flow"The odd pattern on the floor of this channel suggests that a volitile such as ice played a part in its formation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 39.5N, Longitude 33.8E. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the contact between a group of yardangs, tapered ridges formed by the removal of relatively easily-eroded material and a concentration of dark-toned windblown sand on the floor of a crater in Terra Sabaea. | 24 September 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the contact between a group of yardangs, tapered ridges formed by the removal of relatively easily-eroded material (e.g., sedimentary rock) and a concentration of dark-toned windblown sand on the floor of a crater in the Terra Sabaea region of Mars.Location near: 1.4°N, 333.9°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Spring | |
This enhanced color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows what are called 'recurring slope lineae' in Tivat Crater. The narrow, dark flows descend downhill (towards the upper left). | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis enhanced color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows what are called "recurring slope lineae"s in Tivat Crater. The narrow, dark flows descend downhill (towards the upper left).Analysis shows that the flows all end at approximately the same slope, which is similar to the angle of repose for sand. RSL are mostly found on steep rocky slopes in dark regions of Mars, such as the southern mid-latitudes, Valles Marineris near the equator, and in Acidalia Planitia on the northern plains. The appearance and growth of these features resemble seeping liquid water, but how they form remains unclear, and this research demonstrated that the RSL flows seen by HiRISE are likely moving granular material like sand and dust.These findings indicate that present-day Mars may not have a significant volume of liquid water. The water-restricted conditions that exist on Mars would make it difficult for Earth-like life to exist near the surface of the planet.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 25.6 centimeters (10.8 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 77 centimeters (30.3 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.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 Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The rocky outcrops downhill and on the left side of this mosaic include 'Larry's Lookout' and 'Cumberland Ridge,' which NASA's Spirit rover explored in April, May, and June of 2005. | Click on the image for "Independence" Panorama (QTVR)This is the Spirit "Independence" panorama, acquired on martian days, or sols, 536 to 543 (July 6 to 13, 2005), from a position in the "Columbia Hills" near the summit of "Husband Hill." The summit of "Husband Hill" is the peak near the right side of this panorama and is about 100 meters (328 feet) away from the rover and about 30 meters (98 feet) higher in elevation. The rocky outcrops downhill and on the left side of this mosaic include "Larry's Lookout" and "Cumberland Ridge," which Spirit explored in April, May, and June of 2005.The panorama spans 360 degrees and consists of 108 individual images, each acquired with five filters of the rover's panoramic camera. The approximate true color of the mosaic was generated using the camera's 750-, 530-, and 480-nanometer filters. During the 8 martian days, or sols, that it took to acquire this image, the lighting varied considerably, partly because of imaging at different times of sol, and partly because of small sol-to-sol variations in the dustiness of the atmosphere. These slight changes produced some image seams and rock shadows. These seams have been eliminated from the sky portion of the mosaic to better simulate the vista a person standing on Mars would see. However, it is often not possible or practical to smooth out such seams for regions of rock, soil, rover tracks or solar panels. Such is the nature of acquiring and assembling large panoramas from the rovers. | |
This image acquired on December 13, 2017 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a variety of wind-related features near the center of Gamboa Crater. Larger sand dunes form sinuous crests and individual domes. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis image shows a variety of wind-related features near the center of Gamboa Crater. Larger sand dunes form sinuous crests and individual domes.There are tiny ripples on the tops of the dunes, only several feet from crest-to-crest. These merge into larger mega-ripples about 30 feet apart that radiate outward from the dunes. The larger, brighter formations that are roughly parallel are called "Transverse Aeolian Ridges" (TAR). These TAR are covered with very coarse sand. (More details are described in a paper by Day and Zimbelman.)The mega-ripples appear blue-green on one side of an enhanced color cutout while the TAR appear brighter blue on the other. This could be because the TAR are actively moving under the force of the wind, clearing away darker dust and making them brighter. All of these different features can indicate which way the wind was blowing when they formed. Being able to study such variety so close together allows us to see their relationships and compare and contrast features to examine what they are made of and how they formed.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 29.8 centimeters [11.7 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 89 centimeters [35.0 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of Nanedi Valles. This channel is located in Xanthe Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of Nanedi Valles. This channel is located in Xanthe Terra.Orbit Number: 77830 Latitude: 4.78092 Longitude: 310.065 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-07-01 20:00Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of Victoria Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region on Sept. 26, 2006. The rim of the crater shows alternating promontories, rocky points while the bottom is covered by sand that has been shaped into ripples. | NASA's Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of "Victoria Crater" in Mars' Meridiani Planum region with a 26-meter (85-foot) drive during the rover's 951st Martian day, or sol (Sept. 26, 2006). After the drive, the rover's navigation camera took the three exposures combined into this view of the crater's interior. This crater has been the mission's long-term destination for the past 21 Earth months.A half mile in the distance one can see about 20 percent of the far side of the crater framed by the rocky cliffs in the foreground to the left and right of the image. The rim of the crater is composed of alternating promontories, rocky points towering approximately 70 meters (230 feet) above the crater floor, and recessed alcoves. The bottom of the crater is covered by sand that has been shaped into ripples by the Martian wind.The position at the end of the sol 951 drive is about six meters from the lip of an alcove called "Duck Bay." The rover team planned a drive for sol 952 that would move a few more meters forward, plus more imaging of the near and far walls of the crater.Victoria Crater is about five times wider than "Endurance Crater," which Opportunity spent six months examining in 2004, and about 40 times wider than "Eagle Crater," where Opportunity first landed.This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
After a Spirit Drive West of 'Home Plate' | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit drove 6.98 meters (22.9 feet) southeastward on the 1,871st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (April 8, 2009). As usual since losing the use of its right-front wheel in 2006, Spirit drove backward, dragging the immobile wheel. The rover used its front hazard-avoidance camera after the drive to capture this view looking back at the ground covered.For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (40 inches).The drive added to progress in trekking counterclockwise around a low plateau called "Home Plate." Spirit is driving through a valley on the west side of the plateau. Home Plate is not within this image. The hill on the horizon in the upper right is Husband Hill, the summit of which is about 750 meters (nearly half a mile) to the north of Spirit's position. Following this drive, Spirit experienced difficulties that prevented driving during the subsequent week. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Ganges 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 part of Ganges Chasma.Orbit Number: 4359 Latitude: -8.7239 Longitude: 313.334 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-12-08 08:54Please 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. | |
The collision that created Hargraves Crater impacted into diverse bedrock lithologies of ancient Mars; the impact ejecta is a rich mix of rock types with different colors and textures, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe collision that created Hargraves Crater impacted into diverse bedrock lithologies of ancient Mars. As a result, the impact ejecta is a rich mix of rock types with different colors and textures, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).The crater is named after Robert Hargraves who discovered and studied meteorite impacts on the Earth.This is a stereo pair with ESP_049963_2005.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 59.2 centimeters (22.4 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 178 centimeters (33.8 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. | |
Dark dunes on the floor of an interior crater in Becquerel, imaged here by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, supply the sand responsible for the erosion of the remarkable, layered deposit to the south. | Dark dunes on the floor of an interior crater in Becquerel apparently supply the sand responsible for the erosion of the remarkable, layered deposit to the south.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 false-color mosaic image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera shows the view acquired on April 3, 2004. Colors have been exaggerated to enhance the differences between cleaner and dustier rocks, and lighter and darker soils. | This enhanced false-color mosaic image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera shows the view acquired after the rover drove approximately 50.2 meters (165 feet) on the martian afternoon of sol 89 (April 3, 2004). The view shows the direction of the rover's future drive destination. In the distance are the eastern-lying "Columbia Hills." This image was assembled from images in the panoramic camera's near-infrared (750 nanometer), green (530 nanometer), and violet (432 nanometer) filters. The colors have been exaggerated to enhance the differences between cleaner and dustier rocks, and lighter and darker soils. | |
This image acquired on January 24, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the south polar residual cap constantly changing as carbon dioxide sublimates from steep slopes, enlarging pits, and condensing on flat areas, filling pits. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe south polar residual cap is constantly changing as carbon dioxide sublimates from steep slopes, enlarging pits, and condenses on flat areas, filling pits.Sometimes the strange landscape produces something that looks familiar, like the mascot of a certain peanut company, who recently died in a commercial, and was "creamated" according to "Saturday Night Live."At least, he still has Mars. The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 49.0 centimeters [19.3 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 147 centimeters [57.9 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a field of dark sand dunes located on the floor of an unnamed crater is Terra Sirenum. | Context image for PIA09458DunesThis field of dark sand dunes is located on the floor of an unnamed crater is Terra Sirenum.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -61.4N, Longitude 200.1E. 17 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. | |
Reconstructing the Scene of Landing | Figure 2
Meridiani Destinations
April 8, 2004
The starting point and planned destinations for surface travels of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity are indicated on this image of territory within Mars' Meridiani Planum region (Figure 2). Opportunity landed on Jan. 24, 2004, (Universal Time) in the small bowl later nicknamed "Eagle Crater." After about two months of examining rocks and soils within that crater, the rover set out toward a larger crater informally named "Endurance." During an extended mission following its three-month prime mission, Opportunity may finish examining Endurance, then head for a type of landscape to the southeast called "etched terrain." There, additional deposits of layered bedrock may lie exposed. The underlying image for the map was taken from orbit by the camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. | |
This graphic overlays Martian atmospheric temperature data as curtains over an image of Mars taken during a regional dust storm. Temperature data and global image were both recorded on Oct. 18, 2014, by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. | This graphic overlays Martian atmospheric temperature data as curtains over an image of Mars taken during a regional dust storm. The temperature profiles extend from the surface to about 50 miles (80 kilometers) up. Temperatures are color coded, ranging from minus 243 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 153 degrees Celsius) where coded purple to minus 9 F (minus 23 C) where coded red.The temperature data and global image were both recorded on Oct. 18, 2014, by instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Mars Climate Sounder and Mars Color Imager. On that day a regional dust storm was active in the Acidalia Planitia region of northern Mars, at the upper center of this image. A storm from this area in typically travels south and grows into a large regional storm in the southern hemisphere during southern spring. That type of southern-spring storm and two other large regional dust storms repeat as a three-storm series most Martian years. The pattern has been identified from their effects on atmospheric temperature in a layer about 16 miles (25 kilometers) above the surface.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, built and operates the Mars Climate Sounder. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and manages the Mars Color Imager. JPL manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter. | |
The descent stage holding NASA's Perseverance rover can be seen falling thorough the Martian atmosphere in this image taken on Feb. 18, 2021 by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. An ellipse indicates where Perseverance touched down. | Figure 1The descent stage holding NASA's Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on Feb. 18, 2021, by the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The ancient river delta, which is the target of the Perseverance mission, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left.HiRISE was approximately 435 miles (700 kilometers) from Perseverance and traveling at about 6750 mile per hour (3 kilometers per second) at the time the image was taken. The extreme distance and high speeds of the two spacecraft were challenging conditions that required precise timing and for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to both pitch upward and roll hard to the left so that Perseverance was viewable by HiRISE at just the right moment.The orbiter's mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona provided and operates HiRISE. | |
This false-color infrared image from NASA's Mars Odyssey was acquired over the region of Ophir and Candor Chasma in Valles Marineris. | This false-color infrared image from NASA's Mars Odyssey was acquired over the region of Ophir and Candor Chasma in Valles Marineris at approximately 5 degrees south latitude, 287 degrees east longitude. The image was constructed using thermal infrared imaging system filters centered at 6.3, 7.4, and 8.7 micrometers. The color differences in this image represent compositional differences in the rocks, sediments, and dust that occur in this region of Mars.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the cratered highlands of Terra Cimmeria. The image contains several long troughs of Sirenum Fossae running primarily from left to right. These features are parallel to semi-parallel fractures called graben. | This image shows the cratered highlands of Terra Cimmeria. The image contains several long troughs of Sirenum Fossae running primarily from left to right. These features are parallel to semi-parallel fractures called graben. In places the fractures postdate crater formation. This is best seen where fractures cut across the ejecta blanket of the large crater near the right center of the image.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 Global Surveyor shows dark, windblown sand dunes on the floor of Brashear Crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars. | 10 October 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark, windblown sand dunes on the floor of Brashear Crater in the southern hemisphere. The dominant winds responsible for these dunes blew from the southeast (lower right). Grooves on some of the dune surfaces suggest that the sand may be somewhat cemented; the grooves form by wind erosion.Location near: 53.9°S, 119.6°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a crater on Mars is located in Lunae Planum and contains a remnant central peak, typical of craters this size. | The topic for the Image of the Day for the weeks of March 7-18 will be mountains on Mars.This crater is located in Lunae Planum and contains a remnant central peak, typical of craters this size.A good diagram showing the structural difference between simple and complex craters is here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/science/craterstructure.htmlImage information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.8, Longitude 298.4 East (61.6 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 illustration shows NASA astronauts on Mars. | NASA astronauts on Mars in this illustration. | |
During its examination of Mars, NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft returned images of Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system, whose connected chasma or valleys may have formed from a combination of erosional collapse and structural activity. | During its examination of Mars, the Viking 1 spacecraft returned images of Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system 5,000 km long, up to 240 km wide, and 6.5 km deep, whose connected chasma or valleys may have formed from a combination of erosional collapse and structural activity. This synthetic oblique view shows Ophir Chasma, the northern most one of the connected valleys of Valles Marineris; north toward top of frame; for scale, the large impact crater in lower right corner is 30 km (18 miles) wide.This point-perspective, digital image, centered at latitude 4 degrees S., longitude 71 degrees, is a composite of Viking 1 Orbiter high-resolution (about 80 m/pixel or picture element) images in black and white and low-resolution (about 250 m/pixel) images in color; no vertical exaggeration. The Viking 1 craft landed on Mars in July of 1976.Ophir Chasma is a large west-northwest-trending trough about 100 km wide. The Chasma is bordered by 4 km high walled cliffs, most likely faults, that show spur-and-gully morphology and smooth sections. The walls have been dissected by landslides forming reentrants; one area (upper left) on the north wall shows a young landslide about 100 km wide. The volume of the landslide debris is more than 1000 times greater than that from the May 18, 1980 debris avalanche from Mount St. Helens. The longitudinal grooves seen in the foreground are thought to be due to differential shear and lateral spreading at high velocities. The landslide passes between mounds of interior layered deposits on the floor of the chasma. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a deeply eroded valley system in a portion of Olympica Fossae on Mars. The valleys are mantled by a thick blanket of dust, and small craters formed by meteor impacts superpose the valley landforms. | 25 August 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a deeply eroded valley system in the western portion of the Olympica Fossae region of central Tharsis. The valleys may have been carved by water; today they are mantled by a thick blanket of dust, and small craters formed by meteor impacts superpose the valley landforms. This picture is located near 23.0°N, 117.2°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across and sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows cracked surfaces in the south polar layered terrain of Mars. The cracks in this scene have formed complex dendritic arrays. | 11 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows cracked surfaces in the south polar layered terrain of Mars. The cracks in this scene have formed complex dendritic arrays. Evidence of the fracture networks is clear in the topmost layer, however, close inspection reveals traces of apparently older networks in the underlying layers.Location near: 79.1°S, 194.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the northern portion of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in the northern portion of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. It has been proposed that the channels formed by the release of melted subsurface ice during the impact event that created a large crater southeast of this image. Additionally, the nearby Elysium volcanic center created subsurface heating that may have played a part in creating both Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles to the north. The right angle intersections indicate there is some tectonic activity in the region, and the circular depressions indicate surface collapse into subsurface voids. Hephaestus Fossae is a very complex set of features.Orbit Number: 88618 Latitude: 22.2991 Longitude: 121.441 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-12-06 02:47Please 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 Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in August 2003, showing large grooves indicating tectonic faulting cross just south of the Tharsis Monteson Mars. | Released 7 August 2003Large grooves indicating tectonic faulting cross this image from the upper right to the lower left. This image is located not too far south of the Tharsis Montes, which probably produced the faulting seen here as they erupted and uplifted the terrain. Many craters are apparent on the surface here, some of which have impacted on the grabens (grooves), indicating that they are younger than the faults. The crater in the center of the image appears to have been breached, allowing material (perhaps a mudslide) to spill to the west. Could this flow be caused by an earthquake that occurred when the faults moved, or did it happen much later?Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -35.7, Longitude 324.1 East (35.9 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 false-color composite traverse map depicts NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's journey since landing at Gusev Crater, Mars. It was created after Spirit had traveled 328 meters from its lander to the rim of the crater dubbed 'Bonneville.' | This false-color panoramic camera composite traverse map depicts the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's journey since landing at Gusev Crater, Mars. It was generated from three of the camera's different wavelength filters (750 nanometers, 530 nanometers and 480 nanometers). This map was created on the 65th martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission, after Spirit had traveled 328 meters (1076 feet) from its lander to the rim of the crater dubbed "Bonneville." From this high point, Spirit was able to capture with its panoramic camera the entire rover traverse. The map points out major stops that Spirit made along the way, including features nicknamed "Adirondack;" "Stone Council;" "Laguna Hollow;" and "Humphrey." Also highlighted is the landscape feature informally named "Grissom Hill" and Spirit's landing site, the Columbia Memorial Station. | |
NASA's Sojourner observations in the Ares region on Mars raise and answer questions about the origins of the rocks and other deposits found there. This image shows the vesicular and pitted textures of Souffle Rock. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | Sojourner's observations in the Ares region on Mars raise and answer questions about the origins of the rocks and other deposits found there. This image shows the vesicular and pitted textures of Souffle Rock (32 cm wide) which could be a result of volcanic, sedimentary, or weathering processes.NOTE: original caption as published in Science magazineMars 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 a 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows some of the linear depressions that comprise Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is the name of a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows some of the linear depressions that comprise Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is the name of a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults. The "fossae," or graben, lie northeast of the large volcano Syrtis Major and northwest of the ancient impact basin Isidis Planitia. The troughs, which can be almost 500 meters (1,600 feet) deep , make concentric curves that follow the outline of Isidis Planitia. The graben likely formed as the crust sagged under the weight of lava flows filling the Isidis Planitia impact basin.Orbit Number: 88158 Latitude: 20.507 Longitude: 72.6076 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-29 05:43Please 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. | |
In this close-up view of the path NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took when it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars, a computer-generated red line shows the spacecraft's bounce motions as it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | In this close-up view of the path Opportunity took when it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars, a computer-generated red line shows the spacecraft's bounce motions as it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The spacecraft bounced north approximately 26 times while safely encased in airbags, until it came to a stop inside the crater to the right of the image. The red line is superimposed on a mosaic of the three images taken during descent by the descent image motion estimation system camera, located on the bottom of the lander. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows exposures of deposits along the plateau just to the south of Coprates Chasma. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows exposures of deposits along the plateau just to the south of Coprates Chasma.Whereas Coprates Chasma and many of the other chasmata of Valles Marineris contain kilometer-thick light-toned mounds made up of sulfates, several of the deposits along the plateau have signatures of clays. This indicates that water was here for extensive periods of time to cause the plains to weather and alter into clays.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 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 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. | 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 part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. In this false color combination the hills stand out against the darker surrounding plains. This difference is due to the amount of dust covering the hills versus the plains.Orbit Number: 66840 Latitude: -33.9962 Longitude: 171.816 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-01-07 11:47Please 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 Exploration Rover Opportunity taken July, 2008 shows gull-shade lighting in late Martian afternoon of the layered cliff face of 'Cape Verde' promontory making up part of the rim of Victoria Crater in the Meridiani Planum. | Full-shade lighting in the late Martian afternoon helps make details visible in this view of the layered cliff face of the "Cape Verde" promontory making up part of the rim of Victoria Crater in the Meridiani Planum region of equatorial Mars.NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera (Pancam) to shoot the dozens of individual images that have been combined into this mosaic. Opportunity was inside Victoria Crater and near the base of the cliff when it took these images on the 1,579th and 1,580th Martian days, or sols, of the mission (July 2 and 3, 2008).Photographing the promontory from this position in Victoria Crater presented challenges for the rover team. The geometry was such that Cape Verde was between the rover and the sun, which could cause a range of negative effects, from glinting off Pancam's dusty lenses to shadowing on the cliff face. The team's solution was to take the images for this mosaic just after the sun disappeared behind the crater rim, at about 5:30 p.m. local solar time. The atmosphere was still lit, but no direct sunlight was illuminating the wall of Cape Verde.The result is a high-resolution view of Cape Verde in relatively uniform diffuse sky lighting across the scene.Pancam used a clear filter for taking the images for this mosaic. Capturing images in low-light situations was one of the main motivations for including the clear filter among the camera's assortment of filters available for use.The face of Cape Verde is about 6 meters (20 feet) tall. Victoria Crater, at about 800 meters (one-half mile) wide, is the largest and deepest crater that Opportunity has visited. It sits more than 5 kilometers (almost 4 miles) away from Opportunity's Eagle Crater landing site. Researchers sent Opportunity into Victoria Crater to study the rock layers exposed inside. The textures seen in the rock layers of Cape Verde suggest that the exposed layers were originally deposited by wind. | |
Melas Chasma is part of the largest canyon system on Mars, Valles Marineris. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft highlights the extent of layered materials within the canyon. | Context image Melas Chasma is part of the largest canyon system on Mars, Valles Marineris. At only 563 km long (349 miles) it is not the longest canyon, but it is the widest. Located in the center of Valles Marineris, it has depths up to 9 km below the surrounding plains, and is the location of many large landslide deposits, as will as layered materials and sand dunes. There is evidence of both water and wind action as modes of formation for many of the interior deposits. This VIS image highlights the extent of layered materials within the canyon. The image is located on the mid elevations on the south side of the canyon.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: 10813 Latitude: -13.1037 Longitude: 289.967 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-05-22 16:09Please 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 view from the Mastcam on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows dramatic buttes and layers on the lower flank of Mount Sharp. It was taken on Sept. 7, 2013, from near the waypoint called 'Darwin' on the route toward an entry point to the mountain. | This view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows dramatic buttes and layers on the lower flank of Mount Sharp. It is a mosaic of images taken on the 387th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 7, 2013). The rover's location was near a waypoint stop called "Darwin" on the drive from Yellowknife Bay toward an entry point to reach the mountain. Colors have been adjusted to show the rocks similarly to how they would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth, though slightly tinted with effects that airborne Martian dust has on illumination.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image shows the hematite abundance map for a portion of the Meridiani Planum rock outcrop called 'Echo' near where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed. Portions of the inner crater wall in this region appear rich in hematite (red). | This image shows the hematite abundance map for a portion of the Meridiani Planum rock outcrop near where the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed. It was acquired by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer instrument from a spot called "Echo." Portions of the inner crater wall in this region appear rich in hematite (red). The sharp boundary from hematite-rich to hematite-poor (yellow and green) surfaces corresponds to a change in the surface texture and color. The hematite-rich surfaces have ripple-like forms suggesting wind transported hematite to these surfaces. The bounce marks produced during landing at the base of the slope on the left are low in hematite (blue). The hematite grains that originally covered the surface were pushed below the surface by the lander, exposing a soil that has less hematite. | |
This mosaic from the Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover shows a close-up view looking toward the 'Glenelg' area. One terrain type is light-toned with well-developed layering, which likely records the deposition of sedimentary materials. | Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger versionThis mosaic from the Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover shows a close-up view looking toward the "Glenelg" area, where three different terrain types come together. All three types are observed from orbit with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. By driving there, Curiosity will be able to explore them. One of these terrain types is light-toned with well-developed layering, which likely records the deposition of sedimentary materials. There are also black bands that run through the area and might constitute additional layers that alternate with the light-toned layer(s). The black bands are not easily seen from orbit and are on the order of about 3.3-feet (1-meter) thick. Both of these layer types are important science targets. This mosaic is composed of images taken with the Mastcam 100-millimeter camera. | |
The dune field in this image taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey is located on the floor of an unnamed crater east of Proctor Crater. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThe dune field in today's VIS image is located on the floor of an unnamed crater east of Proctor Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -48.5N, Longitude 34.0E. 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 composite image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit gives an approximately true-color rendering of a daisy-like pattern of brushed circles that Spirit produced on a rock called 'Route 66.' | This composite image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit gives an approximately true-color rendering of a daisy-like pattern of brushed circles that Spirit produced on a rock called "Route 66." Spirit used the rock abrasion tool to complete this 6-position "RAT daisy" on sol 99. It took this image on sol 100, April 14, 2004.The purpose for these large brushings is to create a large enough patch of treated surface area for the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to analyze. Scientists had previously conducted a brushing like this one on the rock "Mazatzal." The brushed area of Route 66 looks very different from the brushed area of Mazatzal, leading scientists to think that the rocks although both light in tone actually have different coating types. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a shaded relief model derived from the MGS MOLA gridded topography for a small part Mars' polar cap. | This high resolution Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) topographic model of the surface of Mars is created by combining Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) gridded topographic data base with information from Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Narrow Angle (NA) high resolution images. The top image is a shaded relief model derived from the MGS MOLA gridded topography for a small part of the cap near 87°S 348°W; the area covered is about 3x3 km and the MOLA resolution about 230 meters/pixel. The bottom image is an enhanced shaded relief model of the same area derived by adding high-resolution topographic information from a MOC NA image data to the MOLA topography model. This yields a 3-D model that has a horizontal resolution of 2.75 meters; both models are shown with a 10x vertical exaggeration. Using shape-from-shading or photoclinometry techniques, MOC NA image m0906496 was used to derive high resolution (meter-scale) topography. The photometric properties of the surface, including albedo variations, and scattering of the atmosphere were carefully modeled by constraining the low-frequencies of the MOC NA photoclinometry model to match the high-quality MOLA data. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the dune field on the floor of Nili Patera. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the dune field on the floor of Nili Patera.Orbit Number: 48021 Latitude: 8.95193 Longitude: 67.3367 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-11 05:22Please 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 image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the first sample-collection hole drilled in Mount Sharp, the layered mountain that is the science destination of the rover's extended mission. | This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the first sample-collection hole drilled in Mount Sharp, the layered mountain that is the science destination of the rover's extended mission.The hole is 0.63 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter and about 2.6 inches (6.7 centimeters) deep, at a target called "Confidence Hills" on the "Pahrump Hills" outcrop at the base of the mountain.This is a merged-focus image product combining information from multiple images that MAHLI took from a position 2 inches (5 centimeters) away from the target. The images were taken on Sept. 24, 2014, during the 759th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars.MAHLI was built 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 Science Laboratory Project for the NASA 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/. | |
This view from the NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows an outcrop called 'Olympia' along the northwestern margin of 'Erebus' crater. A dry cracked surface a broad expanse of sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks. | Click on the image for Opportunity's 'Olympia' Panorama (QTVR)This view from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows an outcrop called "Olympia" along the northwestern margin of "Erebus" crater. The view spans about 120 degrees from side to side, generally looking southward. The outcrop exposes a broad expanse of sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks. The rocks were formed predominantly from windblown sediments, but some also formed in environmental conditions from damp to under shallow surface water. After taking the images that were combined into this view, Opportunity drove along along a path between sand dunes to the upper left side of the image, where a cliff in the background can be seen. This is a cliff is known as the "Mogollon Rim." Researchers expect it to expose more than 1 meter (3 feet) of new strata. These strata may represent the highest level observed yet by Opportunity. The image is an approximately true-color rendering generated using the panoramic camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in August 2003, showing a great highland/lowland boundary that divides the whole of Mars cuts diagonally. This may be a remnant of the Medussae Fossae Formation. | Released 13 August 2003The great highland/lowland boundary that divides the whole of Mars cuts diagonally through this image. The smoother lowland terrain to the north appears to lap up against the highland terrain. An eroded layered terrain also is evident in the lower third of the image. This may be a remnant of the Medussae Fossae Formation, a lobe of which occurs just to the west of this scene.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -10.8, Longitude 187.2 East (172.8 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 winds that have swept across Mars' north polar ice encounter a trough in the ice the laminar flow slows at the base of the trough. | Context image for PIA10847Polar WindsWhen winds that have swept across the north polar ice encounter a trough in the ice the laminar flow slows at the base of the trough, producing a turbulent wind regime that is easily recognized in the clouds formed in the trough.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 86.8N, Longitude 91.5E. 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 image from NASA's Mars Pathfinder was created in 1997 by using two mosaics: a color image of the 'Gallery Pan' and an image which indicates the distance to the nearest object at each pixel location, referred to as a range image. | This image is one frame of an animation that was created by using two mosaics: a color image of the "Gallery Pan" and an image which indicates the distance to the nearest object at each pixel location, referred to as a range image. The range data set is treated as a displacement map with respect to a sphere's surface, and the color image mosaic is draped onto the inside of the sphere. The position of the camera is fixed at the sphere's center, while its viewing direction is in this case looking at the south pole of the sphere. The mosaics were projected onto a continuous cylindrical/perspective coordinate system spanning 360 degrees of azimuth. The distortion visible near the edges of this image is due to the large field of view, as well as the limitation introduced by using cylindrically-projected images on the sphere - the effects of which are less apparent when smaller fields of view are used.The image has been rotated so that the main points of interest, which are the "Rock Garden," the rover Sojourner and the rock "Yogi," are easily seen arching across the upper hemisphere. In fixed Mars Surface coordinates, the top of the image looks out towards a point a few degrees north of West. Color has been enhanced to improve contrast in features, and is derived from IMP spectral filters 5, 9 and 0.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 a 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows three craters located in northern Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows three craters located in northern Arabia Terra. The top two have material deposits on the crater floors that postdate the formation of the impact crater. A large channel dissects the rim of the crater at the top of the image. The central crater is named Focas Crater.Orbit Number: 93975 Latitude: 33.8015 Longitude: 12.4675 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-20 05:08Please 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 released on Oct 13, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Tyrrhena Patera and its surroundings. Tyrrhena Patera is one of several moderate sized volcanoes located in the Martian southern highlands. | This week we will be examining images of Tyrrhena Patera and its surroundings. Tyrrhena Patera is one of several moderate sized volcanoes located in the Martian southern highlands. While the volcanic edifice is only moderate in size (when compared to the larger Tharsis volcanoes), the surrounding volcanic materials cover an extensive area. Deep eroded channels on the slope of the volcano indicate that the volcano itself is likely composed of pyroclastic materials rather than flow materials.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -21.8, Longitude 106.4 East (253.6 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of Clanis Vallis, a channel located on the eastern margin of Terra Sabaea. | Context image for PIA10873Clanis VallisThis VIS image shows a small portion of Clanis Vallis, a channel located on the eastern margin of Terra Sabaea.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 33.1N, Longitude 58.1E. 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 image of 'Block Island' was taken on July 28, 2009, with the front hazard-identification camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | This image of "Block Island" was taken on July 28, 2009, with the front hazard-identification camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Scientists will be testing the rock with the particle X-ray spectrometer to get composition measurements and to confirm if indeed it is a meteorite. | |
The steep walls of Valles Marineris sometimes fail, creating giant landslides. This provides a clean exposure of the underlying bedrock, as seen image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe steep walls of Valles Marineris sometimes fail, creating giant landslides. This provides a clean exposure of the underlying bedrock.This image of the north wall of Ganges Chasma reveals bedrock with diverse colors and textures, representing different geologic units. 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Morava Valles, a small outflow channel in the Margaritifer Sinus region of Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionMorava Valles is a small outflow channel in the Margaritifer Sinus region of Mars. Several of the interior channels of Morava emanate from a localized region of terrain that is caving in, also called "subsidence."_x009d_This region, comprised of jumbled blocks of flat-topped hills, is known as chaotic terrain. These channels, which emerge from the chaotic region, are separated by elongated hills that coalesce into a single channel before disappearing into the Margaritifer Chaos to the north. Chaotic terrains are thought to be the regions where ground water erupted catastrophically onto the surface, forming highly erosive flows that carved the outflow channels. The hills just downstream of the chaotic source region were shaped into streamlined islands by the erosive flows, forming blunt rounded ends in the upstream direction and tapering towards the north in the downstream direction.Although windblown sediments now cover the original flood-carved channel floor in a sea of dunes, a 1.5 kilometer diameter impact crater provides a window into the sediment on the channel floor. The crater exposes several layers along its upper walls including a distinct bouldery layer just below the mantle of windblown sediments. These boulders may have originated from the eruption site and were transported and emplaced on the channel floor by high energy floods. Alternatively, these bouldery layers may be lava that subsequently flowed across the flood scarred channel floors.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 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 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows craters in Terra Cimmeria. | 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 craters in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 7236 Latitude: -21.6412 Longitude: 142.906 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-02 04:43Please 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 large sand sheet with surface dune forms on the floor of Charlier Crater in Terra Sirenum. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the large sand sheet with surface dune forms on the floor of Charlier Crater in Terra Sirenum.Orbit Number: 91804 Latitude: -68.028 Longitude: 190.573 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-25 10:08Please 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 acquired this image in June 1999 showing a tiny portion of the martian floor of northern plains craters. Utopia Planitia crater, cracked and pitted, is shown on the right. | Many of the craters found on the northern plains of Mars have been partly filled or buried by some material (possibly sediment). The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image presented here (MOC2-136b, above left) shows a high-resolution view of a tiny portion of the floor of one of these northern plains craters. The crater, located in Utopia Planitia at 44°N, 258°W, is shown on the right (MOC2-136a) with a small white box to indicate the location of the MOC image. The MOC image reveals that the material covering the floor of this crater is cracked and pitted. The origin and source of material that has been deposited in this crater is unknown.The MOC image was acquired in June 1999 and covers an area only 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) wide at a resolution of 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The context picture is a mosaic of Viking 2 orbiter images 010B53 and 010B55, taken in 1976. Both images are illuminated from the left.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. | |
The lava channels in this image are located in the Tharsis plains as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe lava channels in today's VIS image are located in the Tharsis plains.Orbit Number: 48002 Latitude: 1.89531 Longitude: 254.18 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-09 15:53Please 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 Mawrth Vallis cutting across the center. | Context imageMawrth Vallis cuts across the center of this VIS 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.Orbit Number: 61451 Latitude: 22.5231 Longitude: 343.092 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-10-21 15:20Please 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 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 a small portion of Daedalia 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 a small portion of Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 52611 Latitude: -22.2406 Longitude: 243.285 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-10-23 20:49Please 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 2020 Perseverance rover is equipped with two microphones that will capture the sounds during entry, descent, and landing, and sounds on the Martian surface. | NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is equipped with two microphones that, if all goes as planned, will capture the sounds during entry, descent, and landing, and sounds on the Martian surface — from listening to the gusts of Mars' winds, to the "zap" of SuperCam's laser. This image depicts microphones under consideration the mission being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2017. The microphones were placed inside a chamber with a playback speaker to record sounds within a simulated Martian environment.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/. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the volcanic Tharsis region, including these valleys and associated lava flows on the plains southeast of Olympus Mons. Lava flows are visible, but meandering valleys with streamlined 'islands' dominate the scene. | The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft has been documenting a variety of landforms in the volcanic Tharsis region, including these valleys and associated lava flows on the plains southeast of Olympus Mons. Lava flows are visible in the upper left quarter of this image, but meandering valleys with streamlined "islands" dominate the scene. The valleys might have been carved by running water, but extremely fluid lava or mud might also have flowed through the channels. The exact role of each type of fluid--water, mud, or lava--remains to be determined. Illumination is from the right. The area shown is 7.3 km (4.5 mi) wide by 12 km (7.5 mi) long.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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is located in Terra Sabaea near the margin of Syrtis Major Planum. The channel-like feature at bottom is an unnamed. There is a high spot within the channel that would not let a fluid pass from one side to the other. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in Terra Sabaea near the margin of Syrtis Major Planum. The channel-like feature in the bottom of the image is an unnamed feature. There is a high spot within the channel that would not let a fluid pass from one side to the other. This indicates that this is not a water carved channel, but was most likely an underground lava tube, where collapse of the roof has revealed the underlying feature. The 90 degree turns in the channel feature, and the small linear ridges just to the top of the channel indicate tectonic forces are part of the processes at work in this region.Orbit Number: 72337 Latitude: 16.4537 Longitude: 60.7257 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-05 10:06Please 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 Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the imprint of the donut-shaped plate on the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer instrument, located on rover's the 'arm.' The rover was investigating fine-grained soil for iron-bearing minerals. | This image was taken by the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's instrument deployment device, or "arm." The image shows the imprint of the donut-shaped plate on the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer instrument, also located on the "arm." The Moessbauer spectrometer was deployed within the trench to investigate the fine-grained soil for iron-bearing minerals. The area in this image measures approximately 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. |
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