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NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity examined a type of rougher-textured, lighter-colored round pebbles related to the smoother, darker spherules nicknamed 'blueberries' inside 'Endurance Crater' on Mars. | Figure 1This view from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a type of light-colored, rough-textured spherules scientists are calling "popcorn" in contrast to the darker, smoother spherules called "blueberries." The spherules seen here are on the part of a rock named "Bylot" indicated in a panoramic camera image (see PIA06777). This magnified view confirmed the existence of blueberries partially coated in the popcorn material. This mosaic was assembled from four microscopic imager frames taken on sol 199 (Aug. 15, 2004). The yellow rectangle indicates the portion of this view shown in a tighter view (see PIA06779). | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Sirenum Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Sirenum Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northeast to south-southwest. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the west-northwest/east-southeast direction. The Sirenum Fossae graben are 2735km (1700 miles) long and stretch from eastern Terra Sirenum into western Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 92627 Latitude: -27.7786 Longitude: 216.392 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-11-01 04:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies all of which head at the same level on a south mid-latitude crater wall. | 11 August 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows gullies -- all of which head at the same level -- on a south mid-latitude crater wall. At the 6 meters (~20 feet) per pixel scale at which this image was obtained, the gullies almost appear as if they are the product of a "weeping layer," a porous layer of rock through which a liquid such as water may have percolated until it came to the martian surface at this crater wall, then flowed downslope, toward the crater floor.Location near: 34.0°S, 208.4°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark streaks on a plain south of the giant impact basin, Hellas Planitia. The streaks map the routes traveled by dozens of individual southern spring and early summer dust devils. | 19 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark streaks on a plain south of the giant impact basin, Hellas Planitia. The streaks map the routes traveled by dozens of individual southern spring and early summer dust devils.Location near: 68.4°S, 296.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
The shape of the tip of the bit in the drill of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is apparent in this view recorded by the remote micro-imager in the rover's ChemCam instrument on Mars. Jan. 29, 2012; the bit is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters) wide. | The shape of the tip of the bit in the drill of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is apparent in this view recorded by the remote micro-imager in the rover's Chemistry and Camera instrument during the 172nd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Jan. 29, 2012).The bit is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters) wide. This view merges three exposures taken by the camera at different focus settings to show more of the hardware in focus than would be seen in a single exposure.JPL, 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. 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 the northern side of Acheron Fossae. Acheron Fossae is a complex tectonic region north of Olympus Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image is located on the northern side of Acheron Fossae. Acheron Fossae is a complex tectonic region north of Olympus Mons. In this region of Acheron Fossae, channels drain down towards the plains.Orbit Number: 77733 Latitude: 39.5698 Longitude: 223.721 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-06-23 20:29Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the eastern flank of Eumenides Dorsum, a large linear rise located in southern Amazonis Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the eastern flank of Eumenides Dorsum, a large linear rise located in southern Amazonis Planitia. This area of Mars is dominated by poorly cemented surface material that is easily eroded by the wind. Features align with wind direction, indicating that the winds in this region blew from the northeast. Eumenides Dorsum is part of the larger Medusa Fossae Formation of wind eroded materials south and southwest of Olympus Mons. The nature of the material being eroded is not known, but may be ash fall deposits, sourced from the Tharsis and Apollinaris volcanoes.Orbit Number: 93214 Latitude: -3.19141 Longitude: 205.117 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-12-19 12:09Please 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. | |
Spirit's View on Sol 142 (Vertical) | This 360-degree view of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the 142nd martian day of the rover's mission inside Gusev Crater, on May 27, 2004, was assembled from images taken by Spirit's navigation camera. The rover's position is Site A55. The view is presented in a vertical projection with geometrical seam correction. | |
This video shows NASA's Perseverance Mars rover using its Auto-Nav technology to drive 574 feet (175 meters) on September 12, 2021, the 200th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | Click here for movie
This video shows NASA's Perseverance Mars rover using its auto-navigation, or AutoNav, technology to drive 548 feet (167 meters) on Sept. 12, 2021, the 200th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. AutoNav allows the rover to autonomously re-plan its route around rocks or other obstacles on its way to a pre-established destination. The video was taken by the rover's navigation cameras; they are capable of color, but black-and-white images are better for navigation. The video has been sped up by roughly 200 times with roughly 30 seconds between frames.
In total, the rover drove 574 feet (175 meters). The first 26 feet (8 meters) were based on commands sent up earlier by rover drivers, allowing Perseverance to build a 3D map of the terrain under and around it. This map allows the AutoNav function to assess the safety of available paths at the rover's location; engineers call this "crawling on to the map."
Once AutoNav takes over, the rover autonomously chooses a path to reach the intended destination, continually imaging around itself to maintain a 98-foot-by-98-foot (30-meter-by-30-meter) map centered on the rover.
A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For more about Perseverance:
mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
nasa.gov/perseverance | |
Mono- & Polyhydrated Sulfates in Aureum Chaos | This image of layered deposits in Aureum Chaos was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on June 6, 2007 at 0347 UTC (11:47 p.m. EDT on June 5, 2007), near 3.5 degrees south latitude, 333.25 degrees east longitude. The CRISM image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 40 meters (132 feet) across. The region covered is just over 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide at its narrowest point.Aureum Chaos lies in the eastern part of the Valles Marineris canyon system, southwest of a 280 kilometer (174 mile) diameter, highly modified impact crater called Aram Chaos. Both regions hold examples of chaotic terrain that is characterized by randomly oriented, large-scale mesas and knobs. In this region of Mars, these features range in size from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers wide and tend to be heavily eroded. As its name implies, chaotic terrain is extremely irregular. It is most likely the result of collapsed surface material that settled when subsurface ice, water, or magma was released.The top panel in the montage above shows the location of the CRISM image on a mosaic taken by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The CRISM data cover an area riddled with knobs. The lower two images were constructed by draping CRISM images over topography and exaggerating the vertical scale to better illustrate the region's topography. The upper right is an infrared, false color image that reveals layered deposits of a light-colored material along the flanks of several knobs. The lower-left image reveals the mineralogical composition of these layers, with yellow representing monohydrated sulfates (sulfates with one water molecule incorporated into each molecule of the mineral) and blue polyhydrated sulfates (sulfates with multiple waters per mineral molecule). There are two possible explanations for the compositional banding. The first is deposition of mono- and polyhydrated sulfates in alternating layers. The second is deposition of just one sulfate type, and subsequently its alteration by weathering at the exposed, eroded surface. Further observations will better determine the origin of these complex banded sulfate deposits.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. | |
This vent and associated flow are located at the base of Arsia Mons on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08420Lava FlowThis vent and associated flow are located at the base of Arsia Mons.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -6.8N, Longitude 236.2E. 98 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. | |
High on 'West Spur' | A rock outcrop with a view of the surrounding landscape beckons NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 203 (July 29, 2004) of its journey of exploration on the red planet. This view is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera at a position labeled as Site 80, near the top of the "West Spur" portion of the "Columbia Hills." Directly ahead are rock outcrops that scientists will examine for clues that might indicate the presence of water in the past. In the upper right-hand corner is the so-called "sea of basalt," consisting of lava flows that lapped onto the flanks of the hills. The view is toward the south. The field of view is approximately 170 degrees from right to left and is presented in a cylindrical projection with geometrical seam correction. | |
The center of the red circle on this map shows where NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander eased down to the surface of Mars in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis. | The center of the red circle on this map shows where NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander eased down to the surface of Mars, at approximately 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude. Before Phoenix landed, engineers had predicted it would land within the blue ellipse. Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 p.m. Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis. The map shows a color-coded interpretation of geomorphic units—categories based on the surface textures and contours. The geomorphic mapping is overlaid on a shaded relief map based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This false-color image released on May 28, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey was collected February 29, 2004 during the end of southern summer season in Mars' south polar region. | Released 28 May 2004This image was collected February 29, 2004 during the end of southern summer season. The local time at the location of the image was about 2 pm. The image shows an area in the South Polar region.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -84.7, Longitude 9.3 East (350.7 West). 38 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 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 52449 Latitude: -20.3058 Longitude: 233.727 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-10-10 12:05Please 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 Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop on its robotic arm. In the foreground, near bottom of this image, the bright object visible on the ground might be a piece of rover hardware. | This image from the right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop on its robotic arm. In the foreground, near the bottom of the image, a bright object is visible on the ground. The object might be a piece of rover hardware. This image was taken during the mission's 61st Martian day, or sol (Oct. 7, 2012), the same sol as the first scooping. After examining Sol 61 imaging, the rover team decided to refrain from using the arm on Sol 62 (Oct. 8). Instead, the rover was instructed to acquire additional imaging of the bright object, on Sol 62, to aid the team in assessing possible impact, if any, to sampling activities.For scale, the scoop is 1.8 inches (4.5 centimeters) wide, 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) long.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://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
The channel feature in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of Tyrrhena Fossae, a large depression that dissects Tyrrhena Mons. | Context imageThe channel feature in this VIS image is part of Tyrrhena Fossae, a large depression that dissects Tyrrhena Mons.Orbit Number: 48882 Latitude: -20.2213 Longitude: 107.255 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-12-21 00:12Please 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. | |
A sandsheet with dune forms covers most of the floor of this unnamed crater within Coprates Chasma in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey on June 23, 2010. | Context imageA sandsheet with dune forms covers most of the floor of this unnamed crater within Coprates Chasma.Orbit Number: 37804 Latitude: -14.4683 Longitude: 302.19 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-06-23 01:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the south polar cap. The cap is comprised of layers of ice and dust deposited over millions of years. This image was collected near the end of summer. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. The cap is comprised of layers of ice and dust deposited over millions of years. This image was collected near the end of summer.Orbit Number: 92024 Latitude: -85.6105 Longitude: 190.863 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-12 13:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows windstreaks mark the plains of northern Terra Sabaea. | Context imageWindstreaks mark the plains of northern Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 41717 Latitude: -0.444208 Longitude: 68.7349 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-05-11 07:05Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These dust slides are located on the wall of Thithonium Chasma on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03682Canyon DustThese dust slides are located on the wall of Thithonium Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.1N, Longitude 275.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on January 24, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows Cerberus Fossae, a steep-sided set of troughs cutting volcanic plains to the east of Elysium Mons. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionCerberus Fossae is a steep-sided set of troughs cutting volcanic plains to the east of Elysium Mons. Steep slopes on Mars have active landslides (also called "mass wasting"), and here we see evidence for two types of activity.First, the light bluish boulders on the slope appear to originate at a layer of bedrock (also light blue) near the top of the section. Second, the dark thin lines are recurring slope lineae, probably also due to mass wasting, but composed of finer-grained materials.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 28.1 centimeters [11.1 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 84 centimeters [33.1 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 graphic depicts aspects of the driving distance, elevation, geological units and time intervals of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover mission, as of late 2016. | This graphic depicts aspects of the driving distance, elevation, geological units and time intervals of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover mission, as of late 2016. The vertical dimension is exaggerated 14-fold compared with the horizontal dimension, for presentation-screen proportions.As of early December 2016, Curiosity had driven 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) since its August 2012 landing on the floor of Gale Crater near the base of Mount Sharp. It had climbed 541 feet (165 meters) in elevation. Elevation values shown on the vertical scale of this chart denote meters below an established zero-elevation level on Mars, which lacks a planetary "sea level." Because Curiosity is below the zero elevation, the numbers are negative.Presented at the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting on Dec. 13. in San Francisco, CA.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Windstreaks, like the ones in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, are a common feature on the plains of Syrtis Major Planum. | Context imageWindstreaks, like the ones in this VIS image, are a common feature on the plains of Syrtis Major Planum.Orbit Number: 44101 Latitude: 4.10506 Longitude: 67.9415 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-11-23 13:51Please 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 spacecraft shows Moreux Crater, located in the northern part of Terra Sabaea. The crater has a region of sand dunes on the crater floor, as well as features that are similar to glacial topography on Earth. | Context image Moreux Crater is located in the northern part of Terra Sabaea. The crater has a region of sand dunes on the crater floor, as well as features that are similar to glacial topography on Earth. The glacial flows occur from both the crater rim and the central crater peak. Glacial activity creates fine scale materials, which means the source of the dune sands may be local, rather than materials blown in from outside of the crater.Orbit Number: 71851 Latitude: 41.908 Longitude: 44.2358 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-02-24 09:22Please 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. | |
Dune forms cover the top of this sand sheet on the floor of Juventae Chasma, a chasma north of the Valles Marineris canyon system in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageDune forms cover the top of this sand sheet on the floor of Juventae Chasma, a chasma north of the Valles Marineris canyon system.Orbit Number: 39963 Latitude: -4.66751 Longitude: 297.12 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-12-17 19:47Please 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 acquired on January 20, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows dark slope streaks on the slopes of this crater, thought to be the result of the relatively bright colored dust avalanching down. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionDust and sand slide down slopes on Mars in little avalanches. Dark slope streaks are thought to be the result of the relatively bright colored dust avalanching down slopes, revealing the darker, coarser sand underneath. This image is the latest in a sequence of images of this crater that started in 2013. The goal is to watch the dusty slopes, and try to understand more about the processes that drive these little avalanches.An animation shows this sequence of 14 images taken over seven Earth years (about 3 and a half Mars years), and shows where new streaks have occurred on the slopes of this crater. The shape of the crater's rim appears to "wobble"_x009d_ because the spacecraft looks at the crater from slightly different directions. This could be corrected by creating a 3D terrain model and properly projecting each image onto it.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 54.0 centimeters [21.3 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 162 centimeters [63.8 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 many of the channel segments of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows many of the channel segments of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. The system is approximately 750km long. It is likely that both water and lava played a part in creation of the feature.Orbit Number: 81542 Latitude: 26.6111 Longitude: 135.512 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-02 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 shows spherules, nicknamed 'blueberries,' at its landing site in 'Eagle Crater,' determined to be iron-rich concretions that formed inside deposits soaked with groundwater. | This frame from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows spherules up to about 5 millimeters (one-fifth of an inch) in diameter. The camera took this image during the 924th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's Mars-surface mission (Aug. 30, 2006), when the rover was about 200 meters (650 feet) north of 'Victoria Crater.' Opportunity discovered spherules like these, nicknamed "blueberries," at its landing site in "Eagle Crater," and investigations determined them to be iron-rich concretions that formed inside deposits soaked with groundwater. However, such concretions were much smaller or absent at the ground surface along much of the rover's trek of more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) southward to Victoria. The big ones showed up again when Opportunity got to the ring, or annulus, of material excavated and thrown outward by the impact that created Victoria Crater. Researchers hypothesize that some layer beneath the surface in Victoria's vicinity was once soaked with water long enough to form the concretions, that the crater-forming impact dispersed some material from that layer, and that Opportunity might encounter that layer in place if the rover drives down into the crater. | |
Numerous channels dissect the rim of this large crater located on Acheron Fossae as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageNumerous channels dissect the rim of this large crater located on Acheron Fossae.Orbit Number: 53585 Latitude: 39.3278 Longitude: 224.156 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-01-12 02:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Tantalus Fossae, seen in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, is a set of long valleys on the eastern side of Alba Patera. These valleys are referred to as grabens and are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. | (Released 25 June 2002)The ScienceTantalus Fossae is a set of long valleys on the eastern side of Alba Patera. These valleys are referred to as grabens and are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of grabens are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northeast to south-southwest. Because the faults defining the graben are formed parallel to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the west-northwest/east-southeast direction. The large number of grabens around Alba Patera is generally believed to be the result of extensional forces associated with the uplift of Alba Patera. Also visible in this image are a series of linearly aligned pits, called a pit chain. The pits are not the result of impact cratering, but are similar to sinkholes on Earth. Sinkholes are typically formed by the removal of rock (commonly limestone) underground by groundwater -- when enough rock is removed, the overlying rock becomes too heavy to be supported, and it collapses, forming a pit. Unlike sinkholes, however, the pit chains near Alba Patera were likely formed when empty underground lava tubes collapsed, accounting for the presence and alignment of many pits. Numerous channel features are also observed in the image, and follow the local topographic slope, which is downhill to the east-southeast. One of these, a long channel in the center of the image, nicely demonstrates the complex relations possible between geologic features. The geologist's rule of superposition says that a feature on top of (superposing) another feature, or cutting across another feature is younger than the feature it covers or cuts. In one location, the channel cuts across the somewhat subdued fault defining a graben (near the right side of the image), indicating that the channel was carved after the graben was formed. But in other places (near the center of the image), the channel is clearly cut by a large fault defining one of the grabens, indicating that some faulting was occurring after the channel was carved. These relationships can be observed throughout this image. By mapping out superposition relationships in detail, geologists can establish a complex sequence of events that occurred long ago.The StoryThe first thing that catches your eye in the image above is a string of round pits that are strewn dramatically on the surface. Although they may look like craters, nothing came hurtling in from the sky to make them. Instead, collapses along a lava tube have created this long dotted line on the Martian surface. The lava tube, a hollow feature beneath the surface, can't always withstand the weight from above, and so collapses in places, forming pits like the ones seen here.Throughout the rest of the image are a series of depressed valleys known as grabens that run roughly from the northeast to the southwest. They formed when the crust of the Martian surface was stretched so fast that it broke along faults. When that happened, the rock in between fell downward into the space created by the extension, creating the long subtle streaks of lowered terrain. They were probably created when Alba Patera, the shield volcano of this area, was elevated or "uplifted" through tectonic forces.This area of long valleys is named after Tantalus, a king of ancient Lydia who, according to legend, betrayed the gods and was sent to Hades. In this subterranean place, he was forced to stand in water up to his chin underneath the branches of fruit trees. Every time he tried to drink, the water would recede, and every time he tried to eat, the boughs would move the fruit just out of reach. You can easily see where the word "tantalize" comes from.Scientists are intrigued so much by the history of this area that they seek to understand its elusive past. Luckily, their interests are much more in reach than those of poor Tantalus. A number of channels in this image (running downhill from the west-northwest to the east-southeast) help them understand the chain of events that worked to create the compelling features in this region.Take a look at the channels close-up and see if you can tell whether the channels or the grabens happened first. A rule of thumb is that if one feature is on top of another or cuts across it, it is younger than the feature it covers or cuts. One of the channels in the center of the image is great to study. Toward the right side of the image, the channel cuts across a fault, indicating it formed before the graben. Follow the channel westward, however, and you'll see that a large fault cuts the channel, indicating that this graben formed after the channel. That probably means this criss-crossed region went through a seeming eternity of torture itself, as the land kept tearing and stretching, as channels were carved and recarved, as lava tubes formed and then finally collapsed, only to have their walls erode in further streaks as well. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Gorgonum Chaos. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Gorgonum Chaos. The linear features are graben that are part of Sirenum Fossae.Orbit Number: 50827 Latitude: -38.1132 Longitude: 188.825 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-05-30 01:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander collected a soil sample and attempted to deliver some of it to it laboratory oven on deck on July 28, 2008. The sample came from a hard layer at the bottom of 'Snow White' trench and may have contained water ice mixed with soil. | NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander collected a soil sample and attempted to deliver some of it to a laboratory oven on the deck during the mission's 62nd Martian day, or sol, (July 28, 2008). The sample came from a hard layer at the bottom of the "Snow White" trench and might have contained water ice mixed with the soil. This image taken after the attempt to deliver the sample through the open doors to cell number zero on the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer shows that very little of the soil fell onto the screened opening.Not enough material reached the oven, through a funnel under the screen, to proceed with analysis of the sample material.Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera took this image at 7:54 a.m. local solar time on Sol 62. The size of the screened opening is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long by 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) wide.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of Nili Fossae, layered bedrock as horizontal striations in the light toned sediments in the floor of a canyon near Syrtis Major. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionNothing gets a geologist more excited than layered bedrock, except perhaps finding a fossil or holding a meteorite in your hand. All of these things create a profound feeling of history, the sense of a story that took place ages ago, long before we came appeared. Layered bedrock in particular tells a story that was set out chapter by chapter as each new layer was deposited on top of older, previously deposited layers.Here in Nili Fossae, we see layered bedrock as horizontal striations in the light toned sediments in the floor of a canyon near Syrtis Major. (Note: illumination is from the top of the picture) The ancient layered rocks appear in pale whitish and bluish tones. They are partially covered by much younger ripples made up of dust and other wind blown sediments. The rock of the nearby canyon wall is severely fractured and appears to have shed sand and rocks and boulders onto the floor. This canyon did not form by fluvial erosion: it is part of a system of faults that formed a series of graben like this one, but water probably flowed through Nili Fossae in the distant past.Orbital spectral measurements by the OMEGA instrument on Mars Express and CRISM on MRO detected an abundance of clay minerals of different types in the layered sediments inside Nili Fossae, along with other minerals that are typical of sediments that were deposited by water. The various colors and tones of the layered rocks record changes in the composition of the sediments, details that can tell us about changes in the Martian environment eons ago. Nili Fossae is a candidate site for a future landed robotic mission that could traverse across these layers and make measurements that could be used to unravel a part of the early history of Mars. Nili Fossae is a history book that is waiting to be read.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. | |
A colored square in this grayscale image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights the location of Stone Mountain, located within the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | The colored square in this grayscale image taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights the location of Stone Mountain, located within the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. Scientists are examining Stone Mountain with the instruments on the rover's instrument deployment device, or "arm," in search of clues about the composition of the rock outcrop. | |
Textures of the south polar permanent residual ice cap and polar layered terrains. This 15 x 14 km area image (frame 7306) is centered near 87 degrees south, 341 degrees west, taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter. | Textures of the south polar permanent residual ice cap and polar layered terrains. This 15 x 14 km area image (frame 7306) is centered near 87 degrees south, 341 degrees west.Figure caption from Science Magazine. | |
This image acquired on May 10, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows fluvial channels that cut through the ejecta from Jones Crater, indicating relatively younger water activity in the region. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionMargaritifer Terra is the most impressive water-modified landscape on Mars that preserves the highest density of valley networks on the planet.Fluvial activity began in the Noachian period, likely peaked in the late Noachian-to-Hesperian, and then persisted, at least locally, into the Late Hesperian or Amazonian epoch. (This time period goes back at least 4 billion years to the present.)Our image shows fluvial channels that cut through the ejecta from Jones Crater, indicating relatively younger water activity in the region.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 58.6 centimeters [23.1 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 176 centimeters [69.3 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 acquired on August 2, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows Gordii Fossae, a volcanic region near Olympus Mons, the planet's largest volcano. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionGordii Fossae is a volcanic region near Olympus Mons, the planet's largest volcano.The smooth volcanic surfaces in the Gordii Fossae region are sometimes interrupted by long, narrow troughs, or fissures. These fissures form when underground faults, possibly involving magma movement, reach the near-surface, allowing material to collapse into pits or an elongated trough. This fissure appears to have erupted material that flowed onto the surface.If you use your imagination, this trough resembles a gecko with its long tail and web-shaped feet!The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 29.5 centimeters [11.6 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 88 centimeters [34.6 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_070333_1970.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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Hebrus Valles. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Hebrus Valles. This channel system is located west of the Elysium volcanic complex. The streamlined islands in the channel indicate the fluid flow was towards the upper left of the image.Orbit Number: 63542 Latitude: 19.654 Longitude: 126.493 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-04-10 20:26Please 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. | |
Richardson Crater is home to this sea of sand dunes. It was fall in the Southern hemisphere when NASA's MRO acquired this image of the dunes frosted with the first bit of carbon dioxide ice condensed from the atmosphere. | Richardson Crater is home to this sea of sand dunes. It was fall in the Southern hemisphere when this image was acquired and the dunes are frosted with the first bit of carbon dioxide ice condensed from the atmosphere.As the season turns to winter ice will cover the entire dune field. At this moment however, it is patchy, and in the frost does not yet coat the ground beneath the dunes. The ground under the dunes appears to be cut by spidery troughs termed "araneiform terrain", carved by carbon dioxide sublimation (turning from solid to gas) in the spring.Though Mars may appear to be a frozen wonderland it is not frozen in time: the spring will bring lots of activity to this region.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, 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 the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Dunes on Mars can be seen in the bottom and upper right central parts this image of Terra Cimmeria captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe large hills of sand in this VIS image are located on western margin of Argyre Planitia.Orbit Number: 51304 Latitude: -11.9095 Longitude: 121.697 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-08 07:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows the sand sheet with dune forms located on the floor of Rabe Crater. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis daytime IR image shows the sand sheet with dune forms located on the floor of Rabe Crater.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -44.1N, Longitude 34.9E. 120 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows parts of two craters located at the southern end of Tempe Fossae. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows parts of two craters located at the southern end of Tempe Fossae. There are numerous gullies dissecting the inner rim of the crater at the top of the image. Gullies are not seen in the bottom crater. In addition the crater at the top has been filled to a uniform level with material and the rim has been eroded. These features are not seen in the bottom crater, indicating that the bottom crater is relatively younger than the top crater.Orbit Number: 64198 Latitude: 30.6211 Longitude: 273.598 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-03 21:17Please 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 of the rock 'Flat Top' was taken from the left of NASA's Sojourner rover's front cameras on Sol 42. Pits on the edge of the rock and a fluted surface are clearly visible. The rocks in the left background comprise the Rock Garden. | This image of the rock "Flat Top" was taken from the left of the Sojourner rover's front cameras on Sol 42. Pits on the edge of the rock and a fluted surface are clearly visible. The rocks in the left background comprise the Rock Garden.This image and PIA01555 (right eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-529, 30 October 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the floor of an ancient valley located near the Pyrrhae Chaos region of Mars. This valley might have been carved by liquid water, but today no evidence remains that a fluid ever flowed through it. Long after the valley formed, its floor was covered by large, windblown, ripple-like dunes. This picture is located near 13.0°S, 31.2°W. The image is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies and debris aprons in a crater on Mars. Gullies such as these may have formed by running water, carbon dioxide, or dry mass movement processes. | 20 March 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows gullies and debris aprons in a crater near 38.5°S, 174.5°W. Gullies such as these may have formed by running water, carbon dioxide, or dry mass movement processes. Most investigators of martian gullies consider that water, whether fresh or briney, may have been involved. This picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
Illumination in this image comes from MAHLI's two ultraviolet LEDs, which emit light in a waveband centered at a wavelength of 365 nanometers in this image of a calibration target on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. | This image of a calibration target illuminated by ultraviolet LEDs (light emitting diodes) is part of the first set of nighttime images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera at the end of the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The set includes images of the MAHLI calibration target and of a Martian rock target called "Sayunei." MAHLI took the images on Jan. 22, 2013 (PST), after dark on the 165th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.The illumination came from MAHLI's two ultraviolet LEDs, which emit light in a waveband centered at a wavelength of 365 nanometers. The exposure duration for this image was 1 second. The two bluish dots are reflections of the LEDs. The red feature is the calibration target's fluorescent swatch, which is cream-colored in the white-light illuminated image (PIA16713). This target is made of room-temperature volcanized silicone, impregnated with a pigment, SpectraFluor Red, donated to the MAHLI effort by its manufacturer, Spectra Systems of Providence, R.I. The exposure duration for the UV image was 1 second.For scale, the Lincoln penny on the MAHLI calibration target is three-fourths inch (19 millimeters) in diameter. The calibration target is mounted on the rover. This image was taken from a lens distance of 3.9 inches (10 centimeters). Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI and the MAHLI engineering model. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Curiosity and the mission's Vehicle System Test Bed rover were designed and built 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the southwestern margin of Orcus Patera. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located on the southwestern margin of Orcus Patera. Dark slope streaks are present on most cliff faces in the image. Formation of these features is linked to a change in the surface, either removal of the dusty surface revealing darker rock beneath the dust, or a volatile flow along the cliff face.Orbit Number: 94793 Latitude: 11.5387 Longitude: 177.213 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-28 13:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a large portion of etched terrain near the south pole of Mars. | Context image for PIA03024 Polar Etched TerrainThis low resolution VIS image shows a large portion of etched terrain near the south pole of Mars.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 79.6S, Longitude 295.8E. 35 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 image released on May 25, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey of rampart crater ejecta on Mars was acquired Feb. 16, 2003, during northern summer. | Released 25 May 2004This image of rampart crater ejecta was acquired Feb. 16, 2003, during northern summer.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 45.9, Longitude 347 East (13 West). 38 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 the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons. | Context imageToday's image shows the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Several tectonic fractures and collapse features, as well as lava flows, are visible in the image. The collapse features vary in shape from circular to linear outlines. The majority of the collapse features don't interact with the surface lava flows, indicating that the collapse features were formed after the main emplacement of lava flows from the summit and near summit vents. Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost of the three aligned Tharsis volcanoes and is the tallest at 18 km (11 miles), for comparison Mauna Kea – the tallest volcano on Earth – is 10 km tall (6.2 miles, measured from the base below sea level).Orbit Number: 94029 Latitude: 11.7587 Longitude: 257.749 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-24 15:43Please 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. | |
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), measures the flow of neutrons with different energy levels returning from the ground, and their delay times, as an indication of the amount and depth of hydrogen in the ground beneath the NASA's rover, Curiosity. | The Russian-made instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity for detecting water that is adsorbed into soil or bound into shallow underground minerals has fired its 2 millionth pulse of energetic neutrons into the ground. It reached this milestone in late January 2014, not quite 18 months after the rover's landing on Mars in early August 2012. Each pulse into the ground lasts about one microsecond. The instrument, Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), measures the flow of neutrons with different energy levels returning from the ground, and their delay times, as an indication of the amount and depth of hydrogen in the ground beneath the rover. Any detected hydrogen would most likely be in the form of water.This graph shows the cumulative total of pulses from DAN's pulsing neutron generator (PNG) rising to the 2 million level (vertical axis) as time progressed from the start of the mission. The top horizontal axis is labeled by Earth dates; the bottom one by the number of sols (Martian days) into the mission.Each pulse DAN fires includes approximately 10 million high-energy neutrons, so the total number of neutrons fired by the device on Mars is about 20,000,000,000,000. That is about one-fifth of DAN's supply of these "bullets" for use during Curiosity's investigations on Mars.DAN detects water down to about 2 feet (60 centimeters) deep. During the rover's investigations so far, data from DAN have enabled researchers to calculate that an upper portion of that zone averages about 1.5 percent water content, by weight, and a deeper portion averages about twice as much. The amount of water has varied slightly along the route.Russia's Space Research Institute developed DAN in close cooperation with the N.L. Dukhov All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics, Moscow, and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Sulfur-Rich Rocks and Dirt (False Color) | NASA's Mars Rover Spirit has been analyzing sulfur-rich rocks and surface materials in the "Columbia Hills" in Gusev Crater on Mars. This image of a very soft, nodular, layered rock nicknamed "Peace" in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. shows a 4.5-centimeter-wide (1.8-inch-wide) hole Spirit ground into the surface with the rover's rock abrasion tool. The high sulfur content of the rock measured by Spirit's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and its softness measured by the abrasion tool are probably evidence of past alteration by water. Spirit's panoramic camera took this false-color image on martian day, or sol, 381 (Jan. 27, 2005), using Pancam filters at wavelengths of 750, 530, and 430 nanometers. Darker red hues in the image correspond to greater concentrations of oxidized soil and dust. Bluer hues correspond to sulfur-rich rock excavated or exposed by the abrasion tool and not as heavily coated with soils or not as highly oxidized. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows northern Noachis Terra. Evros Vallis is located just below the large crater at the top of the image. | Context imageThis image is located in northern Noachis Terra. Evros Vallis is located just below the large crater at the top of the 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: 62336 Latitude: -12.8197 Longitude: 12.5078 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-02 12:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Aram Chaos. Aram Chaos was initially formed by a large impact. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Aram Chaos. Aram Chaos was initially formed by a large impact. Over time the crater interior was modified by several different processes, including liquid water. Chaos forms from erosion of the surface into mesa features. With time the valleys expand creating the jumble of hills seen in the image.Orbit Number: 80125 Latitude: 1.19021 Longitude: 338.127 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-01-06 19:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
At the base of this slope is a fan-shaped deposit of the slope forming material on Mars. The channel that the fan rests upon is Kasei Valles in this image as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageAt the base of this slope is a fan-shaped deposit of the slope forming material. The channel that the fan rests upon is Kasei Valles.Orbit Number: 46253 Latitude: 27.0793 Longitude: 292.961 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-18 16:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a chain of pits associated with dust-covered lava flows in northern Tharsis on Mars. The pits formed along a fault; some of the flows may have erupted along this same fault. | 8 June 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a chain of pits associated with dust-covered lava flows in northern Tharsis. The pits formed along a fault; some of the flows may have erupted along this same fault.Location near: 23.4°N, 110.6°WImage width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi Illumination from: lower leftSeason: Northern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a section of an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 80781 Latitude: -8.28653 Longitude: 134.422 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-02-29 19:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A global surface map from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Mars' northern hemisphere is flatter than the douth, and shows some linear slope breaks, for example north of Alba Patera and the Tharsis province. | Absolute slopes on 30-km baselines indicate the magnitude of typical regional tilts of that scale. The Northern hemisphere is flatter than the South, and shows some linear slope breaks, for example north of Alba Patera (40N, 250E) and the Tharsis province. The major volcanos display flanks slopes of 2.5-5 degrees, comparable to Hawaiian shields. The southwest rim of the Hellas impact basin appears relatively eroded, with shallower typical slopes. A shaded relief map of the topography is overlaid is monochrome. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows an extreme close-up of the 'El Capitan' region, part of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. This region appears laminated, or composed of layers of firmly united material. | This image, taken by the microscopic imager on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, shows an extreme close-up of the "El Capitan" region, part of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. As seen in panoramic images of "El Capitan," this region appears laminated, or composed of layers of firmly united material. The upper left portion of this image shows how the grains of the region might be arranged in planes to create such lamination.At the upper right, in the zone surrounding two larger sphere-shaped particles, this image also shows another apparent characteristic at the scale of individual grains. The granularity of the matrix -- the rock in which the spherules are embedded -- is modified near the spherules compared with grains farther from the spherules. Around the upper spherule, the grain size is increased. This change in grain size might represent a "reaction rim," a feature produced by fluid interaction with the matrix material adjacent to the spherule during the growth of the spherule. | |
The dark dunes in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in a depression bounded by ice. The polar ice is the bright material at the top and bottom parts of this image. | Context imageThe dark dunes in this VIS image are located in a depression bounded by ice. The polar ice is the bright material at the top and bottom parts of this image.Orbit Number: 54643 Latitude: 83.1846 Longitude: 115.71 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-09 03:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This is one of the first images taken by one of NASA's three Sojourner rover cameras on July 7, 1997. At right, portions of the lander's deflated airbags and circular high-gain antenna are visible. | This is one of the first images taken by one of the three Sojourner rover cameras on Sol 3. At right, portions of the lander's deflated airbags and circular high-gain antenna are visible. The Martian horizon is at the background. Sojourner is equipped with three cameras -- a forward stereo system and rear color imaging system. These imaging systems will be used over the course of the rover's mission to get close-up views of rocks and soil.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.
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 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Athabasca Valles. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Athabasca Valles.Orbit Number: 53300 Latitude: 8.22229 Longitude: 155.625 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-19 15:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The Return to Earth camera on NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter snapped this picture of geologic feature the Mars Perseverance rover team calls | NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter captured this view of an area the Mars Perseverance rover team calls "Raised Ridges" during its 10th flight at Mars on July 24, 2021. The images of the geologic feature were taken at the request of the Mars Perseverance rover science team, which was considering visiting the ridges during the first science campaign. On Earth, similar fractures in desert environments might be a clue to past liquid water activity and thus past habitability. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 20 May 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the wall on one of the calderae at the summit of the large volcano, Ascraeus Mons. A caldera is a large depression formed by collapse after magma in a volcano is erupted from or withdrawn to a greater depth. After collapse, the wall of this caldera was further modified by downslope movement of debris and it was pelted by small meteors to form a scattering of small craters. This image is located near 11.6°N, 104.6°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. The picture is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
Color mosaic of Olympus Mons volcano on Mars from NASA's Viking 1 Orbiter. The mosaic was created using images from orbit 735 taken 22 June 1978. Olympus Mons is about 600 km in diameter and the summit caldera is 24 km above the surrounding plains. | Color mosaic of Olympus Mons volcano on Mars from the Viking 1 Orbiter. The mosaic was created using images from orbit 735 taken 22 June 1978. Olympus Mons is about 600 km in diameter and the summit caldera is 24 km above the surrounding plains. The complex aureole terrain is visible at the top of the frame. North is up. (Viking 1 Orbiter MH20N133-735A) | |
The patterns on the floor of these craters indicates that a volitile, such as ice, likely was present in the floor material on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08683Floor Flow>The patterns on the floor of these craters indicates that a volitile, such as ice, likely was present in the floor material.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 42.9N, Longitude 157.9E. 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows ejecta surrounding a crater on Mars has undergone significant erosion by the wind. The wind has stripped the surface features from the ejecta and has started to winnow away the ejecta blanket. | The ejecta surrounding the crater (off image to the left) in this image has undergone significant erosion by the wind. The wind has stripped the surface features from the ejecta and has started to winnow away the ejecta blanket. Near the margin of the ejecta the wind is eroding along a radial pattern -- taking advantage of radial emplacement. Note the steep margin of the ejecta blanket. Most, if not all, of the fine ejecta material has been removed and the wind in now working on the more massive continuous ejecta blanket.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 12.5, Longitude 197.4 East (162.6 West). 37 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. | |
Winds have scoured this region of Elysium Planitia, sculpting the surface into the small parallel hills seen in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageWinds have scoured this region of Elysium Planitia, sculpting the surface into the small parallel hills seen in this VIS image.Orbit Number: 43113 Latitude: -0.503567 Longitude: 148.928 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-03 04:11Please 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 pair of images released on June 23, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a comparison of daytime and nighttime of part of Gusev Crater on Mars. | Released 23 June 2004This pair of images shows part of Gusev Crater.Day/Night Infrared PairsThe image pairs presented focus on a single surface feature as seen in both the daytime and nighttime by the infrared THEMIS camera. The nighttime image (right) has been rotated 180 degrees to place north at the top. Infrared image interpretationDaytime:Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details are visible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy than antisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly than rocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark. Nighttime:Infrared images taken during the nighttime exhibit only the thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. The effect of sun-facing versus non-sun-facing energy dissipates quickly at night. Thermophysical effects dominate as different surfaces cool at different rates through the nighttime hours. Rocks cool slowly, and are therefore relatively bright at night (remember that rocks are dark during the day). Dust and other fine grained materials cool very quickly and are dark in nighttime infrared images.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -14.5, Longitude 175.5 East (184.5 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 shows numerous dark shapes and bright spots on a sand dune in the Northern polar regions of Mars. This observation is from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows gullies that are large even by Mars standards, and much larger than the terrestrial landforms we call gullies. The length of some of these is over 6 kilometers (3.6 miles).They are located on large mountains north of the Argyre impact basin. An enhanced color view (reduced scale) shows only subtle color differences.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, 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 the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. The system is approximately 750km long. It is likely that both water and lava played a part in creation of the feature.Orbit Number: 85785 Latitude: 28.4186 Longitude: 129.94 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-16 20:26Please 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. | |
Claritas Fossae is the dissected and fractured highland between the volcanic plains of Daedalia and Solis Planums. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageClaritas Fossae is the dissected and fractured highland between the volcanic plains of Daedalia and Solis Planums.Orbit Number: 42036 Latitude: -23.2167 Longitude: 251.979 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-06 12:22Please 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. | |
The first color picture taken by NASA's Viking 2 on the Martian surface shows a rocky reddish surface in 1997. | The first color picture taken by Viking 2 on the Martian surface shows a rocky reddish surface much like that seen by Viking 1 more than 4000 miles away. The planned location for the collection of soil for on-board analysis is seen in the lower part of the photo. The Lander s camera #2 is looking approximately to the northeast. The right edge of the picture is due east of the spacecraft. The sun is behind the camera in the Martian afternoon. As at Chryse Planitia where Viking 1 landed in July, the sky over Utopia is pink. Colors of the rocks and soil also are almost identical at the two landing sites. Because the spacecraft is tilted about 8 to the west, the horizon appears tilted. In fact, it is nearly level. | |
This is the last panorama NASA's Opportunity rover acquired before the solar-powered rover succumbed to a global Martian dust storm on June 10, 2018. | Figure 1, Annotated ImagePhotojournal Note: Also available is the original source, full resolution TIFF file, PIA22908_full.tif (23123 x 5163 pixels), and annotated TIFF file, PIA22908_annotated_full.tif (23123 x 5163 pixels). These files may be too large to view from a browser; they can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous links and viewed with image viewing software.This 360-degree panorama is composed of 354 images taken by the Opportunity rover's Panoramic Camera (Pancam) from May 13 through June 10, 2018, or sols (Martian days) 5,084 through 5,111. This is the last panorama Opportunity acquired before the solar-powered rover succumbed to a global Martian dust storm on the same June 10. The view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see.To the right of center and near the top of the frame, the rim of Endeavour Crater rises in the distance. Just to the left of that, rover tracks begin their descent from over the horizon towards the location that would become Opportunity's final resting spot in Perseverance Valley, where the panorama was taken. At the bottom, just left of center, is the rocky outcrop Opportunity was investigating with the instruments on its robotic arm. To the right of center and halfway down the frame is another rocky outcrop - about 23 feet (7 meters) distant from the camera - called "Ysleta del Sur," which Opportunity investigated from March 3 through 29, 2018, or sols 5,015 through 5,038. In the far right and left of the frame are the bottom of Perseverance Valley and the floor of Endeavour Crater. Located on the inner slope of the western rim of Endeavour Crater, Perseverance Valley is a system of shallow troughs descending eastward about the length of two football fields from the crest of Endeavour's rim to its floor.This view combines images collected through three Pancam filters. The filters admit light centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (blue). The three-color bands are combined.A few frames (bottom left) remain black and white, as the solar-powered rover did not have the time to photograph those locations using the green and violet filters before a severe Mars-wide dust storm swept in on June 2018.An annotated version, Figure 1, includes additional information on features visible in the panorama.Incomplete image frames appear black and white. Color images taken with the rover's Pancam are taken one color at a time requiring three images of the same subject to create full color. Opportunity did not have the time to photograph those locations using the green and blue filters before a severe Mars-wide dust storm swept in on June 2018. The solar panel pyro-release mechanism is located at the hinge of the rover's solar panels. The solar arrays are folded for launch, cruise and landing on Mars. After the rover is safely on the surface, pyro-release mechanisms are fired to release the solar panels to their fixed deployment configuration.The tabular rock outcrop was the last surface feature Opportunity analyzed on June 3, 2018, (Sol 5,014) during its mission of exploration. The rover team was wrapping up investigations of these rocks when the dust storm hit.A portion of Opportunity's solar array can be seen here. The rover's solar arrays consist of high-efficiency triple-junction solar cells. The extended "wings" of the deployed solar arrays are often visible in images, especially ones that image the ground near the rover.Opportunity's entry point to Perseverance Valley. The rover first arrived at the valley rim on May 20, 2017, or Sol 4,736.Three pitted rock targets ("Tomé," "Nazas" and "Allende") were investigated by Opportunity in late April and early May 2018. The pitted rocks had textures and compositions that were unique from anything the science team had seen during the mission.Endeavour Crater's rim is 250 feet (76 meters) distant.This small hill on Endeavour Crater rim is 210 feet (64 meters) distant.Rover wheel tracks appear as a reddish-brown color with linear tread marks.Rocky outcrop "Ysleta del Sur," which is 23 feet (7 meters) distant, was investigated by Opportunity from March 3 through 29, 2018, or sols 5,015 through 5,038.The low-gain antenna, whose upper portion is visible here, would send and receive information in every direction, meaning it was "omni-directional." The antenna was designed to transmit and receive radio waves at a low rate to the Deep Space Network antennas on Earth.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Opportunity, visit https://www.nasa.gov/rovers and https://mars.nasa.gov/mer. | |
The U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, presents a framed letter to the mayor of the Balkan municipality of Jezero. | Eric Nelson, the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, presents a framed letter to Snezana Ružičić, mayor of the Balkan municipality of Jezero. The letter, from NASA's director of Mars Exploration, James Watzin, honored the connection between the small Balkan town and Jezero Crater the landing site of NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 mission. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft of Daedalia Planum shows the termination or end of a single flow. In this case it is the end of the brighter/rougher flow on the right side of the image. | Context imageThe dust devil tracks in this VIS image are located on Arcadia Planitia.Orbit Number: 47093 Latitude: 62.264 Longitude: 194.781 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-07-26 20:05Please 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 dust devil tracks in Terra Cimmeria. | 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 dust devil tracks (dark blue linear feature) in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 43463 Latitude: -53.1551 Longitude: 125.069 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-01 23:55Please 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 interesting flow texture in this image indicates a volcanic vent at this location at the base of Arsia Monson Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09164Arsia VentThe interesting flow texture in this image indicates a volcanic vent at this location at the base of Arsia Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.7N, Longitude 236.2E. 35 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. | |
These North Polar layered deposits, composed of ice, captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, show what looks like drag folds, where rock layers bend (fold) before they break in a fault. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows what looks like drag folds, where rock layers bend (fold) before they break in a fault.However, the North Polar layered deposits are composed of ice, and this is a large scale for such a feature, compared to drag folds on Earth. This image is part of a stereo pair, so with a 3D picture, we can better interpret the structure.This is a stereo pair with ESP_044794_2620.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 two craters that formed at the same time by a split meteoritic impactor. Long after they formed, these craters have been eroded, degraded, and other materials have been deposited on and within them. | 19 December 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows two craters that formed at the same time by a split meteoritic impactor. Long after they formed, these craters have been eroded, degraded, and other materials have been deposited on and within them.Location near: 35.0°S, 328.0°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This false-color image released on May 18, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey of Tinjar Vallis on Mars was acquired Oct. 20, 2002, during northern spring. | Released 19 May 2004This image of Tinjar Vallis was acquired Oct. 20, 2002, during northern spring.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 28.2, Longitude 131.6 East (228.4 West). 38 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. | |
Pastel colors swirl across Mars, revealing differences in the composition and nature of the surface in this false-color infrared image taken on May 22, 2009, by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Pastel colors swirl across Mars, revealing differences in the composition and nature of the surface in this false-color infrared image taken on May 22, 2009,by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.The image shows an area 31.9 kilometers (19.8 miles) by 88.3 kilometers (54.9 miles) in the southern highlands of Mars. It is a result of altering the orbit of Odyssey so that the spacecraft passes over the day side of Mars earlier in the afternoon, when the ground is warmer and thus emits more strongly in the infrared frequencies detected by THEMIS. Prior to beginning the slow shift in orbit on Sept. 30, 2008, Odyssey was looking down at ground where the local solar time was about 5 p.m. When the shift was completed, on June 9, 2009, the orbiter and camera were looking down at ground where the local solar time is about 3:45 p.m.In the image, dark areas mark exposures of relatively cold ground with abundant bare rock, while warmer basaltic sand covers the light blue-green regions. Reddish areas likely have a higher silica content, due either to a different volcanic composition or to weathering.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages Mars Odyssey for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. THEMIS was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Space Sciences, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A portion of Auqakuh Vallis on Mars is shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09056Auqakuh VallisA portion of Auqakuh Vallis is shown in this image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 32.4N, Longitude 61.8E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This landslide was formed when part of the channel wall collapsed. This image shows part of Kasei Vallis on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01873Kasei LandslideThis landslide was formed when part of the channel wall collapsed. This image shows part of Kasei Vallis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 27.9N, Longitude 303.6E. 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows numerous channels, also called gullies, dissecting the rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context imageNumerous channels, also called gullies, dissect the rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 74808 Latitude: -37.8867 Longitude: 32.9162 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-25 22:51Please 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 22, 2004 shows tiny lines of craters on Mars created by the ejecta from a large crater to the left. | Released 22 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.Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details are visible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy than antisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly than rocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark.This daytime IR image was collected on February 11, 2003 during the southern winter season. This image shows the tiny lines of craters created by the ejecta from the large crater to the left.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -4, Longitude 183.3 East (176.7 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 spacecraft shows what looks like a smiley face on the surface of Mars. | Context imageDo you see what I see? Turn your head to the left and look at the crater at the top of the image - a smiley face will be gazing at you.Orbit Number: 32176 Latitude: -45.1453 Longitude: 304.973 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2009-03-16 15:53 Please 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 360-degree three dimensional anaglyph view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit highlights Gusev crater on sol 148. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the 148th martian day of the rover's mission inside Gusev Crater, on June 2, 2004, was assembled from images taken by Spirit's navigation camera. The rover's position is Site A61. The view is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction.See PIA06038 for left eye view and PIA06039 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
Oblique view looks to the west above Jezero Crater floor over the fan-shaped delta and into the valley that cuts through the crater rim. The illustration was generated by U.S Geological Survey using data from NASA spacecraft. | This illustration depicts a possible area through which the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover could traverse across Jezero Crater as it investigates several ancient environments that may have once been habitable. The route begins at the cliffs defining the base of a delta produced by a river as it flowed into a lake that once filled the crater. The path then traverses up and across the delta toward possible ancient shoreline deposits, and then climbs the 2,000-foot-high (610-meter-high) crater rim to explore the surrounding plains. About half of this traverse could be completed in Perseverance's prime mission (one Mars year, or two Earth years). For reference, the prominent crater near the center of the image is about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) across.This mosaic is composed of multiple precisely aligned images from the Context Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and has a resolution of 20 meet (6 meters) per pixel.A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for the agency.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/. | |
This image acquired on September 30, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a small crater, probably once filled with an ice-covered lake that overflowed, forming the exit channel. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis crater is approximately 2.3 kilometers across and is located in northern Arabia Terra near where the cratered highlands meets the northern lowlands (called a "dichotomy boundary"). Small craters with an exit channel, such as this one, are nicknamed "pollywog" craters, as they resemble tadpoles. The channel is consistent with flow *out of* the crater, rather than flow *into* the crater, because 1) the valleys do not cut down to the level of the interior crater floor, and 2) there are no deposits of material on the floor associated with the mouth of the valley.This small crater was probably once filled with an ice-covered lake that overflowed, forming the exit channel. Young craters with exit channels are intriguing because they record a relatively recent (during the Amazonian epoch) wet environment on Mars.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.This is a stereo pair with ESP_062045_2200.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. | |
Coprates Chasma is one of the numerous canyons that make up Valles Marineris. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in central Coprates Chasma. In this view, there is a landslide deposit at the bottom of the image. | Context image Coprates Chasma is one of the numerous canyons that make up Valles Marineris. The chasma stretches for 960 km (600 miles) from Melas Chasma to the west and Capri Chasma to the east. Landslide deposits, layered materials and sand dunes cover a large portion of the chasma floor. This image is located in central Coprates Chasma. In this image, there is a landslide deposit at the bottom of the image. The brighter material to the left of the landslide appears to be a rough surface likely etched by wind action. The chasma contains numerous regions of sand dunes, indicating that the wind plays a part in the erosion and deposition of fine materials in 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: 35820 Latitude: -12.793 Longitude: 297.407 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-01-10 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 image from NASA's Phoenix Lander shows particles of Martian dust lying on the microscope's silicon substrate. The Robotic Arm sprinkled a sample of the soil from the Snow White trench onto the microscope on July 2, 2008. | This image from NASA's Phoenix Lander's Optical Microscope shows particles of Martian dust lying on the microscope's silicon substrate. The Robotic Arm sprinkled a sample of the soil from the Snow White trench onto the microscope on July 2, 2008, the 38th Martian day, or sol, of the mission after landing.Subsequently, the Atomic Force Microscope, or AFM, zoomed in one of the fine particles, creating the first-ever image of a particle of Mars' ubiquitous fine dust, the most highly magnified image ever seen from another world.The Atomic Force Microscope was developed by a Swiss-led consortium in collaboration with Imperial College London. The AFM is part of Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer instrument.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
On Aug. 21, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to record this scene on the day the rover arrived at the crest area of 'Husband Hill' inside Gusev Crater. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to record this scene on the day the rover arrived at the crest area of "Husband Hill" inside Gusev Crater. That was Spirit's 581st martian day, or sol, on Aug. 21, 2005. The rover had just completed its longest one-sol drive in months, 44.8 meters or 47 feet, before taking this picture. A wind-sculpted ripple of sand or dust dominates the foreground, on top of the hill, while a whirlwind lofts a column of dust above the plain in the distance. | |
NASA's InSight lander used its Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) on the spacecraft's robotic arm to image this sunrise on Mars on April 24, 2019. | rawcolor correctedClick on images for larger versionsNASA's InSight lander used its Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) on the spacecraft's robotic arm to image this sunrise on Mars on April 24, 2019, the 145th Martian day (or sol) of the mission. This was taken around 5:30 a.m. Mars local time.Included here are the "raw" versions of the image and the color-corrected version; it's easier to see some details in the raw version, but the latter more accurately shows the image as the human eye would see it. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages InSight for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows gullies dissecting the crater rim and dunes cover part of the floor of the unnamed crater east of Russell Crater. | Context image for PIA09287Dunes and GulliesGullies dissect the crater rim and dunes cover part of the floor of the unnamed crater east of Russell Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -53.5N, Longitude 23.0E. 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. | |
Northern Plains | Image PSP_001464_2460 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 18, 2006. The complete image is centered at 65.6 degrees latitude, 60.5 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 311.0 km (194.4 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~93 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:07 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 58 degrees, thus the sun was about 32 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 137.3 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the plains of Arabia Terra. | 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 the plains of Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 78977 Latitude: 17.9566 Longitude: 335.501 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-04 06:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear ridges, jjust one of the many interesting surface features in the Meridiani region. | Context image for PIA10828Linear RidgesThese linear ridges are just one of the many interesting surface features in the Meridiani region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.8N, Longitude 4.6E. 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. | |
An unnamed channel drains a high standing region in Tyrrhena Terra in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThis unnamed channel drains a high standing region in Tyrrhena Terra.Orbit Number: 43352 Latitude: -23.1778 Longitude: 92.2354 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-22 20:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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