short_caption
stringlengths 3
255
| caption
stringlengths 31
10.7k
| image_url
stringlengths 61
61
|
|---|---|---|
The landslide in the center of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft occurred in the Melas Chasma region of Valles Marineris on Mars. | Context image for PIA03041Dunes in Darwin CraterThe landslide in the center of this image occurred in the Melas Chasma region of Valles Marineris.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11S, Longitude 292.6E. 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. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. Data from different filters can be combined in many ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the plains and craters of Terra Sirenum. | 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 images shows part of the plains and craters of Terra Sirenum.Orbit Number: 59298 Latitude: -48.8967 Longitude: 184.212 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-04-27 07:56Please 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 still from an animation shows the geography of Ma'adim Vallis, a valley or channel that enters Gusev Crater. The view of the crater is from the northwest, which is not the direction from which NASA's Spirit rover approached the crater as it landed. | This is a still from an animation showing the geography of Ma'adim Vallis, a valley or channel that enters Gusev Crater. The view of the crater is from the northwest, which is not the direction from which Spirit approached the crater as it landed. | |
This image released on July 13, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows windstreaks are features caused by the interaction of wind and topographic landforms on Mars such as two large windstreaks of the scour-and-deposit type. | Released 13 July 2004The atmosphere of Mars is a dynamic system. Water-ice clouds, fog, and hazes can make imaging the surface from space difficult. Dust storms can grow from local disturbances to global sizes, through which imaging is impossible. Seasonal temperature changes are the usual drivers in cloud and dust storm development and growth. Eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the surface of Mars. Dust carried aloft by the wind has settled out on every available surface; sand dunes have been created and moved by centuries of wind; and the effect of continual sand-blasting has modified many regions of Mars, creating yardangs and other unusual surface forms. Today's two large windstreaks are good examples of the scour-and-deposit type of windstreak discussed in yesterday's image (see PIA06457). The wind has played a greater part in modifying the surface seen in this image than just producing windstreaks. Tomorrow we'll start looking at the powerful erosive force of the winds on Mars.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -13.1, Longitude 222.2 East (137.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of Moreux Crater from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the central peak at the top of the frame, deposits of material from the crater rim at the bottom of the frame and sand dunes on the crater floor between the two. | Context image This image of Moreux Crater shows part of the central peak at the top of the frame, deposits of material from the crater rim at the bottom of the frame and sand dunes on the crater floor between the two. The part of the peak with a pitted surface texture has been interpreted to be created by glacial flows, as has the deposits seen near the crater rim with the linear and pitted surface morphology. Moreux Crater is located in northern Arabia Terra and has a diameter of 138 kilometers.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: 37937 Latitude: 41.2852 Longitude: 44.3956 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-07-04 01:44Please 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 graph at right presents information from the NASA Curiosity Mars rover's onboard analysis of rock powder drilled from the 'Big Sky' and 'Greenhorn' target locations, shown at left. | The graph at right presents information from the NASA Curiosity Mars rover's onboard analysis of rock powder drilled from the "Big Sky" and "Greenhorn" target locations, shown at left. X-ray diffraction analysis of the Greenhorn sample inside the rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument revealed an abundance of silica in the form of noncrystalline opal. The broad hump in the background of the X-ray diffraction pattern for Greenhorn, compared to Big Sky, is diagnostic of opal. The image of Big Sky at upper left was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera the day the hole was drilled, Sept. 29, 2015, during the mission's 1,119th Martian day, or sol. The Greenhorn hole was drilled, and the MAHLI image at lower left was taken, on Oct. 18, 2015 (Sol 1137).MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This is a more recent 'geometrically improved, color enhanced' version of the 360-degree 'Gallery Pan,' the first contiguous, uniform panorama taken by the Imager for Mars (IMP) over the course of Sols 8, 9, and 10. | This is a more recent "geometrically improved, color enhanced" version of the 360-degree "Gallery Pan," the first contiguous, uniform panorama taken by the Imager for Mars (IMP) over the course of Sols 8, 9, and 10. Different regions were imaged at different times over the three Martian days to acquire consistent lighting and shadow conditions for all areas of the panorama. In this version of the panorama, much of the discontinuity that was due to parallax has been corrected, particularly along the lower tiers of the mosaic containing the Lander features. Distortion due to a 2.5 degree tilt in the IMP camera mast has been removed.The IMP is a stereo imaging system that, in its fully deployed configuration, stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters. The IMP has color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye." Its red, green, and blue filters were used to take this panorama.The three color images were first digitally balanced according to the transmittance capabilities of a specific high-definition TV device at JPL, and then enhanced via changes to saturation and intensity while retaining the hue. A threshold was applied to avoid changes to the sky. An MTF filter was applied to sharpen feature edges.At left is a Lander petal and a metallic mast which is a portion of the low-gain antenna. On the horizon the double "Twin Peaks" are visible, about 1-2 kilometers away. The rock "Couch" is the dark, curved rock at right of Twin Peaks. Another Lander petal is at left-center, showing the fully deployed forward ramp at far left, and rear ramp at right, which rover Sojourner used to descend to the surface of Mars on July 5. Immediately to the left of the rear ramp is the rock "Barnacle Bill," which scientists found be andesitic, possibly indicating that it is a volcanic rock (a true andesite) or a physical mixture of particles. Just beyond Barnacle Bill, rover tracks lead to Sojourner, shown using its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to study the large rock "Yogi." Yogi, low in quartz content, appears to be more primitive than Barnacle Bill, and appears more like the common basalts found on Earth.The tracks and circular pattern in the soil leading up to Yogi were part of Sojourner's soil mechanics experiments, in which varying amounts of pressure were applied to the wheels in order to determine physical properties of the soil. During its traverse to Yogi the rover stirred the soil and exposed material from several centimeters in depth. During one of the turns to deploy Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer, the wheels dug particularly deeply and exposed white material. Spectra of this white material show it is virtually identical to the rock "Scooby Doo," and such white material may underlie much of the site. Deflated airbags are visible at the perimeter of all three Lander petals.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). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This pile of old rocks is an island surrounded by younger lava flows from Syrtis Major. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis scene is a jumbled mess. There are blocks and smears of many different rocks types that appear to have been dumped into a pile.That's probably about what happened, as ejecta from the Isidis impact basin to the east. This pile of old rocks is an island surrounded by younger lava flows from Syrtis Major.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 27.4 centimeters (10.8 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 82 centimeters (32.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Mantled Surface of Ascraeus Mons | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002196_1920) shows a part of the western flank of Ascraeus Mons. Ascraeus Mons is one of the giant volcanoes of the Tharsis volcanic region of Mars. It is a shield volcano, so named because of the gently-sloped round shape. Terrestrial examples, like Mauna Loa and Kilauea on Hawaii, are formed mostly by repeated eruptions of fluid (basaltic) lava. Martian volcanoes can attain much larger sizes partiallly because Mars lacks plate tectonics, allowing eruptions to persist at the same site for a long time. In this HiRISE image, the surface is covered by a mantle of dusty material which obscured the underlying surface. This has been sculpted into regular textures, probably by aeolian (wind) erosion. It appears that there are multiple layers, as the southeast portion of the image shows textured knobs standing above a similarly patterned surface. The origin of the dusty mantle is unclear. It could be wind-blown dust, but it is also possible that some of it is volcanic ash erupted from Ascraeus Mons.Observation GeometryAcquisition date: 1 January 2007Local Mars time: 3:36 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 11.7 °Degrees longitude (East): 252.5 °Range to target site: 271.4 km (169.6 miles) Original image scale range: 54.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~163 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 50 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 5.1 °Phase angle: 58.7 °Solar incidence angle: 54 °, with the Sun about 36 ° above the horizonSolar longitude: 166.6 °, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image was taken by the Imager for NASA's Mars Pathfinder about one minute after sunset on Mars on Sol 21. The prominent hills dubbed 'Twin Peaks' form a dark silhouette at the horizon, while the setting sun casts a pink glow over the darkening sky. | This image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) about one minute after sunset on Mars on Sol 21. The prominent hills dubbed "Twin Peaks" form a dark silhouette at the horizon, while the setting sun casts a pink glow over the darkening sky. The image was taken as part of a twilight study which indicates how the brightness of the sky fades with time after sunset. Scientists found that the sky stays bright for up to two hours after sunset, indicating that Martian dust extends very high into the atmosphere.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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows complex erosional patterns that have developed on Mars' south polar cap, perhaps by a combination of sublimation, wind erosion, and ground-collapse. | The layered terrains of the polar regions of Mars are among the most exotic planetary landscapes in our Solar System. The layers exposed in the south polar residual cap, vividly shown in the top view, are thought to contain detailed records of Mars' climate history over the last 100 million years or so. The materials that comprise the south polar layers may include frozen carbon dioxide, water ice, and fine dust. The bottom picture shows complex erosional patterns that have developed on the south polar cap, perhaps by a combination of sublimation, wind erosion, and ground-collapse. Because the south polar terrains are so strange and new to human eyes, no one (yet) has entirely adequate explanations as to what is being seen.These images were acquired by the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft during the southern spring season in October 1999. Each of these two pictures is a mosaic of many individual MOC images acquired at about 12 m/pixel scale that completely cover the highest latitude (87°S) visible to MOC on each orbital pass over the polar region. Both mosaics cover areas of about 10 x 4 kilometers (6.2 x 2.5 miles) near 87°S, 10°W in the central region of the permanent -- or residual -- south polar cap. They show features at the scale of a small house. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the left."Gaps" at the upper and lower right of the second mosaic, above, are areas that were not covered by MOC in October 1999. | |
Nili Fossae in Natural Color and Across the Spectrum | The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) took this image of the Nili Fossae region at 0643 UTC (2:43 a.m. EDT) on June 21, 2007, near 21.15 degrees north latitude, 74.24 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 20 meters (66 feet) across. The region covered is just over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide at its narrowest point, and is one of several dozen that CRISM has taken to map the minerals at candidate landing sites for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2010.The Nili Fossae region is critical to understanding the history of water on Mars and whether water ever formed environments suitable for life, because the region is underlain by a layer of phyllosilicate (clay) minerals. This type of mineralogy formed where water was in contact with Mars' crustal rocks for very long periods, altering the silicates in volcanic rocks. In addition, phyllosilicates can encapsulate and preserve organic chemicals associated with life (if life was present). Its rocky record of an ancient wet environment makes Nili Fossae a top contender among the 30-plus landing sites being considered for MSL, whose objectives include measuring the chemistry preserved in an ancient wet environment. This series of four different versions of the same 544-color image illustrates the mineral-mapping capability that comes from moving beyond the wavelength range of the human eye, and into infrared wavelengths where minerals leave distinct "fingerprints" in reflected sunlight. At upper left, more than three dozen of the distinct wavelengths measured by CRISM were combined to mimic how the human eye would see the image. The subtle shading comes from the Sun's position high in Mars' sky when the image was taken, creating few shadows. The bland, butterscotch color comes from the dust coating nearly all of the Martian surface to some degree. At upper right, three infrared wavelengths (2.53, 1.50 and 1.08 micrometers) replace the red, green and blue image planes. These wavelengths are less sensitive to dust, and begin to show the spectral variations in the underlying rocks.The two bottom versions combine different wavelengths to show strength of absorption due to the different minerals that are present, providing indications of the minerals' presence and distribution. The lower left version combines measurements of the strength of iron mineral absorptions at 0.53, 0.86 and 1.0 microns in the red, green and blue image planes. Bluer areas have more pyroxene, a mineral found in volcanic basaltic rock, whereas reddish and especially orange areas have more oxidized iron minerals. The lower right version combines measurements of mineral absorptions at 1.0, 1.9 and 2.3 microns in the red, green and blue image planes. Redder areas are richer in pyroxene, and green and blue areas contain more phyllosilicate minerals. The combination of basaltic rocks and highly altered phyllosilicates in close proximity would allow MSL to make detailed measurements of rocks formed in two distinct environments.The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. | |
The ejecta materials of this crater are more resistant to erosion than the surrounding materials. The wind has eroded pits and other features around the crater causing it to become a topographic high. This image is from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageThe ejecta materials of this crater are more resistant to erosion than the surrounding materials. The wind has eroded pits and other features around the crater, but the crater has become a topographic high, due to the rock created in the impact event.Orbit Number: 40091 Latitude: -1.02209 Longitude: 205.031 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-12-28 08:42Please 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 area of Mars imaged by NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a wonderful example of relative geologic dating. Ancient lava flows and escarpments are mantled by younger impact ejecta, which was cut by a younger graben and resurfaced by smaller impact craters. | This area of Mars shows a wonderful example of relative geologic dating. Ancient lava flows and escarpments are mantled by younger impact ejecta, which was subsequently cut by a younger graben and resurfaced by smaller impact craters.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 10.6, Longitude 233.4 East (126.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. Data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the plains of Noachis Terra north of the Argyre basin. | 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 Noachis Terra north of the Argyre basin.Orbit Number: 8079 Latitude: -38.2634 Longitude: 309.074 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-10-10 14:13Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the dune field located in the floor of Matara Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows the dune field located in the floor of Matara Crater.Orbit Number: 57868 Latitude: -49.5528 Longitude: 34.7658 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-12-30 14:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Amphitrites Patera, an old volcanic complex located south of Hellas Planitia. | Context imageAmphitrites Patera is an old volcanic complex located south of Hellas Planitia. The surface in this VIS image has a unusual texture, one seen more commonly on the nearby south polar ice. The surface appears to be eroding in a fashion that creates small circular features which grow and coalesce into larger circles.Orbit Number: 74545 Latitude: -57.6389 Longitude: 66.7121 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-04 06:51Please 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 taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's hazard-identification camera shortly after the rover successfully landed at Meridiani Planum shows the view from behind the rover. | This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's hazard-identification camera shortly after the rover successfully landed at Meridiani Planum shows the view from behind the rover. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the equatorial region between Olympus Mons and Apollinaris Mons, dominated by wind etched regions of the ridges and valleys. | Context imageIn regions of poorly cemented surface materials it is possible to create large features due to just the action of the wind. The equatorial region between Olympus Mons and Apollinaris Mons is dominated by wind etched regions. This region east of Apollinaris Mons contains just such a terrain. The direction of the wind aligns with the ridges and valleys. The dominant wind direction in this region is southeast to northwest; however, other wind directions can occur within a localized region.The top of this VIS image follows the regional trend, with a smaller central surface indicating winds perpendicular to the prevailing direction.Orbit Number: 72333 Latitude: -10.2083 Longitude: 179.736 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-05 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. | |
This image, acquired on May 20, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the Nili Fossae region, to the west of the great Isidis basin, with layered bedrock and many impact craters. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis image of the Nili Fossae region, to the west of the great Isidis basin, shows layered bedrock with many impact craters.Nili Fossae is one of the most mineralogically important sites on Mars. Remote observations by the infrared spectrometer onboard MRO (called CRISM) suggest the layers in the ancient craters contain clays, carbonates, and iron oxides, perhaps due to hydrothermal alteration of the crust. However, the impact craters have been degraded by many millions of years of erosion so the original sedimentary, impact ejecta, or lava flows are hard to distinguish. The bright linear features are sand dunes, also known as "transverse aeolian dunes," because the wind direction is at ninety degrees to their elongated orientation. This shows that the erosion of Nili Fossae continues to the present day with sand-sized particles broken off from the local rocks mobilized within the dunes.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 56.6 centimeters [22.3 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 170 centimeters [66.9 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a circular mesa that is the remains of an old crater bottom. The crater was mostly washed away by floods that poured from the southeast toward the northwest in the Mangala Valles system of Mars. | 14 May 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a circular mesa that is the remains of an old crater bottom. The crater was mostly washed away by floods that poured from the southeast (lower right) toward the northwest (upper left) in the Mangala Valles system.Location near: 16.4°S, 150.3°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring | |
The rock in the foreground at right in this 3D scene is informally named 'Balombo.' The group of boulders is at a site called 'Bimbe.' NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover shows boulders composed of pebble-size and larger rock fragments. | Figure 1Download the high resolution TIFF fileFigure 2Download the high resolution TIFF fileClick on an individual image for larger viewThis stereo scene from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover shows boulders composed, in part, of pebble-size (0.2 to 2.6 inches, or 0.5 to 6.5 centimeters across) and larger rock fragments. The size and shape of the fragments provide clues to the origins of these boulders. This image is an anaglyph that appears three dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The separate right-eye and left-eye views combined into the stereo version are Figure 1 and Figure 2. Mastcam's right-eye camera has a telephoto lens, with focal length of 100 millimeters. The left-eye camera provides a wider view, with a 34-millimeter lens. These images were taken on July 22, 2016, during the 1,408th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. For scale, the relatively flat rock at left is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) across. The rock in the foreground at right is informally named "Balombo." The group of boulders is at a site called "Bimbe."The Curiosity team chose to drive the rover to Bimbe to further understand patches of boulders first identified from orbit and seen occasionally on the rover's traverse. The boulders at Bimbe consist of multiple rock types. Some include pieces, or "clasts," of smaller, older rock cemented together, called breccias or conglomerates. The shapes of the inclusion clasts -- whether they are rounded or sharp-edged -- may indicate how far the clasts were transported, and by what processes. Breccias have more angular clasts, while conglomerates have more rounded clasts. As is clear by looking at these boulders, they contain both angular and rounded clasts, leading to some uncertainty about how they formed.Conglomerate rocks such as "Hottah" [PIA17062] were inspected near Curiosity's landing site and interpreted as part of an ancient streambed. Breccias are generally formed by consolidation of fragments under pressure. On Mars such pressure might come from crater-forming impact, or by deep burial and exhumation. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built the project's Curiosity rover. For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows several unnamed channels located in northern Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows several unnamed channels located in northern Arabia Terra. Channels in this region of Arabia Terra are flowing northward into the lower elevations of Acidalia Planitia.Orbit Number: 89794 Latitude: 39.9655 Longitude: 31.1803 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-03-12 22:52Please 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 windblown materials that have collected and been shaped into large ripples in a valley in the Auqakuh Vallis system in northeastern Arabia Terra, Mars. | 16 July 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows windblown materials that have collected and been shaped into large ripples in a valley in the Auqakuh Vallis system in northeastern Arabia Terra, Mars.Location near: 29.1°N, 299.6°W Image width: ~2 km (~1.2 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Ares Vallis, one of the large channels in Margaritfer Terra that empty into Chryse Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Ares Vallis, one of the large channels in Margaritfer Terra that empty into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 72477 Latitude: 5.49596 Longitude: 341.524 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-16 22:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spans from wall to wall across the center area of an impact crater. From what we see, a lot has happened to modify the appearance of the crater since it was formed. | This image spans from wall to wall across the center area of an impact crater. From what we see, a lot has happened to modify the appearance of the crater since it was formed, and this subsequent activity is the main interest of this observation.First, the crater is no longer deep and bowl like: it is shallow and generally flat across its interior, indicating it has been filled with material. The small-scale relief features of this filled surface give clues as to what has happened. The parallel wavy ridges suggest that the material was able to move and flow, perhaps in several successive stages, and likely due to the presence of ice in the ground.The fine scale pits and larger scale depressions suggest that more recently some of this ice may have disappeared by sublimating (changing from a solid directly to a gas) into the atmosphere, therefore deflating the surface. This story of deposition and loss of ice-rich material, possibly occurring over several cycles over the recent part of Mars' history (or longer, and possibly continuing today), is consistent with similar features in the broader region of the Utopia Basin.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 Mariner 4 shows a crater in the Atlantis region. Mariner 4 revealed Mars to have a cratered, rust-colored surface. | Eleventh picture of Mars from Mariner 4 (in "raw" state) taken through the green filter from 7800 miles away showing a crater 75 miles in diameter in the Atlantis region.Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to get a close look at Mars. Flying as close as 9,846 kilometers (6,118 miles), Mariner 4 revealed Mars to have a cratered, rust-colored surface, with signs on some parts of the planet that liquid water had once etched its way into the soil.Mariner 4 was launched on November 28, 1964 and arrived at Mars on July 14, 1965. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a field of small barchan (crescent-shaped) dunes covered with the remains of wintertime frost on Mars. The dark spots around the base of each dune mark the first signs of the spring thaw. | 12 April 2004Today is April 12, 2004, the 43rd anniversary of the first human flight into space (Yuri Gagarin, 1961) and the 23rd anniversary of the first NASA Space Shuttle flight (Columbia, 1981). Meanwhile, on Mars, spring is in full swing in the martian northern hemisphere. With spring comes the annual defrosting of the north polar dunes. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, acquired on April 7, 2004, shows a field of small barchan (crescent-shaped) dunes covered with the remains of wintertime frost. The dark spots around the base of each dune mark the first signs of the spring thaw. The sand in these dunes is dark, like the black sand beaches of Hawaii or the dark, sandy soil of the rover, Opportunity, landing site, but in winter and spring their dark tone is obscured by bright carbon dioxide frost. This picture is located near 75.9°N, 45.3°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows one of the numerous channel features that dissect the highlands between Solis Planum and Aonia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows one of the numerous channel features that dissect the highlands between Solis Planum and Aonia Terra. The linear features in the region include both tectonic graben and fluvial channels.Orbit Number: 74525 Latitude: -37.7012 Longitude: 279.788 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-02 15:26Please 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. | |
This image of Charlier Crater's sand sheet on Mars was taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. In this image the dunes are darker than the surroundings. | Context image for PIA11909Charlier Cr. in VISThis VIS image of Charlier Crater's sand sheet was taken at the same time as yesterday's IR image. In this image the dunes are darker than the surroundings, unlike yesterday's thermal image. In the visible wavelengths we see that the sand is darker in color than the surrounding dust.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -68.2N, Longitude 191.2E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of a large unnamed channel located in northern Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of a large unnamed channel located in northern Arabia Terra. Channels in this region of Arabia Terra are flowing northward into the lower elevations of Acidalia Planitia.Orbit Number: 94574 Latitude: 43.0033 Longitude: 10.4684 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-10 12:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Known Locations of Carbonate Rocks on Mars | Green dots show the locations of orbital detections of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars, determined by analysis of targeted observations by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) acquired through January 2008. The spectrometer is on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.The base map is color-coded global topography (red is high, blue is low) overlain on mosaicked daytime thermal infrared images. The topography data are from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The thermal infrared imagery is from the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.The CRISM team, led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. Arizona State University, Tempe, operates the Thermal Emission Imaging System, which the university developed in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey projects for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiters. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow — or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km.Orbit Number: 80765 Latitude: -22.4517 Longitude: 237.984 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-02-28 12:04Please 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. | |
Lyot Crater is a large, complex crater in the northern lowlands of Vastitas Borealis. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located along the southern rim of the crater and shows part of the dune fields located on the floor of the crater. | Context image Lyot Crater is a large, complex crater in the northern lowlands of Vastitas Borealis. This image is located along the southern rim of the crater and shows part of the dune fields located on the floor of the crater.Orbit Number: 71153 Latitude: 48.9565 Longitude: 30.0134 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-12-28 21:21Please 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 a channel located on the plains of Terra Sabaea on Mars. | Context image for PIA11258ChannelThis VIS image shows part of a channel located on the plains of Terra Sabaea.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 36.2N, Longitude 36.8E. 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 image shows that NASA's Mars Pathfinder airbags have been successfully retracted, allowing safe deployment of the rover ramps. Mars Pathfinder landed successfully on the surface of Mars July 4, 1997 at 10:07 a.m. PDT. | This image shows that the Mars Pathfinder airbags have been successfully retracted, allowing safe deployment of the rover ramps. The Sojourner rover is at lower right, and rocks are visible in the background. Mars Pathfinder landed successfully on the surface of Mars today at 10:07 a.m. PDT.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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dark slope streaks located on this small mesa in southern Amazonis Planitia. | Context image for PIA10804Slope StreaksDark slope streaks are located on this small mesa in southern Amazonis Planitia.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 4.8N, Longitude 189.5E. 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. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. 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 an unnamed crater on the floor of Molesworth Carter. | 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 an unnamed crater on the floor of the much larger Molesworth Carter. Dunes on the floor of the crater are blueish, and surface sands are typically this color in false color images.Orbit Number: 8147 Latitude: -27.5042 Longitude: 149.606 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-10-16 04:30Please 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. | |
Many of the depressions in Noctis Labyrinthus contain water-bearing minerals, suggesting that water was available and persistent in this region during the Late Hesperian to Amazonian epochs on Mars, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe bright rocks in this image have minerals that contain water. These water-bearing minerals are found using the companion instrument on the MRO spacecraft called CRISM.By combining the spectral data from the CRISM instrument with the high resolution visible images taken by HiRISE, scientists are able to speculate how water deposited and/or altered these rocks.Many of the depressions in Noctis Labyrinthus contain water-bearing minerals, suggesting that water was available and persistent in this region during the Late Hesperian to Amazonian epochs on Mars, a time when the climate is believed to have been dry and cold like we see today. HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, 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. | |
The semi-circular depression in this microscopic image resulted from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's first grinding of a rock on Mars. The rock abrasion tool sliced into the surface on a rock called 'McKittrick' on Feb. 23, 2004. | The semi-circular depression on the right side of this microscopic image resulted from Opportunity's first grinding of a rock on Mars. The rock abrasion tool sliced into the surface about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) deep and ground off a patch 45.5 millimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter on a rock called "McKittrick" during Opportunity's 30th sol on Mars, Feb. 23, 2004. The hole exposed fresh interior material of the rock for close inspection by the rover's microscopic imager and two spectrometers on the robotic arm.Scientists and engineers got a nice bonus in that two spherical features nicknamed "blueberries" were unexpectedly cut in half within this rock. Team members had noticed the blueberries in earlier pictures on other rocks in the outcrop and had wanted to attempt to cut one in half sometime during the future of the mission. As luck would have it, two blueberries were hidden in the depths of "McKittrick." The one blueberry shown in the bottom right of this picture appears to have been scratched by the grinding wheel, which is further explained in PIA05446.The two rectangular boxes in the lower left and upper middle parts of this image are "drop outs," where the data packets inadvertently did not make it back to Earth during the initial communications relay via the Deep Space Network antennas. The missing data packets should be resent to Earth within the next few days. Just above each of the black "drop out" rectangles is another rectangular area filled with a cluster of smaller rectangles in different shades of gray, which are image compression artifacts.For more information about the "blueberries," please see JPL's Press Release dated February 9, 2004.For more microscopic images of the results from Opportunity's first use of the rock abrasion tool, please see the raw images for sol 30.The rock abrasion tools on both Mars Exploration Rovers were supplied by Honeybee Robotics, New York, N.Y. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. The hills appear brighter than the surrounding lowlands, likely due to relatively less dust cover. Ariadnes Colles is located in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 84305 Latitude: -36.9669 Longitude: 178.644 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-12-15 22:54Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor image of a 10 km by 12 km area of Coprates Chasma (14.7 degrees S, 55.8 degrees W), a ridge with a flat upper surface in the center of Coprates Chasma, part of the 6000-km-long Valles Marineris. | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image of a 10 km by 12 km area of Coprates Chasma (14.7 degrees S, 55.8 degrees W), a ridge with a flat upper surface in the center of Coprates Chasma, which is part of the 6000-km-long Valles Marineris. Rock layers are visible just below the ridge. The gray scale (4.8 m/pixel) MOC image was combined with a Viking Orbiter color view of the same area. The faults of a graben offset beds on the slope to the left.Figure caption from Science Magazine. | |
In this image, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft spies what looks like a deep water fish yelling. | Context image Do you see what I see? Looks like a deep water fish is yelling at me!Orbit Number: 52146 Latitude: 31.751 Longitude: 306.831 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-09-15 16:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on July 14, 2006 by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an outcrop of light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock in Aureum Chaos on Mars. The darker material, which includes ripples, is composed of windblown sand and granules. | 30 October 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an outcrop of light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock in Aureum Chaos. The darker material, which includes ripples, is composed of windblown sand and granules. This scene is located near 3.8°S, 26.2°W, and covers an area roughly 7.7 km by 3 km (4.8 by 1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the terrain from the top/upper right. This southern autumn image was acquired on 14 July 2006. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a cross section of Coprates Chasma. The floor of the canyon is covered by large landslide deposits. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a cross section of Coprates Chasma. The floor of the canyon is covered by large landslide deposits. 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. Paralleling the chasma to the south runs a narrower and shallower chain of linked pits and depressions called Coprates Catena.Orbit Number: 93011 Latitude: -14.3186 Longitude: 299.989 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-12-02 19:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of western Candor and the erosion of a large mesa. Layered materials are visible throughout the image. | Context image This image shows part of western Candor and the erosion of a large mesa. Layered materials are visible throughout the image. The dark material with the linear appearance in the middle of the image are sand dunes. Sand dunes are created by wind action. At the present time, wind is the active process shaping the surface.Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides).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: 6245 Latitude: -5.77639 Longitude: 284.339 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-05-12 14:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
While humans' lives unfolded on Earth, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity paused in its southward trek and captured this photomosaic in approximate true color. | While humans' lives unfolded on Earth, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity paused in its southward trek and captured this photomosaic around 15:00 local Mars time on May 2, 2010. The timing for this photography with Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) was coordinated with a "moment in time" simultaneous photographic event in thousands of locations on Earth, organized through New York Times photography blog, Lens. (See http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/readers-14/.)Dusty, reddish brown dunes stretch southward to the horizon along the rover's route ahead.The "Two Worlds, One Sun" theme is a reference to the motto inscribed on the Pancam calibration target, seen on the back of the rover deck at the bottom of this view. The target is used to properly calibrate and color-balance the Pancam images, and with its artistically styled shadow post, or gnomon, it doubles as a sundial (also known as a "Marsdial") for educational purposes. (See PIA05018.)This scene is a three-tall by one-wide mosaic of Pancam images taken through the camera's red (602 nanometer), green (530 nanometer) and blue (480 nanometer) filters. It has been calibrated and processed to approximate the colors that would be seen by humans if they could be present for this lovely Martian view. The camera took the images during the 2,229th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars. | |
Surface textures vary in relation to topography on the south polar cap. Trough sides and floors are different from the flat top surface of the cap. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageSurface textures vary in relation to topography on the south polar cap. Trough sides and floors are different from the flat top surface of the cap.Orbit Number: 39948 Latitude: -87.0311 Longitude: 275.27 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-12-16 14:36Please 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 a section of Sabis Vallis. | Context imageA section of Sabis Vallis is shown in today's VIS image.Orbit Number: 36210 Latitude: -3.9936 Longitude: 207.791 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-02-11 19:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These odd shaped pits occur on the floor of a large crater in Terra Sabaea on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08680Unusual Pits>These odd shaped pits occur on the floor of a large crater in Terra Sabaea.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 22.1N, Longitude 53.2E. 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. | |
Hole in 'Ebenezer' | Figure 1This image, taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows the mark left by the rover's rock abrasion tool on the rock dubbed "Ebenezer," located in Gusev Crater at the "Columbia Hills." Scientists investigated the rock with the abrasion tool and determined its chemistry using the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer instrument. Both instruments are located on the rover's robotic arm. Spirit took this image on its 236th martian day, or sol (Sept. 1, 2004). This is a true-color image generated from a composite of left-eye camera filters (750 to 430 nanometers).Data on the graph (Figure 1) from the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer instrument on the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit reveal the elemental chemistry of two rocks, "Ebenezer" and "Clovis," (see PIA06837) in the "Columbia Hills." Scientists found, through comparison of the rocks' chemistry, that Ebenezer and Clovis have very different compositions from the rocks on the Gusev plains. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) targets a portion of a group of honeycomb-textured landforms in northwestern Hellas Planitia, part of one of the largest and most ancient impact basins on Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) targets a portion of a group of honeycomb-textured landforms in northwestern Hellas Planitia, which is part of one of the largest and most ancient impact basins on Mars.In a larger Context Camera image, the individual "cells" are about 5 to 10 kilometers wide. With HiRISE, we see much greater detail of these cells, like sand ripples that indicate wind erosion has played some role here. We also see distinctive exposures of bedrock that cut across the floor and wall of the cells. These resemble dykes, which are usually formed by volcanic activity.Additionally, the lack of impact craters suggests that the landscape, along with these features, have been recently reshaped by a process, or number of processes that may even be active today. Scientists have been debating how these honeycombed features are created, theorizing from glacial events, lake formation, volcanic activity, and tectonic activity, to wind erosion.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 53.8 centimeters (21.2 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 161 centimeters (23.5 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Low sunlight conditions and NASA's Mars Global Surveyor relative distance provide a low resolution view of the Tithonium/Ius Chasma, Ganges Chasma, and Schiaparelli Crater on Mars. | The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images acquired shortly after orbit insertion were relatively poor in both resolution and image quality. This poor performance was solely the result of low sunlight conditions and the relative distance to the planet, both of which have been progressively improving over the past six weeks. Some of the better images are used here (see PIA01021 through PIA01029) to illustrate how the MOC images provide substantially better views of the martian surface than have ever been recorded previously from orbit.This U.S. Geological Survey shaded relief map provides an overall context for the MGS MOC images of the Tithonium/Ius Chasma, Ganges Chasma, and Schiaparelli Crater. Closeup images of the Tithonium/Ius Chasma area are visible in PIA01021 through PIA01023. Closeups of Ganges Chasma are available as PIA01027 through PIA01029, and Schiaparelli Crater is shown in PIA01024 through PIA01026. The Mars Pathfinder landing site is shown to the north of the sites of the MGS images.Launched on November 7, 1996, Mars Global Surveyor entered Mars orbit on Thursday, September 11, 1997. The original mission plan called for using friction with the planet's atmosphere to reduce the orbital energy, leading to a two-year mapping mission from close, circular orbit (beginning in March 1998). Owing to difficulties with one of the two solar panels, aerobraking was suspended in mid-October and resumed in November 8. Many of the original objectives of the mission, and in particular those of the camera, are likely to be accomplished as the mission progresses.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This illustration depicts three different of models of NASA's solar-powered Mars helicopter. | This illustration depicts three different of models of NASA's solar-powered Mars helicopter.In the upper right is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, currently operating at Jezero Crater.Depicted in the foreground is one of two Sample Recovery Helicopters slated to fly to Mars as part of the Mars Sample Return Campaign. NASA is developing the Sample Recovery Helicopters to serve as backups to the agency's Perseverance rover in transporting sample tubes to the Sample Return Lander.In the upper center of image is the Mars Science Helicopter concept. A proposed follow-on to Ingenuity, the six-rotor Mars Science Helicopter could be used during future Mars missions to serve as an aerial scout and carry between 4.5 and 11 pounds (2 to 5 kilograms) of payload, including science instruments, to study terrain that rovers can't reach. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show the dark marks left behind after the passage of a dust devil cover this region of Utopia Planitia. | Context imageThe dark marks left behind after the passage of a dust devil cover this region of Utopia Planitia.Orbit Number: 54264 Latitude: 52.6856 Longitude: 91.2059 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-03-08 23:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Taken by Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument, this video features an enhanced-color composite image that pans across Jezero Crater's delta on Mars. | Figure 1Click here for animationThis 60-second video pans across an enhanced-color composite image, or mosaic, of the delta at Jezero Crater on Mars. The delta formed billions of years ago from sediment that an ancient river carried to the mouth of the lake that once existed in the crater. Taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, the video begins looking almost due west of the rover, and sweeps to the right until it faces almost due north.Fourteen images compose the mosaic that provides the base image for this video (included as an additional figure); they were acquired on Nov. 28, 2021 (the 275th sol, or Martian day, of Perseverance's mission) as the rover sat at the highest vantage point in the "South Séítah" geological unit, allowing a perspective that included boulders and other features atop the delta as well as farther west and northwest across its surface.The mountains in the background are the rim of Jezero Crater. The view also shows brown hills in the middle distance that are part of an ancient delta, where a river hit a lake in the crater. The rover has spent the last several months exploring the sandy and rocky terrain in the foreground.The color bands of the image have been processed to improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences. The sky would not actually look blue to a human explorer on the Red Planet.The Mastcam-Z investigation is led and operated by Arizona State University in Tempe, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.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:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. Data from different filters can be combined in many ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the plains and craters of 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 images shows part of the plains and craters of Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 59405 Latitude: -38.6916 Longitude: 158.645 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-05-06 02:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Small ripple-like dunes surround hills in the region of Elysium Planitia in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08079Small DunesSmall ripple-like dunes surround hills in the region of Elysium Planitia.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -1.1N, Longitude 156.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of a large crater. Basaltic sands are located between the crater rim and a large mound of material on the floor of the crater. | Context imagePart of a large crater fills the center of this VIS image. In this false color image the dark blue material is basaltic sand. The sands are located between the crater rim and a large mound of material on the floor of the crater.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: 60626 Latitude: 1.14687 Longitude: 26.4337 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-14 16:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This anaglyph, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Lander on Jun. 23, 2008, shows a stereoscopic 3D view of the Martian surface near the lander. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This anaglyph, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 28, the 28th Martian day of the mission (June 23, 2008), shows a stereoscopic 3D view of the Martian surface near the lander. Part of Phoenix's solar panel is seen at the bottom of the image.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. | |
The left side of this 360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the long rows of ripples on a linear shaped dune in the Bagnold Dune Field on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. | The left side of this 360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the long rows of ripples on a linear shaped dune in the Bagnold Dune Field on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The view is a mosaic of images taken with Curiosity's Navigation Camera (Navcam) on Feb. 5, 2017, during the 1,601st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. The view is centered toward west-southwest, with east-southeast on either end. A capped mound called "Ireson Hill" is on the right. A map showing Curiosity's location on Sol 1601 is at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/2017/curiosity-rovers-location-for-sol-1601. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Martian surface frost, made up largely of carbon dioxide, appears blueish-white in these images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera aboard NASA's 2001 Odyssey orbiter. | Martian surface frost, made up largely of carbon dioxide, appears blueish-white in these images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera aboard NASA's 2001 Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS takes images in both visible light perceptible to the human eye and heat-sensitive infrared.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. THEMIS was developed by Arizona State University in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Philip Christensen at ASU. The prime contractor for the Odyssey project, Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena. | |
Animation software used by engineers for planning rover drives portrays the location of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on April 26, 2004, at the successful completion of 90 sols of operating on Mars. | Animation software used by engineers for planning rover drives portrays the location of the NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on April 26, 2004, at the successful completion of 90 sols of operating on Mars, the amount of time set in advance for the rover's primary mission. The scene is from the panoramic camera, with the crater dubbed "Endurance" on the horizon, still a few days' drives away. | |
The complex fracture system in this image is part of Ceraunius Fossae, one of the fracture systems that surround Alba Mons as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe complex fracture system in this VIS image is part of Ceraunius Fossae, one of the fracture systems that surround Alba Mons.Orbit Number: 53047 Latitude: 21.418 Longitude: 251.344 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-11-28 19:37Please 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 Sees Salty Soil | This graph compares amounts of magnesium and sulfur in the soil lining the trenches dug by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sols 114 and 140 (April 28 and May 25, 2004) at Gusev Crater. Measurements were taken of the soil at the surface, floor and walls of the trench dug on sol 140 (squares), and at the surface and floor of the trench dug on sol 114 (diamonds). Non-trenched soil samples from Gusev Crater are represented as dots. The more recently made trench is located near the base of the "Columbia Hills." Because concentrations of magnesium and sulfur occur in the same ratio throughout the trench dug on sol 140, scientists believe the soil there contains the salt magnesium sulfate. The walls of this trench appear to contain the highest concentrations of the salt. The trench from sol 114 may also possess magnesium sulfate, but the data is less clear. These data were taken by Spirit's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.One possible explanation for these findings is that water percolated through underground material and dissolved out minerals, then as the water evaporated near the surface, it left concentrated salts behind. | |
This image shows part of the large dune field (or erg) that exists surrounding the north polar ice cap on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01869Northern Dune FieldThis image shows part of the large dune field (or erg) that exists surrounding the north polar ice cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 83.8N, Longitude 227.8E. 40 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 a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. | Context imageToday's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe 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 complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long.Orbit Number: 94209 Latitude: 35.5447 Longitude: 276.941 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-03-11 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. | |
The north end of this long image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a lava surface in southern Elysium Planitia. Small cones are common on the extensive young flood lavas in this region. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe north end of this long image shows a lava surface in southern Elysium Planitia. Small cones are common on the extensive young flood lavas in this region.Here, the cones are larger than usual, perhaps approaching cinder cone sizes. What's really odd here is that the cones are associated with lighter areas with polygonal patterns. Such polygons are commonly visible on the denser portions of lava flows, while the rougher areas have more broken-up low-density crust.But the shapes of these regions are unusual, and the association with cones suggest that the cones were source vents for local lava flows. Other interpretations are also possible. HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree vertical view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009). | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009). North is at the top.Opportunity had driven 60.8 meters (199 feet) that sol, moving backward as a strategy to mitigate an increased amount of current drawn by the drive motor in the right-front wheel. The rover was traveling a westward course, skirting a large field of impassable dunes to the south. Much of the terrain surrounding the Sol 1950 position is wind-formed ripples of dark soil, with pale outcrop exposed in troughs between some ripples. A small crater visible nearby to the northwest is informally called "Kaiko." For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).The site is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) south-southwest of Victoria Crater. This view is presented as a vertical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this image on Oct. 31, 2004. The rover was making its way eastward inside 'Endurance Crater' toward the base of a steep exposure of layered rock called 'Burns Cliff' on Mars. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this image during the its 274th martian day, or sol, (Oct. 31, 2004) to provide rover planners with a fresh look at the planned drive direction. The rover is making its way eastward inside "Endurance Crater" toward the base of a steep exposure of layered rock called "Burns Cliff." | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Pavonis Chasma on Mars, a collapsed region on the northeastern flank of Pavonis Mons. The chasma is aligned with the trend of the three Tharsis volcanoes, of which Pavonis Mons is the central one. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows Pavonis Chasma, a collapsed region on the northeastern flank of Pavonis Mons. The chasma is aligned with the trend of the three Tharsis volcanoes, of which Pavonis Mons is the central one.Orbit Number: 46192 Latitude:2.83992 Longitude: 248.825 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-13 16:28Please 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 Mars Global Surveyor shows a gully on a dune in an unnamed crater in the Hellespontus region of Mars, west of the Hellas Basin. | Animation: New Gullies on Martian Sand DuneFigure 1: Left and Right Narrow-Angle ImageFigure 2: Context ViewFigure 3: New Boulder Tracks on Slope;North is DownFigure 4: Snow Incorporated intoAntarctic DuneOne of the many mysteries associated with martian geology is the origin of gullies found at latitudes poleward of 30 degrees latitude. Most of these gullies are found within craters or other depressions, and appear to be related to the bedrock. Several hypotheses have been proposed for their origin, including groundwater seepage and melting at the base of a dust-mantled snow pack. Some middle-latitude gullies are found on sand dunes. These gullies appear to be different from those found on the slopes of craters, but generally have been interpreted to form by similar processes. In the present martian environment, it is difficult to introduce water to the surface. The temperature and atmospheric pressure may permit water to exist, but the rate of heating of the ground and atmosphere, and the amount of energy available to warm the ground or melt snow, are not conducive to such processes. An alternative process of gully formation on these sand dunes involves frozen carbon dioxide trapped in the winter by windblown sand, then subliming rapidly enough for the escaping carbon-dioxide gas to make the sand flow as a gully-cutting fluid.As part of extended-mission science investigation using the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, the camera team is re-imaging many locations where previous observations revealed gullies. The intent is to see if gully-forming processes are operating on Mars at the present time. The team has found one location where a new gully formed on a dune in an unnamed crater in the Hellespontus region of Mars, west of the Hellas Basin. This pair of narrow-angle images (figure 1) from the Mars Orbiter Camera shows the dune as it appeared on July 17, 2002, (left) and as it appeared on April 27, 2005, (right). The nearly three Earth years of intervening time amount to about 1.4 Mars years. During this period, a couple of gullies formed on the dune slip face. It is critical to recognize that the 2002 image was obtained at a time of year when the incident sunlight was coming in from a lower angle, relative to the horizon, than in the 2005 image. If the gullies had been present in 2002, their appearance would be sharper and more pronounced than they are in the 2005 image. The gullies simply did not exist on July 17, 2002. The steep walls of the gully alcove and channels suggests that the sand in this dune is somewhat cohesive, an observation common among martian sand dunes seen by the Mars Orbiter Camera over the past eight years.Wider context for the dune is shown in a mosaic of two images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter (figure 2), encompassing the dark-toned sand dune field on the floor of a crater located near 49.8 degrees south latitude, 325.4 degrees west longitude. In this image, north is approximately up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. Based on earlier observations of other dune fields with gullies, camera-team scientists suspect that these gullies form by a process other than water fluidization. An image of a dune in Russell Crater, taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera in March 2001, (figure 3) shows how the morphology of the dune's slip face changes with direction: Gullies form on pole-facing slopes (southwest in this case), while normal slip-face avalanche features ("avalanches" in the figure) are seen on the equator-facing slopes (northwest in this case). Most of the dunes that have gullies on them are located in the Hellespontus and Noachis regions, and are frost-covered during the winter. Based on experience in Antarctica and other cold regions on Earth, it is known that snow and ice can be incorporated into dunes during winter. An example is the layering of snow buried in a sand dune in Victoria Valley, Antarctica, seen in a photograph taken by Michael Malin during the austral summer of 1982-1983 (figure 4). Active sand dunes in cold regions such as Antarctica and northern Canada commonly incorporate wintertime snow as new sand avalanches down a slip face and covers the frozen material. A similar process might occur for middle and high latitude dunes on Mars, although in many cases the "snow" would consist mostly of carbon-dioxide frost, with minimal water ice. What would happen to carbon-dioxide frost incorporated into a martian sand dune? On surfaces that receive early and direct sunlight, the sand would heat and the carbon-dioxide frost would sublime over a period of time, undermining the slope and promoting normal sand sliding. On slopes that were initially shaded and later exposed to direct sunlight, heating would be delayed and the carbon dioxide frost would sublime rapidly. This rapid formation of carbon-dioxide gas may act to fluidize overlying sand, causing it to flow rather than avalanche, and thus create a gully. The Mars Orbiter Camera was built and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif. Mars Global Surveyor left Earth on Nov. 7, 1996, and began orbiting Mars on Sept. 12, 1997. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages Mars Global Surveyor for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Dunes cover the floor of Bopolu Crater in Meridiani Planum in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDunes cover the floor of Bopolu Crater in Meridiani Planum.Orbit Number: 43368 Latitude: -3.02429 Longitude: 353.708 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-24 03:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on July 20, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a cliff that cuts through the terrain and gives us a glimpse of the buried icy material. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe mid-latitudes of Mars are mostly covered with smooth material that scientists have suspected to be ice for some time. The ground is uniform and dusty and does not reveal many clues about what lies beneath the surface.However, sometimes a feature like a cliff cuts through the terrain and gives us a glimpse of this buried icy material. The cliff in this image is one example out of a few dozen that are known.The bright material on the cliff face is icy and is preserved only because the cliff points away from the equator, so it is shaded most of the time. Faint bands on the cliff might indicate layers in the ice that record different climate conditions. We do not know how much time this ice took to accumulate here, but studies elsewhere on Mars indicate that material like this is sometimes at least tens of millions of years old.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 25.1 centimeters [9.9 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 75 centimeters [29.5 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_074980_1225.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 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft image shows a channel on Mars with extensive scalloping of its margins. The process of scalloping is widening the channel. | Context image for PIA11889ChannelThis VIS image shows a channel with extensive scalloping of its margins. The process of scalloping is widening the channel.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -27.0N, Longitude 313.7E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the southwestern part of Kasei Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows the southwestern part of Kasei Valles.Orbit Number: 39663 Latitude: 18.6894 Longitude: 286.159 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-11-23 04:47Please 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 is a 360-degree view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's position outside the small crater 'Eagle Crater.' Plentiful ripples are seen on the plains and two depressions featuring bright spots. | This image is the first 360-degree view from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's new position outside "Eagle Crater," the small crater where the rover landed about two months ago. Scientists are busy analyzing Opportunity's new view of the plains of Meridiani Planum. The plentiful ripples are a clear indication that wind is the primary geologic process currently in effect on the plains. The rover's tracks can be seen leading away from Eagle Crater. At the far left are two depressions--each about a meter (about 3.3 feet) across---that feature bright spots in their centers. One possibility is that the bright material is similar in composition to the rocks in Eagle Crater's outcrop and the surrounding darker material is what's referred to as "lag deposit," or erosional remnants, which are much harder and more difficult to wear away. These twin dimples might be revealing pieces of a larger outcrop that lies beneath. The depression closest to Opportunity is whimsically referred to as "Homeplate" and the one behind it as "First Base." The rover's panoramic camera is set to take detailed images of the depressions today, on Opportunity's 58th sol. The backshell and parachute that helped protect the rover and deliver it safely to the surface of Mars are also visible near the horizon, at the left of the image. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera. | |
This graphic shows tenfold spiking in the abundance of methane in the Martian atmosphere surrounding NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, as detected by a series of measurements made with the Tunable Laser Spectrometer instrument in the rover's laboratory suite. | This graphic shows tenfold spiking in the abundance of methane in the Martian atmosphere surrounding NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, as detected by a series of measurements made with the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) instrument in the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory suite.The graph covers a span of time from August 2012 to September 2014, labeled on the horizontal axis by the number of sols, or Martian days, since the rover's landing on Mars -- sols 1 through 750. The TLS measurements are indicated by small black squares on the graph, each with a vertical bar representing the margin of uncertainty in that sol's measurement. The measurements cover a 20-month span. Methane concentration in the Martian atmosphere samples climbed to several parts per billion by volume (ppbv, meaning several methane molecules per billion molecules of Martian atmosphere) during a short portion of that period. It averaged about 7 ppbv in those measurements. Both before and after the spike, the measured concentration was at or below about 1 ppbv, averaging 0.7 ppbv. The TLS technology from Curiosity is being tested for use on Earth as utility-company safety equipment to check for leaks in pipelines carrying natural gas. Methane is a major component of natural gas. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity in Mars' Gale Crater to assess ancient habitable environments and major changes in Martian environmental conditions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, built the rover and manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL developed and built the TLS. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, built and operates SAM.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
On Sept. 23, 2019, the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented a framed letter to the mayor of the Balkan municipality of Jezero. | On Sept. 23, 2019, Eric Nelson, the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented 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. In this picture, Ružičić snaps a selfie of the ambassador with local school children. | |
This anaglyph from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor is of Meridiani Planum, the landing site of Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Figure 1Annotated ImageFigure 2Narrow Angle Component(non-stereo image)Figure 3Narrow Angle Component(non-stereo image)24 January 2006Two years ago, the Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, landed on Meridiani Planum. The rover marked its first Mars-year (687 Earth Days) anniversary in December 2005. Two pictures are shown here: the one on the right is the same as that on the left, except that key features have been labeled. Both pictures include a colored portion -- a 3-d (stereo) anaglyph which can be viewed using "3-d" glasses with a red left eye and a blue right eye. Figures 2 and 3 are MOC narrow angle non-stereo images.During the landing in January 2004, rockets were fired to slow the final descent, just before the inflated airbags (containing the folded-up lander and rover) were released. The rockets disturbed the sandy surface at the location labeled "blast effects." Following release, the airbags bounced and rolled until coming to rest inside Eagle Crater. The lander, in fact, can be seen as a bright spot near the center of Eagle Crater. Meanwhile, the jettisoned parachute and backshell landed to the southwest of Eagle, and the heatshield fell just southwest of Endurance Crater.Opportunity initially examined sedimentary rock outcrops and sandy, windblown regolith within Eagle Crater. Then it was driven by the rover team out of Eagle and on into Endurance Crater. By the end of 2004, Opportunity had left Endurance and was investigating the site where the heatshield impacted the surface. After that, the rover spent much of the year 2005 driving from the heatshield location down to the shallow Erebus Crater. Long-term plans call for driving Opportunity from Erebus to Victoria Crater, where a substantially thicker sequence of layered rock is expected to be found, relative to previous outcrops examined in the craters Endurance and Eagle.Location near: 2.0°S, 5.6°W Image width: 300 m scale bar = 984 ft Illumination from: left | |
The volcanic flows in Daedalia Planum originated from Arsia Mons. This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a tiny portion of Daedalia Planum. | Context imageThe volcanic flows in Daedalia Planum originated from Arsia Mons. Today's VIS image shows a tiny portion of Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 41088 Latitude: -21.3944 Longitude: 240.411 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-20 11:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image is part of THEMIS art month, taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey featuring a portion of Mars' landscape bearing a striking resemblance to a bunny. | Welcome to the second annual THEMIS ART MONTH. From Jan. 31 through March 4 we will be showcasing images for their aesthetic value, rather than their science content. Portions of these images resemble things in our everyday lives, from animals to letters of the alphabet. We hope you enjoy our fanciful look at Mars!Perhaps a bunny...with a bell?Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows outcrops of light-toned rock, interpreted to be sedimentary in origin, in east Candor Chasma on Mars. The exposures of light-toned rock are separated by areas of windblown ripples and dark sand. | 19 May 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows outcrops of light-toned rock, interpreted to be sedimentary in origin, in east Candor Chasma. The exposures of light-toned rock are separated by areas of windblown ripples and dark sand.Location near: 8.2°S, 64.7°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey of lava flows around the large scarp of Olympus Mons reveals textures characteristic of the variable surface roughness associated with different lava flows in this region. | At first glance, this image of lava flows around the large scarp of Olympus Mons shows little contrast in surface materials due to dust cover, but a closer look reveals textures characteristic of the variable surface roughness associated with different lava flows in this region. The lobate edges of the flows are distinctive, and permit the discrimination of many overlapping individual flows. On small scales, the surfaces of some flows look wrinkly and ropy, indicating a relatively fluid type of lava flow referred to as pahoehoe. Other surfaces appear more rough and broken, and might be referred to as a'a flows, which have higher viscosities and effusion rates compared to pahoehoe flows. The surface textures of lava flows can thus sometimes be used for comparative purposes to infer lava viscosity and effusion rates. There is also a bright streak in the wind shadow of the impact crater in the lower left of the image where dust that settles onto the surface is not easily scoured away.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. | |
What appear to be channels in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is the dissection of the higher elevations on the margin of Chryse Chaos. Continued dissection eventually creates the block/mesa forms termed chaos on Mars. | Context imageWhat appear to be channels in this VIS image is the dissection of the higher elevations on the margin of Chryse Chaos. Continued dissection eventually creates the block/mesa forms termed chaos on Mars.Orbit Number: 37840 Latitude: 12.8547 Longitude: 318.423 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-06-26 02:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes located on the floor of a very degraded crater in Terra Cimmeria. | Context image for PIA10307DunesThese sand dunes are located on the floor of a very degraded crater in Terra Cimmeria.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -9.8N, Longitude 129.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows complex dune forms located on the floor of Russell Crater. | Context imageThe complex dune forms in this VIS image are located on the floor of Russell Crater. The large ridge dune is unique to Russell Crater. Russell Crater is located in Noachis Terra and is 135km (83miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 91985 Latitude: -54.4378 Longitude: 13.0741 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-09 07:45Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the base of 'Burns Cliff,' a portion of the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater' in this anaglyph from the rover's 285th martian day (Nov. 11, 2004). 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Figure 1Figure 2The navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took images during the rover's 285th martian day (Nov. 11, 2004) that are combined into this stereo panorama. Opportunity had reached the base of "Burns Cliff," a portion of the inner wall of "Endurance Crater." This view shows rock layers in the wall, with a portion of Opportunity's solar array visible at the bottom right.Figure 1 is the left-eye view of a stereo pair and Figure 2 is the right-eye view of a stereo pair. | |
This image shows two shallow, circular holes - one above and one below - that meet in the middle to form an indentation shaped like a figure eight in the Martian soil. The holes are within a larger circular area created by the rock abrasion tool | The grinding teeth have worn away on the rock abrasion tool of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit (after exposing interiors of five time more rock targets than its design goal of three rocks) but the tool still has useful wire bristles for brushing targets. In this image, a figure-eight-like imprint in the Martian soil marks the spot where Spirit has begun examining subsurface deposits layer by layer. The circular indentations resulted from brushing by the rock abrasion tool, one of several instruments on the rover's robotic arm. As an effective brushing tool it is now fulfilling a soil profiling experiment on a target called "Progress." The experiment is a multi-step process of carefully brushing away fine layers of soil and then using the Moessbauer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometers, microscopic imager, and panoramic camera to examine the exposed surfaces during the long Martian winter.This view is a mosaic of exposures taken by Spirit's microscopic imager during the rover's 830th Martian day (May 4, 2006). The total area shown is about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) square. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a field of small craters formed by secondary debris thrown from a larger meteoritic impact on the plains south of the Cerberus region on Mars. | 7 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a field of small craters formed by secondary debris thrown from a larger meteoritic impact on the plains south of the Cerberus region.Location near: 2.3°N, 195.7°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
Dust Devils Seen by Spirit | Figure 1 AnnotatedAt the Gusev site recently, skies have been very dusty, and on its 421st sol (March 10, 2005) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit spied two dust devils in action. This pair of images is from the rover's rear hazard-avoidance camera.Views of the Gusev landing region from orbit show many dark streaks across the landscape -- tracks where dust devils have removed surface dust to show relatively darker soil below -- but this is the first time Spirit has photographed an active dust devil. Scientists are considering several causes of these small phenomena. Dust devils often occur when the Sun heats the surface of Mars. Warmed soil and rocks heat the layer of atmosphere closest to the surface, and the warm air rises in a whirling motion, stirring dust up from the surface like a miniature tornado. Another possibility is that a flow structure might develop over craters as wind speeds increase. As winds pick up, turbulence eddies and rotating columns of air form. As these columns grow in diameter they become taller and gain rotational speed. Eventually they become self-sustaining and the wind blows them down range.One sol before this image was taken, power output from Spirit's solar panels went up by about 50 percent when the amount of dust on the panels decreased. Was this a coincidence, or did a helpful dust devil pass over Spirit and lift off some of the dust?By comparing the separate images from the rover's different cameras, team members estimate that the dust devils moved about 500 meters (1,640 feet) in the 155 seconds between the navigation camera and hazard-avoidance camera frames; that equates to about 3 meters per second (7 miles per hour). The dust devils appear to be about 1,100 meters (almost three-quarters of a mile) from the rover. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Noachis 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 Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 71129 Latitude: -9.19933 Longitude: 11.422 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-12-26 21:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Pathfinder's forward rover ramp can be seen successfully unfurled in this image, taken in stereo by the Imager camera. 3-D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | Mars Pathfinder's forward rover ramp can be seen successfully unfurled in this image, taken in stereo by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. This ramp was not used for the deployment of the microrover Sojourner, which occurred at the end of Sol 2. When this image was taken, Sojourner was still latched to one of the lander's petals, waiting for the command sequence that would execute its descent off of the lander's petal.The image helped Pathfinder scientists determine whether to deploy the rover using the forward or backward ramps and the nature of the first rover traverse. The metallic object at the lower left of the image is the lander's low-gain antenna. The square at the end of the ramp is one of the spacecraft's magnetic targets. Dust that accumulates on the magnetic targets will later be examined by Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer instrument for chemical analysis. At right, a lander petal is visible.The IMP is a stereo imaging system with color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye." It stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters.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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.Click below to see the left and right views individually.LeftRight | |
This image, part of an images as art series from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Feb 25, 2004 shows a set of ridges on Mars resembling crystal, or a creeping vine. | Released 25 February 2004Humanity is a very visual species. We rely on our eyes to tell us what is going on in the world around us. Put any image in front of a person and that person will examine the picture looking for anything familiar. Even if the examiner has no idea what he/she is looking at in a picture, he/she will still be able to make a statement about the picture, usually preceded by the words "it looks like..." The image above is part of the surface of Mars, but is presented for its artistic value rather than its scientific value. When first viewed, this image solicited a statement that "it looks like..." something seen in everyday life.Perhaps a crystal; perhaps a plant of some sort?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. | |
Sand-laden jets shoot into the polar sky in this view by noted space artist Ron Miller. It shows the Martian south polar ice cap as southern spring begins | Sand-laden jets shoot into the polar sky in this view by noted space artist Ron Miller. It shows the Martian south polar ice cap as southern spring begins. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo 180-degree view on Feb. 13, 2009. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11850Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11850NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,798th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 13, 2009). North is on top. This view combines images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera. It appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. The rover had driven 111 meters (364 feet) southward on the preceding sol. Tracks from that drive recede northward in this view. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches). The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. | |
Defrosting of Russell Crater Dunes | These two images (at right) were acquired by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) 39 days apart at 19:10 UTC (2:10 PM EST) on December 28, 2006 (upper right) and at 20:06 UTC (3:06 PM EST) on February 5, 2007 (lower right). These CRISM data were acquired in 544 colors covering the wavelength range from 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and show features as small as 20 meters (about 65 feet) across. Both images are false color composites of bands at 2.5, 1.5, and 1.25 micrometers, and are nearly centered at the same location, 54.875°S, 12.919°E (upper right) and 54.895°S, 12.943°E (lower right). Each image is approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) across at its narrowest. These are part of a series of images capturing the evolution of carbon dioxide frost on the surface of the dunes in Russell Crater. Russell Crater is one of many craters in the southern highland region of Mars that contain large areas of sand dunes. The sand in these dunes has accumulated over a very long time period -- perhaps millions of years -- as wind blows over the highland terrain, picking up sand in some places and depositing in others. The topography of the craters forces the wind to blow up and over the crater rims, and the wind often isn't strong enough to keep the tiny grains suspended. This makes the sand fall to the ground and gradually pile up, and over time the surface breezes shape the sand into ripples and dunes. A similar process is at work at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, USA.The above left image shows a THEMIS daytime infrared mosaic of Russell Crater and the location of its (approximately) 30-kilometer wide dune field in the northeastern quadrant of the crater floor. Superposed on this view and shown enlarged at the upper right is CRISM image FRT000039DF. This CRISM image was acquired during the late Martian southern winter (solar longitude = 157.7°), and the bright blue in this false color composite indicates the presence of carbon dioxide frost (dry ice) on the dunes. Sunlight is coming from the northeast, and the sunlit faces of the dunes appear red because they show very little frost compared to the colder, more shadowed areas. Thirty-nine days later at the beginning of southern spring (solar longitude = 178.9°), CRISM image FRT000042AA (lower right) was acquired almost at the same location. Notably, the bright blue frost-rich areas are considerably smaller and subdued, with slim patches only observed on the shadowed sides of the dunes that are most protected from the warmth of the rising sun. As the southern season continues to march toward summer, all of the frost will soon be gone and won't return until the next Martian winter.The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. | |
This image, acquired on August 11, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows wind-blown deposits known as transverse aeolian ridges (TARs). They are frequently visible in images of the Martian tropics. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionWind-blown deposits known as transverse aeolian ridges (TARs) are frequently visible in images of the Martian tropics. They are bright ripples with heights of 2.6 meters and spacing that averages 47 meters. The TARs generally appear inactive and eroded, sometimes cratered or littered with boulders from nearby impacts and avalanches. In Syria Planum, unusual bright deposits might be accumulations of dust blown from higher to lower elevations by nighttime slope winds, reaching speeds of up to 50 meters per second. These dust deposits resemble TARs in height and spacing but with a distinct shape from other TARs. A close up view shows that the deposits form pyramidal features with steep faces on the upwind sides (wind is blowing from the top of the picture) and tapered slopes in the downwind direction. Ridges form where the "pyramids"_x009d_ line up together, and the spacing of the ridges appears to be controlled by the length of the "pyramids."_x009d_These observations suggest that TARs elsewhere on Mars may have formed in a similar fashion, perhaps millions of years ago when the atmosphere was more active. They also may be forming in Syria Planum today.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 25.6 centimeters [10.1 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 77 centimeters [30.3 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, 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. | |
Spirit Near | NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera for the images assembled into this full-circle view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,802nd Martian day, or sol, (January 26, 2009) of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars. North is at the top.This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction.Spirit had driven down off the low plateau called "Home Plate" on Sol 1782 (January 6, 2009) after spending 12 months on a north-facing slope on the northern edge of Home Plate. The position on the slope (at about the 9-o'clock position in this view) tilted Spirit's solar panels toward the sun, enabling the rover to generate enough electricity to survive its third Martian winter. Tracks at about the 11-o'clock position of this panorama can be seen leading back to that "Winter Haven 3" site from the Sol 1802 position about 10 meters (33 feet) away. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about one meter (40 inches).Where the receding tracks bend to the left, a circular pattern resulted from Spirit turning in place at a soil target informally named "Stapledon" after William Olaf Stapledon, a British philosopher and science-fiction author who lived from 1886 to 1950. Scientists on the rover team suspected that the soil in that area might have a high concentration of silica, resembling a high-silica soil patch discovered east of Home Plate in 2007. Bright material visible in the track furthest to the right was examined with Spirit's alpha partical X-ray spectrometer and found, indeed, to be rich in silica.The team laid plans to drive Spirit from this Sol 1802 location back up onto Home Plate, then southward for the rover's summer field season. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows mounds of light-toned deposits within the central portion of Valles Marineris. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionIt has been known since the 1970s when the Viking orbiters took pictures of Mars that there are large (i.e., several kilometers-thick) mounds of light-toned deposits within the central portion of Valles Marineris. More recent higher resolution images of Mars, including this image of Melas Chasma, show that the wall rocks of Valles Mariners also contain similar, albeit thinner, light-toned deposits.Spectral data from the CRISM instrument indicate that the larger mounds are composed of sulfates. Some of the wall rock deposits are also made up of sulfates, but others contain clays or mixtures of several kinds of hydrated materials, suggesting that multiple aqueous processes, perhaps at different times within Valles Marineris, formed the variety of deposits we now observe.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. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.