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This 2001 Mars Odyssey image shows dark dunes on the floor of Lamont Crater on Mars. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image shows dark dunes on the floor of Lamont Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -58.0N, Longitude 246.6E. 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 Global Surveyor shows the patterned ground of the cold, martian northern plains. The circular features are the sites of buried impact craters. | 25 September 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the patterned ground of the cold, martian northern plains. The circular features are the sites of buried impact craters.Location near: 70.5°N, 340.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower right Season: Northern Spring | |
Exposure of North Polar Layered Deposits | Image PSP_001472_2785 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 19, 2006. The complete image is centered at 81.2 degrees latitude, 44.7 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 317.2 km (198.2 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~95 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 4:47 AM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 76 degrees, thus the sun was about 14 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 137.6 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This THEMIS as art image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows small dark dunes in the Hellas Basin trailing the rim and southern margin of this small crater the overall effect is the appearance of the number 9. | Context image for PIA09319THEMIS ART #82With small dark dunes trailing the rim and southern margin of this small crater the overall effect is the appearance of the number "9." This small feature occurs on the southeast margin of the Hellas Basin.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.3N, Longitude 89.8E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is enlarging a trench informally named 'Snow White' to prepare a cleaned-off area at the top of a subsurface layer of hard material, possibly ice-rich soil on Mars. | NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is enlarging a trench informally named "Snow White" to prepare a cleaned-off area at the top of a subsurface layer of hard material, possibly ice-rich soil.This image taken by Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera on July 13th, the 48th Martian day, or sol, since landing, shows the trench after the previous sol's work by the lander's Robotic Arm. The size of the trench in the image is about 30 centimeters (12 inches) by 20 centimeters (8 inches). A shadow of Phoenix's helical antenna falls across the scene, which is on the northeast side of the lander. The image was taken at 3:32 p.m. local solar time at the Phoenix landing site.The Phoenix team plans to use the arm to extend the trench about 15 centimeters (6 inches) further, working toward the lander, in order to have enough surface area both for testing use of the powered rasp on the back of the scoop and also to use a combination of rasping and scooping to gather a sample of ice-rich material for delivering to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer.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 gullies in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Gali Crater occuring on the northfacing/sunfacing slope. | Context image for PIA02013Gali GulliesThe gullies in this image of Gali Crater occur on the northfacing/sunfacing slope.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -43.7N, Longitude 322.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found and examined this meteorite. The science team used two tools on Opportunity's arm, the microscopic imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, to inspect the rock's texture and composition. | This is an image of the meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found and examined in September 2010.Opportunity's cameras first revealed the meteorite in images taken on Sol 2363 (Sept. 16, 2010), the 2,363rd Martian day of the rover's mission on Mars. This view was taken with the panoramic camera on Sol 2371 (Sept. 24, 2010).The science team used two tools on Opportunity's arm -- the microscopic imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer -- to inspect the rock's texture and composition. Information from the spectrometer confirmed that the rock is a nickel-iron meteorite. The team informally named the rock "Oileán Ruaidh" (pronounced ay-lan ruah), which is the Gaelic name for an island off the coast of northwestern Ireland.Opportunity departed Oileán Ruaidh and resumed its journey toward the mission's long-term destination, Endeavour Crater, on Sol 2374 (Sept. 28, 2010) with a drive of about 100 meters (328 feet).This view, presented in approximately true color, combines component images taken through three Pancam filters admitting wavelengths of 601 nanometers, 535 nanometers and 482 nanometers. | |
Tracks made by NASA's Sojourner rover are visible in this image, taken by one of the cameras aboard Sojourner on July 6, 1997. The tracks represent the rover maneuvering towards the rock dubbed Barnacle Bill. | Tracks made by the Sojourner rover are visible in this image, taken by one of the cameras aboard Sojourner on Sol 3. The tracks represent the rover maneuvering towards the rock dubbed "Barnacle Bill." The rover, having exited the lander via the rear ramp, first traveled towards the right portion of the image, and then moved forward towards the left where Barnacle Bill sits. The fact that the rover was making defined tracks indicates that the soil is made up of particles on a micron scale.Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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 spacecraft shows parallel graben, paired faults with a central downdropped block, located in the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. The graben are aligned with the NE/SW trend of the three Tharsis volcanoes. | Context image for PIA10052Oti FossaeThese parallel graben [paired faults with a central downdropped block] are located the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. The graben are aligned with the NE/SW trend of the three Tharsis volcanoes.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.1N, Longitude 243.8E. 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. | |
Meandering Tracks on | This 360-degree, stereo panorama of a section of the "Columbia Hills" shows meandering, crisscrossing wheel tracks that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit left behind while using its scientific instruments to analyze a new class of rocks in Gusev Crater on Mars. Because Spirit has been experiencing a high rate of slip on the sandy, sloped terrain on this flank of "Husband Hill," scientists are directing the rover to check its progress often to avoid getting a rock stuck in one of its wheel wells. Rocks in this region are higher in phosphorus than other rocks that Spirit has examined. This view is a mosaic of frames that Spirit took with its navigation camera during the rover's 358th and 359th martian days, or sols, (Jan. 3 and 4, 2005). It is presented here in a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This impact crater in the region of Mars called Libya Montes, observed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows typical gullies with alcoves at the top, channels, and depositional fans at the bottom. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionGully-like landforms, or ravines, are most common in the middle latitudes of Mars, but also occur in polar and equatorial latitudes.We see here an impact crater about 900 meters wide, with distinct gullies on all inner slopes except in the northwest sector of the crater. The crater formed on the side of an ancient channel, so the northwestern section slumped into the channel, so the slopes are not as steep.This region of Mars is called Libya Montes, near the equator on the south edge of the Isidis impact basin. These are typical gullies with alcoves at the top, channels, and depositional fans at the bottom, but the alcoves are relatively small compared with many other mid-latitude gullies. HiRISE has shown that gullies are actively forming today in the southern mid-latitudes, aided by the seasonal deposition of carbon dioxide frost or dry ice.The equatorial gullies here appear pristine at the scale of HiRISE, with no superimposed craters or windblown deposits, so the gullies formed in the recent past and could still be forming today. Here in the Martian tropics, it is too warm for dry ice to help fluidize the movement of debris, but the slopes are probably steep enough for dry mass wasting to move dry particles, perhaps aided by water in the crust to reduce friction.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. | |
Dark, seasonal flows emanate from bedrock exposures at Palikir Crater on Mars in this image from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These dark, warm-season flows are called 'recurring slope lineae' or RSL. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger version
Dark, seasonal flows emanate from bedrock exposures at Palikir Crater on Mars in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These flows, now documented at several places on Mars, form and grow during warm seasons when surface temperature is warm enough for salty ice to melt, and then fade or completely disappear in the colder season. The location of this site is about 41.6 degrees south latitude, 202.3 degrees east longitude. The season was summer on southern Mars when this image was taken on June 27, 2011. Three arrows point to bright, smooth fans left behind by flows. The scale bar at lower right indicates 50 meters (164 feet). North is up.These dark, warm-season flows are called "recurring slope lineae" or RSL. Researchers are using observations from Mars orbiters to study the possibility that RSL result from action of salty liquid water. Examples of RSL sites observed over a sequence of seasons are at PIA14472 and PIA14475.This image, included in a paper by Lujendra Ojha of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and co-authors in Geophysical Research Letters, is one product from the HiRISE observation catalogued as ESP_023045_1380. Other products from the same observation are available at http://uahirise.org/ESP_023045_1380.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 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.For more about NASA's Mars exploration missions, see http://www.nasa.gov/mars and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
This image from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1 shows Reull Valles, a conspicuous southeast-trending fretted channel, dissects wall deposits of the large Hellas impact basin. | Reull Valles, conspicuous southeast-trending fretted channel, dissects wall deposits of the large Hellas impact basin. Center of picture is at latitude 42 degrees S. longitude 258 degrees. Fretted channels are wide, flat-floored channels with steep walls, which may be runoff channels that have been modified and enlarged by mass wasting. Many nearby hills and mountains are surrounded by lobate debris aprons, which may have formed by slow creep of rock deposits aided by the presence of near-surface ice. Layering is exposed in the channel and crater walls. The color variations of the surface are very bland in this region; most of the variations seen in the enhanced-color version (PIA00153) are due to atmospheric scattering. Viking Orbiter Picture Numbers 126A08 (violet), 126A16 (green), and 126A24 (red) at 157 m/pixel resolution. Picture width is 161 km. North is 112 degrees clockwise from top. | |
NASA's Perseverance rover deposited the first of several sample tubes onto the Martian surface on Dec. 21, 2022. | NASA's Perseverance rover deposited the first of several sample tubes onto the Martian surface on Dec. 21, 2022, the 653rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This composite image of the tube, filled with a sample of igneous rock, is made up of a series of stitched-together images taken by a camera called WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) on the end of the rover's 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm.Perseverance has been taking duplicate samples from each rock target the mission selects. After having dropped its first sample on the surface, the rover now has 17 samples in its belly, including one atmospheric sample. Based on the architecture of the Mars Sample Return campaign, the rover would deliver samples to a robotic lander carrying a small rocket that would blast them off to space.The depot will serve as a backup if Perseverance can't deliver its samples. In that case, a pair of Sample Recovery Helicopters would be called upon to pick up the sample tubes and deliver them to the lander.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency's by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. WATSON and ACI were built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and are operated jointly by MSSS and JPL.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark sand dunes in the north polar region of Mars. They are streaming away (toward the left) from a low escarpment at the edge of an outlier of polar water ice. | 31 December 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark sand dunes in the north polar region of Mars. They are streaming away (toward the left) from a low escarpment at the edge of an outlier of polar water ice (the bright area on the right). The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is located near 80.7°N, 80.2°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image acquired on February 8, 2018 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a small dune field occurring along the summit of the large 1-mile-tall mound near the center of Juventae Chasma. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe ultimate origin of the sediment that forms Martian dunes has long been debated. While sand dunes on Earth are primarily sourced by quartz-bearing components of granitic continental crust, it's often suggested that sand on Mars derives from eroded volcanic flows or sedimentary deposits, but exact sources are often vague.This image reveals a unique situation where this small dune field occurs along the summit of the large 1-mile-tall mound near the center of Juventae Chasma. The layered mound slopes are far too steep for dunes to climb, and bedform sand is unlikely to come from purely airborne material. Instead, the mound's summit displays several dark-toned, mantled deposits that are adjacent to the dunes and appear to be eroding into fans of sandy material. Along with local HiRISE images, spectral data from other instruments on MRO have confirmed such units are likely to be the sand source for these mound summit dunes and reveal how landscape evolution on Mars might occur.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 27.8 centimeters (10.9 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 83 centimeters (32.7 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows winds that an impact crater on Mars may end up not being round. Preexisting faults and fractures in the ground can result in corners or straight walls along the fracture trends. | There are several reasons that an impact crater may end up not being round. Preexisting faults and fractures in the ground can control how the impact energy is distributed, resulting in corners or straight walls along the fracture trends. Very low angle impacts can 'skip' along the surface, creating an elongated crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -14.3N, Longitude 207.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater in Elysium Planitia. | 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 in Elysium Planitia.Orbit Number: 4951 Latitude: 1.06492 Longitude: 134.035 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-01-26 04:19Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this image of the rock dubbed 'Bounce.' The rock has a number of shiny surfaces and textures on it. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) logo is seen in the foreground. | This high-resolution panoramic camera blue filter image of the rock dubbed "Bounce" was obtained up close, just before the rover placed its instruments on the rock for detailed study. The rock has a number of shiny surfaces and textures on it, some of which are unlike those seen in the Eagle Crater rock outcrop. Also, the rock was apparently moved or shaken when it was hit with the airbags, as can be seen by the gap and cracks in the soil around the rock. This image from sol 65 of the rover's journey was acquired using the panoramic camera's 430 nanometer filter. | |
This image was acquired by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to complete a stereo pair over sinuous ridges in Argyre Planitia, but dust clouds kicked up, obscuring most of the surface. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image was acquired to complete a stereo pair over sinuous ridges in Argyre Planitia, but dust clouds kicked up, obscuring most of the surface.To see this scene without the dust, take a look at ESP_039933_1240. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This field of dunes lies on the floor of an old crater in Noachis Terra, one of the oldest places on Mars, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | This field of dunes lies on the floor of an old crater in Noachis Terra, one of the oldest places on Mars.When there are perfect conditions for producing sand dunes--steady wind in one direction and just enough sand--barchan sand dunes form. The word "barchan" is a Russian term because this type of dune was first described in the desert regions of Turkistan.Barchans have a gentle slope on the upwind side and a much steeper slope on the lee side where horns or a notch often forms. The wind in this case came from the southwest. Observing dunes on Mars can tell us how strong the winds are, as well as their direction. If pictures are taken at regular intervals, one may see changes in the dunes and in ripples on the dunes' surface.The color in the photograph is not the same as we would see with our eyes because an extra color (infrared) is added. Our eyes cannot detect infrared, but it is used because it can give us clues to the composition of the surface. On Mars dunes are often dark in color because they were formed from the common, volcanic rock basalt. In the dry environment, dark minerals in basalt, like olivine and pyroxene, do not break down as quickly as they do on Earth. Although rare, some dark sand is found on Earth, for example in Hawaii which also has many volcanoes discharging basalt. HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft provides information about erosion and movement of surface material, about wind and weather patterns, even about the soil grains and grain sizes. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionWe often take images of sand dunes to study the mobile soils. These images provide information about erosion and movement of surface material, about wind and weather patterns, even about the soil grains and grain sizes. However, looking past the dunes, these images also reveal the nature of the substrate beneath.Within the spaces between the dunes, a resistant and highly fractured surface is revealed. The fractured ground is resistant to erosion by the wind, and suggests the material is bedrock that is now shattered by a history of bending stresses or temperature changes, such as cooling, for example.Alternately, the surface may be a sedimentary layer that was once wet and shrunk and fractured as it dried, like gigantic mud cracks. In either case, the relative small and indistinct fractures have trapped the dark dune sand marching overhead. Now the fractures have become quite distinct, allowing us to examine the orientation and spacing of the fractures to learn more about the processes that formed them.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a region of Mars called Ophir Planum. The Valles Marineris system of canyons that stretch for thousands of kilometers across Mars are located just south of the area covered in the image. | (Released 16 July 2002)This is an image of a region of Mars called Ophir Planum, located at 8.4 S, 306.8 E. The Valles Marineris system of canyons that stretch for thousands of kilometers across Mars are located just to the south of the area covered by the image shown here. This image contains numerous overlapping lava flows, which can be seen in the layers of the wall rocks in Valles Marineris to the south. A number of remarkable wind streaks are also apparent throughout the image. These streaks commonly trail behind small topographic features such as craters and give an indication of the prevailing wind direction within the region. The northern half of this image is indicative of a northeast wind direction and the southern half indicates a predominance of a southeast wind direction. The variability of these winds may indicate that the local topography has some influence over the local winds. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large sand sheet with surface dune forms as well as smaller sand dunes within an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a large sand sheet with surface dune forms as well as smaller sand dunes within an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. These dunes are composed of basaltic sand that has collected in the bottom of the crater. The topographic depression of the crater forms a sand trap that prevents the sand from escaping. Dune fields are common in the bottoms of craters on Mars and appear as dark splotches that often lean up against the downwind walls of the craters. Dunes are useful for studying both the geology and meteorology of Mars. The sand forms by erosion of larger rocks, but it is unclear when and where this erosion took place on Mars or how such large volumes of sand could be formed. The dunes also indicate the local wind directions by their morphology.Orbit Number: 91741 Latitude: -49.2207 Longitude: 33.9713 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-20 05:58Please 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 of Ganges Chasma, captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, contains both landslide deposits and dunes. | Context imageThis VIS image of Ganges Chasma contains both landslide deposits and dunes.Orbit Number: 36044 Latitude: -7.83719 Longitude: 315.976 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-01-29 03:16Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this image of the rock dubbed 'Bounce.' The rock has a number of shiny surfaces and textures on it. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) logo is seen in the foreground. | This high-resolution panoramic camera blue filter image of the rock dubbed "Bounce" was obtained up close, just before the rover placed its instruments on the rock for detailed study. The rock has a number of shiny surfaces and textures on it, some of which are unlike those seen in the Eagle Crater rock outcrop. Also, the rock was apparently moved or shaken when it was hit with the airbags, as can be seen by the gap and cracks in the soil around the rock. This image from sol 65 of the rover's journey was acquired using the panoramic camera's 430 nanometer filter. | |
This self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at a drilled sample site called 'Okoruso,' on the 'Naukluft Plateau' of lower Mount Sharp. | Click on the image for larger animationThis self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at a drilled sample site called "Okoruso," on the "Naukluft Plateau" of lower Mount Sharp. The scene combines multiple images taken with the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on May 11, 2016, during the 1,338th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.In front of the rover is the hole, surrounded by grayish drill cuttings, created by using Curiosity's drill to collect sample rock powder at Okoruo, plus a patch of powder dumped onto the ground after delivery of a portion to the rover's internal Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) laboratory instrument. The rover team compared the rock powder from drilling at Okoruso to material from the nearby "Lubango" drilling site, which is visible behind the rover, just to the left of the mast. The Lubango site was selected within a pale zone, or "halo," beside a fracture in the area's sandstone bedrock. Okoruso is in less-altered bedrock farther from any fractures. Note that the Okoruso drill cuttings appear darker than the Lubango drill cuttings. The Lubango sample was found to be enriched in silica and sulfates, relative to Okoruso.To the left of the rover, in this scene, several broken rocks reveal grayish interiors. Here, Curiosity was driven over the rocks in a fracture-associated halo, so that freshly exposed surfaces could be examined with MAHLI, Mast Camera (Mastcam) and Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instruments.An upper portion of Mount Sharp is prominent on the horizon. A map at PIA20748 shows locations of Okoruso and Lubango relative to other drilling sites along Curiosity's route.The MAHLI camera is mounted at the end of the rover's robotic arm. The rover self-portrait view from stitching together multiple images does not include the rover's arm. Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images, or portions of images, that were used in this mosaic. This process was used previously in acquiring and assembling Curiosity self-portraits taken at sample-collection sites, including "Bagnold Dune Field" (PIA20317), "Rocknest" (PIA16468), "Windjana" (PIA18390) and "Buckskin" (PIA19807).For scale, the rover's wheels are 20 inches (50 centimeters) in diameter and about 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. Another version (PIA20603) of this self-portrait at Okoruso poses the top of the mast with the cameras on the mast facing away from MAHLI. The animated version blinks back and forth between the two views.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/.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA20602_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dark slope streaks on several small mesas in Amazonis Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows dark slope streaks on several small mesas in Amazonis Planitia. The streaks mark locations where there has been down slope movement of material, which reduce the dust cover and reveal the darker rock surface.Orbit Number: 61918 Latitude: 14.3331 Longitude: 190.324 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-11-29 02:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Craters, pit chains, graben, and lava flows south of Alba Patera, a volcano located within the Tharsis volcanic complex on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Released 6 May 2003Craters, pit chains, graben, and lava flows south of Alba Patera, a volcano located within the Tharsis volcanic complex.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 27.1, Longitude 245 East (115 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The parallel sides and low interior seen in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are faults and down-dropped material between the faults. This tectonic feature is called a graben. The graben in this image is located in Daedalia Planum. | Context imageThe parallel sides and low interior seen in this VIS image are faults and down-dropped material between the faults. This tectonic feature is called a graben. The graben in this image is located in Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 49402 Latitude: -27.6842 Longitude: 233.651 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-02-01 19:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The white portions of this observation are part of the South Polar residual ice cap, with the sunlight is coming from roughly the bottom of this non-map projected image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Like Earth, Mars has concentrations of water ice at both poles. Because Mars is so much colder, however, the seasonal ice that gets deposited at high latitudes in the winter and is removed in the spring (generally analogous to winter-time snow on Earth) is actually carbon-dioxide ice. Around the South Pole there are areas of this carbon dioxide ice that do not disappear every spring, but rather survive winter after winter. This persistent carbon-dioxide ice is called the "South Polar residual cap."The white portions of this observation are part of that residual ice cap, and the sunlight is coming from roughly the bottom of this non-map projected image. It is made of solid, frozen carbon dioxide and is very bright relative to the background. This is despite the background terrain having a very high water-ice content, which is darkened by very fine rocky particles, or dust.Very interesting and picturesque in this scene are the different scales of polygons present in each terrain. The relatively medium-toned lines in the dark terrain divide it into polygons that are up to approximately 10 to 15 meters (30 to 45 feet) wide. Typically, temperature changes of the ground over the seasons cause it to expand and contract, forming cracks and troughs between sections of ground that may partially fill with frost, forming the polygonal pattern viewed from above.The polygons in the bright carbon dioxide terrain are different. First, they are much larger, up to 20 to 40 meters (60 to125 feet) wide. Second, they are (in most cases) traced out by thin ridges rather than narrow troughs. In rare cases there appears to be a trough where a ridge might be expected, attesting to the complicated patterns that develop in a type of ice that doesn't occur naturally on Earth (meaning, solid carbon dioxide) under conditions that are greatly different from our planet: very cold and very low pressure.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows yardangs in the Aeolis region of Mars. Yardangs are ridges formed by wind erosion. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-443, 5 August 2003Yardangs are ridges formed by wind erosion. The classic, "textbook" examples of yardangs are those that appear to be like the inverted hull of a boat. They most commonly form in sedimentary rock or volcanic ash deposits that contain some proportion of sand-sized grains. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows yardangs in the Aeolis region of Mars. Their tapered ends point toward the upper left, indicating the dominant winds responsible for their erosion came from the lower right. This picture is located near 1.0°N, 214.4°W. It is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
These dark sand dunes are located in an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09064DunesThese dark sand dunes are located in an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -43.3N, Longitude 17.9E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dark markings mar the surface of Mars' northern plains. While many may be the tracks of dust devils, some marks may be narrow fractures. | Context imageDark markings mar the surface of Mars' northern plains. While many may be the tracks of dust devils, some marks may be narrow fractures.Orbit Number: 45536 Latitude: 54.0915 Longitude: 95.0588 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-20 16:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an array of ridges arranged in a somewhat polygonal pattern on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-490, 21 September 2003The lower half of this June 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows an array of ridges arranged in a somewhat polygonal pattern. These ridges are being exhumed from within a blanket of material that covers the region south (toward the bottom) of this image. The origin of the ridges is not known; they might, for example, have started out as cracks and joints in the overlying material that became filled with coarser or cemented material that was left standing as solid ridges when the overlying sediment was eroded away. This picture is located near 11.0°N, 147.8°W, and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes that have formed in a depression in the Nereidum Montes region north of Argyre Planitia. | Context imageWhile many regions of sand dunes on Mars are located on the floors of impact craters, dune fields can form in any region where sand can be trapped. In this case, the sand dunes have formed in a depression in the Nereidum Montes region north of Argyre Planitia.Orbit Number: 92006 Latitude: -43.7748 Longitude: 307.763 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-11 01:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the South Pole. The layers that comprise the polar cap are visible along the sides of the chasma. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the South Pole. Chasma Australe crosses diagonally through the middle of the image. The layers that comprise the polar cap are visible along the sides of the chasma.Orbit Number: 76217 Latitude: -85.2706 Longitude: 96.9588 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-02-18 23:34Please 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. | |
Osuga Valles is a complex set of channels located near Eos Chasma. This image was captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image Osuga Valles is a complex set of channels located near Eos Chasma.Orbit Number: 71243 Latitude: -15.2123 Longitude: 321.617 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-01-05 06:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a complex block of material located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a complex block of material located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. The feature is offset from the center of the circular depression and is approximately the same height of the surrounding surface. It is unlikely to be a peak created during the cratering event. Perhaps the crater is not an impact formed feature and was created by some other process. It is often difficult to interpret the geologic processes that created landforms from data collected far above the surface.Orbit Number: 77292 Latitude: 33.8263 Longitude: 348.721 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-05-18 12:52Please 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 dark sand exposed from beneath retreating frost on Mars' Mountains of Mitchel. | This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image covers an 800 by 300 km (500 by 190 mi) area located deep within the boundary of the seasonal south polar frost cap of Mars. Centered at 70°S, 320°W, this view--taken in early spring when sunlight has just begun to shine on the region for the first time in many months--includes a bright region (diagonal from center-left to lower right) known for nearly two centuries as the "Mountains of Mitchel." This feature was named for Ormsby McKnight Mitchel (1809-1862), an astronomer at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, who discovered it while observing Mars through a telescope in 1846. Mitchel noticed that this area is typically "left behind" as a bright peninsula when the rest of the polarcap recedes past this area later in the spring.Mitchel deduced that this area might be mountainous because it seemed analogous to the snow that is left on Earth's mountain ranges in late spring and into summer. Snow can remain on high peaks because the air temperature decreases with elevation (or altitude). MGS Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) observations of this region show the bright "Mountains of Mitchel" to be a somewhat elevated region of rough, heavily cratered southern highlands. However, the "Mountains of Mitchel" do not appear to be mountains-there are other areas nearby at similar elevation that do not retain frost well into southern spring. Part of the Mountains of Mitchel feature includes a prominent, south-facing scarp (at center-left) that would tend to retain frost longer in the spring because it is somewhat protected from sunlight (which comes from the north). The persistence of frost on the Mountains of Mitchel remains mysterious, but new observations from the MGS MOC are helping to unravel the story. Thus far, it seems that the frost here--for whatever reason--tends to be brighter than frost in most other places within the polar cap. This brighter frost reflects sunlight and thus sublimes more slowly than adjacent, darker frost surfaces.This color picture was compiled from MOC red and blue wide angle images. North is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The surface does not appear to be white--as might be expected for frost--because of dust both on the surface and in the atmosphere, as well dark sand that was being exposed from beneath the retreating frost at the time that the picture was taken. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Melas Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Melas Chasma.Orbit Number: 1601 Latitude: -10.9202 Longitude: 290.598 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-04-25 08:13Please 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. | |
Marathon Valley' on Mars opens northeastward to a view across the floor of Endeavour Crater in this enhanced color scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | "Marathon Valley" on Mars opens northeastward to a view across the floor of Endeavour Crater in this scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. In this version of the scene the landscape is presented in enhanced color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible.The panorama merges multiple Pancam exposures taken during the period April 16 through May 15, 2016, corresponding to sols (Martian days) 4,347 through 4,375 of Opportunity's work on Mars. It spans from north, at the left, to west-southwest, at the right. The high point in the right half of the scene is "Knudsen Ridge," which forms part of the southern edge of Marathon Valley. Portions of the northeastern and eastern rim of Endeavour crater appear on the distant horizon. Endeavour Crater is 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. The fractured texture of Marathon Valley's floor is visible in the foreground.The rover team calls this image the mission's "Sacagawea Panorama," for the Lemhi Shoshone woman, also commemorated on U.S. dollar coins, whose assistance to the Lewis and Clark expedition helped enable its successes in 1804-1806. Many rocks and other features in Marathon Valley were informally named for members of Lewis and Clark's "Corps of Discovery" expedition.Opportunity entered Marathon Valley in July 2015. The valley's informal name was chosen because Opportunity's arrival at this point along the western rim of Endeavour Crater coincided closely with the rover surpassing marathon-footrace distance in its total driving odometry since landing on Mars in January 2004. The team's planned investigations in the valley were nearing completion when the component images for this scene were taken.JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA20750_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software. | |
With the addition of four high-resolution Navigation Camera, or Navcam, images, taken on Aug. 18 (Sol 12), Curiosity's 360-degree landing-site panorama now includes the highest point on Mount Sharp visible from the rover. | With the addition of four high-resolution Navigation Camera, or Navcam, images, taken on Aug. 18 (Sol 12), Curiosity's 360-degree landing-site panorama now includes the highest point on Mount Sharp visible from the rover. Mount Sharp's peak is obscured from the rover's landing site by this highest visible point. The Martian mountain rises 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) above the floor of Gale Crater. Geological deposits near the base of the Mount Sharp are the destination of the Curiosity rover's mission. The pointy rim of Gale Crater can be seen as a lighter strip along the top right of the image. Mount Sharp can be seen along the top left.This full-resolution image shows part of the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover taken from one of the rover's Navigation cameras looking toward the back left of the rover. The image is a cylindrical projection, which shows the horizon as flat.A cylindrical projection is created by computing the azimuth and elevation of each pixel in the original image and remapping it onto a virtual cylinder. Pixels in the same row of this image are at the same elevation, and pixels in the same column of this image are at the same azimuth. Along with the four Navcam images taken on the 18th, each 1,024 by 1,024 pixels, this mosaic includes 26 Navcam images, of equivalent resolution, taken late at night on Aug. 7 PDT (early morning Aug. 8 EDT). Seams between the images have been minimized as much as possible. The previously released, 26-image Navcam mosaic can be seen here: PIA16074.Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL. Curiosity was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
A Field of Secondary Craters | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002281_2115) shows a secondary crater field. Secondary craters form when material ejected from a larger impact event impacts the Martian surface. One impact event, depending on the size of the impactor, can form hundreds of millions of secondary craters at essentially the same time.Primary craters (those created directly from an impactor from space) can be the same size as secondary craters, which makes dating surfaces based on the number of accumulated craters difficult to near-impossible. Secondary craters are distinguished from primaries based on their morphologies. They are sometimes irregularly shaped, as seen in this image, because they form at relatively low velocities. The velocity of the impactor determines a crater's size, shape, and depth, with lower energy impacts forming shallow, less-developed craters and higher energy impacts forming deeper, more regular craters.Secondary craters often occur in clusters, as seen here, as a piece of ejecta breaks up before hitting the surface. Primary craters form at random locations globally. Secondary clusters are more likely to be found in groups because of their formation mechanism.Observation GeometryAcquisition date: 1 January 2007Local Mars time: 3:34 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 31.1 °Degrees longitude (East): 89.7 °Range to target site: 291.1 km (181.9 miles) Original image scale range: 29.1 cm/pixel(with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~87 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 0.2 °Phase angle: 57.1 °Solar incidence angle: 57 °, with the Sun about 33 ° above the horizonSolar longitude: 170.2 °, 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. | |
The dust devil tracks in this image NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in Terra Cimmeria. | Context image for PIA11912Dust Devil TracksThe dust devil tracks in this VIS image are located in Terra Cimmeria.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -66.5N, Longitude 162.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the region where NASA's Mars Polar Lander was set to land on December 3, 1999. Unfortunately, communications with the spacecraft were lost and never regained. | Three years ago (December 3, 1999) Mars Polar Lander (MPL) was set to touchdown on the enigmatic layered terrain located near the South Pole. Unfortunately, communications with the spacecraft were lost and never regained. The Mars Program Independent Assessment Team concluded that this loss was most likely due to premature retrorocket shutdown resulting in the crash of the lander. The image primarily shows what appears to be a ridged surface with some small isolated hills.Historically, exploration has and will continue to be a very hard and risky endeavor and sometimes you lose. But the spirit of exploration and discovery has served mankind well throughout the ages and it has now driven us to the far reaches of space. Therefore, with this in mind the THEMIS Team today is releasing an image of the region where MPL was set to land in memory of this mission and the unquenchable spirit of exploration. It is hoped that in the near future we will once again attempt another landing in the Martian polar regions.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 the northwestern portion of Mars' Gale Crater and terrain north of it, from the ESA's Mars Express orbiter, provides a locator map for some features visible in an October 2017 panorama from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. | This image of the northwestern portion of Mars' Gale Crater and terrain north of it, from the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, provides a locator map for some features visible in an October 2017 panorama from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (PIA22210, Fig. 1).A blue star marks the rover's landing site, on the floor of Gale Crater near the base of Mount Sharp. That layered mountain occupies the middle of the crater. The black line indicates the path of the rover's traverse from its August 2012 landing to about the location on lower Mount Sharp, where the panorama was acquired.North is toward the top. At lower right is a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) scale bar. The base-map image was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Hazcams.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 9 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows lava flows and leveed lava channels on the lower northeast flank of the giant volcano, Olympus Mons. The image is located near 20.9°N, 130.5°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 sand dunes located near Escorial Crater and the north polar cap. The dune field is called Siton Undae. | Context imageThe blue features in this VIS image are sand dunes located near Escorial Crater and the north polar cap. The dune field is called Siton Undae.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: 60479 Latitude: 74.773 Longitude: 289.159 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-02 14:37Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows several meteor impact craters on Solis Planum on Mars. The second-largest crater in this scene is relatively young and fresh, exhibiting arrayed ejecta pattern and numerous boulders near its rim. | 15 January 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows several meteor impact craters on Solis Planum. The second-largest crater in this scene is relatively young and fresh, exhibiting arrayed ejecta pattern and numerous boulders near its raised rim. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. The craters are located near 19.8°S, 85.5°W. | |
The force of moving water from a flood carved these teardrop-shaped islands within Granicus Valles, imaged here by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The orientation of the islands can be used as an indicator of the direction the water flowed. | The force of moving water from a flood carved these teardrop-shaped islands within Granicus Valles. The orientation of the islands can be used as an indicator of the direction the water flowed. In this case, the water flowed primarily towards the upper left of the image. The image also contains many narrow sinuous channels. Geologists can determine that the floods occurred before a later tectonic event in the region. This event caused the crust to fracture into numerous blocks and fissures (grabens). Many fissures can be seen cutting across the former flood pathways.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. | |
Rhythmic patterns of sedimentary layering in Danielson Crater on Mars result from periodic changes in climate related to changes in tilt of the planet in this image was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Rhythmic patterns of sedimentary layering in Danielson Crater on Mars result from periodic changes in climate related to changes in tilt of the planet. This image was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | |
This anaglyph from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows part of Gordi Dorsum in the Medusae Fossae region of Mars, shows part of an area on Mars where narrow rock ridges, some as tall as a 16-story building. | Figure 1Figure 2Click on an individual image for larger viewsThis stereo view shows part of an area on Mars where narrow rock ridges, some as tall as a 16-story building, intersect at angles forming corners of polygons. It appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The area covered in the image is about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) wide, in the Gordii Dorsum portion of the Medusae Fossae region of Mars. This stereo view combines two observations from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Figure 1 is the left-eye image, from HiRISE observation ESP_018548_1910. Figure 2 is the right-eye image, from HiRISE observation ESP_017348_1910. The location is 10.8 degrees north latitude, 212.2 degrees east longitude.North is up. Note the afternoon shadows cast by some of the walls.These ridges likely formed as lava that hardened underground and later resisted erosion better than the surrounding material. From ground level, they would resemble hardened-lava walls on Earth such as in the image at PIA21266. 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. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter and collaborates with JPL to operate it. | |
Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-17 quadrangle, Phoenicis Lacus region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. | Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-17 quadrangle, Phoenicis Lacus region of Mars. Two of the four largest shield volcanoes on Mars are within the northwestern part, the south half of Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons. The eastern part includes Syria and Sinai Plana. Most of the quadrangle forms the Tharsis plateau--the highest plateau on Mars; its elevation, 10 km, is twice that of the Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau on Earth. Also in the northeastern part is Noctis Labyrinthus, a complex system of fault valleys at the west end of Valles Marineris. The south-central part is marked by the large fault system, Claritas Fossae. Latitude range -30 to 0 degrees, longitude range 90 to 135 degrees. | |
The sand dunes in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the floor of Hargraves Crater. | Context imageThe sand dunes in this VIS image are located on the floor of Hargraves Crater.Orbit Number: 47821 Latitude: 21.0125 Longitude: 75.6624 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-09-24 18:15Please 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. | |
Bright Exposures of Chloride Salt on Southern Mars | Annotated figureThis image provides higher-resolution views of a site where another observation (PIA10247) indicates the presence of chloride salt deposits. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took this image on March 30, 2007. The colors resemble natural appearance, but are not true color. The chloride mineral deposit looks bright in tone, like salt pans on Earth. The deposit seems to be emerging as overlying material erodes away. Evidence that this site and about 200 other sites in the southern highlands of Mars bear deposits of chloride salts comes from observations by the Thermal Emission Imaging System on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. The salt deposits typically lie within topographic depressions, as exemplified in this image. They point to places where water was once abundant, then evaporated, leaving the minerals behind.Inset boxes show two areas in greater detail, revealing cracks that formed as the salt deposit dried. Scale bars are 1 kilometer (six-tenths of a mile) and 100 meters (110 yards). The site lies at about 221 degrees east longitude and 38.8 degrees south latitude, within the rugged Terra Sirenum region of Mars. This view, taken during southern-hemisphere spring on Mars, is part of a full HiRISE image at posted at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_003160_1410. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image, part of an images as art series from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Feb 12, 2004 shows dry, dusty craters on Mars giving a view that is surprisingly wet-looking. | Released 12 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.Continuing the aquatic theme, today we go under the sea to view a cluster of bubbles. These dry, dusty craters give a view that is surprisingly wet-looking.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark, windblown sand dunes on the floor of Herschel Crater on Mars. The surfaces of the dunes have grooves eroded into them. This indicates that the sand is not loose, like it is in typical sand. | 27 December 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark, windblown sand dunes on the floor of Herschel Crater. The surfaces of the dunes have grooves eroded into them. This indicates that the sand is not loose, like it is in typical sand dunes on Earth. Instead, the sand is cemented, and wind erosion has been slowly scouring the indurated sands away to create small-scale wind erosion features, known as yardangs. This picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across, and is located near 15.6°S, 229.0°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
These two sets of bar graphs compare the elemental compositions of martian rocks 'Bounce,' located at Meridiani Planum; EETA79001-B, a martian meteorite found in Antarctica; a rock found at the Mars Pathfinder landing site; Shergotty, a martian meteorite. | These two sets of bar graphs compare the elemental compositions of six martian rocks: "Bounce," located at Meridiani Planum; EETA79001-B, a martian meteorite found in Antarctica in 1979; a rock found at the Mars Pathfinder landing site; Shergotty, a martian meteorite that landed in India in 1865; "Adirondack," located at Gusev Crater; and "Humphrey," also located at Gusev Crater. The graph on the left compares magnesium/iron ratios in the rocks, and the graph on the right compares aluminum/calcium ratios. The results illustrate the diversity of rocks on Mars and indicate that Bounce probably shares origins with the martian meterorite EETA79001-B. The Bounce data was taken on sol 68 by the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks in Argyre Planitia. | Context image Today's VIS image shows dust devil tracks in Argyre Planitia. The dark streaks are made by dust devil activity scouring the surface and removing the lighter toned dust to reveal the darker rocky surface below.Orbit Number: 66386 Latitude: -46.532 Longitude: 314.96 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-12-01 02:09Please 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. | |
A towering dust devil casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The scene is a late-spring afternoon in the Amazonis Planitia region of northern Mars. | A towering dust devil casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.The scene is a late-spring afternoon in the Amazonis Planitia region of northern Mars. The view covers an area about four-tenths of a mile (644 meters) across. North is toward the top. The length of the dusty whirlwind's shadow indicates that the dust plume reaches more than half a mile (800 meters) in height. The plume is about 30 yards or meters in diameter. A westerly breeze partway up the height of the dust devil produced a delicate arc in the plume. The image was taken during the time of Martian year when the planet is farthest from the sun. Just as on Earth, winds on Mars are powered by solar heating. Exposure to the sun's rays declines during this season, yet even now, dust devils act relentlessly to clean the surface of freshly deposited dust, a little at a time.This view is one product from an observation made by HiRISE on Feb. 16, 2012, at 35.8 degrees north latitude, 207 degrees east longitude. Other image products from the same observation are at http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_026051_2160 .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. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Claritas Fossae, a graben filled highland located between the lava plains of Daedalia Planum and Solis Planum. | Context imageLocated between the lava plains of Daedalia Planum and Solis Planum, Claritas Fossae is a graben filled highland. Graben are formed by tectonic activity, where extensional forces stretch the surface allowing blocks of material to slide down between paired faults. These linear grabens are termed fossae. This region of Mars had very active tectonism and volcanism, resulting in the huge volcanos like Arsia Mons and deep chasmata of Valles Marineris. Claritas Fossae was formed prior to the large lava flows of the Tharsis region.Orbit Number: 92825 Latitude: -36.7944 Longitude: 262.701 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-11-17 11:37Please 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. | |
On Sol 39 there were wispy blue clouds in the pre-dawn sky of Mars, as seen by NASA's Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The image was made by taking blue, green, and red images, then combining them into a single color image. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | On Sol 39 there were wispy blue clouds in the pre-dawn sky of Mars, as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The color image was made by taking blue, green, and red images and then combining them into a single color image. The clouds appear to have a bluish side and a greenish side because they moved (in the wind from the northeast) between images. This picture was made an hour and twenty minutes before sunrise -- the sun is not shining directly on the water ice clouds, but they are illuminated by the dawn twilight.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). 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 Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to acquire this view looking toward the southwest. The scene includes tilted rocks at the edge of a bench surrounding 'Cape York,' with Burns formation rocks exposed in 'Botany Bay.' | Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger versionNASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to acquire this view looking toward the southwest on the mission's 3,315th Martian day, or sol (May 21, 2013). The scene includes tilted rocks at the edge of a bench surrounding "Cape York," with Burns formation rocks exposed in "Botany Bay." The rover was located at the southwestern portion of Cape York, a segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. Isolated Endeavour rim segments "Sutherland Point" and "Nobbys Head" can be seen in the distance. Opportunity automatically stopped when onboard sensors showed that its tilt reached a maximum allowable value of 20 degrees on the drive across the bench surface, serendipitously providing end-of-drive images of the transition between bench and Botany Bay strata. Bench strata represent the oldest sedimentary rocks deposited on the eroded rim of Endeavour and are overlain by Burns formation rocks. | |
This image taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey of the eastern end of Coprates Chasma contains a landslide deposit and sand dunes. Both features are typical for the chasmata that make up Valles Marineris. | Context imageThis VIS image of the eastern end of Coprates Chasma contains a landslide deposit and sand dunes. Both features are typical for the chasmata that make up Valles Marineris.Orbit Number: 36219 Latitude: -14.3701 Longitude: 306.734 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-02-12 13:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small dune field covering the floor of this unnamed crater on Mars, while gullies are located on the interior of the western rim. | Context image for PIA10853Dunes and GulliesA small dune field covers the floor of this unnamed crater, while gullies are located on the interior of the western rim.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 63.6N, Longitude 291.9E. 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 video and audio show the results of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover using its SuperCam microphone to record the sounds of a Martian dust devil. The dust devil passed directly over Perseverance on Sept. 27, 2021. | Click here for animationAudio onlyThis video and audio show the results of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover using its SuperCam microphone to record the sounds of a Martian dust devil – the first time any such recording has been made. The dust devil passed directly over Perseverance on Sept. 27, 2021, the 215th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.At the same time that SuperCam's microphone recorded the dust devil, Perseverance's weather sensors (measuring wind, pressure, temperature, and dust) and the rover's left navigation camera were on. This allowed scientists to combine sound, image, and atmospheric data. The unique combination of this data, along with atmospheric modeling, allowed the researchers to estimate the dust devil's dimensions: 82 feet (25 meters) wide, at least 387 feet (118 meters) tall, and moving at about 12 mph (19 kph).Capturing a passing dust devil takes some luck. Scientists can't predict when they'll pass by, so rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity routinely monitor in all directions for them. When scientists see them occur more frequently at a certain time of day, or approach from a certain direction, they use that information to focus their monitoring to try to catch a dust devil.The video included here has four rows based on different data sources:The top row is a raw image taken by the left navigation camera's view of the Martian surface. While the camera is capable of color, it takes black-and-white images when searching for dust devils to reduce the amount of data sent back to Earth (since most of the images come back without a dust devil detected).The second row shows the same image processed with change-detection software to indicate where movement occurred over the course of the recording. The color indicates the density of dust, going from blue (lower density) through purple to yellow (highest density).The third row is a graph showing a sudden drop in air pressure recorded by Perseverance's weather sensor suite, called Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, provided by Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) at the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial in Madrid.The fourth row indicates sound amplitude from SuperCam's microphone.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows mid-summer in the northern hemisphere of Mars, a time of enhanced heating that leads to the release of water vapor into the atmosphere. | It is mid-summer in the northern hemisphere of Mars--a time of enhanced heating that leads to the release of water vapor into the atmosphere. In the north polar region, temperature differences between bright areas of year-round ice and dark areas of sand and rock create strong winds that mix the atmosphere and create waves of clouds that swirl around the polar cap. Sometimes, as seen during the Viking mission, these winds form tight cyclones; other times, they weave an intricate pattern reflecting the turbulence of the circulation of the atmosphere.This image is the fourth of five that are part of an animation that shows four days of observations of a representative portion of the northern hemisphere.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows views of Arsia Mons, the southern most of the Tharsis montes on Mars featuring the caldera structure and the flank massive breakout that produced a major side lobe. | Two views of Arsia Mons, the southern most of the Tharsis montes, shown as topography draped over a Viking image mosaic. MOLA topography clearly shows the caldera structure and the flank massive breakout that produced a major side lobe. The vertical exaggeration is 10:1. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia on Mars. Boulders are present on some hill slopes, and plains between the hills are rough and pitted. | It has been known since the discoveries of Mariner 9 in 1972 that water once flowed on Mars and carved a variety of canyons, valleys, and channels. Some of this water appears to have gushed across the landscape in sudden, massive floods. Other valleys appear to be the result of water that flowed underground and sometimes caused the ground to collapse and sediment to be transported away. But one puzzle that has remained for more than 20 years -- did any of these valleys experience sustained flow of liquid water at the martian surface over long periods of time?MOC image 8704 (above) shows a portion of the meandering canyons of the Nanedi Valles system -- one of several valleys that cut through the smooth and cratered plains of the Xanthe Terra region of Mars. The valley is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. The floor of the valley in the upper right corner of the MOC image exhibits a small, 200 m (660 ft) wide channel that is covered by dunes and debris elsewhere on the valley floor. The presence of this channel suggests that the valley might have been carved by water that flowed through this system for an extended period of time. In other words, instead of a massive, catastrophic flood, this valley might have been incised in a manner similar to rivers on Earth. The valley itself would have widened by a variety of processes in addition to the water flowing along the bottom of the channel -- slumps and landslides, wind, and perhaps groundwater flow could have all contributed to these processes.MOC image 8704 was taken on January 8, 1998. The scene covers 9.8 km by 27.9 km (6.1 miles by 17.3 miles). The image is centered on 5.1°N latitude and 48.26°W longitude. (CLICK HERE for a context image). North is approximately up, illumination is from the left. The image dimensions have been corrected from an original aspect ratio of 1.5. This image was also the subject of an earlier MGS MOC release on February 2, 1998.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
The is the first image of Mars captured by one of NASA's Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats showing both the CubeSat's unfolded high-gain antenna at right and Mars just below, acquired by MarCO-B on October 2, 2018. | Annotated ImageUnannotated ImageClick on images for larger versions
One of NASA's twin MarCO spacecraft took this image of Mars on October 2. This is the first time a CubeSat -- a kind of low-cost, briefcase-sized spacecraft -- has done so.The image was taken as a test of exposure settings. The MarCO mission, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, hopes to produce more images as the CubeSats approach Mars ahead of Nov. 26. That's when they'll demonstrate their communications capabilities while NASA's InSight spacecraft attempts to land (InSight won't rely on them, however; NASA's Mars orbiters will be relaying the spacecraft's data back to Earth).A wide-angle camera on top of MarCO-B produced the image of Mars. The camera looks straight up from the deck of the CubeSat. Parts related to the spacecraft's high-gain antenna are visible on either side of the image.Mars appears as a small red dot at the right of the image. In order to take the image, the team had to program the CubeSat to rotate in space so that the deck of its boxy "body" was pointing at Mars. Both CubeSats normally fly with their high-gain antennas above them, like the mast on a ship.This image was taken from a distance of roughly 8 million miles (12.8 million kilometers) from Mars; the MarCOs are "chasing" Mars, which is a moving target as it orbits the Sun. In order to be in place for InSight's landing, the CubeSats have to travel roughly 53 million miles (85 million kilometers). They have already travelled 248 million miles (397 million kilometers).The MarCO and InSight projects are managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. | |
This head-on view shows the tip of the drill bit on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The view merges two exposures taken by the remote micro-imager in the rover's ChemCam instrument at different focus settings. | This head-on view shows the tip of the drill bit on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The view merges two exposures taken by the remote micro-imager in the rover's Chemistry and Camera instrument at different focus settings during the 172nd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Jan. 29, 2012). The merged product shows more of the hardware in focus than would be seen in a single exposure.The scale bar at lower right is 2.3 millimeters (0.09 inch). JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows its robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took and returned this image on January 28, 2004, the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image from the rover's front hazard identification camera shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack. As it had been instructed a week earlier, the Moessbauer spectrometer, an instrument for identifying the minerals in rocks and soils, is still placed against the rock. Engineers are working to restore Spirit to working order so that the rover can resume the scientific exploration of its landing area. | |
This image acquired on December 11, 2018 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a surface texture of interconnected ridges and troughs, referred to as 'brain terrain', found throughout the mid-latitude regions of Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionYou are staring at one of the unsolved mysteries on Mars. This surface texture of interconnected ridges and troughs, referred to as "brain terrain" is found throughout the mid-latitude regions of Mars. (This image is in Protonilus Mensae.) This bizarrely textured terrain may be directly related to the water-ice that lies beneath the surface. One hypothesis is that when the buried water-ice sublimates (changes from a solid to a gas), it forms the troughs in the ice. The formation of these features might be an active process that is slowly occurring since HiRISE has yet to detect significant changes in these terrains. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 29.6 centimeters (11.7 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 59.3 centimeters (23.3 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning).] 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. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree panorama near a location nicknamed Sierra Maigualida on May 22, 2022. The panorama is made up of 133 individual images captured by Curiosity's Mast Camera, or Mastcam. | NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree panorama near a location nicknamed "Sierra Maigualida" on May 22, 2022, the 3,481st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Both the floor of Gale Crater and upper Mount Sharp are seen through a dusty atmospheric haze. Scientists interpret the curving and overlapping layers in the bedrock around the rover as evidence of cross-bedding, which occurs when layers are deposited from windblown sediment. The panorama is made up of 133 individual images captured by Curiosity's Mast Camera, or Mastcam.Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.For more about Curiosity, visit http://mars.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html. | |
This series of images from a navigation camera aboard NASA's Perseverance rover shows a gust of wind sweeping dust across the Martian plain beyond the rover's tracks on June 18, 2021. | Click here for animationThis series of images from a navigation camera aboard NASA's Perseverance rover shows a gust of wind sweeping dust across the Martian plain beyond the rover's tracks on June 18, 2021 (the 117th sol, or Martian day, of the mission). The dust cloud in this GIF was estimated to be about 1.5 square miles (4 square kilometers) in size; it was the first such Martian wind-lifted dust cloud of this scale ever captured in images.This image has been enhanced in order to show maximal detail, with some color distortion.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
Taken Feb. 22, 2021, this image from the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA's Perseverance rover shows a target for analysis by the rover's SuperCam instrument. | Figure 1Figure 2Click on images for larger versionsTaken Feb. 22, 2021, this image from the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA's Perseverance rover shows the first target for analysis by the rover's SuperCam instrument. The target rock is approximately 29 inches (73 centimeters) across its longest axis. On the left side of the image, rocks characterized by holes partially filled with dark sands contrast with the lighter-toned, smoother texture of the rock on the right. The finer-grained Martian soil can also be seen surrounding the rocks, some of which was disturbed by the Mars 2020 mission descent stage engine plumes. The image colors portray an estimate of the natural color of each scene, or approximately what the scene would look like if we viewed it with human eyes.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a circular depression, dubbed 'Laguna Hollow,' most likely formed by a small impact. The rover's tracks are seen in front of the rover. | This front hazard-avoidance image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 45 shows Spirit in its new location after a drive totaling about 20 meters (65.6 feet). The circular depression that Spirit is in, dubbed "Laguna Hollow," was most likely formed by a small impact.Scientists were interested in reaching Laguna Hollow because of the location's abundance of very fine, dust-like soil. The fine material could be atmospheric dust that has settled into the depression, or a salt-based material that causes crusts in the soils and coating on rocks. Either way, scientists hope to be able to characterize the material and broaden their understanding of this foreign world.To help scientists get a better look at the variations in the fine-grained dust at different depths, controllers commanded Spirit to "jiggle" its wheels in the soil before backing away to a distance that allows the area to be reached with the robotic arm. Spirit will likely spend part of sol 46 analyzing this area with the instruments on its robotic arm. | |
This vertical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 100 (April 14, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view after a century of sols on the martian surface. | This vertical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 100 (April 14, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view after a century of sols on the martian surface. | |
The small hill in this image aptured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft of Amazonis Planitia has several dark slope streaks, believed to form when down slope movement of rocks or other debris clear off some of the dust cover. | Context imageThe small hill in this image of Amazonis Planitia has several dark slope streaks. These features are believed to form when down slope movement of rocks or other debris clear off some of the dust cover, revealing the darker rock material.Orbit Number: 52100 Latitude: 13.5496 Longitude: 190.27 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-09-11 21:00Please 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 acquired on May 29, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows (part of) a 6-kilometer crater located on the northern slope of Bond Crater. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis image shows (part of) a 6-kilometer crater located on the northern slope of Bond Crater. Pole-facing gullies have eroded the northern slope of this small crater, located just west of where Uzboi Valles emanates from Bond and continues in a northerly direction.However, Hale Crater to the south has numerous gullies on its slopes and even on its central peak region. Researchers have analyzed both Bond and Hale Craters to try to determine why Bond has no gullies on its slopes, except for a small 7-km crater on the floor in its central area. (Reiss et al., 2009, PSS).The gullies in this observation have eroded into bedrock layers forming tributaries in the upper slope region and distributary channels further downslope on the debris fans. Research attributes these features to fluvial processes. (Gulick et al., 2018, Geol. Soc. London.)The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 26.2 centimeters [10.3 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 78 centimeters [30.7 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_074391_1475.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 portion of Nirgal Vallis and a scalloped tributary channel on Mars. | Context image for PIA11900Nirgal VallisThis VIS image shows a portion of Nirgal Vallis and a scalloped tributary channel.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -27.6N, Longitude 315.2E. 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. | |
This image is part of THEMIS art month, taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey featuring a portion of Mars' landscape looking like a smile beaming down. | 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!Smile! Mars likes you!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 portion of Lycus Sulci. Lycus Sulci is a low lying area of ridges and valleys found to the northwest of Olympus Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Lycus Sulci. Lycus Sulci is a low lying area of ridges and valleys found to the northwest of Olympus Mons. It is not yet understood how this feature formed or how it relates to the formation of Olympus Mons itself.Orbit Number: 93612 Latitude: 32.6141 Longitude: 219.235 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-01-21 08:26Please 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Olympia Undae, a large dune field located near the north polar cap. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a small portion of Olympia Undae, a large dune field located near the north polar cap.Orbit Number: 62480 Latitude: 81.5702 Longitude: 148.303 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-14 09:32Please 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. | |
As the season changes from spring to summer, the dunes surrounding the north polar cap become darker and darker as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageAs the season changes from spring to summer, the dunes surrounding the north polar cap become darker and darker.Orbit Number: 54141 Latitude: 79.7727 Longitude: 198.79 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-26 19:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a channel carved by lava on Mars. This channel is located northeast of Olympus Mons. | Context imageAs with Friday's image, this VIS image shows a channel carved by lava. This channel is located northeast of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 46355 Latitude: 29.2835 Longitude: 231.719 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-27 02:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This crater and surrounding channels are part of Kasei Vallis on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08595Kasei VallisThis crater and surrounding channels are part of Kasei Vallis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 28.0N, Longitude 308.9E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of eastern Ius Chasma. The lower elevations of Geryon Montes are located at the top of the image. | Context image This VIS image shows part of eastern Ius Chasma. The lower elevations of Geryon Montes are located at the top of the image. Between the montes and the southern wall face is a region of sand and sand dunes. The presence of mobile sand indicates that winds are eroding, depositing and changing the canyon floor. The texture of the canyon floor beneath the dunes and elsewhere in the image is an indication of water, in some form, was part of the process creating the surface. There is a tongue of material emerging from the canyon wall that has steep sides, this may be a delta formed by material washing down the valley and into a body of standing water, like a lake. It may also just be a landslide deposit that has undergone extensive weathering. A landslide is a failure of slope due to gravity. They initiate due to several reasons. A lower layer of poorly cemented/resistant material may have been eroded, undermining the wall above which then collapses; earthquake seismic waves can cause the slope to collapse; and even an impact event near the canyon wall can cause collapse. As millions of tons of material fall and slide down slope a scalloped cavity forms at the upper part where the slope failure occurred. At the material speeds downhill it will pick up more of the underlying slope, increasing the volume of material entrained into the landslide. Whereas some landslides spread across the canyon floor forming lobate deposits, very large volume slope failures will completely fill the canyon floor in a large complex region of chaotic blocks.Ius Chasma is at the western end of Valles Marineris, south of Tithonium Chasma. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long, wider than the United States. Ius Chasma is almost 850 kilometers long (528 miles), 120 kilometers wide and over 8 kilometers deep. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 175 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, and only 2 kilometers deep. The canyons of Valles Marineris were formed by extensive fracturing and pulling apart of the crust during the uplift of the vast Tharsis plateau. Landslides have enlarged the canyon walls and created deposits on the canyon floor. Weathering of the surface and influx of dust and sand have modified the canyon floor, both creating and modifying layered materials. There are many features that indicate flowing and standing water played a part in the chasma formation.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 71,000 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: 10701 Latitude: -8.75442 Longitude: 281.333 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-05-13 10:49Please 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 landslide is located in an unnamed crater in Tyrrhena Terra on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09152 LandslideThis landslide is located in an unnamed crater in Tyrrhena Terra.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 0.5N, Longitude 98.3E. 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. | |
Needles of the thermal and conductivity probe on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander were positioned into the bottom of a trench called 'Upper Cupboard.' The probe at the wrist of the robotic arm's scoop is seen after it was raised back out of the trench. | Needles of the thermal and conductivity probe on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander were positioned into the bottom of a trench called "Upper Cupboard" during Sol 86 (Aug. 21, 2008), or 86th Martian day after landing. This image of the conductivity probe after it was raised back out of the trench was taken by Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera. The conductivity probe is at the wrist of the robotic arm's scoop.The probe measures how fast heat and electricity move from one needle to an adjacent one through the soil or air between the needles. Conductivity readings can be indicators about water vapor, water ice and liquid water.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Bonestell Crater located in Acidalia Planitia. | Context imageThis VIS image shows Bonestell Crater located in Acidalia Planitia.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: 61077 Latitude: 41.8282 Longitude: 329.569 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-20 20:17Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The rock 'Stimpy' is seen in this close-up image taken by NASA's Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 70 (September 13). Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | The rock "Stimpy" is seen in this close-up image taken by the Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 70 (September 13). Detailed texture on the rock, such as pits and flutes, are clearly visible.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Cerberus Fossae are a series of discontinuous fissures along dusty plains in the southeastern region of Elysium Planitia as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionA dominant driver of surface processes on Mars today is aeolian (wind) activity. In many cases, sediment from this activity is trapped in low-lying areas, such as craters. Aeolian features in the form of dunes and ripples can occur in many places on Mars depending upon regional wind regimes.The Cerberus Fossae are a series of discontinuous fissures along dusty plains in the southeastern region of Elysium Planitia. This rift zone is thought to be the result of combined volcano-tectonic processes. Dark sediment has accumulated in areas along the floor of these fissures as well as inactive ripple-like aeolian bedforms known as "transverse aeolian ridges" (TAR).Viewed through HiRISE infrared color, the basaltic sand lining the fissures' floor stands out as deep blue against the light-toned dust covering the region. This, along with the linearity of the fissures and the wave-like appearance of the TAR, give the viewer an impression of a river cutting through the Martian plains. However, this river of sand does not appear to be flowing. Analyses of annual monitoring images of this region have not detected aeolian activity in the form of ripple migration thus far.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft covers part of Olympus Rupes, the steep escarpment at the edge of Olympus Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image covers part of Olympus Rupes, the steep escarpment at the edge of Olympus Mons. The left side of the image is the flank of the volcano, the right side is the surrounding volcanic plains. The difference in elevation from the top of the escarpment to the bottom can be as much as 8 kilometers.Orbit Number: 63975 Latitude: 17.3879 Longitude: 231.09 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-05-16 12:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows flows that are part of the southwest flow apron of Arsia Mons. | Context imageArsia Mons is the southermost of the large aligned Tharsis volcanoes. Flows originating at Arsia Mons cover a vast region. The flows in this VIS image are part of the SW flow apron of Arsia Mons. The Tharsis trend runs NE/SW thru the centers of the volcanoes creating regions of greater tectonic and volcanic activities along this trend.Orbit Number: 77895 Latitude: -11.9896 Longitude: 236.892 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-07-07 04:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the northeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons, along the trend that joins the three large Tharsis volcanoes. | Context image This image shows part of the northeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons, along the trend that joins the three large Tharsis volcanoes. The image has a myriad of collapse features from circular to linear outlines. The majority of the collapse features don't interact with the surface lava flows, indicating that the collapse features were formed after the main emplacement of lava flows from the summit and near summit vents.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: 19886 Latitude: 12.7788 Longitude: 257.162 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-06-08 18:15Please 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. | |
With NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE camera and its powerful resolution, other mission teams can request images of potential future landing sites on Mars. | One of the most difficult aspects of space exploration is finding a safe but scientifically compelling place to land. With HiRISE and its powerful resolution, other mission teams can request HiRISE images of potential future landing sites on Mars.That's the case with this observation for NASA's upcoming InSight mission, which needs to find a safe, flat landing area that will also meet their mission goals. This area is considered a finalist landing ellipse for the mission, which will delve deep beneath the surface of Mars to search for insight into the processes of terrestrial planet formation.HiRISE has become an invaluable tool for other Mars missions. We can take hundreds of images of potential landing spots for other science missions, like we did for the successful Phoenix Lander and the rover Curiosity, currently exploring Gale Crater.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is of a sand sheet on Mars in the Ganges Chasma portion of Valles Marineris. Sand seas on Earth are often called ergs, an Arabic name for dune field. In this image, dunes are coalescing into a sand sheet. | Our topic for the weeks of April 4 and April 11 is dunes on Mars. We will look at the north polar sand sea and at isolated dune fields at lower latitudes. Sand seas on Earth are often called "ergs," an Arabic name for dune field. A sand sea differs from a dune field in two ways: 1) a sand sea has a large regional extent, and 2) the individual dunes are large in size and complex in form.Today's sand sheet is located in the Ganges Chasma portion of Valles Marineris. As with yesterday's image, note that the dune forms are seen only at the margin and that the interior of the sand sheet at this resolution appears to completely lack dune forms.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6.4, Longitude 310.7 East (49.3 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the martian north polar cap on March 13, 1999, in early northern summer. The light-toned surfaces are residual water ice that remains through the summer season. | This is a wide angle view of the martian north polar cap as it appeared to the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in early northern summer. The picture was acquired on March 13, 1999, near the start of the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The light-toned surfaces are residual water ice that remains through the summer season. The nearly circular band of dark material surrounding the cap consists mainly of sand dunes formed and shaped by wind. The north polar cap is roughly 1100 kilometers (680 miles) across. |
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