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NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows shallow tributary valleys in the Ismenius Lacus fretted terrain region of Mars. These valleys exhibit a variety of typical fretted terrain valley wall and floor textures, and a lineated, pitted material. | 30 October 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows shallow tributary valleys in the Ismenius Lacus fretted terrain region of northern Arabia Terra. These valleys exhibit a variety of typical fretted terrain valley wall and floor textures, including a lineated, pitted material somewhat reminiscent of the surface of a brain. Origins for these features are still being debated within the Mars science community; there are no clear analogs to these landforms on Earth. This image is located near 39.9°N, 332.1°W. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image on July 2, 1998. Shown here is is the Elysium volcanic region on Mars' red surface. | On July 4, 1998--the first anniversary of the Mars Pathfinder landing--Mars Global Surveyor's latest images were radioed to Earth with little fanfare. The images received on July 4, 1998, however, were very exciting because they included a rare crossing of the summit caldera of a major martian volcano. Elysium Mons is located at 25°N, 213°W, in the martian eastern hemisphere. Elysium Mons is one of three large volcanoes that occur on the Elysium Rise-- the others are Hecates Tholus (northeast of Elysium Mons) and Albor Tholus (southeast of Elysium Mons). The volcano rises about 12.5 kilometers (7.8 miles) above the surrounding plain, or about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) above the martian datum-- the "zero" elevation defined by average martian atmospheric pressure and the planet's radius.Elysium Mons was discovered by Mariner 9 in 1972. It differs in a number of ways from the familiar Olympus Mons and other large volcanoes in the Tharsis region. In particular, there are no obvious lava flows visible on the volcano's flanks. The lack of lava flows was apparent from the Mariner 9 images, but the new MOC high resolution image--obtained at 5.24 meters (17.2 feet) per pixel--illustrates that this is true even when viewed at higher spatial resolution.Elysium Mons has many craters on its surface. Some of these probably formed by meteor impact, but many show no ejecta pattern characteristic of meteor impact. Some of the craters are aligned in linear patterns that are radial to the summit caldera--these most likely formed by collapse as lava was withdrawn from beneath the surface, rather than by meteor impact. Other craters may have formed by explosive volcanism. Evidence for explosive volcanism on Mars has been very difficult to identify from previous Mars spacecraft images. This and other MOC data are being examined closely to better understand the nature and origin of volcanic features on Mars.The three MOC images, 40301 (red wide angle), 40302 (blue wide angle), and 40303 (high resolution, narrow angle) were obtained on Mars Global Surveyor's 403rd orbit around the planet around 9:58 - 10:05 p.m. PDT on July 2, 1998. The images were received and processed at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) around 4:00 p.m. PDT on July 4, 1998.This image: Elysium Volcanic Region as seen by MOC on July 2, 1998. Volcano near top center is Hecates Tholus--note bright clouds off its northeast flank. Volcano near center is Elysium Mons; volcano toward lower right is Albor Tholus. Red channel is MOC red wide angle image 40301, the blue channel is MOC blue wide angle image 40302, and the green channel is synthesized by averaging the red and blue bands. Image is an orthographic projection centered at 24.85°N, 213.25°W. The scale at the center of the projection is 4.65 kilometers (2.9 miles) per pixel. North is up, illumination is from the lower right.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. Located in Xanthe Terra, Shalbatana Vallis is an outflow channel carved by massive floods of escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image. Shalbatana Vallis is over 1300 km long (808 miles). This channel, and all others in this region, drain into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 80787 Latitude: 8.81946 Longitude: 319.078 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-03-01 07:42Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This polar-projection mosaic was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 107 (April 21, 2004) at a region dubbed 'site 32.' Spirit is sitting east of 'Missoula Crater' on the outer plains. | This polar projection was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 107 (April 21, 2004) at a region dubbed "site 32." Spirit is sitting east of "Missoula Crater," no longer in the crater's ejecta field, but on outer plains. Since landing, Spirit has traveled almost exclusively over ejecta fields. This new landscape looks different with fewer angular rocks and more rounded, vesicle-filled rocks. Spirit will continue another 1,900 meters (1.18 miles) along this terrain before reaching the western base of the "Columbia Hills." | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows polar dunes on Mars looking like T-rex, complete with his little arm. | Context imageDo you see what I see? These polar dunes look like T-rex, complete with his little arm.Orbit Number: 40690 Latitude: -68.2367 Longitude: 191.998 Instrument: IR Captured: 2011-02-15 16:46 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This graph shows the relative concentrations of bromine and chlorine at various locations on Earth and Mars. Typically, bromine and chlorine stick together in a fixed ratio, as in martian meteorites and Earth seawater. | This graph shows the relative concentrations of bromine and chlorine at various locations on Earth and Mars. Typically, bromine and chlorine stick together in a fixed ratio, as in martian meteorites and Earth seawater. But sometimes the elements split apart and their relative quantities diverge. This separation is usually caused by evaporation processes, as in the Dead Sea on Earth. On Mars, at Meridiani Planum and Gusev Crater, this split has been observed to an even greater degree than seen on Earth. This puzzling result is currently being further explored by Mars Exploration Rover scientists. Data for the Mars locations were taken by the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. | |
This figure contains an azimuth-elevation projection of the 'Gallery Panorama.' The rover path was reproduced using NASA's IMP camera 'end of day' and 'Rover movie' image sequences and rover vehicle telemetry data as references. | This figure contains an azimuth-elevation projection of the "Gallery Panorama." The original Simple Cylindrical mosaic has been reprojected to the inside of a sphere so that lines of constant azimuth radiate from the center and lines of constant elevation are concentric circles. This projection preserves the resolution of the original panorama. Overlaid onto the projected Martian surface is a delineation of the Sojourner rover traverse path during the 83 Sols (Martian days) of Pathfinder surface operations. The rover path was reproduced using IMP camera "end of day" and "Rover movie" image sequences and rover vehicle telemetry data as references.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark slope streaks formed on dust-mantled mountains of the Lycus Sulci region on Mars, west of the giant volcano, Olympus Mons. | 2 December 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark slope streaks formed on dust-mantled mountains of the Lycus Sulci region, west of the giant volcano, Olympus Mons. Despite their fluid-like appearance, dark slope streaks form in very dry dust.Location near: 18.3°N, 142.4°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a large portion of etched terrain near the south pole of Mars. | Context image for PIA03025Channeled WindsThis low resolution VIS image shows a large portion of etched terrain near the south pole of Mars.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 10S, Longitude 37.2E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Cerberus Fossae. Cerberus Fossae are located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Cerberus Fossae. Cerberus Fossae are located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. The linear features in the image are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northwest to south-southeast. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the east-northeast/west-southwest direction. The Cerberus Fossae graben are sources of both channels and significant volcanic flows. Cerberus Fossae cuts across features such as hills, indicating the relative youth of the tectonic activity. The Cerberus Fossae system is 1235km (767 miles) long.Orbit Number: 94282 Latitude: 9.86336 Longitude: 159.223 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-03-17 11:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows the margin of the south polar cap on Mars . The polar layers are prominently shown against the rocky surroundings as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03636Where the Ice EndsThis image shows the margin of the south polar cap. The polar layers are prominently shown against the rocky surroundings.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 71.7S, Longitude 142.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows signs of layering exposed at the surface in a region of Mars called Terra Meridiani. The brightness levels show daytime surface temperatures. | (Released 29 May 2002)Infrared imaging from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows signs of layering exposed at the surface in a region of Mars called Terra Meridiani. The brightness levels show daytime surface temperatures, which range from about minus 20 degrees to zero degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees to 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Many of the temperature variations are due to slope effects, with sun-facing slopes warmer than shaded slopes. However, several rock layers can be seen to have distinctly different temperatures, indicating that physical properties vary from layer to layer. These differences suggest that the environment on this part of Mars varied through time as these layers were formed. The image is a mosaic combining four exposures taken by the thermal emission imaging system aboard Odyssey during the first two months of the Odyssey mapping mission, which began in February 2002. The area shown is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) across, at approximately 358 degrees east (2 degrees west) longitude and 3 degrees north latitude. | |
First HiRISE Image of Mars | The first image of Mars by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a story of geologic change in the eastern Bosporos Planum region. Old stream valleys cut into the flanks of a gently sloping mountain range in the center of the image. Layers of smooth-textured deposits have mantled the stream valleys and many impact craters. Wind and sublimation of water or carbon dioxide ice have partially eroded patches of the smooth-textured deposits, leaving behind areas of layered and hummocky terrain. A prominent ridge that extends from the top to the bottom of the image dominates the scene. This ridge formed above a thrust fault, a type of fault that occurs when the surface of a planet is compressed. On planetary surfaces, such fault-related ridges are termed "wrinkle ridges." They are commonly observed on Mars, as well as on Earth's moon and on Venus and Mercury. The wrinkle ridge imaged here is named Ogygis Rupes. This wrinkle ridge has deformed several valleys and impact craters. Throughout the scene, geologically young sand dunes are present within stream valleys and some impact craters. The area is also sprinkled with many small young impact craters, which are distinguished by sharp crater rims and bright or dark halos of ejected material. This image demonstrates how a single HiRISE image can capture a multitude of geologic processes.This view results from further processing of an image released quickly after the data was received from the camera. See PIA08014. It was taken by HiRISE on March 24, 2006. The image is centered at 33.65 degrees south latitude, 305.07 degrees east longitude. It is oriented such that north is 7 degrees to the left of up. The range to the target was 2,493 kilometers (1,549 miles). At this distance the image scale is 2.49 meters (8.17 feet) per pixel, so objects as small as 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) are resolved. In total this image is 49.92 kilometers (31.02 miles) or 20,081 pixels wide and 23.66 kilometers (14.70 miles) or 9,523 pixels long. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 07:33 and the scene is illuminated from the upper right with a solar incidence angle of 78 degrees, thus the sun was 12 degrees above the horizon. At an Ls of 29 degrees (with Ls an indicator of Mars' position in its orbit around the sun), the season on Mars is southern autumn.Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov.JPL, 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 is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a portion of the northeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of the northeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons.Orbit Number: 37006 Latitude: 12.6747 Longitude: 258.112 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-04-18 10:07Please 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 somewhat cloudy image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a stunning example of layered deposits in Terby crater, just north of the Hellas impact basin. | This somewhat cloudy THEMIS visible image shows a stunning example of layered deposits in Terby crater, just north of the Hellas impact basin. Some researchers argue that layered terrain in craters were deposited by water. However, in some places, layered deposits will extend for up to a kilometer above the crater rim, leading others to conclude that they must be volcanic airfall deposits.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -27.3, Longitude 74.3 East (285.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow — or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km – more than four times the size of Texas.A rampart crater is located at the bottom of the image. Rampart craters are characterized by overlapping lobes with a raised edge at the margin of each part of the ejecta. Scientists believe this type of flow characterization forms when an impacting object readily melts ice in the subsurface. The presence of liquid water in the ejected material allows it to flow along the surface giving a fluidized appearance.Orbit Number: 91497 Latitude: -17.3243 Longitude: 228.184 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-07-31 03:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a vertical gravity map of Mars color-coded in mgals based on radio tracking. Note correlations and lack of correlations with the global topography. | Vertical gravity map of Mars color-coded in mgals based on radio tracking. Note correlations and lack of correlations with the global topography. | |
North Polar Permanent Cap Crater | Click on image for larger versionIn this HiRISE image, the north polar permanent ice cap covers polar layered deposits and is one of the youngest formations on Mars. Despite being nearly a million square kilometers in area (about twice the size of California) there are very few impact craters known to exist on its surface. This image shows what is currently the largest known of these craters, about 80 meters (262 feet) across. The crater is heavily degraded and has almost been completely erased. Planetary surfaces accumulate craters over time and scientists use the abundance of craters of different sizes to estimate the age of the surface. The lack of craters on the permanent ice cap indicates that it is being resurfaced very quickly. This resurfacing may be due to either deposition or removal of ice. Surrounding and overprinted on the crater is the usual scalloped texture of the ice cap. These ice pits may be currently forming due to ablation (evaporation and wind erosion). Image PSP_001406_2680 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 14, 2006. The complete image is centered at 88.0 degrees latitude, 135.0 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 318.5 km (199.0 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~96 cm across are resolved. The image shown here [below] has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 10:43 AM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 71 degrees, thus the sun was about 19 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 135.1 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. | |
These dunes are located on the floor of Bunge Crater on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08103DunesThese dunes are located on the floor of Bunge Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -33.4N, Longitude 311.2E. 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 Global Surveyor shows light-toned sedimentary rock outcrops and large dark-toned, windblown ripples in Aram Chaos on Mars. | 26 February 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned sedimentary rock outcrops and large dark-toned, windblown ripples in Aram Chaos.Location near: 3.0°N, 20.9°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Summer | |
This image shows NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander hanging from its parachute as it descended to the Martian surface. | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera acquired this image of Phoenix hanging from its parachute as it descended to the Martian surface. Shown here is a 10 kilometer (6 mile) diameter crater informally called "Heimdall," and an improved full-resolution image of the parachute and lander. Although it appears that Phoenix is descending into the crater, it is actually about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) in front of the crater. 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 a small portion of Olympia Undae. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of Olympia Undae. Olympia Undae is a large dune field that dominates the plains along part of the north polar cap. This dune field surrounds 1/3 of the north polar cap and is the largest of several dune fields that encircle the pole. This VIS image was collected during summer. It is during this season that winds are able to move sand sized particles, slowly modifying the dunes.Orbit Number: 80435 Latitude: 80.777 Longitude: 225.9 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-02-01 08:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the complex caldera at the summit of Ascraeus Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the complex caldera at the summit of Ascraeus Mons. Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost and tallest of the three large aligned Tharsis volcanoes. Calderas are found at the tops of volcanoes and are the source region for magma that rises from an underground lava source to erupt at the surface. Volcanoes are formed by repeated flows from the central caldera. The final eruptions can pool within the summit caldera, leaving a flat surface as they cool. Calderas are also a location of collapse, creating rings of tectonic faults that form the caldera rim. Ascraeus Mons has several caldera features at its summit. Ascraeus Mons is 18 km (11 miles) tall, for comparison Mauna Kea — the tallest volcano on Earth — is 10 km tall (6.2 miles, measured from the base below sea level).Orbit Number: 79142 Latitude: 11.5042 Longitude: 256.023 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-17 20:56Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view of the calibration target for the MAHLI camera aboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images taken by that camera during Sept. 9, 2012. Part of Curiosity's left-front and center wheels and a patch of Martian ground are also visible. | This view of the calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images taken by that camera during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). Part of Curiosity's left-front and center wheels and a patch of Martian ground are also visible. The camera is in the turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. Its calibration target is on the rover body near the base of the arm. The Sol 34 imaging by MAHLI was part of a week-long set of activities for characterizing the movement of the arm in Mars conditions. MAHLI has adjustable focus. The camera took two images with the same pointing: one with the calibration target in focus and one with the wheel and Martian ground in focus. The view here combines in-focus portions from these shots.The calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument includes color references, a metric bar graphic, a 1909 VDB Lincoln penny, and a stair-step pattern for depth calibration. The penny is a nod to geologists' tradition of placing a coin or other object of known scale as a size reference in close-up photographs of rocks, and it gives the public a familiar object for perceiving size easily when it will be viewed by MAHLI on Mars.The new MAHLI images show that the calibration target has a coating of Martian dust on it. This is unsurprising -- the target was facing directly toward the plume of dust stirred up by the sky crane's descent engines during the final phase of the 6 August 2012 landing.The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity, providing versatility for other uses. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the southern rim of Melas Chasma with numerous small landslides. Large sand dunes are visible on the floor of Melas Chasma. | Context image for PIA09166Melas ChasmaThis image of the southern rim of Melas Chasma shows numerous small landslides. Large sand dunes are visible on the floor of Melas Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -13.4N, Longitude 288.4E. 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. | |
A rock fragment dubbed 'Lamoose' is shown in this picture taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. Like other nearby rocks in a portion of the 'Marias Pass' area of Mt. Sharp, Mars, it has unusually high concentrations of silica. | A rock fragment dubbed "Lamoose" is shown in this picture taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Curiosity rover. Like other nearby rocks in a portion of the "Marias Pass" area of Mt. Sharp, Mars, it has unusually high concentrations of silica. The high silica was first detected in the area by the Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) laser spectrometer. This rock was targeted for follow-up study by the MAHLI and the arm-mounted Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).Silica is a rock-forming compound containing silicon and oxygen, commonly found on Earth as quartz. High levels of silica could indicate ideal conditions for preserving ancient organic material, if present, so the science team wants to take a closer look. The rock is about 4 inches (10 centimeters) across. It is fine-grained, perhaps finely layered, and etched by the wind. The image was taken on the 1,041st Martian day, or sol, of the mission (July 11, 2015). 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/. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this low-light raw image during the late afternoon of the rover's 2,847th Martian sol (Jan. 27, 2012). The rover is positioned for the Mars winter at 'Greeley Haven'. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to capture this low-light raw image during the late afternoon of the rover's 2,847th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars (Jan. 27, 2012). The rover is positioned for the Mars winter at "Greeley Haven," an outcrop located on the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater. This site provides an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt for favorable solar energy production. Plans for research continuing through the winter months at Greeley Haven include a radio-science investigation of the interior of Mars, inspections of mineral compositions and textures on the outcrop, and assembly of a full-circle, color panorama of the surroundings. | |
The central portion of this image is dominated by a sharp-rimmed crater that is roughly 5 kilometers in diameter. On its slopes, gullies show young (geologically recent) headward erosion, which is the lengthening of the gully in the upslope direction. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe central portion of this image is dominated by a sharp-rimmed crater that is roughly 5 kilometers in diameter. On its slopes, gullies show young (i.e., geologically recent) headward erosion, which is the lengthening of the gully in the upslope direction.This crater is also remarkable for another reason. This image is part of a stereo pair, and the anaglyph of these images shows that the bottom of the crater contains a small mound. This mound hints at a possible complex crater, with the mound being a central uplift. Complex craters as small as this one are uncommon and such examples may provide clues to the lithology of the rocks underground and possibly to the impact process itself.This is a stereo pair with ESP_025716_2200.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 shows part of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context image This VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Large gullies dissect the crater rim and dunes are located on the crater floor.Orbit Number: 66826 Latitude: -49.1576 Longitude: 33.7976 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-01-06 08:37Please 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 | Storm clouds have been brewing over the north polar cap of Mars since the last week of June 1999. During the month of July, summer was ending; autumn began at the start of August. The wide angle cameras of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) have been documenting the changing weather patterns of the red planet nearly every day since the Mapping Phase of the mission began in March 1999. These images are showing many more details about martian weather than had been previously recorded. Mars is a dynamic planet, with weather systems as complex and exciting as the Earth's.The four still-frame images (above) show the evolution of a storm system that developed over the martian north polar region on June 30, 1999. Each picture was taken approximately 2 hours later than the previous. The north polar ice cap is the white feature at the center of each frame. Clouds that appear white consist mainly of water ice, clouds that appear orange/brown contain dust.This particular storm system lasted well into the next day--July 1, 1999. A total of 23 red and 23 blue camera images were used to create a time-lapsed "movie" that displays the development and evolution of this storm over the two-day period. Of great interest are the "curling" of the clouds behind the largest of the storms--this indicates a flow vortex that follows the storm front that is moving toward the top/upper right of the frame--and the correlation of white water-ice clouds with orange/brown dust clouds. High surface winds must have raised dust and mixed it with water vapor in the air over the summer-time polar cap to create this effect. To view the "movie," click or download to your desktop the following 2.2 MByte MPG file.Storms similar to those shown here were observed to continue throughout the month of July and into August. Over the next several months, the north polar cap will grow dark as the region transitions through autumn and into winter. When northern winter begins in December 1999, this region will be dark and obscured by clouds.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This vertical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 101 (April 15, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view just before a stopping-point dubbed 'Missoula Crater.' | This vertical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 101 (April 15, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view just before a stopping-point dubbed "Missoula Crater." The rover is on its way to the "Columbia Hills." | |
This anaglyph from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, shows that Eberswalde Delta contains river meanders, which indicate that flowing water was present for an extended period of time. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Figure 1Click on image for larger versionEberswalde Delta contains river meanders, which indicate that flowing water was present for an extended period of time, not just the weeks required to explain the catastrophic flood channels. Shown here are two red-blue color anaglyphs in which you can view the topography with red-blue glasses (blue filter over your right eye). This anaglyphs shows a relatively large area but with 3x reduction of spatial scale (75 cm/pixel), and figure 1 is a sample at full resolution (25 cm/pixel).The former river channels are high rather than low, which is called inverted relief. Coarse gravel was deposited in the stream channel, which later proved more resistant to erosion than the materials outside the channel, creating this inverted relief. Meanders are formed when a river channel gradually erodes the outer banks, increasing the curvature of the channel. Eventually the river decides to take a short cut, cutting off a meander, as shown here. This produces what are called oxbow lakes.(We previously released image PSP_1334_1560, including color, but acquired a later image (PSP_1534_1560) over this same area but from a different viewing angle to provide stereo coverage.)Observation GeometryImage PSP_001534_1560 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on 23-Nov-2006. The complete image is centered at -23.8 degrees latitude, 326.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 267.8 km (167.3 miles). At this distance the image scale is 26.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~80 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 03:42 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 67 degrees, thus the sun was about 23 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 139.9 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image was acquired shortly after Opportunity arrived to investigate the site where its heat shield hit the ground south of 'Endurance Crater.' The main heat shield piece reveals its metallic insulation layer, glinting in the sunlight. | Click on the image for Impressive Impact (QTVR)This stunning image features the heat shield impact site of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. This is an approximately true-color mosaic of panoramic camera images taken through the camera's 750-, 530-, and 430-nanometer filters.The mosaic was acquired on Opportunity's sol 330 (Dec. 28, 2004), shortly after Opportunity arrived to investigate the site where its heat shield hit the ground south of "Endurance Crater" on Jan. 24, 2004. On the left, the main heat shield piece is inverted and reveals its metallic insulation layer, glinting in the sunlight. The main piece stands about 1 meter tall (about 3.3 feet) and about 13 meters (about 43 feet) from the rover.The other large, flat piece of debris near the center of the image is about 14 meters (about 46 feet) away. The circular feature on the right side of the image is the crater made by the heat shield's impact. It is about 2.8 meters (9.2 feet) in diameter but only about 5 to 10 centimeters (about 2 to 4 inches) deep. The crater is about 6 meters (about 20 feet) from Opportunity in this view. Smaller fragments and debris can be seen all around the impact site.The impact excavated a large amount of reddish subsurface material. Darker materials cover part of the crater's flat floor and have formed a streak or jet of material pointing toward the two largest heat shield fragments. | |
The rugged, arcuate rim of the 90 km crater Reuyl dominates this NASA Mars Odyssey image. Reuyl crater is at the southern edge of a region known to be blanketed in thick dust based on its high albedo (brightness) and low thermal inertia values. | (Released 13 May 2002)The ScienceThe rugged, arcuate rim of the 90 km crater Reuyl dominates this THEMIS image. Reuyl crater is at the southern edge of a region known to be blanketed in thick dust based on its high albedo (brightness) and low thermal inertia values. This thick mantle of dust creates the appearance of snow covered mountains in the image. Like snow accumulation on Earth, Martian dust can become so thick that it eventually slides down the face of steep slopes, creating runaway avalanches of dust. In the center of this image about 1/3 of the way down is evidence of this phenomenon. A few dozen dark streaks can be seen on the bright, sunlit slopes of the crater rim. The narrow streaks extend downslope following the local topography in a manner very similar to snow avalanches on Earth. But unlike their terrestrial counterparts, no accumulation occurs at the bottom. The dust particles are so small that they are easily launched into the thin atmosphere where they remain suspended and ultimately blow away. The apparent darkness of the avalanche scars is due to the presence of relatively dark underlying material that becomes exposed following the passage of the avalanche. Over time, new dust deposition occurs, brightening the scars until they fade into the background. Although dark slope streaks had been observed in Viking mission images, a clear understanding of this dynamic phenomenon wasn't possible until the much higher resolution images from the Mars Global Surveyor MOC camera revealed the details. MOC images also showed that new avalanches have occurred during the time MGS has been in orbit. THEMIS images will allow additional mapping of their distribution and frequency, contributing new insights about Martian dust avalanches.The StoryThe stiff peaks in this image might remind you of the Alps here on Earth, but they really outline the choppy edge of a large Martian crater over 50 miles wide (seen in the context image at right). While these aren't the Alps, you will find quite a few avalanches. Avalanches of dust, however, not snow. Martian dust can become so thick in this area that it eventually slides down the steep slopes, creating runaway avalanches of dust.No dedicated, Swiss-like avalanche rescue teams would be needed much on Mars, however. Unlike snow, the dust doesn't pile up and accumulate at the bottom. Instead, dust particles are so small that they get launched into the atmosphere where they remain suspended until . . . poof! They are blown away and distributed lightly elsewhere.For evidence of past avalanches, check out the dark streaks running down the bright, sunlit slopes (western side of the peaks about 1/3 of the way down the image). These avalanche scars are dark because the underlying surface is not as bright as the removed dust. Eventually, new dust will settle over these scars, and the streaks will brighten until they fade into the background.The neat thing is that we'll be able to see all of these changes happening over time. Our current two Mars orbiters (called Mars Global Surveyor and 2001 Mars Odyssey) are showing that avalanche action is happening right now, all of the time on Mars. For example, the camera on Mars Global Surveyor has already taken pictures of the Martian surface in some areas that showed no avalanches - the first time the picture was snapped, that is. The next time around, the camera took a picture of the same area, only voila! New streaks, meaning new avalanches!That's why it can be so exciting to look at the Martian landscape over time to see how it changes. The THEMIS camera on Odyssey will continue to map out the places where the avalanches occur and how often. This information will really help scientists understand how dust is works to shape the terrain and to influence the Martian climate as it constantly swings into the atmosphere, falls down to the ground, and rises back up again.Stay tuned to see if you too can pick out the changes over time! | |
A polygonal pattern in the ground in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis, near NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, similar in appearance to icy ground in the arctic regions of Earth. | This image shows a polygonal pattern in the ground near NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, similar in appearance to icy ground in the arctic regions of Earth. Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 p.m. Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude. This is an approximate-color image taken shortly after landing by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter.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 part of the northern rim of Huygens Crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the northern rim of Huygens Crater (bright feature in center of image). Huygens Crater is 467 km (290 miles) in diameter and is located in Terra Sabaea.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 86000 Latitude: -11.048 Longitude: 52.8798 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-05-04 13:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered, sedimentary rock exposures in the Sinus Meridiani region. | 20 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered, sedimentary rock exposures in the Sinus Meridiani region.Location near: 4.8°N, 1.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
The image on Mars was taken by a camera aboard NASA's Sojourner rover on July 8, 1997. Portions of the rover's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument are visible studying Barnacle Bill. | The image was taken by a camera aboard the Sojourner rover on Sol 4. Portions of the rover's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument are visible studying Barnacle Bill.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 6, 2004 shows late stage volcanic flows coming down the side of Olympus Mons and flowing over the cliff-like margin of the volcano. | Released 6 April 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.This images was collected Aug. 14, 2003 during northern fall. The top of this image shows late stage volcanic flows coming down the side of Olympus Mons and flowing over the cliff-like margin of the volcano.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 13.9, Longitude 228.5 East (131.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Melas Chasma is part of the largest canyon system on Mars, Valles Marineris. This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft covers part of the floor of the canyon. | Context image Melas Chasma is part of the largest canyon system on Mars, Valles Marineris. At only 563 km long (349 miles) it is not the longest canyon, but it is the widest. Located in the center of Valles Marineris, it has depths up to 9 km below the surrounding plains, and is the location of many large landslide deposits, as will as layered materials and sand dunes. There is evidence of both water and wind action as modes of formation for many of the interior deposits. Today's image covers part of the floor of the canyon. At the top of the image is one of the many hills found on the floor in this region. The linear grooved surface is part of a landslide deposit. Melas Chasma has many large landslide regions. Landslide deposits often have grooved surfaces with the grooves parallel to the direction of movement as the slide occurred. The ends of the landslide typically have a lobate edge, and will flow around large preexisting landforms.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: 19112 Latitude: -11.1675 Longitude: 289.748 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-04-05 23:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
On Earth, these wind-derived features are called 'blowouts,' where the force of the wind has carved out a crescent-shaped depression in soft, uncemented material like glacial loess. This image is from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageOn Earth, these wind-derived features are called 'blowouts,' where the force of the wind has carved out a crescent-shaped depression in soft, uncemented material like glacial loess. The features on Mars are much larger than the ones on Earth.Orbit Number: 40403 Latitude: -0.932672 Longitude: 204.318 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-01-23 01:15Please 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. | |
The bit in the rotary-percussion drill of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity left its mark in a target patch of rock called 'John Klein' during a test on Feb. 2, 2013, in preparation for the first drilling of a rock by the rover. | The bit in the rotary-percussion drill of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity left its mark in a target patch of rock called "John Klein" during a test on the rover's 176th Martian day, or sol (Feb. 2, 2013), in preparation for the first drilling of a rock by the rover.The Sol 176 test, called the "drill on rock checkout," used only the hammering or percussive action of the drill, not rotary action.This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the rover's arm was taken with the camera positioned about 4 inches (10 centimeters) off the ground. It shows an area of John Klein about 3 inches (7.7 centimeters) wide. The length of the gray divot cut by the drill bit is about two-thirds of an inch (1.7 centimeters).Another preparatory test, called "mini drill," will precede the full drilling. The mini drill test will use both the rotary and percussive actions of the drill to generate a ring of rock powder around a hole. This will allow evaluating the appearance of these drill tailings, to see if they are behaving as dry powder suitable for processing by the rover's sample handling mechanisms.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI and the MAHLI engineering model. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Curiosity and the mission's Vehicle System Test Bed rover were designed and built at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This diagram illustrates how the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover detects hydrogen in the ground beneath the rover. | This diagram and the one at PIA16916 illustrate how the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover detects hydrogen in the ground beneath the rover. Detected hydrogen is interpreted as hydroxyl groups or water molecules, such as those bound into the structure of hydrated minerals. DAN shoots neutrons into the ground and measures the timing and energy levels of neutrons reflected back up. This diagram depicts the case of a neutron that collides with hydrogen atoms before it reaches DAN's detector. Collisions with hydrogen nuclei -- of similar mass to the neutron itself, like two billiard balls -- result in a change in energy level and a change in the time interval between when the neutron is emitted by DAN's neutron generator and when it reaches DAN's detector, compared with neutrons that do not collide with hydrogen, as in the companion diagram. Russia's Space Research Institute, in Moscow, developed the DAN instrument in close cooperation with the N.L. Dukhov All-Russia Research Institute, Moscow, and the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image, prepared by Pathfinder scientists at NASA/ Ames Research Center, is a view of the landing site from above. Seen in the lower right is Mermaid dune, with its long axis oriented northwest-southeast and its steeper side. | This image, prepared by Pathfinder scientists at NASA/ Ames Research Center, is a view of the landing site from above. Seen in the lower right is Mermaid dune, with its long axis oriented northwest-southeast and its steeper side, the presumed slipface, toward the southwest. Dunes like Mermaid, the depositional tails and erosional moats associated with rocks in the area, and the fluted and polished surfaces on several boulders at the landing site all indicate an effective wind that blows from the northeast to the southwest.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows on Mars from Arsia Mons illustrating the very rough surface texture of young flows, overlapping nature of lava flows, and margins of overlapping flows trapping windblown sand and dust. | Last week we looked at Arsia Mons lava flows in the nighttime IR. Today's image looks at the same flows at visible wavelengths. This image illustrates the very rough surface texture of young flows, the overlapping nature of lava flows, and how the margins of overlapping flows trap windblown sand and dust. Note the subdued texture of the flow at the top of the image; not only does this flow contain more dust than the younger flow, but it also contains more impact craters.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -2.4, Longitude 221.8 East (138.2 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 Curiosity Mars rover has made measurements indicating that the Cumberland rock target the rover drilled in May 2013 has been exposed at the surface for about 80 million years. | This set of drawings depicts cross sections of the "Yellowknife Bay" area of Mars' Gale Crater at three points in time going back more than 80 million years (>80 Ma). NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has made measurements indicating that the Cumberland rock target the rover drilled in May 2013 has been exposed at the surface for about 80 million years. Further ago than that, the drill site was covered with about 10 feet (3 meters) of rock, as depicted in the top panel. At about 80 million years (middle panel), Cumberland was exposed as the scarp retreated due to abrasion by windblown sand. The sideways erosion, or retreat, occurred at an average rate of about 3 feet (1 meter) per million years. This pattern suggests that the material with the youngest surface-exposure age and lowest cosmic-ray dose is at the base of the downwind scarp. Understanding the pattern gives the rover team insight for selecting future targets for drilling to investigate whether organic chemicals have been preserved in rocks.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the southeastern flank of Pavonis Mons. Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. | Context image This image shows part of the eastern flank of Pavonis Mons. Surface lava flows run down hill from the upper left of the image towards the bottom right. Perpendicular to that trend are several linear features. These are faults that encircle the volcano and also run along the linear trend through the three Tharsis volcanoes. This image shows a collapsed lava tube where a flow followed the trend of a graben and then "turned" to flow down hill. Graben are linear features, so lava flows in them are linear. Where the lava flow is running along the surface of the volcano it has sinuosity just like a river. The mode of formation of a lava tube starts with a surface lava flow. The sides and top of the flow cool faster than the center, eventually forming a solid, non-flowing cover of the still flowing lava. The surface flow may have followed the deeper fault block graben (a lower surface than the surroundings). Once the flow stops there remains the empty space lower than the surroundings, and collapse of the top of the tube starts in small pits which coalesce in the linear features.Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. The four Tharsis volcanoes are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mars. All four are shield type volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. The Hawaiian islands on Earth are shield volcanoes. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the four volcanoes, rising 14km above the mean Mars surface level with a width of 375km. It has a complex summit caldera, with the smallest caldera deeper than the larger caldera. Like most shield volcanoes the surface has a low profile. In the case of Pavonis Mons the average slope is only 4 degrees.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 32751 Latitude: 0.338236 Longitude: 248.74 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2009-05-03 01:57Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove about 12 feet (3.67 meters) on May 8, 2012, after spending 19 weeks working on the north slope of an outcrop called Greeley Haven while solar power was too low for driving during the Martian winter. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove about 12 feet (3.67 meters) on May 8, 2012, after spending 19 weeks working in one place while solar power was too low for driving during the Martian winter. The winter worksite was on the north slope of an outcrop called Greeley Haven. The rover used its rear hazard-avoidance camera after nearly completing the May 8 drive, capturing this view looking back at the Greeley Haven. The dark shape in the foreground is the shadow of Opportunity's solar array. The view is toward the southeast.Since landing in the Meridiani region of Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, Universal Time and EST (Jan. 24, PST), Opportunity has driven 21.4 miles (34.4 kilometers). Opportunity and its rover twin, Spirit, completed their three-month prime missions on Mars in April 2004. Both rovers continued for years of bonus, extended missions. Both have made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life. Spirit stopped communicating in 2010.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The Alba Patera region of Mars; north toward top. This scene shows a central circular depression surrounded by splays of fractures, named Alba Fossae and Tantalus Fossae, as seen by NASA's Viking spacecraft. | A color image of the Alba Patera region of Mars; north toward top. The scene shows a central circular depression surrounded by splays of fractures, named Alba Fossae (west of Alba Patera) and Tantalus Fossae (east of Alba Patera). A patera (Latin for shallow dish or saucer) is a volcano of broad areal extent with little vertical relief; a fossa is a linear depression.This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 30 degrees N. to 50 degrees N. and from longitude 95 degrees to 125 degrees; Lambert projection.Alba Patera has a 100-km-diameter caldera at its center surrounded by a fracture ring. In total, the approximately 1,200- km-diameter Alba Patera far exceeds any other known volcano in areal extent; it covers eight times the area of Olympus Mons (the highest volcano in the Solar System) but reaches only about 6 km in height. The patera lies directly north of the Tharsis bulge, which encompasses the most intensely and most recently active volcanic region of the planet. The fossae of the Alba area are fault-bound graben that can be traced south through the Tharsis bulge and therefore likely formed by upwarping of the Tharsis bulge as well as the coeval upwelling of Alba Pateria magma. | |
Ancient Lava Plain in Thaumasia Planum | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002432_1525) samples part of an ancient lava plain in Thaumasia Planum. The stack of lava flows has been folded into ridges the size of a chain of hills, as can be seen in the center of the image.The lava and the ridge has been degraded by erosion. The numerous craters and dunes attest to two of the erosional processes-meteorite impacts and the wind.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007Local Mars time: 3:47 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -27.4°Degrees longitude (East): 294.8°Range to target site: 252.7 km (157.9 miles)Original image scale range: 25.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 0.3°Phase angle: 61.7°Solar incidence angle: 62°, with the Sun about 28° above the horizonSolar longitude: 176.7°, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Eos Chasma which contains a feature type on Mars called a Mensa, from the Latin word for 'table.' A Mensa is a flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges. | The topic for the Image of the Day for the weeks of March 7-18 will be mountains on Mars.This image is located in Eos Chasma and contains a a feature type called a Mensa, from the Latin word for 'table.' A Mensa is a flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges.A good diagram showing the structural difference between simple and complex craters is here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/science/craterstructure.htmlImage information: VIS instrument. Latitude 0.4, Longitude 324.5 East (35.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image of the rock target named 'Mazatzal' on March 22, 2004. It is a close-up look at the rock face and the targets that were brushed and ground by the rock abrasion tool in upcoming sols. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image of the rock target named "Mazatzal" on sol 77 (March 22, 2004). It is a close-up look at the rock face and the targets that will be brushed and ground by the rock abrasion tool in upcoming sols.Mazatzal, like most rocks on Earth and Mars, has layers of material near its surface that provide clues about the history of the rock. Scientists believe that the top layer of Mazatzal is actually a coating of dust and possibly even salts. Under this light coating may be a more solid portion of the rock that has been chemically altered by weathering. Past this layer is the unaltered rock, which may give scientists the best information about how Mazatzal was formed.Because each layer reveals information about the formation and subsequent history of Mazatzal, it is important that scientists get a look at each of them. For this reason, they have developed a multi-part strategy to use the rock abrasion tool to systematically peel back Mazatzal's layers and analyze what's underneath with the rover's microscopic imager, and its Moessbauer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometers.The strategy began on sol 77 when scientists used the microscopic imager to get a closer look at targets on Mazatzal named "New York,\" "Illinois" and "Arizona." These rock areas were targeted because they posed the best opportunity for successfully using the rock abrasion tool; Arizona also allowed for a close-up look at a range of tones. On sol 78, Spirit's rock abrasion tool will do a light brushing on the Illinois target to preserve some of the surface layers. Then, a brushing of the New York target should remove the top coating of any dust and salts and perhaps reveal the chemically altered rock underneath. Finally, on sol 79, the rock abrasion tool will be commanded to grind into the New York target, which will give scientists the best chance of observing Mazatzal's interior.The Mazatzal targets were named after the home states of some of the rock abrasion tool and science team members. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the central region of Tithonium Chasma. The steep wall of the canyon is visible at the top of the image. | Context image This VIS image shows part of the central region of Tithonium Chasma. The steep wall of the canyon is visible at the top of the image. The top of the canyon walls are layered, mostly likely by numerous volcanic flows. This material is more resistant and forms the ridges extending down the canyon walls. A large landslide deposit covers the right side of the image. An eroded mound on the floor of the canyon exists at the bottom left of the image. The initial formation of the mound was possibly created of air fall of dust, sand, and volcanic materials and water lain materials.Tithonium Chasma is at the western end of Valles Marineris. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long, wider than the United States. Tithonium Chasma is almost 810 kilometers long (499 miles), 50 kilometers wide and over 6 kilometers deep. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 175 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, and only 2 kilometers deep. The canyons of Valles Marineris were formed by extensive fracturing and pulling apart of the crust during the uplift of the vast Tharsis plateau. Landslides have enlarged the canyon walls and created deposits on the canyon floor. Weathering of the surface and influx of dust and sand have modified the canyon floor.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: 3187 Latitude: -4.15004 Longitude: 272.043 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-09-02 21:33Please 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. | |
No NASA Mars orbiter has been in a position to observe morning daylight on Mars since the twin Viking orbiters of the 1970s. This image, taken by Viking Orbiter 1 on Aug. 17, 1976, shows water-ice clouds in the Valles Marineris area of equatorial Mars. | No NASA Mars orbiter has been in a position to observe morning daylight on Mars since the twin Viking orbiters of the 1970s. This image, taken by Viking Orbiter 1 on Aug. 17, 1976, shows water-ice clouds in the Valles Marineris area of equatorial Mars during local morning time. North is to the upper right, and the scene is about 600 miles (about 1,000 kilometers) across. Although a few observations of Mars in morning daylight have come from the Viking orbiters and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, no mission has systematically studied how morning features such as clouds, fogs and surface frost develop in different Martian seasons in different parts of the planet. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, in 2014, is in the process of changing its orbit to enable such systematic morning daylight observations.JPL manages Odyssey for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems built the spacecraft and collaborates with JPL in mission operations.For more about the Mars Odyssey mission, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a small dune field in southeastern Hellas Planitia on Mars. | 4 July 2004This April 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small dune field in southeastern Hellas Planitia near 41.4°S, 275.6°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This polar-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 polar-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 subtle paired fractues at the bottom of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Sirenum Fossae. Numerous gullies at the top of the image are located on the intersection of two crater rims. | Context imageThe subtle paired fractues at the bottom of this VIS image are part of Sirenum Fossae, though it is hundreds of km away from yesterday's image location. Numerous gullies at the top of the image are located on the intersection of two crater rims.Orbit Number: 58618 Latitude: -38.9581 Longitude: 181.314 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-03-02 07:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's InSight spacecraft, its heat shield and its parachute were imaged on Dec. 6 and 11 by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | InSight LanderParachuteHeat ShieldClick on images for larger versionsNASA's InSight spacecraft, its heat shield and its parachute were imaged on Dec. 6 and 11 by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.In images released today, the three new features on the Martian landscape appear teal. That's not their actual color: Light reflected off their surfaces cause the color to be saturated. The ground around the lander is dark, blasted by its retrorockets during descent. Look carefully for a butterfly shape, and you can make out the lander's solar panels on either side. Unannotated, individual images of the lander, heat shield and parachute are also available.JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.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 annotated image taken on Dec. 15, 2014 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a bright feature interpreted as the United Kingdom's Beagle 2 Lander, which was never heard from after its expected Dec. 25, 2003, landing. | This annotated image shows a bright feature interpreted as the United Kingdom's Beagle 2 Lander with solar arrays at least partially deployed on the surface of Mars. Beagle 2 was released by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter but never heard from after its expected Dec. 25, 2003, landing. This and other images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have located the lander close to the center of its planned landing area.The 10-meter scale bar indicates a dimension of 32.8 feet. The location is approximately 11.5 degrees north latitude, 90.4 degrees east latitude.The image is an excerpt from HiRISE observation ESP_039308_1915, taken Dec. 15, 2014. Other image products from this observation are available at ESP_039308_1915.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 artist rendering depicts NASA's Pathfinder spacecraft nearing it's target Mars prior to it's July 4th 1997 landing on the red planet. | This artist rendering depicts the Pathfinder spacecraft nearing it's target Mars prior to it's July 4th 1997 landing on the red planet. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars in mid-January 2006. | 10 January 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 357° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 357° occurs in mid-January 2006. The picture shows the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: Northern Winter/Southern Summer | |
This grouping of three crater on Mars looks like Mickey Mouse as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09158THEMIS ART #76This grouping of three crater looks like Mickey Mouse.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 42.6N, Longitude 62.8E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Sojourner is visible in this image, one of the first taken by NASA's deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 7, 1997. | Sojourner is visible in this image, one of the first taken by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. The rover has moved from this position into one that later facilitated its using the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument on Barnacle Bill. The APXS, located at the rear of the rover, is not visible in this image.The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) after its deployment on Sol 3. Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Layered Outcrops in Gusev Crater | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit collected data on morphology, composition, and mineralogy of a rock nicknamed "Tetl" using the microscopic imager, the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, and the Moessbauer spectrometer before moving on. Scientists are discussing a suggestion that this rock outcrop and others on the "West Spur" of the "Columbia Hills" in Gusev Crater on Mars may contain evidence of graded bedding, in which alternate layers of sediment are either coarser or finer depending on the turbulence of the processes that deposited them. Such layers could be deposited by water circulating in rivers or lakes, volcanic ash settling on the surface, wind carrying fine-grained sediments, or a combination of these processes. This view is a mosaic of images that Spirit took with its microscopic imager on the rover's 272nd and 273rd martian days, or sols (Oct. 7 and 8, 2004). It has been enhanced to bring out details in the shadows without washing out sunlit areas. The section of rock shown here is approximately 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) wide. | |
This map of Mars from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter shows relative locations of three types of findings related to salt or frozen water, plus a new type of finding that may be related to both salt and water. | This map of Mars shows relative locations of three types of findings related to salt or frozen water, plus a new type of finding that may be related to both salt and water.Coloring of the map is coded to concentrations of shallow subsurface water ice found by the Gamma Ray Spectrometer - Neutron Spectrometer on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Blue, at high latitudes north and south, indicates higher concentrations of water ice (deduced from detection of hydrogen); orange designates lowest concentrations. Some hydrogen, possibly in the form of bound water, is close to the surface even at middle latitudes.The white squares in the northern hemisphere mark locations of small fresh impact craters that exposed water ice close to the surface and validated the neutron spectrometer data. Observations of these fresh craters were made by the Context Camera and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The red squares mark locations of putative deposits of chloride based on observations by the Thermal Emission Imaging System on Mars Odyssey. Such salt deposits could have resulted from evaporation of salty water.The blue squares mark locations of a type of feature reported in August 2011 based on sequences of observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. The observations show relatively dark features appearing and incrementally growing down slopes during warm seasons. Researchers hypothesize that these features may result from action of briny water. Other imagery related to these new findings from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/gallery/gallery-index.html. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reveals hundreds of light-toned layers of sedimentary rock exposed within the ancient crater Becquerel on Mars. | Toward the end of its Primary Mapping Mission, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) acquired one of its most spectacular pictures of layered sedimentary rock exposed within the ancient crater Becquerel. Pictures such as this one from January 25, 2001, underscore the fact that you never know from one day to the next what the next MOC images will uncover. While the Primary Mission ends January 31, 2001, thousands of new pictures--revealing as-yet-unseen terrain on the red planet--may be obtained during the Extended Mission phase, scheduled to run through at least April 2002.The picture shown here reveals hundreds of light-toned layers in the 167 kilometers (104 miles) wide basin named for 19th Century French physicist Antoine H. Becquerel (1852-1908). These layers are interpreted to be sedimentary rocks deposited in the crater at some time in the distant past. They have since been eroded and exposed, revealing faults, dark layers between the bright layers, and a long geologic history (of unknown duration) recorded in these materials. Sets of parallel faults can be seen cutting across the layers in the left third of the image. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the top/upper right. | |
This close-up view shows NASA's Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. The image was captured by the NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter about 24 hours after the rover made its grand appearance on Mars. | This close-up view shows NASA's Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. The image was captured by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter about 24 hours after the rover made its grand appearance on Mars. As the rover was guided to the surface by the descent stage, rocket thrusters blew away bright surface dust, exposing the darker material seen around the rover. The disturbance takes on a bilateral symmetrical pattern. This image was acquired from a special 41-degree roll of MRO, larger than the normal 30-degree limit. It rolled towards the west and towards the sun, which increases visible scattering by atmospheric dust as well as the amount of atmosphere the orbiter has to look through, thereby reducing the contrast of surface features. Future images will show the hardware in greater detail. Our view is tilted about 45 degrees from the surface (more than the 41-degree roll due to planetary curvature), like a view out of an airplane window. Tilt the images 90 degrees clockwise to see the surface better from this perspective. The views are primarily of the shadowed side of the rover and other objects.The image scale is 39 centimeters (15.3 inches) per pixel.Complete HiRISE image products are available at: http://uahirise.org/releases/msl-descent.php.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 NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Sirenum Fossae. The linear depressions were created by tectonic forces stretching the surface. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a section of Sirenum Fossae. The linear depressions were created by tectonic forces stretching the surface. Paired faults allow blocks of the surface to slide down into the open space. The linear depressions are called graben. A small channel is visible on the lower right side of the image.Orbit Number: 81889 Latitude: -29.5423 Longitude: 212.521 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-31 01:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The large rock on the left in the foreground, informally named 'Tisdale 1.' It is part of a group of rocks that appear to have been ejected by the excavation of Odyssey crater on the rim of Endeavour crater by NASA's Mars rover Odyssey. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to capture this raw image looking across Endeavour crater during the rover's 2,686th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars (Aug. 14, 2011). Opportunity had arrived at the western rim of 13-mile-diameter (21-kilometer-diameter) Endeavour crater five days earlier. The distant horizon in this image is a portion of the east-northeastern rim of Endeavour. The large rock on the left in the foreground, informally named "Tisdale 1," is about 30 inches (about 80 centimeters) tall. It is part of a group of rocks that appear to have been ejected by the excavation of Odyssey crater on the rim of Endeavour crater. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows defrosting gullies and mass movement (landslide) features in the south polar region of Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-467, 29 August 2003Today, August 29, 2003, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) completes its 20,000th orbit since the start of the mapping phase of the mission in March 1999. Each of the 20,000 nearly-polar, nearly-circular orbits around the planet takes about 2 hours. The spacecraft passes over each martian polar region twelve times a day. This July 2003 MGS Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows defrosting gullies and mass movement (landslide) features in the south polar region. This is a springtime view; all of the carbon dioxide and water ice that accumulated on the ground during the previous winter is subliming away. The different physical properties of the ground beneath the frost lead to differences in the length of time that a particular surface retains frost as spring progresses. Here, the areas that still have the most frost are the bright features associated with gullies and landslide deposits. These deposits may contain more sand than their surrounding terrain--we know from images of martian sand dunes that frost tends to linger a bit later in the spring on a sandy surface. This image is located near 70.7°S, 358.2°W. The slope bearing gullies and landslide materials is facing toward the bottom/lower right. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower right. This image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
These images and overlay bar charts at 'Garden City' from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover indicate where some high-potassium material is localized within mineral veins. | These images and overlay bar charts from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover indicate where some high-potassium material is localized within mineral veins at "Garden City."The two images are from ChemCam's Remote Micro-Imager. Each covers an area just over an inch wide (scale bars are in millimeters) in veins at the Garden City site on lower Mount Sharp. The overlay charts show comparisons of potassium (blue) and iron (red) in the mineral veins' compositions determined by reading the spectra of light induced by zapping points in each area with ChemCam's laser.Mineral veins such as these form where fluids move through fractured rocks, depositing minerals in the fractures and affecting chemistry of the surrounding rock. The thin layer of dark fracture-filling material in the image on the right contains much more potassium than the other local material on the left, indicating either different fluid compositions or local variations in the rock.The image on the left was taken on April 4, 2015, during the 946th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The image on the right was taken on Sol 936, on March 25, 2015.A broader view of the prominent mineral veins at Garden City is at PIA19161.ChemCam is one of 10 instruments in Curiosity's science payload. The U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, developed ChemCam in partnership with scientists and engineers funded by the French national space agency (CNES), the University of Toulouse and the French national research agency (CNRS). More information about ChemCam is available at http://www.msl-chemcam.com. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
The sun has now risen over the south pole of Mars. The polar surface is defrosting. This captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft image shows layering near the margin of the south polar cap. | Context imageThe sun has now risen over the south pole of Mars. The polar surface is defrosting. This VIS image shows layering near the margin of the south polar cap.Orbit Number: 48151 Latitude: -82.482 Longitude: 275.229 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-21 20:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Part of the crater floor contains a dune field. Dust devil tracks are visible east of the dunes. | Context imageToday's VIS image is of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Part of the crater floor contains a dune field. Dust devil tracks are visible east of the dunes.Orbit Number: 57931 Latitude: -52.1733 Longitude: 18.0624 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-01-04 18:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Sample of the Argyre Impact Basin Rim | This image shows part of a low mountain belt that rings the Argyre impact basin in Mars' southern hemisphere. The mountains or hills seen here are located in the northwestern part of the Charitum Montes. Taken just minutes after the sun had risen over the horizon, only the sun-facing slopes are well illuminated and much of the scene is in shadow, but the camera has nevertheless captured many details of the surface that are only dimly illuminated. There are terrains that are both smooth and rough at this scale (2.94 meters or 9.65 feet per pixel). The rough terrain is littered with blocks roughly 10 meters (30 feet) across, and the smooth material has a uniform appearance broken by subtle, undulating ridges. The rough terrains usually occur at relatively high elevations, and smooth material occupies the lowest areas. In some locations it is evident that boulders from the rough terrain have tumbled downhill onto the smooth material. The smooth material is younger than the rough terrain, and some of it may have formed when water-rich or ice-rich debris flooded low-lying areas. In other areas the smooth material mantles the topography like deposits of airborne dust. Further upslope, the mountain flanks have a variety of rough textures. In places the terrain has been eroded into streamlined forms and striations, suggestive of glacial erosion. Gullies formed in one spot near bottom center. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this image is the dearth of fresh impact craters. The Argyre basin is thought to be billions of years old, but much more recent processes have greatly modified the surface.This image was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on March 24, 2006. The image is centered at 52.20 degrees south latitude, 300.75 degrees east longitude. It is oriented such that north is 7 degrees to the left of up. The range to the target was 1,470 kilometers (913 miles). With 2x2 pixel binning, the scale of the image is 2.94 meters (9.65 feet) per pixel, so objects as small as 8.82 meters (28.94 feet) are resolved. In total this image is 29.47 kilometers (18.31 miles) or 10,040 pixels wide and 76.44 kilometers (47.50 miles) or 26,011 pixels long. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 07:24 and the scene is illuminated from the upper right with a solar incidence angle of 87.1 degrees, thus the sun was about 2.9 degrees above the horizon. At an Ls of 29 degrees (with Ls an indicator of Mars' position in its orbit around the sun), the season on Mars is southern autumn.Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov.JPL, 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 is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. | |
Radargrams of Buried Basin from Two Adjacent Orbits | These two radargrams from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) show echoes from an approximately 250-kilometer (155-mile) diameter circular structure below the surface of Mars. The circular structure is interpreted to be a buried impact basin. In two orbits spaced about 50 kilometers (31 miles) apart, MARSIS detected a series of arc-shaped reflectors that have no apparent source in the surface topography or geology. In the lower image, a linear reflector nearly parallel to the surface is seen embedded in the arcs. This reflection may be coming from the floor of the basin. The time delay to the linear reflector suggests a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers (0.9 to 1.6 miles).MARSIS is an instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the instrument. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered material exposed on a slope in the south polar region of Mars. The composition of the layers, and whether they contain ice, is not known. | 6 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered material exposed on a slope in the south polar region of Mars. The composition of the layers, and whether they contain ice, is not known.Location near: 87.0°S, 176.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows its wheel tracks, an artifact of the difficult terrain faced by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity deep inside 'Endurance Crater' on Mars. | The wheel tracks in this image are an artifact of the difficult terrain faced recently by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity deep inside "Endurance Crater." Opportunity took the picture with its navigation camera on the rover's 205th martian day, or sol (Aug. 21, 2004). On the preceding sol, to avoid a potentially hazardous rock target, the rover team changed routes. Steep slopes and lack of traction when driving in this terrain caused the rover to experience up to 50 percent slip during parts of its traverse. Opportunity ended up more than 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) downslope from the planned final position. Another shift in objective on sol 205 had Opportunity on the move again toward safer terrain. Analysis of the final drive showed the rover's traction increasing during its latest moves. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a well-preserved impact crater. A closeup view highlights distinctive bright lines and spots on the steep slope on the north side. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows a well-preserved impact crater. A closeup view highlights distinctive bright lines and spots on the steep slope on the north side.HiRISE imaged this crater 5 years ago (2.6 Mars years ago), in March 2008, and no such pattern was visible. The discontinuous bright spots indicate bouncing, so we interpret these features as due to boulders bouncing and rolling down the slope.Where did the boulders come from? Maybe they fell off of the steep upper cliffs of the crater, although we don't see any new bright features there that point to the source. Maybe the rocks were ejecta from a new impact event somewhere nearby.Why are the trails bright? Perhaps the shallow subsurface soil here is generally brighter than the surface soil, as revealed by the Spirit rover in a part of Gusev Crater. It can't be bright from ice because this is a warm equator-facing slope seen in the summer.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 illustration shows an astronaut on Mars, as viewed through the window of a spacecraft. | This illustration shows an astronaut on Mars, as viewed through the window of a spacecraft. NASA hopes to return astronauts to the Moon and test technology there that will be useful for sending the first astronauts to Mars. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the region of Ophir Chasma on Mars containing old landslide deposits and layered deposits. Wind and perhaps water have sculpted the layered deposits. | Context image for PIA10251Ophir ChasmaThis region of Ophir Chasma contains old landslide deposits and layered deposits. Wind and perhaps water have sculpted the layered deposits.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -3.6N, Longitude 287.5E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This is the right image of a stereo image pair taken on the afternoon of Sol 71 (September 14) shows NASA's Sojourner leaving the 'Rock Garden,' an assemblage of large rocks behind and to the right of the rover. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | This is the right image of a stereo image pair taken on the afternoon of Sol 71 (September 14) shows Sojourner leaving the "Rock Garden," an assemblage of large rocks behind and to the right of the rover. Sojourner's last target was the rock "Stimpy," seen at the far right.This image and PIA01568 (left eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Evros Vallis and Nearby Craters | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_003273_1675) shows part of Evros Vallis, one of the Martian valley networks.These more ancient valley networks may have been eroded by flowing water during a warmer, wetter period of Martian history. Many dunes are visibile along the valley floor, as well as throughout the scene and in a partially exhumed crater on the valley wall. There are multiple generations and orientations of dunes. Dune orientation reflects the dominant or prevailing wind direction. Multiple dune orientations indicate that this region has experienced different wind regimes.An exhumed crater is one that likely formed a long time ago, was buried, and is now being re-exposed because the materials that originally covered it are being eroded away. The prominent crater on the valley wall as well as several other craters in this scene are thought to be partially exhumed.The subimage (approximately 300 m across) shows a couple groups of secondary craters. Secondary craters are craters that form when ejecta from the primary crater hits the surface with enough energy to form another smaller crater. As seen in the subimage, secondary craters often form in clusters spatially, because ejecta thrown out of the primary crater impacts the surface near each other at approximately the same time. Many potential secondary craters have have similar morphologies and have distinct, bright ejecta. This implies that these craters are relatively young and that their ejecta have yet to be covered by dust.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 4 April 2007Local Mars time: 3:41 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -12.6°Degrees longitude (East): 13.3°Range to target site: 264.3 km (165.2 miles)Original image scale range: 26.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~79 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 7.6°Phase angle: 46.2°Solar incidence angle: 54°, with the Sun about 36° above the horizonSolar longitude: 215.3°, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity obtained this view from the top of the 'Cape Tribulation' segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover reached this point three weeks before the 11th anniversary of its January 2004 landing on Mars. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity obtained this view from the top of the "Cape Tribulation" segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover reached this point three weeks before the 11th anniversary of its January 2004 landing on Mars.In this version of the panorama, the landscape is presented in false color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible. The rover's arm, which bears an image of the U.S. flag, is presented in approximately true color.The component images were taken with Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) during the week after the rover's arrival at the summit on Jan. 6, 2015, the 3,894th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.This location is the highest elevation Opportunity has reached since departing the Victoria Crater area in 2008 on a three-year, down-slope journey to Endeavour Crater. Endeavour spans about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter, with its interior and rim laid out in this 245-degree panorama centered toward east-northeast. Rover tracks imprinted during the rover's approach to the site appear on the left. The far horizon in the right half of the scene includes portions of the rim of a crater farther south, Iazu Crater. An orbital image showing the regional context is at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13082.The rover climbed about 440 feet (about 135 meters) in elevation from a lower section of the Endeavour rim that it crossed in mid-2013, "Botany Bay," in its drive to the Tribulation summit. It departed the summit on Jan. 17, 2015 (Sol 3902), continuing toward a science destination at "Marathon Valley."At the summit, Opportunity held its robotic arm so that the U.S. flag would be visible in the scene. The flag is printed on the aluminum cable guard of the rover's rock abrasion tool, which is used for grinding away weathered rock surfaces to expose fresh interior material for examination. The flag is intended as a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The aluminum used for the cable guard was recovered from the site of the twin towers in the weeks following the attacks. Workers at Honeybee Robotics in lower Manhattan, less than a mile from the World Trade Center, were making the rock abrasion tool for Opportunity and NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, in September 2001.This color image combines exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The left edge is toward west-northwest and the right edge is southward. Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 25, 2004, Universal Time (evening of Jan. 24, 2004, PST). Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA19110_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. | |
The graph at right presents information from the NASA Curiosity Mars rover's onboard analysis of rock powder drilled from the 'Buckskin' target location, shown at left. | The graph at right presents information from the NASA Curiosity Mars rover's onboard analysis of rock powder drilled from the "Buckskin" target location, shown at left. X-ray diffraction analysis of the Buckskin sample inside the rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument revealed the presence of a silica-containing mineral named tridymite. This is the first detection of tridymite on Mars. Peaks in the X-ray diffraction pattern are from minerals in the sample, and every mineral has a diagnostic set of peaks that allows identification.The image of Buckskin at left was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on July 30, 2015, and is also available at PIA19804.MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. | Context imageToday's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northeast to south-southwest. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the west-northwest/east-southeast direction.This image is located in a region of Tempe Terra that is complexly fractured. The complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long.Orbit Number: 93872 Latitude: 37.5837 Longitude: 279.326 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-11 18:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view from the NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows two scales of ripples, plus other textures, in an area where the mission examined a linear-shaped dune in the Bagnold dune field on lower Mount Sharp. | This view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows two scales of ripples, plus other textures, in an area where the mission examined a linear-shaped dune in the Bagnold dune field on lower Mount Sharp.The scene is an excerpt from a 360-degree panorama acquired on March 24 and March 25, 2017, (PST) during the 1,647th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars, at a location called "Ogunquit Beach."Crests of the longer ripples visible in the dark sand of the dune are several feet (a few meters) apart. This medium-scale feature in active sand dunes on Mars was one of Curiosity's findings at the crescent-shaped dunes that the rover examined in late 2015 and early 2016. Ripples that scale are not seen on Earth's sand dunes. Overlaid on those ripples are much smaller ripples, with crests about ten times closer together.Textures of the local bedrock in the foreground -- part of the Murray formation that originated as lakebed sediments -- and of gravel-covered ground (at right) are also visible. The image has been white-balanced so that the colors of the colors of the rock and sand materials resemble how they would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image April 5, 2004. Spirit is looking to the southeast, and through the martian haze has captured the rim of Gusev Crater approximately 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) away on the horizon. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image on sol 91 (April 5, 2004). Spirit is looking to the southeast, and through the martian haze has captured the rim of Gusev Crater approximately 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) away on the horizon.The right side of this image reveals the portion of the crater edge that descends into the mouth of Ma'adim Vallis, a channel that opens into Gusev Crater. Spirit is currently traveling toward the informally named "Columbia Hills," which lie to the left of the region pictured here.This image is similar to a panoramic camera image taken on sol 68, but Gusev's ridge is more visible here because the atmospheric dust caused by winter dust storms has settled. Scientists expect to get even clearer images than this one in upcoming sols.This image has been modified to make the crater rim more visible. | |
Dust slides are common in the dust covered region called Lycus Sulci on Mars. A large fracture is also visible in this image as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03677Linear CloudsDust slides are common in the dust covered region called Lycus Sulci. A large fracture is also visible in this image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 28.1N, Longitude 226.3E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a dune field located on the plains of Terra Cimmeria on Mars. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAToday's VIS image provides a closer look at yesterday's dune field. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -61.3N, Longitude 164.4E. 22 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-12 quadrangle, Arabia region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. | Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-12 quadrangle, Arabia region of Mars. Heavily cratered highlands dominate the Arabia quadrangle. The northeastern part is marked by a large impact crater, Cassini. Cassini is an ancient remnant of the many large impact events that occurred during the period of heavy bombardment. Latitude range 0 to 30 degrees, longitude range -45 to 0 degrees. | |
This mosaic is composed of 18 images, acquired by NASA's Viking Orbiter on September 28, 1977, during revolution 407 of Viking Orbiter 2. The south pole is located just off the lower left edge of the polar cap. | This mosaic is composed of 18 Viking Orbiter images (6 each in red, green, and violet filters), acquired on September 28, 1977, during revolution 407 of Viking Orbiter 2. The south pole is located just off the lower left edge of the polar cap, and the 0 degree longitude meridian extends toward the top of the mosaic. The large crater near the right edge (named "South") is about 100 km in diameter. These images were acquired during southern summer on Mars (Ls = 341 degrees); the sub-solar declination was 8 degrees S., and the south polar cap was nearing its final stage of retreat just prior to vernal equinox. The south residual cap is approximately 400 km across, and the exposed surface is thought to consist dominantly of carbon-dioxide frost. This is in contrast to the water-ice surface of the north polar residual cap. It is likely that water ice is present in layers that underlie the south polar cap and that comprise the surrounding layered terrains. Near the top of this image, irregular pits with sharp-rimmed cliffs appear "etched," presumably by wind. A series of rugged mountains (extending toward the upper right corner of the image) are of unknown origin. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-May 2006. | 23 May 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 53° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 53° occurred in mid-May 2006. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: Northern Spring/Southern Autumn | |
This 3-dimensional model shows a region of the outcrop near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site dubbed 'Last Chance.' The model was created with images taken by the rover's panoramic camera. | This three dimensional model shows a region of the outcrop near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site dubbed "Last Chance." The model was created with images taken by the rover's panoramic camera. The layered rocks were recently the subject of an extensive series of microscopic images. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a cracked plain in western Utopia Planitia on Mars. The three circular crack patterns indicate the location of three buried meteor impact craters. | 4 September 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a cracked plain in western Utopia Planitia. The three circular crack patterns indicate the location of three buried meteor impact craters. These landforms are located near 41.9°N, 275.9°W. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the lower left. | |
These mountains are in a region called Sisyphi Montes. The base image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a portion of the region about 130 miles. Red outlines indicate possible subglacial volcanic structures. MRO's CRISM data are at upper right. | This graphic illustrates where Mars mineral-mapping from orbit has detected a few minerals -- sulfates (blue) and iron oxides (pink) -- that can indicate where a volcano erupted beneath an ice sheet. The site is far from any ice sheet on modern Mars, in oddly textured terrain where the shapes of flat-topped mountains had previously been recognized as a possible result of ancient subglacial volcanism. Researchers used the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) to check surface composition in the area, and their findings strengthen the evidence for volcanic eruptions that burst through a cover of ice.These mountains are in a region called Sisyphi Montes. In this graphic, the base image shows a portion of the region about 130 miles (230 kilometers) across, centered at 17.73 degrees east longitude, 63.46 degrees south latitude. Red outlines indicate possible subglacial volcanic structures. CRISM data are presented in the overlay box at upper right, with an indication of the ground area covered by this CRISM observation. The color key at upper left shows how the spectrometer data correspond to presence of sulfates and iron oxide minerals, which are characteristic of subglacial volcanism sites on Earth. The base map uses imaging from the Thermal Imaging System (THEMIS) camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. CRISM is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Building and operating CRISM has been led by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. THEMIS was supplied by and is operated by Arizona State University, Tempe. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey projects for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built both orbiters. | |
NASA's Mars Pathfinder Lander, Sojourner, made contact with the rock 'Yogi' in this false-color image from 1997, taken with the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). | Sojourner has made contact with the rock "Yogi" in this false-color image, taken with the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The rover's left rear wheel has driven up onto the Yogi's surface in an attempt to get as close as possible to the rock's surface. Sojourner will later use its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to conduct a study of Yogi's chemical composition.
Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
The black speck circled in the lower left corner of this image is a cluster of recently formed craters spotted on Mars using a new machine-learning algorithm. This image was taken by the Context Camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Figure 1, Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe tiny black speck in the lower left corner of this image within the red circle is a cluster of recently formed craters spotted on Mars using a new machine-learning algorithm. This image was taken by the Context Camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in a region called Noctis Fossae, located at latitude -3.213, longitude: 259.415.The medium-angle Context Camera can view hundreds of miles of terrain in low resolution; scientists then scan the image for interesting features and can request another MRO camera, the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), to zoom in for a more detailed view. The HiRISE view of the black speck in this image can be seen in PIA24040.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, built the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, provided and operates the Context Camera. University of Arizona in Tucson provided and operates HiRISE. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of the northern wall complex of a crater in northwest Terra Sirenum on Mars. Several spectacular gully networks extend from a variety of elevations on the wall and run downslope toward the crater. | 29 March 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of the northern wall complex of a crater in northwest Terra Sirenum. Several spectacular gully networks extend from a variety of elevations on the wall and run downslope toward the crater floor (bottom of image). The genesis of these features is still hotly debated in the Mars science community. Among the possibilities is that of a combination of mass movement and groundwater seepage and runoff.Location near: 39.2°S, 164.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this 3-D view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of 'Solander Point' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | Left-eye viewRight-eye viewClick on an individual image for full resolution figures image
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this stereo view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of "Solander Point" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The image appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on left. The scene extends from east-southeast on the left (with a glimpse across Endeavour Crater) to west-northwest on the right.
The view combines 10 frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera on the 3,463rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 21, 2013). Opportunity had begun climbing the hill on Sol 3451 (Oct. 8) and completed three additional uphill drives before reaching this point.
The rover team is using the rover to investigate outcrops on the slope. The northward-facing slope will tilt the rover's solar panels toward the sun in the southern-hemisphere winter sky, providing an important energy advantage for continuing mobile operations through the upcoming winter.
The scene is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection. The left-eye and right-eye views that are combined into the stereo view are also offered separately. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Granicus Valles. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is just one of the many valley systems located west of the Elyisum volcanic complex.Orbit Number: 62706 Latitude: 28.3134 Longitude: 130.032 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-02-01 23:57Please 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. |
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