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This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an example of the extremely odd, seemingly scrambled layered rocks exposed by erosion near the deepest part of the deepest basin on Mars, Hellas. | 30 September 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example of the extremely odd, seemingly scrambled layered rocks exposed by erosion near the deepest part of the deepest basin on Mars, Hellas. This pattern of eroded, and perhaps deformed layers was once exposed to the martian surface, then buried, and more recently exposed again. The story behind these layers is not really understood; some members of the MOC team have -- for nearly 9 years now -- taken to calling these features, "taffy-pull terrain."Location near: 43.1°S, 307.3°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring | |
This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. THEMIS ART IMAGE #66 A Black bat is ready to fly. | Context image for PIA08523THEMIS ART #66Back by popular demand: THEMIS ART IMAGE #66 Halloween may be months away, but this black bat is ready to fly.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 43.4N, Longitude 38.6E. 107 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. | |
Complex variations in dune forms within Hebes Chasma. This southern subframe image, frame 3506, is a 2.3 x 3.6 km area centered near 0.8 degrees south, 76.3 degrees west, taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter. | Complex variations in dune forms within Hebes Chasma. This southern subframe image, frame 3506, is a 2.3 x 3.6 km area centered near 0.8 degrees south, 76.3 degrees westFigure caption from Science Magazine. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a new impact site originally detected by the Context Camera onboard MRO. The crater is on a dusty slope, which also has several dark slope streaks due to dust avalanches. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows a new impact site originally detected by the Context Camera onboard MRO. The crater is on a dusty slope, which also has several dark slope streaks due to dust avalanches.A previous impact at another place on Mars triggered a major dust avalanche, but this one did not. This tells us that the dust here is more stable (stronger and/or on a lower slope). The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 27.1 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 81 centimeters (30 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The floor of Millochau Crater on Mars has been filled by material that is now being eroded away as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03292Millochau Cr.The floor of Millochau Crater has been filled by material that is now being eroded away.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -21.1N, Longitude 85.6E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the plains between Hale Crater and Argyre Planitia. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows the plains between Hale Crater and Argyre Planitia.Orbit Number: 8815 Latitude: -37.2509 Longitude: 323.023 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-12-10 04:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image, captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey on Sept. 9, 2010, shows some of the dunes of the floor of Moreux Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows some of the dunes of the floor of Moreux Crater.Orbit Number: 38798 Latitude: 41.3432 Longitude: 44.6283 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-12 23:15Please 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. | |
Although it is 45 kilometers (28 miles) wide, countless layers of ice and dust have all but buried Udzha Crater. Udzha lies near the edge of the northern polar cap. This image is from NASA's Mars Odyssey, one of an 'All Star' set. | Although it is 45 kilometers (28 miles) wide, countless layers of ice and dust have all but buried Udzha Crater. Udzha lies near the edge of the northern polar cap, and only the topmost edges of its crater rim rise above the polar deposits to hint at its circular shape. The image was taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter and posted in a special December 2010 set marking the occasion of Odyssey becoming the longest-working Mars spacecraft in history. The pictured location on Mars is 81.8 degrees north latitude, 77.2 degrees east longitude.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 cylindrical mosaic taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the view south of the large crater dubbed 'Bonneville.' The rock dubbed 'Mazatzal' and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. | This cylindrical mosaic taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 82 shows the view south of the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." The rover will travel toward the Columbia Hills, seen here at the upper left. The rock dubbed "Mazatzal" and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. The rover's position is referred to as "Site 22, Position 32." This image was geometrically corrected to make the horizon appear flat. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a channel extending northward from the Elysium Mons caldera at the volcano's summit. | 5 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a channel extending northward from the Elysium Mons caldera at the volcano's summit. The north wall of the caldera -- the summit depression formed by collapse as magma withdraws_x0082_ is located at the south end (bottom) of this picture.Location near: 24.8°N, 213.3°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
This false-color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 30, 2004 shows the martian surface during the northern spring season in Vastitas Borealis. | Released 30 April 2004This daytime visible color image was collected on September 4, 2002 during the Northern Spring season in Vastitas Borealis.This daytime visible color image was collected on September 4, 2002 during the Northern Spring season in Vastitas Borealis. The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 69.3, Longitude 40.9 East (319.1 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. | |
Digging by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on Aug. 23, 2008 shows a deep trench, informally called 'Stone Soup' located at the borderline between two of the polygon-shaped hummocks that characterize the arctic plain. | Digging by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on Aug. 23, 2008, during the 88th sol (Martian day) since landing, reached a depth about three times greater than in any trench Phoenix has excavated. The deep trench, informally called "Stone Soup" is at the borderline between two of the polygon-shaped hummocks that characterize the arctic plain where Phoenix landed.The lander's Surface Stereo Imager took this picture of Stone Soup trench on Sol 88 after the day's digging. The trench is about 25 centimeters (10 inches) wide and about 18 centimeters (7 inches) deep.When digging trenches near polygon centers, Phoenix has hit a layer of icy soil, as hard as concrete, about 5 centimeters or 2 inches beneath the ground surface. In the Stone Soup trench at a polygon margin, the digging has not yet hit an icy layer like that.Stone Soup is toward the left, or west, end of the robotic arm's work area on the north side of the lander. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by 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. | |
Clouds fill half of this unnamed crater located in the region between Malea Planum and Hellas Planitia, as shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageClouds fill half of this unnamed crater located in the region between Malea Planum and Hellas Planitia.Orbit Number: 56831 Latitude: -58.2605 Longitude: 67.9008 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-10-06 04:50Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A stereo view shows fractures called joints. They have a ridge-like shape, standing out in positive relief as the surrounding bedrock is eroded away faster than they are | Annotated VersionA stereo view shows fractures called joints. They have a ridge-like shape, standing out in positive relief as the surrounding bedrock is eroded away faster than they are. This positive relief suggests that the rock along the joints has been strengthened through chemical reactions with fluids flowing through these joints.The view appears three-dimensional when seen through red-green glasses. It combines two images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from slightly different overhead positions. The constituent blue image is a portion of image PSP_001641_1735 in the camera's catlog, taken Dec. 2, 2006. The red image is part of PSP_002063_1735, taken Jan. 4, 2007. The area covered in this image is about 5.8 kilometers (3.6 miles) wide, located within Candor Chasma, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of the area shown in PIA09190. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows that make up Daedalia Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows that make up Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 48765 Latitude: -21.3017 Longitude: 240.492 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-12-11 09:06Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the view ahead on the day before the rover reached the rim of Endeavour crater. It was taken during the 2,680th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. | This image from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the view ahead on the day before the rover reached the rim of Endeavour crater. It was taken during the 2,680th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. It is one of 309 images included in a video record of Opportunity's three-year journey of more than 13 miles (21 kilometers) to reach Endeavour from its last previous major destination, Victoria crater. | |
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter can be seen hovering during its third flight on April 25, 2021, as seen by the left Navigation Camera aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. | NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter can be seen hovering during its third flight on April 25, 2021, as seen by the left Navigation Camera aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, Snapdragon, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. The Mars Helicopter Delivery System was designed and manufactured by Lockheed Space Systems in Denver. | |
Chasma Boreale in the North Polar Region | This images shows a Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) full-resolution "targeted image" of the edge of Mars' north polar cap. The region in the image, Chasma Boreale, is a valley several kilometers or miles deep that cuts about 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) into the edge of the cap.This image was acquired at 0851 UTC (4:51 a.m. EDT) on Oct. 1, 2006, near 84.6 degrees north latitude, 3.6 degrees east longitude. It covers an area about 13 kilometers (8 miles) long and, at the narrowest point, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) wide. At the center of the image the spatial resolution is as good as 18 meters (60 feet) per pixel. The image was taken in 544 colors covering wavelengths of 0.36 to 3.92 micrometers. Two renderings of the data are shown here, both draped over topography without vertical exaggeration, and then viewed from a perspective diagonally above the site. The top view is an approximately true-color representation. The bottom view, constructed from infrared wavelengths, shows strength of the spectral signature of ice. Brighter areas are rich in ice, and dark areas have little ice. The polar cap has long been recognized to contain layers composed of dust and ice, and hence has been named the polar layered deposit. This sits atop an underlying "basal unit." The upper part of the basal unit is dark at visible wavelengths and steeply sloped, whereas the lower part of the basal unit is brighter, redder, and layered like the polar layered deposits. The chasma floor is cratered, and in the foreground it is covered by dunes that are outliers of a north polar sand sea that surrounds the polar cap. The polar layered deposits and the basal unit form a steeply sloping scarp about 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) high.CRISM's image of this region shows a number of previously unrecognized characteristics of the polar layered deposits and the basal unit. First, the ice-rich polar layered deposits exhibit coherent banding both at visible and infrared wavelengths. This banding shows a history of differences in the abundance of dust that accumulated in polar ice, differences in ice grain size, or both. Second, both parts of the basal unit are depleted in ice, except for triangle-shaped regions on the side of the scarp. Third, the spectral properties of the brighter, layered lower basal unit resemble those of the polar layered deposits. In contrast, the upper basal unit is distinct from both of them. Finally, spectral properties of the foreground dunes closely resemble those of the darkest layers within the upper basal unit, and may be debris from it.CRISM is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad.CRISM's mission: Find the spectral fingerprints of aqueous and hydrothermal deposits and map the geology, composition and stratigraphy of surface features. The instrument will also watch the seasonal variations in Martian dust and ice aerosols, and water content in surface materials -- leading to new understanding of the climate.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. | |
The channels in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Tyrrhena Fossae on the northern flank of Tyrrhenus Mons. | Context imageThe channels in today's VIS image are part of Tyrrhena Fossae on the northern flank of Tyrrhenus Mons.Orbit Number: 44113 Latitude: -20.6367 Longitude: 107.3 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-11-24 11:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in August 2003, showing a crater on Mars in the rugged Thaumasia uplands surrounding Solis Lacus containing an unusual filling of smooth material ramped up against the crater rim. | Released 29 August 2003A 20 km diameter crater in the rugged Thaumasia uplands surrounding Solis Lacus contains an unusual filling of smooth material ramped up against the crater rim. While bearing some resemblance to the "pasted on terrain" found associated with many of the gullied craters at similar latitude, this smooth material contains craters. This suggests an age for the material that is older than that of the other examples of crater-lining smooth materials that appear crater-free.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -33.7, Longitude 277 East (82.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows some dark slope streaks in the Phlegra Dorsa region of Mars. Of particular interest is the split streak near the center of the image, which diverted around a rounded hill as the material was sliding down the slope. | 16 August 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some dark slope streaks in the Phlegra Dorsa region of Mars. Of particular interest is the split streak near the center of the image, which diverted around a rounded hill as the material was sliding down the slope. Slope streaks occur in regions of Mars that are mantled by fine, bright dust. They do not occur on slopes that have no dust coating. They are therefore suspected to form by dry avalanching of the dust, despite their somewhat fluid appearance.Location near: 24.9°N, 184.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Spring | |
This mosaic, created from four images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's microscopic imager, outlines the target on 'Bounce' rock that the rover's rock abrasion tool later abraded. | This mosaic, created from four images taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's microscopic imager, outlines the target on "Bounce" rock that the rover's rock abrasion tool will abrade on sol 66.This 6-centimeter-square (2.4-inch-square) area was chosen by the rock abrasion tool team as the most advantageous area for grinding.Preliminary results from the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer show that Bounce is rich in hematite. Bounce contains spherules, or "blueberries," like some rocks in the "Eagle Crater" outcrop. However, Bounce's spherules appear smaller and may be formed by an entirely different process. The blueberries seen in the outcrop are typically 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inch) each. A good example of a cluster of micro-berries can be seen just left of center in this image. Scientists are currently studying all of the rock's features as well as its chemical content. After next sol's grinding operation, the team will be able to compare the rock's exterior and interior chemical compositions. | |
This image shows the topography, with shading added, around the area where NASA's Curiosity rover is slated to land on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). The red oval indicates the targeted landing area for the rover known as the 'landing ellipse.' | This image shows the topography, with shading added, around the area where NASA's Curiosity rover is slated to land on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). Red indicates higher areas and purple indicates lower areas, with a total elevation range of about 600 feet (nearly 200 meters). The red oval indicates the targeted landing area for the rover known as the "landing ellipse." An annotation indicates the location of an alluvial fan, or a fan-shaped deposit where debris spreads out downslope. On Earth, alluvial fans often are formed by flowing water. The presence of channel-like features in the Gale Crater fan suggest a similar origin.Elevation data were obtained from stereo processing of images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Thermal inertia data are from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (THEMIS) onboard NASA's Odyssey.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built Curiosity. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the inverted remains of several channels in a fan-like complex in the Aeolis region of Mars. The inverted channels are flat-topped ridges that trend from southeast to northwest. | 18 September 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the inverted remains of several channels in a fan-like complex in the Aeolis region of Mars. The inverted channels are the flat-topped ridges that trend from lower right toward upper left (southeast to northwest). Other ridges, trending from lower left toward upper right (southwest to northeast) are yardangs, the products of wind erosion. The channels were inverted by erosion, as well -- the tops of these ridges were once the floor of the channels (or the tops of materials that filled the channels).Location near: 5.1°S, 205.0°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Southern Spring | |
This is a sub-section of the 'geometrically improved, color enhanced' version of the 360-degree panorama heretofore known as the 'Gallery Pan,' taken by NASA's Imager for Mars Pathfinder over the course of Sols 8, 9, and 10. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | This is a sub-section of the "geometrically improved, color enhanced" version of the 360-degree panorama heretofore known as the "Gallery Pan," the first contiguous, uniform panorama taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) over the course of Sols 8, 9, and 10. Different regions were imaged at different times over the three Martian days to acquire consistent lighting and shadow conditions for all areas of the panorama.The IMP is a stereo imaging system that, in its fully deployed configuration, stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters. In this geometrically improved version of the panorama, distortion due to a 2.5 degree tilt in the IMP camera mast has been removed, effectively flattening the horizon.The IMP has color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye." Its red, green, and blue filters were used to take this image. The color was digitally balanced according to the color transmittance capability of a high-resolution TV at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and is dependent on that device. In this color enhanced version of the panorama, detail in surface features are brought out via changes to saturation and intensity, holding the original hue constant. A threshold was applied to avoid changes to the sky.At the bottom of the image, two of the Lander petals are visible. At the extreme right of the image, the Atmospheric Structure Instrument and Meteorology package (ASI/MET) mast, with its three windsocks, is visible.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Olympica Fossae, a complex channel located on the volcanic plains between Alba Mons and Olympus Mons. | Context imageOlympica Fossae is a complex channel located on the volcanic plains between Alba Mons and Olympus Mons. It contains both linear sections that appear to be tectonic in origin and sinuous sections that were more likely created by liquid flow. Given the location it appears that lava, rather than water, was the fluid. Olympica Fossae 420km long (261 miles).Orbit Number: 94828 Latitude: 24.6519 Longitude: 245.654 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-05-01 10:42Please 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 daytime 2001 Mars Odyssey THEMIS infrared image clearly shows the multitude of channels dissecting the rim of Lipik Crater. | Context image for PIA11896Lipik ChannelsThis daytime infrared image clearly shows the multitude of channels dissecting the rim of Lipik Crater.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -39.9N, Longitude 112.4E. 99 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the south polar cap. This image was taken at the end of southern summer. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. This image was taken at the end of southern summer.Orbit Number: 76263 Latitude: -85.7084 Longitude: 307.344 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-02-22 18:27Please 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 the eastern edge of Tithonium Chasma, one of the large valley systems that comprise Valles Marineris. Large fractures are visible on the upper margin of the chasma. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the eastern edge of Tithonium Chasma, one of the large valley systems that comprise Valles Marineris. Large fractures are visible on the upper margin of the chasma. Downward from those fractures are several landslide deposits.Orbit Number: 72317 Latitude: -4.93727 Longitude: 280.84 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-03 18:26Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The channel shown here is part of a large system of depressions located on the eastern side of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. The depression in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located just south of Albor Tholus. | Context imageThe channel in this VIS image is part of a large system of depressions located on the eastern side of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. The depression in this image is located just south of Albor Tholus.Orbit Number: 51964 Latitude: 16.9564 Longitude: 151.246 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-08-31 16:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These clouds are located near the edge of the south polar region on Mars . The cloud tops are the puffy white features in the bottom half of the image as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03667Linear CloudsThese clouds are located near the edge of the south polar region. The cloud tops are the puffy white features in the bottom half of the image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -80.1N, Longitude 52.1E. 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 shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. The hills appear brighter than the surrounding lowlands, likely due to relatively less dust cover. Ariadnes Colles is located in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 91474 Latitude: -34.2926 Longitude: 174.12 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-07-29 06:26Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Wind has eroded the deposit on the floor of Gale Crater in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageDunes and the distal end of a landslide deposit are evident in this VIS image of eastern Ius Chasma.Orbit Number: 41753 Latitude: -5.39172 Longitude: 138.391 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-05-14 05:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Daga Vallis on Eos Mensa. | 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 Daga Vallis on Eos Mensa.Orbit Number: 2012 Latitude: -11.8784 Longitude: 317.167 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-05-29 04:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows a 3-dimensional model of the trench dug by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit at a shallow depression dubbed 'Laguna Hollow.' The rover dragged one of its wheels back and forth across the surface to create this 3-inch deep hole. | This image shows a three-dimensional model of the trench dug by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit at a shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow" on the 47th martian day, or sol, of its mission. The rover dragged one of its wheels back and forth across the surface to create this 7-centimeter-deep (3-inch) hole. Afterwards, it investigated the freshly exposed soil with the scientific instruments located on its robotic arm. This model was created using images from the rover's panoramic camera. | |
The robotic arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander slid a rock out of the way on Sept. 22, 2008 to gain access to soil that had been underneath the rock. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | The robotic arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander slid a rock out of the way during the mission's 117th Martian day (Sept. 22, 2008) to gain access to soil that had been underneath the rock.The lander's Surface Stereo Imager took the two images for this stereo view later the same day, showing the rock, called "Headless," after the arm pushed it about 40 centimeters (16 inches) from its previous location."The rock ended up exactly where we intended it to," said Matt Robinson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, robotic arm flight software lead for the Phoenix team.The arm had enlarged the trench near Headless two days earlier in preparation for sliding the rock into the trench. The trench was dug to about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) deep. The ground surface between the rock's prior position and the lip of the trench had a slope of about 3 degrees downward toward the trench. Headless is about the size and shape of a VHS videotape.The Phoenix science team sought to move the rock in order to study the soil and the depth to subsurface ice underneath where the rock had been.This left-eye and right-eye images for this stereo view were taken at about 12:30 p.m., local solar time on Mars. The scene appears three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses.The view is to the north northeast of the lander.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by JPL, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development was by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
Dark Sand and Bright Bedrock in Terra Meridiani | This HiRISE image shows dark sand covering bright bedrock in the Terra Meridiani region of Mars. The MER Opportunity rover is currently exploring Meridiani, but is located about 500 km to the west-southwest from here. There are three broad classes of terrain in this image. The regular spacing of the dark ridges, with one side of the ridges (in this case generally on the northwest) shallower than the other, indicates that the material is windblown sand deposited in the form of dunes or large ripples.On the slopes of and in between the dunes/ripples are smaller-scale ripples. The dark tone of the sand and compositional analysis of analogous material by Opportunity indicates a basaltic composition. This is in contrast to most sand on Earth, which is dominated by the mineral quartz. The basaltic sand here and elsewhere on Mars probably formed from the breakup of volcanic rock via water, wind, impact, volcanic, and maybe other processes. It was then sorted and organized into dunes and ripples by the wind. Two expanses of relatively sand-free terrain are seen in the upper part of the image. The gray material at upper center has a polygonal pattern when viewed at high resolution. The polygons may be fracture (jointing) patterns induced by local stresses in the rock or possibly from desiccation (drying) of the original material that formed the gray unit. This pattern is seen in the hematite-rich rocks at the Opportunity site. The third terrain is a bright rocky unit at top center of uncertain origin. It is at the base of a cliff, above which is the gray unit. Therefore, the bright material may be older than the gray polygonal unit. Because both units are exposed today, they must have been partially uncovered in the past, with sand recently covering them again in some areas. Observation GeometryImage PSP_001493_1815 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on 20-Nov-2006. The complete image is centered at 1.5 degrees latitude, 0.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 268.6 km (167.9 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 26.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 53.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). 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 03:31 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 54 degrees, thus the sun was about 36 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 138.4 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 map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (blue line) and locations where the rover's ChemCam instrument detected the element boron (dots, colored by abundance of boron according to the key at right). | This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (blue line) and locations where the rover's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument detected the element boron (dots, colored by abundance of boron according to the key at right). The main map shows the traverse from landing day (Sol 0) in August 2012 to the rover's location in September 2016, with boron detections through September 2015. The inset at upper left shows a magnified version of the most recent portion of that traverse, with boron detections during that portion. Overlapping dots represent cases when boron was detected in multiple ChemCam observation points in the same target and non-overlapping dots represent cases where two different targets in the same location have boron. Most of the mission's detections of boron have been made in the most recent seven months (about 200 sols) of the rover's uphill traverse.The base image for the map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. North is up. The scale bar at lower right represents one kilometer (0.62 mile).Presented at the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting on Dec. 13. in San Francisco, CA.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/.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Dunes appear on the floor of Nili Patera, one of the two volcanic calderas of Syrtis Major in this image taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageThis VIS image shows dunes on the floor of Nili Patera, one of the two volcanic calderas of Syrtis Major.Orbit Number: 37075 Latitude: 9.05824 Longitude: 67.1078 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-04-24 02:29Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Full-Circle View from Near 'Tetl' | This 360-degree view combines frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the rover's 271st martian day, or sol, on Oct. 7, 2004. The rover had just driven into position for using the tools on its robotic arm (not in the picture) to examine a layered rock called "Tetl" in the "Columbia Hills." Spirit's total driving distance from its landing to this point was 3,641 meters (2.26 miles), more than six times the distance set as a criterion for mission success. The view is presented here in a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on May 11, 2004 shows the martian landscape during the southern spring season in Noachis Terra. | Released 11 May 2004This daytime visible color image was collected on June 1, 2003 during the Southern Spring season in Noachis Terra.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -79.7, Longitude 237.3 East (122.7 West). 38 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This field of small dark craters captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in southern Elysium Planitia. The dark appearance against the surrounding lava flows suggests that the craters post-date the lava flows. | Context image This field of small dark craters is located in southern Elysium Planitia. The dark appearance against the surrounding lava flows suggests that the craters post-date the lava flows. The small "tails" near the craters indicate winds blowing toward the upper left of the image.Orbit Number: 69752 Latitude: 8.2881 Longitude: 157.48 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-09-04 10:56Please 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Oyama Crater, located in Arabia Terra, just west of Mawrth Vallis. | Context imageOyama Crater dominates the top of this VIS image. Oyama Crater is located in Arabia Terra, just west of Mawrth Vallis. The two craters at the bottom of the image are unnamed.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 62050 Latitude: 23.3269 Longitude: 340.286 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-12-09 23:15Please 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. | |
A surprise landslump in Melas Chasma was observed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionHiRISE has been monitoring the recurring slope lineae (RSL) over the mid-latitude and equatorial regions of Mars. One of these sites is a crater on the floor of Melas Chasma; and an animation shows how the RSL follow the sun, changing slope aspect with the seasons.In one of our most recent images of this site, there was a surprise: a new dark streak just down slope from the RSL. This new streak is about 18 meters wide, whereas most RSL flows (see closer to the crater rim) are less than 5 meters wide. Closer inspection shows that the dark streak corresponds to a topographic slump, similar to several others visible on this slope.This is one of the largest topographic changes we've seen in equatorial regions of Mars. We are continuing to monitor this location to see if this streak fades in the same manner as RSL, and to understand its relationship, if any, to the RSL activity. If the RSL are due to seeping water, then saturation of a layer downslope could destabilize the slope and lead to such slumps. We continue to be surprised by new discoveries from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter after 8 years in orbit.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 mosaic shows various scenes captured from a location called Housedon Hill by the ChemCam instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover between September 9 and October 23, 2020 (Sols 2878 and 2921). | Photojournal Note: Also available is the original source, high resolution TIF file, PIA24262_Hires_v2.tif (46947 x 7260 pixels, 131 MB). This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software.This mosaic shows various scenes captured from a location called "Housedon Hill" by the ChemCam instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover between September 9 and October 23, 2020 (Sols 2878 and 2921). ChemCam uses a laser to zap rock and soil, then studies the resulting vapor to determine the composition of different material from a distance. The instrument's Remote Microscopic Imager camera takes black-and-white images so that scientists can look closely at the material before and after laser zaps.Early in the mission, the team discovered that the camera can be used like a telescope, looking at distant horizons rather than nearby rock textures. While parked at a location nicknamed "Mary Anning," they used the camera to repeatedly take pictures of the landscape, assembling them all into this long mosaic. This image includes the mosaic as well as several detail shots.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).For more information about Curiosity, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html. | |
The element potassium, shown on this NASA Mars Odyssey gamma ray spectrometer map of the mid-latitude region of Mars, is a naturally radioactive element and is a minor constituent of rocks on the surface of both Mars and Earth. | This gamma ray spectrometer map of the mid-latitude region of Mars is based on gamma-rays from the element potassium. Potassium, having the chemical symbol K, is a naturally radioactive element and is a minor constituent of rocks on the surface of both Mars and Earth. The region of highest potassium content, shown in red, is concentrated in the northern part of Acidalia Planitia (centered near 55 degrees N, -30 degrees). Several areas of low potassium content, shown in blue, are distributed across the mid-latitudes, with two significant low concentrations, one associated with the Hellas Basin (centered near 35 degrees S, 70 degrees) and the other lying southeast of Elysium Mons (centered near 10 degrees N, 160 degrees). Contours of constant surface elevation are also shown. The long continuous line running from east to west marks the approximate separation of the younger lowlands in the north from the older highlands in the south.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The gamma ray spectrometer was provided by the University of Arizona, Tucson. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows some interesting fractured materials on the floor of an impact crater in Arabia Terra. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows some interesting fractured materials on the floor of an impact crater in Arabia Terra.There is a channel entering the crater and exiting it (see CTX image). This channel, along with an unusual deposit on the lowest part of the floor, suggests that there was once an ancient lake that deposited sediments here.Our enhanced-color sample shows layered deposits, some with polygonal patterns, as might be expected from lake sediments. The fracturing of these deposits might have resulted from the sudden breaching of the crater rim, draining the lake.This is a stereo pair with ESP_035843_2165.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This three-dimensional perspective view of the Martian polar layered terrain was created by combining NASA's Viking images with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter measurements of the height of the surface. | This three-dimensional perspective view of the Martian polar layered terrain was created by combining Viking images with Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter measurements of the height of the surface. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. . The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West.Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land.Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface.Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.htmlTo view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com. | |
This image shows two views of the backshell and parachute that helped deliver NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity safely to the surface of Mars from the rover's perspective inside the small crater where it landed. | This image shows two views of the backshell and parachute that helped deliver the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity safely to the surface of Mars. The first, seen in the top left picture, is from the rover's perspective inside the small crater where it landed. The second, seen in the center, is from above and was taken by a camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. The white spot inside the crater in the upper right corner is the rover's lander, and the white mark in the lower left corner is the backshell. | |
Layered Rock Ahead | Now that solar conjunction is over so that communication between Earth and Mars is no longer blocked by the Sun, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is continuing its trek through the "Columbia Hills" in Gusev Crater. Straight ahead, in the foreground of this image, is a horizontally layered rock dubbed "Tetl," which scientists hope to investigate. Layering can be either volcanic or sedimentary in origin; researchers aim to determine which of these processes created this rock. If for some reason this particular rock is not favorably positioned for grinding and examination by the toolbox of instruments on the rover's robotic arm, Spirit will be within short reach of another similar rock, dubbed "Coba," just to the right, toward the middle of this image. Spirit took this image with its navigation camera on its 263rd martian day, or sol (Sept. 28, 2004). | |
This left-eye mosaic was created from images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired May 7, 2004.The rover was on its way to the 'Columbia Hills,' which can be seen on the horizon. | This left eye of a stereo pair of views in a cylindrical-projection projection was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 122 (May 7, 2004). Spirit is sitting at site 43. The rover is on its way to the "Columbia Hills," which can be seen on the horizon. Spirit will spend the next 37 sols or more journeying to the base of these hills with the goal of learning more about Gusev Crater's past.See PIA05889 for 3-D view and PIA05891 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
These sets of animated GIFs show seven views of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover wiggling its wheels on March 4, 2021, the day Perseverance completed its first drive on Mars. | Navcam Front Left Wheel AnimationNavcam Front Right Wheel AnimationNavcam Rear Right Wheel AnimationHazcam Front Left Wheel AnimationHazcam Front Right Wheel AnimationHazcam Rear Left Wheel AnimationHazcam Rear Right Wheel AnimationThese sets of animated GIFs show seven views of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover wiggling its wheels on March 4, 2021, the day Perseverance completed its first drive on Mars.The first three sets of GIFs come from the Navigation Cameras (Navcams). The first view shows the front left wheel; the second the front right wheel; the third the rear right wheel.The next four sets come from the Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams). The fourth GIF shows the front left wheel again; the fifth the front right wheel again; the sixth the rear left wheel; and the seventh the rear right wheel again.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
This polar-projection mosaic was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on April 24, 2004 at a region dubbed 'site 35.' Spirit is sitting 100 feet away from the northeast rim of 'Missoula' crater. | This polar projection was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 110 (April 24, 2004) at a region dubbed "site 35." Spirit is sitting approximately 33 meters (100 feet) away from the northeast rim of "Missoula" crater. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers the northern edge of the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars; its margin is defined by a massive cliff many kilometers (several miles) tall. | This image covers the northern edge of the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars. The margin of Olympus Mons is defined by a massive cliff many kilometers (several miles) tall. At this location, it is nearly 7 kilometers (23,000 feet) tall. The cliff exposes the guts of the volcano, revealing interbedded hard and soft layers. The hard layers are lava and the soft layers may be dust (from large dust storms) or volcanic ash. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recorded this image on March 2, 2010. The target for this HiRISE observation was a suggestion submitted through the camera team's HiWish public-suggestion program. For more information about how to submit target suggestions, see http://uahirise.org/hiwish/. Most scientists think the cliffs formed by landslides. This collapse is driven by the weight of the huge volcano exceeding the strength of the rocks it is built of. This image covers a swath of ground about 1 kilometer (about two-thirds of a mile) wide. It is a portion of HiRISE observation ESP_016886_2030, which is centered at 22.95 degrees north latitude, 224.76 degrees east longitude. The season on Mars is northern-hemisphere spring. Other image products from this observation are available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_016886_2030.Color images from HiRISE combine information from detectors with three different color filters: red, infrared, and blue-green. Thus they include information from part of the spectrum human eyes cannot see and are not true color as the eye would see. The resulting false color helps to show differences among surface materials. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the 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, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
Hillside Boulders | Figure 1This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a hillside portion of the "Columbia Hills." Scientists are interested in investigating the large boulders seen scattered on the hillside, as they may reveal clues about how these hills formed. This image was taken approximately 0.4 kilometers (0.25 miles) away from the base of the hills on sol 146 (May 31, 2004).For related images, see PIA06011 and PIA06012. | |
This image acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on June 19, 2008 showing two trenches informally called 'Snow White 1' (left) and 'Snow White 2' (right). | This image was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on the 25th Martian day of the mission, or Sol 24 (June 19, 2008), after the May 25, 2008, landing. This image shows the trenches informally called "Snow White 1" (left) and "Snow White 2" (right). The trench is about 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep and 30 centimeters (12 inches) long."Snow White" is located in a patch of Martian soil near the center of a polygonal surface feature, nicknamed "Cheshire Cat." The "dump pile" is located at the top of the trench, the side farthest away from the lander, and has been dubbed "Croquet Ground." The digging site has been named "Wonderland."This image has been enhanced to brighten shaded areas. 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. | |
These dunes are located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThese dunes are located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 39345 Latitude: -13.6491 Longitude: 124.765 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-27 22:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Galle Crater. | Context image The THEMIS 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 Galle Crater.Orbit Number: 59661 Latitude: -50.8727 Longitude: 331.232 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-05-27 04:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit finished a drive and shows 'Bonneville' crater and the rocky plains surrounding it. The rover's solar panels are visible in the foreground, and the to right, the Columbia Hills complex. | On the 66th martian day, or sol, of its mission, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit finished a drive and sent back this navigation camera panorama showing "Bonneville" crater and the rocky plains surrounding it. The rover's solar panels are visible in the foreground, and the to right, the Columbia Hills complex. Zooming into the picture, the rover's parachute can be seen as a tiny white dot at the far left, and just above the far crater rim is the heatsheild, visible as a tiny reflective speck. | |
This vertical projection view is of a football-field-size crater, informally named 'Santa Maria,' as seen by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | Originally released December 23, 2010A football-field-size crater, informally named "Santa Maria," dominates the scene in this 360-degree, stereo view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.Following a 25-meter (82-foot) drive on the 2,451st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Dec. 16, 2010), Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the frames combined into this mosaic. The view is presented as a vertical projection, with north at the top.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Medusa Fossae. Winds have eroded materials in this region, creating ridges and valleys aligned with the direction of the wind. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Medusa Fossae. Winds have eroded materials in this region, creating ridges and valleys aligned with the direction of the wind.Orbit Number: 72008 Latitude: -3.47752 Longitude: 199.295 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-03-09 07:31Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Marte Vallis, located in Amazonis Planitia, broad and shallow, is illustrated by the streamlined islands at the top and bottom of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageMarte Vallis, located in Amazonis Planitia, is broad and shallow. The streamlined islands at the top and bottom of the image illustrate this.Orbit Number: 46057 Latitude: 16.3028 Longitude: 183.834 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-02 13:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Zephyria Planum. Zephyria Planum is located south of Elysium Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Zephyria Planum. Zephyria Planum is located south of Elysium Planitia. Long term winds have eroded the surface of Zephyria Planum (bottom half of image). Elysium Planitia covers the top half of the image. The surface contains what looks like plates of material separated by lighter toned regions. This morphology is common in southern Elysium Planitia and it has been suggested that the 'plates' were cooled lava carried along the top of a still molten volcanic flow.Orbit Number: 94719 Latitude: 3.29115 Longitude: 153.155 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-22 11:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a view of a tiny portion of the southeastern floor of Mariner Crater pocked with craters. | Mars exploration in the last half of the 20th Century comes full circle with a modern view of Mariner Crater obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in early March 1999.Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to reach the red planet and take close-up pictures that revealed its ancient, cratered surface. The picture on the left, above, is the 11th image taken by Mariner 4 during its July 1965 flyby. The center of the Mariner 4 image is dominated by a crater that is about 155 kilometers (96 miles) in diameter and located at 32°S latitude and 164°W longitude. The crater was named "Mariner" in 1967 by the International Astronomical Union in honor of its discovery by Mariner 4. The white arrow indicates the location of the new MGS MOC image.The picture on the right represents an improvement in resolution of almost a factor of 400. It shows a view of a tiny portion of the southeastern floor of Mariner Crater, as it appeared to the MGS MOC in 1999. In 1965, it was a surprise to find that the martian surface is pocked with craters. In 1999, using the MGS MOC, we now have the ability to see objects the size of automobiles on the martian surface. This view of the Mariner Crater floor has a spatial resolution of 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel and covers an area only 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide by 2.2 km (1.4 mi) long. Illumination is from the upper left in both the Mariner and MGS images. For a mercator-projected Viking 1 Orbiter view of this crater (obtained in 1978)click here.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. | |
Taken during southern summer, this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows both the ice layers of the southern polar cap of Mars and the dusty surface that surrounds the cap. | Context image for PIA01947Polar MarginTaken during southern summer, this image shows both the ice layers of the southern polar cap and the dusty surface that surrounds the cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -80.7N, Longitude 135.1E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images assembled into this stereo, 120-degree view southward after a short drive on February 3, 2009. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11803Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11803NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images assembled into this stereo, 120-degree view southward after a short drive during the 1,809th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars (February 3, 2009). By combining images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera, the view appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. Spirit had driven about 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) that sol, continuing a clockwise route around a low plateau called "Home Plate." In this image, the rocks visible above the rovers' solar panels are on the slope at the northern edge of Home Plate.This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. | |
Parts of Meridiani Planum have a surface that appears to be composed of different layers of material. In this image taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey the contrast of bright and dark materials indicates the different layers. | Context imageParts of Meridiani Planum have a surface that appears to be composed of different layers of material. In this VIS image the contrast of bright and dark materials indicates the different layers.Orbit Number: 38300 Latitude: 2.32996 Longitude: 6.31484 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-08-02 23:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows ripples on the surface of a dune in a crater west of Sinus Meridiani on Mars. These ripples are not typical sand ripples. Light-toned features are wind-eroded outcrops of sedimentary rock. | 10 October 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows ripples on the surface of a dune in a crater west of Sinus Meridiani near 2.5°N, 9.3°W. Most martian dune surfaces do not show ripples at the scale of MOC images---a higher resolution (better than 15 cm/pixel) view would be needed. These ripples are probably not typical sand ripples; they may be coarser-grained granule ripples (usually made up, in part, of grains 1-4 millimeters in size). The light-toned features in the image are wind-eroded outcrops of sedimentary rock. The image covers an area about 1.5 km (~0.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a partially-buried crater in the north polar region of Mars. A circular feature is surrounded and partly overlain by some of the many, many sand dunes in the area. | 19 March 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a partially-buried crater in the north polar region of Mars. The circular feature is surrounded and partly overlain by some of the many, many sand dunes in the area. The steepest slopes on each dune -- their slip faces -- face toward the southeast (lower right), indicating that the dominant winds responsible for sand transport in this region come from the northwest (upper left). In summer, the dunes in this scene would be darker than their surroundings, but in this northern springtime image, the dunes and everything else in the area are covered by carbon dioxide frost. The frost is left over from the winter which ended in January 2006.Location near: 76.0°N, 82.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the flank of the Arsia Mons volcano on Mars. The surface of the flank comprised of small ridges and honeycomb-like depressions. | Context image for PIA09460Unique TextureThis VIS image shows part of the flank of the Arsia Mons volcano. Rather than the rough surface typical of the young Arsia Mons lava flows found around the foot of the volcano, the surface of the flank comprised of small ridges and honeycomb-like depressions. It is likely that this surface has been modified since the last flow coated the surface.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.3N, Longitude 237.0E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Two sizes of wind-sculpted ripples are evident in this view from NASA's Curiosity of the top surface of 'Namib Dune' in the Bagnold Dune Field. The larger ripples are a type not seen on Earth nor previously recognized as a distinct type on Mars. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger viewDownload the full resolution scalebar TIFF fileTwo sizes of wind-sculpted ripples are evident in this view of the top surface of a Martian sand dune. Sand dunes and the smaller type of ripples also exist on Earth. The larger ripples -- roughly 10 feet (3 meters) apart -- are a type not seen on Earth nor previously recognized as a distinct type on Mars.The Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took the multiple component images of this scene on Dec. 13, 2015, during the 1,192nd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. That month, Curiosity was conducting the first close-up investigation ever made of active sand dunes anywhere other than Earth. The larger ripples have distinctive sinuous crest lines, compared to the smaller ripples.The location is part of "Namib Dune" in the Bagnold Dune Field, which forms a dark band along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The component images were taken in early morning at this site, with the camera looking in the direction of the sun. This mosaic combining the images has been processed to brighten it and make the ripples more visible. The sand is very dark, both from the morning shadows and from the intrinsic darkness of the minerals that dominate its composition. Figure 1 includes a scale bar indicating 2 meters (79 inches).Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam. 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.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Sojourner's left rear wheel is perched on the rock 'Wedge' in this image, taken on Sol 47 by the Imager for NASA's Mars Pathfinder (IMP). | Sojourner's left rear wheel is perched on the rock "Wedge" in this image, taken on Sol 47 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The rover's Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is the cylindrical object extending from the back of the rover.This image and PIA01557 (right eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Cyane Fossae, located near Alba Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image show part of Cyane Fossae, located near Alba Mons. The linear feature is bounded by faulting, creating a feature called a graben. The multiple crater-type forms may indicate that the graben served as a location for volcanic flow. The round features typically form where the roof of a lava tube has collapsed.Orbit Number: 64224 Latitude: 32.658 Longitude: 242.966 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-06 00:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a radial magnetic field measured at about 170-km altitude over the North Polar Region with the corresponding image showing the North Polar Cap. | Radial magnetic field measured at about 170-km altitude over the North Polar Region with the corresponding image showing the North Polar Cap. | |
Operation of the surface sampler in obtaining Martian soil for NASA's Viking 2's molecular analysis experiment. Dubbed 'Bonneville Salt Flats,' the exposure of thin crust appeared unique in contrast with surrounding materials. | Operation of the surface sampler in obtaining Martian soil for Viking 2's molecular analysis experiment last Saturday (September 25) was closely monitored by one of the Lander cameras because of the precision required in trenching the small area--8 by 9 inches-surrounded by rocks. Dubbed 'Bonneville Salt Flats,' the exposure of thin crust appeared unique in contrast with surrounding materials and became a prime target for organic analysis in spite of potential hazards. Large rock in foreground is 8 inches high. At left, the sampler scoop has touched the surface, missing the rock at upper left by a comfortable 6 inches, and the backhoe has penetrated the surface about one-half inch. The scoop was then pulled back to sample the desired point and (second photo) the backhoe furrowed the surface pulling a piece of thin crust toward the spacecraft. The initial touchdown and retraction sequence was used to avoid a collision between a rock in the shadow of the arm and a plate joining the arm and scoop. The rock was cleared by 2 to 3 inches. The third picture was taken 8 minutes after the scoop touched the surface and shows that the collector head has acquired a quantity of soil. With surface sampler withdrawn (right), the foot-long trench is seen between the rocks. The trench is three inches wide and about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. The scoop reached to within 3 inches of the rock at far end of trench. Penetration appears to have left a cavernous opening roofed by the crust and only about one inch of undisturbed crust separates the deformed surface and the rock. | |
This diagram shows how materials analyzed by the ChemCam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover during the first 100 Martian days of the mission differed with regard to hydrogen content (horizontal axis) and alkali (vertical axis). | The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover analyzes Martian rocks, soils and dust at scales of less than 0.04 inch (1 millimeter). This diagram shows how materials analyzed by ChemCam during the first 100 Martian days of the mission (Aug. 5, 2012, to Nov. 16, 2013) differed with regard to hydrogen content (horizontal axis) and alkali (vertical axis). Rocks analyzed in Gale Crater during that period show a variety of compositions, as reflected here on the alkali axis. These rocks are all characterized by a low signal for hydrogen. Soils, on the other hand, are characterized by a dynamic range in both alkali and hydrogen content. Cluster analysis of the ChemCam data set has revealed the presence of two soil components and a mechanical mixing line between them. One of the two soil components is coarse-grained soils (high alkali, low hydrogen), which are very likely made of rock fragments deposited as part of an alluvial fan from Peace Vallis on the north rim of Gale Crater. The other is finer particles with low alkali and high hydrogen, which are typically found in aeolian (wind-related) bedforms, such as the "Rocknest" deposit of windblown dusty sand where Curiosity scooped up samples for analysis by laboratory instruments. The composition of dust measured by ChemCam is similar to that of a low-alkali portion of the fine soils.ChemCam observes spectral characteristics of dust on every first shot at any target analyzed on Mars.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 is a mosaic of Erebus Crater, assembled from some of the images taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 590th sol (Sept. 21, 2005). | This is a mosaic assembled from some of the images taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 590th sol (Sept. 21, 2005). The view is toward the south and includes rock exposures north of "Erebus Crater," with the crater in the background. The rover will investigate the exposed rocks in the foreground and will take additional panoramic-camera images of Erebus Crater, which is about 300 meters (about 984 feet) across. Erebus Crater dwarfs the landing-site crater, "Eagle Crater," which measures about 22 meters (72 feet) in diameter. And, it is nearly twice the diameter of "Endurance Crater," which, at 130 meters (430 feet) wide, has been compared to a stadium. The camera's red filter was used for taking the images in this mosaic. It admits light with a wavelength of 750 nanometers. | |
This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. THEMIS ART IMAGE #74 Don't look now, but some guy is watching you from the bottom of a martian crater. | Context image for PIA08558THEMIS ART #74Back by popular demand: THEMIS ART IMAGE #74 Don't look now, but some guy is watching you from the bottom of a martian crater!Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -61.1N, Longitude 66.1E. 95 meter/pixel resolution./p>Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the border between Chandor and Melas Chasmata. The entire image is landslide deposits. | Context image This VIS image shows part of the border between Chandor and Melas Chasmata. The entire image is landslide deposits. It is very common for landslides to develop linear surface grooves that parallel the direction of flow.Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides).The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 17003 Latitude: -8.20616 Longitude: 288.108 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-10-14 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. | |
Color Image of Layers in Holden Crater, a Candidate MSL Landing Site | Layers inside Holden Crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars are shown in enhanced color in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image was taken on December 4, 2006, as part of a campaign to examine more than two dozen candidate landing sites for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, which is scheduled for launch in 2009.Holden is one of the most interesting locations for scientists investigating the history of water on Mars because the crater contains deep gullies carved by running water, as well as excellent examples of likely lake beds and alluvial fans (sediment deposited by streams) on its floor. These deposits are about 3.7 billion years old and date back to a wetter period of early Martian history. Since that time the planet has generally been very cold and dry, and water has remained frozen in the polar regions or middle latitudes.The cliff shown in this frame is located on the southwestern part of the crater floor. Many of the bright, flat-lying, possible lake-bed deposits near the bottom of the cliff are each less than a meter or yard thick. After these lake beds were deposited, a massive flood entered Holden Crater from the southwest and deposited the layer of dark boulders and gravel that are now exposed near the top of the cliff. After the lake dried up, wind eroded the surface and formed the ripples and dunes seen in the valley. The circular pits are impact craters formed by meteorite strikes onto the ancient deposits.The area covered by this image is about 600 meters (about one-third of a mile) across, at 26.8 degrees south latitude, 34.7 degrees west longitude. North is up. The view is a composite of exposures that HiRISE took in the infrared, red and blue portions of the spectrum. Color is enhanced, a technique useful for analyzing landscapes. This is a portion of the full-frame color image catalogued as PSP_001666_1530 in the HiRISE collection. It was taken at a local Mars time of 3:41 p.m. The scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 68 degrees, thus the sun was about 22 degrees above the horizon. The season on Mars was northern autumn. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows both part of the volcanic flows of Daedalia Planum (top half) and the tectonic features of Memnonia Fossae (bottom half). | Context imageThis VIS image shows both part of the volcanic flows of Daedalia Planum (top half) and the tectonic features of Memnonia Fossae (bottom half).Orbit Number: 56551 Latitude: -18.3815 Longitude: 216.701 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-09-13 03:46 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 image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a sand sheet with dune forms located northeast of Douglass Crater. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image shows a sand sheet with dune forms located northeast of Douglass Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 50.0N, Longitude 292.9E. 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. | |
This is an image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft of an area within Acidalia Planitia that contains patterned ground (near the top of the image). This type of surface is likely related to subsurface ice. | This is an image of an area within Acidalia Planitia that contains patterned ground near the top of the image. This type of surface is likely related to subsurface ice. There are other strange features in this image, including a range of crater morphologies and steps or terraces surrounding the isolated knobs.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 33.2, Longitude 322.1 East (37.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the southeastern rim of Gale Crater. The large ridge at the bottom of image is the top of the rim. Image shows a channel dissecting the rim; two dune fields occur along the path of the channel too. | Context imageDuring the month of April Mars will be in conjunction relative to the Earth. This means the Sun is in the line-of-sight between Earth and Mars, and communication between the two planets is almost impossible. For conjunction, the rovers and orbiting spacecraft at Mars continue to operate, but do not send the data to Earth. This recorded data will be sent to Earth when Mars moves away from the sun and the line-of-sight between Earth and Mars is reestablished. During conjunction the THEMIS image of the day will be a visual tour of Gale Crater, the location of the newest rover Curiosity. This image shows the southeastern rim of Gale Crater. The large ridge at the bottom of the image is the top of the rim. This image shows a channel dissecting the rim as well as two dune fields (center of image and top left) that occur along the path of the channel. This is our final Gale Crater image.Orbit Number: 37348 Latitude: -6.24735 Longitude: 138.278 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-05-16 12:05 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows details on large lava flows in the Tharsis volcanic region of Mars. | 24 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows details on large lava flows in the Tharsis volcanic region of Mars. The image is located near 25.4°N, 123.7°W. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image acquired on November 9, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a variety of dark circular features that are the remains of the layer that has been eroded back from the walls of the craters that formed them. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionIn the ancient past, this area of Mars was bombarded by impactors, forming craters of various sizes in the light-toned material. Some time after that, a darker material blanketed and covered the field, filling in the craters. Eventually, that blanketed material itself became rock. Long after that, erosive forces (likely wind) acted in this area removing both dark and light-toned material, like an archeologist using a brush to reveal buried structures.What we see today are a variety of dark circular features that are the remains of the layer that has been eroded back from the walls of the craters that formed them. In some cases, the crater rim is eroded and just a circular dark patch stands on a brighter exposure of rock.Studying the thickness and characteristics of the dark layer might help scientists learn more about the processes that deposited the material, as well as those that eroded it.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 52.6 centimeters [20.7 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 158 centimeters [62.2 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_071806_1570.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The lowland plains of Elysium and Utopia Planitiae are separated from the darker heavily cratered highlands by a broad escarpment in this image from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. | Center of the orthographic projection is at latitude 30 degrees S., longitude 210 degrees. Toward the top, the lowland plains of Elysium and Utopia Planitiae are separated from the darker heavily cratered highlands by a broad escarpment. The far bottom left is marked by the large light-colored ancient Hellas impact basin. The permanent south polar residual ice cap is located near the bottom. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the northern end of Gordii Dorsum, where the surface slopes down into southern Amazonis Planitia. Dark slope streaks are visible on the lower cliff face. | Context imageThis VIS image is located at the northern end of Gordii Dorsum, where the surface slopes down into southern Amazonis Planitia. Within this image are several different surfaces and textures. At the top left of the image (ignoring the very tip) moving down towards the larger depression there are three different surfaces. There are two small, discontinuous ridges that parallel the depression that divide the three surfaces from each other. At the top the surface is uniformly wave like, in the middle, there is a region of shallow depressions, and in the third region the shallow lineations are more complex and a higher density of features. The lineations are largely parallel and radial to the large depression. The cliff face between the top of the image and the lower right consists of two levels. The upper cliff slopes gently to the edge of the lower cliff face, where the change in elevation is dramatic. Dark slope streaks are visible on the lower cliff face, and on both cliffs on the far right side. The floor of the large depression has a rough surface, with a general linear trend from the bottom right of the image to the uppper left corner. Along the bottom edge of the depression are a series of small intersecting ridges. These features typically represent fracture fill that is more resistant then the surrounding material, which are left as ridges when the surrounding materials are eroded away. At the base of the cliffs at the bottom of the image is a region of uniform texture, probably from erosion of the cliff forming material.Orbit Number: 72469 Latitude: 10.8321 Longitude: 211.702 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-16 07:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Several craters in the southern hemisphere contain floor fill that has subsequently been eroded to form depressions in the fill material. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Several craters in the southern hemisphere contain floor fill that has subsequently been eroded to form depressions in the fill material. Many depressions of this type are parallel to the crater wall. Other depressions are located in the center of the crater and are relatively linear. This crater depression is of the second type. Several gullies are visible on the side of the depression at the bottom of the image.Orbit Number: 75414 Latitude: -68.03 Longitude: 1.89119 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-12-14 20:19Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows some of the extensive volcanic flows east of the large Tharsis volcanoes. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows some of the extensive volcanic flows east of the large Tharsis volcanoes.Orbit Number: 48151 Latitude: 11.2222 Longitude: 279.398 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-21 22:08Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 30, 2004 shows Meridiani Planum. | Released 30 January 2004Long before the MER landers were named or launched, the two orbiters at Mars were asked to examine landing sites. Both the Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have been collecting landing site data for the past two years. The MGS and ODY data were used as part of the decision making process in the final selection of the two landing sites. The types of data collected by the two orbiters included not only images of the surface but also thermal data about the surface composition, atmospheric data about the climate at each location, and the tracking of major dust storms in the region prior to landing. The presence of, and data collected by, the MGS and ODY orbiters have proven invaluable in MER mission planning.This image, captured on 13 December 2002, covers an area to the north of Opportunity's landing spot in Meridiani Planum.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 2.5, Longitude 355.1 East (4.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark slope streaks coming off of rugged hills in the Lycus Sulci region, north of the Olympus Mons volcano on Mars. | 21 May 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark slope streaks coming off of rugged hills in the Lycus Sulci region, north of the Olympus Mons volcano. These slopes are mantled with fine, bright dust. From time to time, the dust will avalanche down a slope, forming a slope streak. The behavior of this dry, granular material can be somewhat fluid-like. New slope streaks can form at any time and, for an area the size of that shown here, may form at a rate of one per Mars year (687 Earth days). Naturally, some scientists have suggested that water plays a role in forming these streaks, but, in general, Mars is drier than the driest deserts on Earth and these streaks are contemporary features that occur in the dustiest regions of the planet. The image is located near 29.8°N, 133.4°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. The picture is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is of an approximately 5 kilometer (approx. 3.1 mile) diameter crater that is one of the rare examples of a fresh 'lunar-like' crater on Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image is of an approximately 5 kilometer (approx. 3.1 mile) diameter crater that is one of the rare examples of a fresh "lunar-like" crater on Mars. The impact crater formed in the Tharsis region, which is the volcanic region on Mars that harbors the great Olympus Mons volcano -- in fact, this crater lies just 150 kilometer (94 miles) from the flanks of Olympus.Now most really fresh craters on Mars typically have floors with a frothy, pitted deposit on them (see Zumba Crater caption), which possibly suggesting that water/ice was present in the subsurface prior to impact.This 5 kilometer crater completely lacks such materials. Instead, the crater possess a deposit is generally smooth with some rocks peppered throughout the deposit. This is more similar to observations of fresh craters on the Moon. This distinction from the more typical pitted crater floor deposit may support that the lavas sampled by this crater were low in water/ice or dry at the time of impact. There are some smaller craters superimposed on the floor, which is a sign that the crater is reasonably fresh, but not as recent as other craters on Mars.There's also a lot of Martian dust in this crater, which often gives geologic forms a somewhat muted appearance, some of that dust and fine-grained material may be the source of the materials that comprise the "sand" ripples in the bottom-half of the subimage.Note: By "fresh," we are speaking in geologic terms, not something that just occurred.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface. The HiRISE camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. | NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box; the inset image is a cutout of the rover stretched to avoid saturation. The rover is descending toward the etched plains just north of the sand dunes that fringe "Mt. Sharp." From the perspective of the orbiter, the parachute and Curiosity are flying at an angle relative to the surface, so the landing site does not appear directly below the rover.The parachute appears fully inflated and performing perfectly. Details in the parachute, such as the band gap at the edges and the central hole, are clearly seen. The cords connecting the parachute to the back shell cannot be seen, although they were seen in the image of NASA's Phoenix lander descending, perhaps due to the difference in lighting angles. The bright spot on the back shell containing Curiosity might be a specular reflection off of a shiny area. Curiosity was released from the back shell sometime after this image was acquired.This view is one product from an observation made by HiRISE targeted to the expected location of Curiosity about one minute prior to landing. It was captured in HiRISE CCD RED1, near the eastern edge of the swath width (there is a RED0 at the very edge). This means that the rover was a bit further east or downrange than predicted.The image scale is 13.2 inches (33.6 centimeters) per pixel.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 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 9, 2004 shows the relatively young volcanic flows from Arsia Mons, while the bottom exhibits the flow front texture of older flows. The older flows are most likely also from Arsia Mons. | Released 9 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 daytime infrared image was collected Aug. 13, 2003 during southern spring. The upper part of the image shows the relatively young volcanic flows from Arsia Mons, while the bottom exhibits the flow front texture of older flows. The older flows are most likely also from Arsia Mons.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -27.8, Longitude 237.5 East (122.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a sand sheet with dune forms located on the floor of Proctor Crater on Mars. | This daytime IR image shows the sand sheet with dune forms located on the floor of Proctor Crater.Context information for this image is not available at this time.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -49.2N, Longitude 29.6E. 120 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on April 16, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a surface shaped by ice. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis image shows a surface shaped by ice. Funnel-shaped craters scattered throughout the image are interpreted as impacts that once had the classic bowl shape, but have now expanded via sublimation. At high resolution the surface is divided by polygonal fractures, spaced a few meters apart. These polygons are common on the northern plains and were seen by the Phoenix Lander. They form when annual temperature cycles cause the ice to fracture as it expands and shrinks. The polygons are especially prominent and well-defined in a shallow pit in the (west-center part of the) image, which may indicate that depth or purity of the ice is different there.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 30.7 centimeters [12.1 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning] to 61.4 centimeters [24.2 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an afternoon dust storm, dust devil, or other dust-raising event. The dark area below the dust plume is its shadow. | 25 May 2004From time to time, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) catches -- in action -- an afternoon dust storm, dust devil, or other dust-raising event. The dust-raising event shown here, probably the result of a sudden strong gust of wind, occurred in November 2003 in a crater located near 57.5°S, 60.6°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left, so the dark area below the dust plume is its shadow. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. | |
Small channels dissect the rim of Bakhuysen Crater in Noachis Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageSmall channels dissect the rim of Bakhuysen Crater in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 41832 Latitude: -22.1676 Longitude: 17.1492 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-05-20 17:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A portion of the rim and interior of the large impact crater Schiaparelli is seen at different resolutions in images acquired October 18, 1997 by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and by the Viking Orbiter 1 twenty years earlier. | A portion of the rim and interior of the large impact crater Schiaparelli is seen at different resolutions in images acquired October 18, 1997 by the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera (MOC) and by the Viking Orbiter 1 twenty years earlier. The left image is a MOC wide angle camera "context" image showing much of the eastern portion of the crater at roughly 1 km (0.6 mi) per picture element. The image is about 390 by 730 km (240 X 450 miles). Shown within the wide angle image is the outline of a portion of the best Viking image (center, 371S53), acquired at a resolution of about 240 m/pixel (790 feet). The area covered is 144 X 144 km (89 X 89 miles). The right image is the high resolution narrow angle camera view. The area covered is very small--3.9 X 10.2 km (2.4 X 6.33 mi)--but is seen at 63 times higher resolution than the Viking image. The subdued relief and bright surface are attributed to blanketing by dust; many small craters have been completely filled in, and only the most recent (and very small) craters appear sharp and bowl-shaped. Some of the small craters are only 10-12 m (30-35 feet) across. Occasional dark streaks on steeper slopes are small debris slides that have probably occurred in the past few decades. The two prominent, narrow ridges in the center of the image may be related to the adjustment of the crater floor to age or the weight of the material filling the basin.Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) 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. |
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