short_caption
stringlengths 3
255
| caption
stringlengths 31
10.7k
| image_url
stringlengths 61
61
|
|---|---|---|
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the floor of Matara Crater. A large sand sheet dominates the floor of this crater located in Noachis Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows the floor of Matara Crater. A large sand sheet dominates the floor of this crater located in Noachis Terra. The top of the sand sheet has been sculpted by the wind, creating dune forms. Matara Crater is 48km (30 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 84859 Latitude: -49.6428 Longitude: 34.4725 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-01-30 13:42Please 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Mars' south polar image and its variety of surface textures. | Context image for PIA09277Texture ChangesThis south polar image illustrates the variety of surface textures. In this image the "swiss-cheese" texture is being modified and becoming the "thumbprint" texture.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -84.5N, Longitude 313.4E. 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. | |
A day after NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drilled the first sample-collection hole into a rock on Mars, the rover's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument shot laser pulses into the fresh rock powder that the drilling generated. | Annotated versionClick on the image for larger versionA day after NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drilled the first sample-collection hole into a rock on Mars, the rover's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument shot laser pulses into the fresh rock powder that the drilling generated. This scene shows a line of pits left by laser hits on the drill tailings. The view is a mosaic of images taken by the remote micro-imager in ChemCam, with color information from Curiosity's MastCamera. The drilled hole, at lower center, is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter. Curiosity drilled the hole 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) deep during the 182nd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Feb. 8, 2013). ChemCam repeatedly zapped several points near the hole on Sol 183 (Feb. 9, 2013) to obtain spectra providing information about composition, and then on the same sol took the images that have been combined to create this view. Marks from the laser hits are visible along a line about halfway up the image. Arrows at 10 locations indicate the marks from the laser hits in the annotated version. The site is on a patch of flat rock called "John Klein" in the "Yellowknife Bay" area of Mars' Gale Crater.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-24 quadrangle, Phaethontis region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. | Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-24 quadrangle, Phaethontis region of Mars. The Phaethontis quadrangle is dominated by heavily cratered highlands and low-lying areas forming relatively smooth plains. Latitude range -65 to -30 degrees, longitude range 120 to 180. | |
The many interconnected channels in this image are all part of Sabis Vallis on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA02042Sabis VallisThe many interconnected channels in this image are all part of Sabis Vallis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6.0N, Longitude 209.3E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a section of Samara Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Samara Valles.Orbit Number: 58313 Latitude: -25.3069 Longitude: 341.533 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-02-05 04:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image of dunes located in Aonia Terra. | Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are located in Aonia Terra.Orbit Number: 41086 Latitude: -49.7616 Longitude: 293.445 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-20 07:12Please 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. | |
These views of Labyrinthus Noctis on Mars from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor were acquired on September 19, 1997, about 11 minutes after the spacecraft passed close to the planet for the fifth time. | MOC image P005_03 was acquired at 6:25 AM PDT on September 19, 1997, about 11 minutes after Mars Global Surveyor passed close to the planet for the fifth time. During the imaging period, the spacecraft was canted towards the sun-lit hemisphere by 25°, and the MOC was obliquely viewing features about 1600 km (1000 miles) away. The resolution at that distance was about 6 meters (20 feet) per picture element (pixels), but in order to improve the number of gray levels, the pixels were summed in both the cross-track and along-track directions, yielding final resolution of about 12 meters (40 feet) per pixel. The MOC image covers an area about 12 km X 12 km (7.5 X 7.5 miles).Shown above are three pictures: (A) is excepted from the U.S. Geological Survey's Mars Digital Image Mosaic, showing the Labyrinthus Noctis area west of the Valles Marineris. This image is about 175 km (109 miles) square. The outline of the MOC high resolution (Narrow Angle) camera image is centered at 4.6°S, 102.6°W.(B) is the MOC frame P005_03. Because the MOC acquires its images one line at a time, the cant angle towards the sun-lit portion of the planet, the spacecraft orbital velocity, and the spacecraft rotational velocity combined to distort the image slightly.(C) shows P005_03 skewed and rotated to the perspective that MOC was viewing at the time the image was taken. Labyrinthus Noctis is near the crest of a large (many thousands of kilometers) upcoming of the Martian crust, and the 2000 meter (6500 foot) deep canyons visible in these pictures are bounded by faults. Debris shed from the steep slopes has moved down into after the canyons opened. Small dunes are seen in the lowest area, beneath the high cliffs.Launched on November 7, 1996, Mars Global Surveyor entered Mars orbit on Thursday, September 11, 1997. The spacecraft has been using atmospheric drag to reduce the size of its orbit for the past three weeks, and will achieve a circular orbit only 400 km (248 mi) above the surface early next year. Mapping operations begin in March 1998. At that time, MOC narrow angle images will be 5-10 times higher resolution than these pictures.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This pair of maps based on albedo information from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter and topographical information from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter indicates locations of confirmed sites of recurrent slope linea on Mars. | This pair of maps indicates locations of confirmed sites of recurrent slope linea on Mars, with respect to elevation (upper map) and surface brightness, or albedo (lower map). Recurrent slope linea are a class of markings that might be caused by flow of salty water. These dark lines advance downhill during warmer months, fade away in colder months, and reappear the following year. A paper by McEwen et al. in Nature Geoscience in December 2013 focuses on recent confirmation that these features exist surprisingly close to the equator. A cluster of recent findings is in the Valles Marineris area. The albedo information comes from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Surface topographical information for the map comes from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. | |
Lahontan Crater Looms (left eye) | This left eye in a stereo pair of views was assembled from three navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 120 (May 5, 2004). The image highlights a crater approximately 70 meters (230 feet) in diameter that scientists have informally named "Lahontan." This image also reveals a wind-ripple feature in the foreground and a distant look at the Columbia Hills on the Horizon, Spirit's planned final destination.See PIA06022 for 3-D view and PIA06024 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
These sand dunes are part of the sand sea that surrounds the south polar cap on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09151 Polar DunesThese sand dunes are part of the sand sea that surrounds the south polar cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -71.6N, Longitude 143.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the intersection of Medusae Fossae and Medusae Sulci. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located at the intersection of Medusae Fossae and Medusae Sulci. Long term surface winds have eroded materials in this region, creating ridges and valleys aligned with the direction of the wind. To form the surface features seen in this image, the surface must have been soft and easily eroded. It has been suggested that the materials may be volcanic ash from nearby volcanoes (Olympus Mons and Arsia Mons).Orbit Number: 79431 Latitude: -3.99572 Longitude: 200.385 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-10 15:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows one of the many graben that make up Labeatis Fossae. | Context imageThis VIS image shows one of the many graben that make up Labeatis Fossae. Graben are tectonic features created when two bounding faults have an central down dropped block of material.Orbit Number: 61740 Latitude: 29.7682 Longitude: 284.222 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-11-14 10:34Please 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 percussion drill in the turret of tools at the end of the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has been positioned in contact with the rock surface in this image from the rover's front Hazard-Avoidance Camera (Hazcam). | The percussion drill in the turret of tools at the end of the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has been positioned in contact with the rock surface in this image from the rover's front Hazard-Avoidance Camera (Hazcam).The drill was positioned for pre-load testing, and the Hazcam recorded this image during the 170th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Jan. 27, 2013). Other tests with the drill are planned before the first drilling into a rock on Mars to collect a sample of rock material for analysis.In this view, the drill is positioned on a target on a patch of flat, veined rock called "John Klein." The site is within the "Yellowknife Bay" area of Gale Crater.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Hilly Surroundings (Left Eye) | This is the left-eye view of a stereo pair showing the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the rover's 189th sol on Mars (July 15th, 2004). It was assembled from images taken by the rover's navigation camera at a position referred to as Site 72, which is at the base of the "West Spur" portion of the "Columbia Hills." The 360-degree view is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction. See PIA06711 for 3-D view and PIA06713 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the floor of Ganges Chasma on Mars. Visible in this image are sand dunes, a sand sheet with dune forms and eroded bright deposits. | Context image for PIA11288Ganges ChasmaThis image shows a small portion of the floor of Ganges Chasma. Visible in this image are sand dunes, a sand sheet with dune forms and eroded bright deposits.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.4N, Longitude 314.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows one trench informally called 'Dodo-Goldilocks' after two digs by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's robotic arm. White material, possibly ice, is located only at the upper portion of the trench. | This color image was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on the 19th day of the mission, or Sol 19 (June 13, 2008), after the May 25, 2008, landing. This image shows one trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" after two digs (dug on Sol 18, or June 12, 2008) by Phoenix's Robotic Arm. The trench is 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) wide and 35 centimeters (13.8 inches) long. At its deepest point, the trench is 7 to 8 centimeters (2.7 to 3 inches) deep.White material, possibly ice, is located only at the upper portion of the trench, indicating that it is not continuous throughout the excavated site. According to scientists, the trench might be exposing a ledge, or only a portion of a slab, of the white material.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
The streamlined islands in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Marte Vallis. | Context imageThe streamlined islands in this VIS image are part of Marte Vallis.Orbit Number: 55247 Latitude: 18.925 Longitude: 184.18 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-05-28 20:46Please 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 dark slope streaks marking the interior rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. | Context image for PIA10315Dark Slope StreaksDark slope streaks mark the interior rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 5.7N, Longitude 48.4E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the edge of the south polar cap. | Context imageThis VIS image is located along the edge of the south polar cap. In the upper right corner the non-polar surface is visible. The tightly packed layers to the left are the edge of the polar cap, a very steep cliff-like feature. At the bottom half of the image is a surface where some, but not all, of the polar layers have been eroded away. This surface illustrates how the polar layering forms, filling in the low regions first until all the topography is covered.Orbit Number: 74956 Latitude: -79.7732 Longitude: 100.129 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-11-07 03:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the Kasei Vallis complex on Mars which contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia. | Kasei Vallis is our topic for the weeks of April 18 and 25. Originating on the margin of Lunae Planum, the Kasei Vallis complex contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia. During the week of April 18th we will concentrate on the northern branch of Kasei Vallis. The week of April 25 will be devoted to the southern branch.The formation of Kasei Vallis is still being studied and several theories exist. It is thought that volcanic subsurfaceing heating in the Tharsis/Lunae Planum region resulted in a release of water, which carved the channels and produced the landforms seen within the channels. One theory is that this was a one-time catastropic event, another theory speculates that several flooding events occurred over a long time period. Others have proposed that some of the landforms (especially scour marks and teardrop shaped "islands") are the result of glacial flow rather than liquid flow. Teardrop shaped islands are common in terrestrial rivers, where the water is eroding material in the channel. A glacial feature called a drumlin has the exact same shape, but is formed by deposition beneath continental glaciers.At the top portion of this VIS image, the steep bank wall has shed material forming alluvial fans. Notice how the material covers the terracing (leftside) and reachs almost half way across the main channel.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 22.2, Longitude 289.9 East (70.1 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. | |
These dark sand dunes in the North polar region, basking in the sunshine of late spring, have shed most of their seasonal layer of winter ice in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger viewThese dark sand dunes in the North polar region, basking in the sunshine of late spring, have shed most of their seasonal layer of winter ice.A few bright ice deposits remain sequestered in "cold traps" shadowed from the sun on the poleward-facing side of the dunes. Some bright patches of ice at the foot of the sunlit side of the dunes may be places where ice slumped to the foot of the dune creating a longer-lasting snow bank.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft.Originally released March 28, 2012 | |
This image of Candor Chasma taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey contains eroded deposits of material and a large landslide deposit. Gravity, wind, and water all played a role in shaping the landforms we see in this image. | Context imageThis VIS image of Candor Chasma contains eroded deposits of material and a large landslide deposit. Gravity, wind, and water all played a role in shaping the landforms we see in this image.Orbit Number: 36232 Latitude: -6.77086 Longitude: 292.729 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-02-13 14:46Please 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 NASA Mars Odyssey image captures a portion of several lava flows in Daedalia Planum southwest of the Arsia Mons shield volcano. Textures characteristic of the variable surface roughness associated with different lava flows in this region are easily s | This THEMIS image captures a portion of several lava flows in Daedalia Planum southwest of the Arsia Mons shield volcano. Textures characteristic of the variable surface roughness associated with different lava flows in this region are easily seen. The lobate edges of the flows are distinctive, and permit the discrimination of many overlapping individual flows. The surfaces of some flows look wrinkly and ropy, probably indicating a relatively fluid type of lava flow referred to as pahoehoe. The surface textures of lava flows can thus sometimes be used for comparative purposes to infer lava viscosity and effusion rates. Numerous parallel curved ridges are visible on the upper surfaces of some of the lava flows. These ridges make the flow surface look somewhat ropy, and at smaller scales this flow might be referred to as pahoehoe, however, these features are probably better referred to as pressure ridges. Pressure ridges form on the surface of a lava flow when the upper part of the flow is exposed to air, cooling it, but the insulated much warmer interior of the flow continues to move down slope (and more material is pushed forward from behind), causing the surface to compress and pile up like a rug.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 dunes in this image are located on the floor of Herschel Crater as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are located on the floor of Herschel Crater.Orbit Number: 51029 Latitude: -13.6442 Longitude: 129.104 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-06-15 16:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This polar-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 100 (April 14, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view after a century of sols on the martian surface. | This polar-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 100 (April 14, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view after a century of sols on the martian surface. | |
This image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after completing a two-location brushing on the rock dubbed 'Mazatzal.' A coating of fine, dust-like material was successfully removed from targets, revealing clean rock underneath. | This hazard-avoidance camera image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 79 after completing a two-location brushing on the rock dubbed "Mazatzal." A coating of fine, dust-like material was successfully removed from targets named "Illinois" (right) and "New York" (left), revealing clean rock underneath. In this image, Spirit's panoramic camera mast assembly, or camera head, can be seen shadowing Mazatzal's surface. The center of the two brushed spots are approximately 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) apart and were aggressively analyzed by the instruments on the robotic arm on sol 80. On sol 81, the rover drilled into the New York target to expose the original rock underneath. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured this video of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's 54th flight on Aug. 3, 2023. | Click here for animationNASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured this video of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's 54th flight on Aug. 3, 2023. After performing a preflight "wiggle check" with its rotors, the helicopter takes off, hovers at an altitude of 16 feet (5 meters), and rotates to the left, before touching back down. The mission conducted the short pop-up flight to check Ingenuity's navigation system.The video was captured by the rover's Mastcam-Z imager from a distance of about 180 feet (55 meters).Arizona State University in Tempe leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows and graben near the northeastern flank of Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows lava flows and graben near the northeastern flank of Elysium Mons. The linear graben crosses the image from left to right, while the more sinuous lava flows are running from the bottom of the image towards the top.Orbit Number: 81866 Latitude: 27.7402 Longitude: 148.194 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-29 04:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found this image of a meteorite. The science team used two tools on Opportunity's arm, the microscopic imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, to inspect the rock's texture and composition. | This is an image of the meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found and examined in September 2010.Opportunity's cameras first revealed the meteorite in images taken on Sol 2363 (Sept. 16, 2010), the 2,363rd Martian day of the rover's mission on Mars. This view was taken with the panoramic camera on Sol 2371 (Sept. 24, 2010).The science team used two tools on Opportunity's arm -- the microscopic imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer -- to inspect the rock's texture and composition. Information from the spectrometer confirmed that the rock is a nickel-iron meteorite. The team informally named the rock "Oileán Ruaidh" (pronounced ay-lan ruah), which is the Gaelic name for an island off the coast of northwestern Ireland.Opportunity departed Oileán Ruaidh and resumed its journey toward the mission's long-term destination, Endeavour Crater, on Sol 2374 (Sept. 28, 2010) with a drive of about 100 meters (328 feet).The component images were taken through three Pancam filters admitting wavelengths of 753 nanometers, 535 nanometers and 432 nanometers. This view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see. | |
This false-color image released on Oct 15, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Tyrrhena Patera on Mars colorized with a mosaic of nighttime temperature images (purple/blue is coldest, yellow/red is warmest). | This image of Tyrrhena Patera is a mosaic of daytime thermal infrared images colorized with a mosaic of nighttime temperature images (purple/blue is coldest, yellow/red is warmest).The colder nighttime temperatures (blue hues) in the caldera and on the flanks of the volcano indicate that this area is likely covered with finer-grained materals. This contrasts strongly against the warm (red) area to the northwest. These warmer temperatures indicate a rockier surface, possibly even exposed bedrock. This is especially probably where the red hues conform with the topography.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 foreground area is a portion of an area called 'Botany Bay' between two ridges forming part of the western rim of Endeavour crater. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this mosaic view centered toward the southeast on Aug. 6, 2011. | Annotated versionClick on the image for larger viewNASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera during the rover's 2,678th Martian day, or sol, (Aug. 6, 2011) to record the image frames combined into this mosaic view centered toward the southeast.The foreground area is a portion of an area called "Botany Bay" between two ridges forming part of the western rim of Endeavour crater. The bright blocks exposed on Botany are unusually rough and jagged, and observations from orbit imply the presence of relatively fresh outcrops of sulfate-rich materials. Darker rocks on the left in the middle distance are around the edge of a small crater, "Odyssey," which is on the Endeavour crater rim fragment called "Cape York." Endeavour crater, with a diameter of 14 miles (22 kilometers) was chosen as Opportunity's long term destination in mid-2008, and the rover reached the crater's rim on Aug. 9, 2011. Distant ground in this view includes the floor and far rim of Endeavour.Opportunity completed its three-month prime missions in April 2004 and has continued operations in bonus extended missions since then. | |
This image shows InSight's robotic arm, with its scoop and stowed grapple, poised above the Martian soil. | NASA's InSight spacecraft took a color-calibrated image of its robotic arm using its Instrument Deployment Camera on Dec. 4, 2018 (Sol 8). The camera still has a transparent dust cover on it, but the robotic arm can clearly be seen above the Martian soil. There is a dark scoop at the end of the arm. Above the scoop is the stowed grapple, the claw that InSight will use to grab and move its instruments from its deck onto the planet's surface. InSight will be the first Mars mission to use a robotic arm to grasp objects and deploy them onto the surface of another planet.JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES, and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), provided the SEIS instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the HP3 instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/insight. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. Located in Xanthe Terra, Shalbatana Vallis is an outflow channel carved by massive floods of escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image. Shalbatana Vallis is over 1300 km long (808 miles). This channel, and all others in this region, drain into Chryse Planitia. A small landslide deposit is visible at the bottom of the image.Orbit Number: 88187 Latitude: 6.89989 Longitude: 317.849 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-31 14:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows two depression crossing called Pavonis Fossae that are located on the northern lower flank of Pavonis Mons. | Context imageThe two depression crossing this image are called Pavonis Fossae and are located on the northern lower flank of Pavonis Mons. These linear features are most likely created by a combination of both tectonic and volcanic forces. The top feature has several narrow 'walls' within the depression, indicating a collapse of the roof of an empty lava tube.Pavonis Mons is the central volcano of the three large Tharsis volcanoes. All three volcanoes form a line located along a tectonic bulge caused by extensional forces in the region. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the three with a summit of only 14km (8.7 miles).Orbit Number: 90136 Latitude: 3.50046 Longitude: 249.786 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-04-10 02:31Please 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. | |
Northern Plains | Image PSP_001483_2465 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 20, 2006. The complete image is centered at 66.5 degrees latitude, 262.3 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 311.6 km (194.8 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~94 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:07 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 59 degrees, thus the sun was about 31 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 138.0 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image of a large-size, light tone and sugary surface texture, 6.6-foot-wide rock called 'Mazatzal' on March 21, 2004. | NASA's Spirit took this navigation camera image of the 2-meter-wide (6.6-foot-wide) rock called "Mazatzal" on sol 76, March 21, 2004. Scientists intend to aggressively analyze this target with Spirit's microscopic imager, Moessbauer spectrometer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer before brushing and "digging in" with the rock abrasion tool on upcoming sols.Mazatzal stood out to scientists because of its large size, light tone and sugary surface texture. It is the largest rock the team has seen at the rim of the crater informally named "Bonneville." It is lighter-toned than previous rock targets Adirondack and Humphrey. Its scalloped pattern may be a result of wind sculpting, a very slow process in which wind-transported silt and sand abrade the rock's surface, creating depressions. This leads scientists to believe that Mazatzal may have been exposed to the wind in this location for an extremely long time.The name "Mazatzal" comes from a mountain range and rock formation that was deposited around 1.2 billion years ago in the Four Peaks area of Arizona. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-555, 25 November 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows layers exposed in the upper wall of a meteor impact crater, and the dry talus that has been shed from this layered slope. This September 2003 image is located near 30.2°N, 272.8°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
The surface in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft has been scoured by the wind, producing the linear ridges/valleys. | Context imageThe surface in this VIS image has been scoured by the wind, producing the linear ridges/valleys.Orbit Number: 47705 Latitude: -1.89727 Longitude: 206.047 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-09-15 03:17Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This graph compares the spectrum of 'Bounce,' a rock at Meridiani Planum, to that of a martian meteorite found on Earth called Shergotty. | This illustration compares the spectrum of "Bounce," a rock at Meridiani Planum, to that of a martian meteorite found on Earth called Shergotty. Bounce's spectrum, and thus mineral composition, is unique to the rocks studied so far at Merdiani Planum and Gusev Crater, the landings sites of the Mars Exploration Rovers Opportunity and Spirit. However, the results here indicate that Bounce is not a one-of-a-kind rock, but shares origins with Shergotty. Shergotty landed in India in 1865. Bounce's spectra were taken on sol 67 by Opportunity's Moessbauer spectrometer. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a mesa on Mars that is heart shaped. | Context imageDo you see what I see? One of the mesas in this image is heart shaped.Orbit Number: 17883 Latitude: 29.3962 Longitude: 79.1239 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-12-25 20:15Please 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. | |
This image shows finely layered rocks interspersed with sand sloping downward and inward toward the center of the panorama from either side. Here and there on the outcrop, a chunk of rock has become displaced and lies at an angle on the surface. | Figure 1Figure 2
Layers at Home Plate
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this high-resolution view of intricately layered exposures of rock while parked on the northwest edge of the bright, semi-circular feature known as "Home Plate." The rover was perched at a 27-degree upward tilt while creating the panorama, resulting in the "U" shape of the mosaic. Figure 1: (a) the northern edge of Home Plate, (b) the coarse-grained lower unit, (c) the fine-grained upper unit.
Spirit acquired 246 separate images of this scene using 6 different filters on the panoramic camera (Pancam) during the rover's Martian days, or sols, 748 through 751 (Feb. 9 through Feb. 12, 2006). The field of view covers 160 degrees of terrain around the rover.
Evidence of Volcanic Explosion
The lower coarse-grained unit shows granular textures toward the bottom of the image and massive textures (figure 2). Also shown is a feature interpreted to be a "bomb sag," which is four centimeters across. This false color image was obtained using Spirit's panoramic camera. | |
A large sand sheet with surface dune forms is located on the floor of this crater near Mars' south pole. The polar cap rests against the southern part of the sand sheet. The dune appears bright in this daytime image from 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA11897Polar DuneA large sand sheet with surface dune forms is located on the floor of this crater near the south pole. The polar cap rests against the southern part of the sand sheet. The dune appears bright in this daytime IR image, as the sand is warmer than the nearby polar ice.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -72.7N, Longitude 142.8E. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows polar polygonal patterns on the surface of the south polar region on Mars. | 30 May 2004Seasonal frost can enhance the view from orbit of polar polygonal patterns on the surface of Mars. Sometimes these patterns look something like a city map, or the view from above a city lit-up at night. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example from the south polar region near 80.7°S, 70.6°W. Polar polygons on Mars are generally believed, though not proven, to be the result of freeze/thaw cycles of ice occurring within the upper few meters (several yards) of the martian subsurface. The image shown here covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across; sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
The Tharsis region of Mars is covered in vast lava flows, many with channels, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Some channels, however, resemble features that may have been formed by water. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe Tharsis region of Mars is covered in vast lava flows, many with channels. Some channels, however, resemble features that may have been formed by water.In this image, we see a smooth, flat-bottomed channel within the roughly irregular edges of a possible lava flow. This long, winding channel runs for 115 kilometers (70 miles) from its source (shown in ESP_045091_2045), maintaining a nearly consistent width. There is also a streamlined island within the channel, which is 1.25 kilometers (about 3/4 mile) long.One possibility is that a lava flow formed, and later groundwater was released, preferentially flowing through and further eroding the pre-existing lava channel. Or, the original lava flow could have been a very low-viscosity lava. We look at the shape and profile of the channel, and the channel and lava flow edges, to understand the characteristics of the fluids at work. Although there are lava flows and rivers on Earth that we can observe to understand the processes at work, the interplay of the features on Mars may tell a more complicated story.We want to be able to understand the history of volcanic activity in Tharsis, as well as possible interaction with ground water release, to better understand some of the younger landforms on Mars.This is a stereo pair with ESP_046436_2040.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 mosaic was stitched together using images from the Navigation Camera, or Navcam, on NASA's Opportunity rover. The scene shows the rover's tracks made in Perseverance Valley between Sols 5,000 and 5030. | This mosaic was stitched together using images from the Navigation Camera, or Navcam, on NASA's Opportunity rover. The scene shows the rover's tracks made in Perseverance Valley between Sols 5,000 and 5,030.The mosaic has a resolution of about 1 centimeter per pixel; the scene width is 66 feet (20 meters) while the scene height is 39 feet (12 meters). The rover wheel tracks are about 3 feet (1 meter) apart. Shading differences between frames have been adjusted so subtle surface details are more visible.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Opportunity, visit https://www.nasa.gov/rovers and https://mars.nasa.gov/mer. | |
A small section of Dao Vallis in shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Dao Vallis is a major channel that drains into Hellas Planitia. | Context imageA small section of Dao Vallis in shown in this VIS image. Dao Vallis is a major channel that drains into Hellas Planitia.Orbit Number: 44201 Latitude: -39.4383 Longitude: 86.4444 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-12-01 17:39Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two large sand dunes. | 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 two large sand dunes. The dunes are the dark blue ridged features at the upper and lower right of the image. This image is located west of Argyre Planitia.Orbit Number: 34222 Latitude: -47.717 Longitude: 303.532 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2009-09-01 03:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows the martian terrain through the eyes of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. Red represents warmer regions and blue, cool. | This image shows the martian terrain through the eyes of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. The different colored circles show a spectrum of soil and rock temperatures, with red representing warmer regions and blue, cooler. A warm and dusty depression similar to the one dubbed Sleepy Hollow stands out to the upper right. Scientists and engineers will use this data to pinpoint features of interest, and to plot a safe course for the rover free of loose dust. The mini-thermal emission spectrometer data are superimposed on an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera. | |
A northern portion of the rim of Endeavour Crater is visible on the horizon of this image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on March 7, 2009. | A northern portion of the rim of Endeavour Crater is visible on the horizon of this image taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on March 7, 2009, during the 1,820st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars. That portion of Endeavour's rim is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from Opportunity's position west of the crater when the image was taken. The width of the image covers approximately one degree of the horizon. | |
This test using an engineering model of the InSight lander here on Earth shows how the spacecraft on Mars will use its robotic arm to press on a digging device, called the mole. | This test using an engineering model of the InSight lander here on Earth shows how the spacecraft on Mars will use its robotic arm to press on a digging device, called the "mole."NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/insight. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows where the base of the Olympus Mons escarpment meets the surrounding plains on Mars. | Context image for PIA10822Olympus MonsThis VIS image shows where the base of the Olympus Mons escarpment meets the surrounding plains.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 13.0N, Longitude 227.1E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In this image from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover looking up the ramp at the northeastern end of 'Hidden Valley,' a pale outcrop including drilling target 'Bonanza King' is at the center of the scene. | In this image from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover looking up the ramp at the northeastern end of "Hidden Valley," a pale outcrop including drilling target "Bonanza King" is at the center of the scene. Curiosity used its Navigation Camera (Navcam) to capture this northward view during the 709th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Aug. 4, 2014). At that time, Curiosity was on the sand-covered floor of Hidden Valley. Due to unexpectedly high wheel slippage in the sand, the rover team subsequently decided to drive Curiosity out of the valley, up this ramp, to a higher location for examining a possible alternative route. The ramp area holds several clusters of pale rocks resembling paving stones up to about the size of dinner plates. The team chose one, dubbed Bonanza King, as a candidate for the mission's fourth drilling into a rock to collect a rock-powder sample for onboard analysis. The candidate target is in the patch of bright rocks between parallel wheel tracks in this image. For scale, the distance between the two tracks is about 9 feet (2.7 meters). A map showing Hidden Valley is at PIA18408. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Streamlined islands indicate the direction of flow in this image of Shalbatana Vallis. taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAStreamlined islands indicate the direction of flow in this VIS image of Shalbatana Vallis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.7N, Longitude 317.7E. 21 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These wind eroded hills are located on the southwest margin of Lycus Sulci on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09135 Wind ErosionThese wind eroded hills are located on the southwest margin of Lycus Sulci.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 15.9N, Longitude 214.8E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured on on sol 122. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This cylindrical-projection view 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 PIA05890 for left eye view and PIA05891 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This fracture system, located southwest of Elysium Mons, is called Elysium Chasma. NASA's Mars Odyssey captured this image on Sept. 15, 2010. | Context imageThis fracture system, located southwest of Elysium Mons, is called Elysium Chasma.Orbit Number: 38832 Latitude: 23.553 Longitude: 140.925 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-15 18:32Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of various rock types at waypoint called 'the Kimberley' shortly after arriving at the location on April 2, 2014. The site offers a diversity of rock types exposed close together. | NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of various rock types at a waypoint called "the Kimberley" shortly after arriving at the location during the 589th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (April 2, 2014). The Kimberley was selected in 2013 as a major waypoint for the mission because of the diversity of rock types distinguishable in orbital images, exposed close together at this location in a decipherable geological relationship to each other.The outcrop at the center of the image is a category that the rover team scientists call "striated," from its appearance in images taken from orbit before the rover reached this area. Farther in the distance, the striated type is overlain by other types. On the horizon, slopes of Mount Sharp -- the mission's long-term destination -- are on the left and the rim of Gale Crater is on the right.Curiosity's Navigation Camera (Navcam) took the component images of this mosaic. The scene spans from south-southwest at left to west-northwest at the right. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Different lighting can hide or reveal different features on the surface of Mars. The lighting was perfect to reveal the details of the layering of the south polar cap in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageDifferent lighting can hide or reveal different features on the surface of Mars. In today's VIS image, the lighting was perfect to reveal the details of the layering of the south polar cap.Orbit Number: 41762 Latitude: -86.0077 Longitude: 101.902 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-05-14 23:17Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the exposed bedrock of an ejecta blanket of an unnamed crater in the Mare Serpentis region of Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the exposed bedrock of an ejecta blanket of an unnamed crater in the Mare Serpentis region of Mars. Ejecta, when exposed, are truly an eye-opening feature, as they reveal the sometimes exotic subsurface, and materials created by impacts (close-up view). This ejecta shares similarities to others found elsewhere on Mars, which are of particular scientific interest for the extent of exposure and diverse colors. (For example, the Hargraves Crater ejecta, in the Nili Fossae trough region, was once considered as a candidate landing site for the next NASA Mars rover 2020.)The colors observed in this picture represent different rocks and minerals, now exposed on the surface. Blue in HiRISE infrared color images generally depicts iron-rich minerals, like olivine and pyroxene. Lighter colors, such as yellow, indicate the presence of altered rocks.The possible sources of the ejecta is most likely from two unnamed craters. How do we determine which crater deposited the ejecta?A full-scale image shows numerous linear features that are observed trending in an east-west direction. These linear features indicate the flow direction of the ejecta from its unnamed host crater. Therefore, if we follow them, we find that they emanate from the bottom of the two unnamed craters. If the ejecta had originated from the top crater, then we would expect the linear features at the location of our picture to trend northwest to southeast.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 50.8 centimeters (20 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 153 centimeters (60.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars, taken on Jan 23, 2018, rover shows the vehicle on Vera Rubin Ridge, which it's been investigating for the past several months. | This self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle on Vera Rubin Ridge, which it's been investigating for the past several months. Directly behind the rover is the start of a clay-rich slope scientists are eager to begin exploring. In the coming week, Curiosity will begin to climb this slope. North is on the left and west is on the right, with Gale Crater's rim on the horizon of both edges.Poking up just behind Curiosity's mast is Mount Sharp, photobombing the robot's selfie. Curiosity landed on Mars five years ago with the intention of studying lower Mount Sharp, where it will remain for all of its time on Mars. The mountain's base provides access to layers formed over millions of years. These layers formed in the presence of water -- likely due to a lake or lakes that sat at the bottom of the mountain, which sits inside Gale Crater. This mosaic was assembled from dozens of images taken by Curiosity's Mars Hands Lens Imager (MAHLI). They were all taken on Jan. 23, 2018, during Sol 1943.The view does not include the rover's arm nor the MAHLI camera itself, except in the miniature scene reflected upside down in the parabolic mirror at the top of the mast. That mirror is part of Curiosity's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument. MAHLI appears in the center of the mirror.Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images, or portions of images, that were used in this mosaic. This process was used previously in acquiring and assembling Curiosity self-portraits taken at other sample-collection sites, including "Rocknest" (PIA16488), "Windjana" (PIA18390), "Buckskin" (PIA19808) and "Gobabeb" (PIA20316).MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.Additional information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA22207_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a dark wind streak on the lee (downwind) side of a small meteor impact crater in western Daedalia Planum on Mars. The substrate in this region consists of large lava flows. | 26 April 2004This April 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a dark wind streak on the lee (downwind) side of a small meteor impact crater in western Daedalia Planum. The substrate in this region consists of large lava flows (larger than the image shown here). The winds responsible for the streak came from the east/northeast (right). This picture is located near 15.4°S, 138.1°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dark slope streaks, a common feature on the rim of this unnamed crater within Tikhonravov Crater. | Context imageDark slope streaks are a common feature on the rim of this unnamed crater within Tikhonravov Crater.Orbit Number: 38923 Latitude: 13.8328 Longitude: 34.2765 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-23 06:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear depressions, part of Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults called graben. | Context imageThe linear depressions in today's VIS image are part of Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults called graben. The graben lie northeast of the large volcano Syrtis Major and northwest of the ancient impact basin Isidis Planitia. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. The crustal deformation in this region was in response to the basin forming event that created Isidis Planitia. The Nili Fossae graben arc around the northwestern edge of the planitia. The graben occur in many different widths.Orbit Number: 88919 Latitude: 22.3384 Longitude: 77.6092 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-12-30 21:37Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows streamers of dark sand coming from outcrops of the lower, dark-toned unit on Mars' polar cap. | The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) is used by the MOC science team as a tool to test hypotheses about the geology, geomorphology, and meteorology of Mars. In 1999, MOC images revealed that the layers of the martian north polar cap are divided into two distinct units: an upper, light-toned sequence of layers, and a lower, darker-toned suite of layers. The team suspected that the lower unit, because of its dark tone and apparent association with nearby dune fields, might be a source of windblown sand. However, most of the 1999 images were of very low contrast because the frequent dust storms in the region made the atmosphere extremely hazy. Very few images of the north polar cap were obtained in 2000 because it was first hidden during the long winter's night, then coated by springtime frost. By early 2001, the north polar cap was in summer and the MOC team set out to test the idea that sand is eroding out of the lower unit. This picture, obtained in February 2001, shows streamers of dark sand coming from outcrops of the lower, dark-toned unit. The streamers join a nearby dune field less than a few kilometers (less than a mile) away. Erosion of the lower layered unit liberates sand that was long ago deposited in these layers. The upper unit, by contrast, contains almost no sand. Wind erosion of the lower unit leads to creation of steep scarps as the sand is removed and the upper unit is undermined. The sand moves downwind (in this case, toward the bottom left of the image) and creates dunes. The new views of the martian north polar cap obtained in 1999 and 2001 suggest that it may not contain as much water ice as previously believed. Indeed, the amount of ice may be as little as half of what was once thought. The picture shown here is 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and illuminated from the lower left. | |
This image shows part of the dune field located on the floor of Proctor Crater on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the dune field located on the floor of Proctor Crater.Orbit Number: 51257 Latitude: -47.4158 Longitude: 30.9423 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-04 11:03Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the summit caldera of Olympus Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the summit caldera of Olympus Mons. Scarps and extensional features (graben) record multiple stages of caldera collapse at the summit of Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system, reaching heights over 40 km (25 miles) tall from base to summit, with the base covering an area as large as the state of Arizona. For comparison, Mauna Loa is 9 km (5.5 miles) tall measured from its base on the sea floor.Orbit Number: 87666 Latitude: 18.7403 Longitude: 226.733 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-09-18 17:27Please 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 part of northern Terra Sabaea. | 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 northern Terra Sabaea.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 94803 Latitude: 43.1309 Longitude: 61.9989 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-29 09:55Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Perseverance rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this enhanced color view of the eroded eastern edge of the delta within Mars' Jezero Crater on April 7, 2022. | Figure AClick here for animationNASA's Perseverance rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this enhanced color view of the eroded eastern edge of the delta within Mars' Jezero Crater on April 7, 2022, the 402nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Figure A is a natural color view of the image, meaning it has been calibrated to simulate the approximate view that the human eye would perceive on the Red Planet.The animation is a video that zooms in on a deposit of boulders at the edge of the delta. These boulders may have been moved there by high-energy floods in the ancient past. Perseverance will be exploring and sampling boulder deposits like this one in 2023 after dropping off its first cache of samples at a site called Three Forks as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
Faults and Pits in the North Polar Residual Ice Cap | This full HiRISE image shows faults and pits in the north polar residual cap that have not been previously recognized. The faults and depressions between them are similar to features seen on Earth where the crust is being pulled apart. Such tectonic extension must have occurred very recently, as there the north polar residual cap is very young, as indicated by the paucity of impact craters on its surface. Alternatively, the faults and pits may be caused by collapse due to removal of material beneath the surface. The pits are aligned along the faults, either because material has drained into the subsurface along the faults or because gas has escaped from the subsurface through them.Image PSP_001513_2650 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 22, 2006. The complete image is centered at 85.1 degrees latitude, 137.6 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 319.9 km (199.9 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 32.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 64.0 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 1:29 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 69 degrees, thus the sun was about 21 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 139.1 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This vertical-projection 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 vertical-projection view 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a linear depression, part of Cerberus Fossae. | Context imageThe linear depression in today's VIS image is part of Cerberus Fossae. The feature is termed a graben and was formed by crustal extension that allowed material to subside between paired tectonic faults. The straight sides and uniform depths are indications that this is tectonic feature rather than a channel caused by fluid erosion.Orbit Number: 79345 Latitude: 9.14199 Longitude: 159.698 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-03 14:06Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of the fretted terrain north of eastern Arabia Terra on Mars. The long valley that runs diagonally is called Auqakuh Vallis. | 20 October 2004This red wide angle Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of the fretted terrain north of eastern Arabia Terra. As described earlier this month in "Craters in Fretted Terrain," the fretted terrains of Mars are the broken-up, blocky areas where the heavily cratered martian highlands transition to the lightly-cratered, lower elevation, northern plains. The landforms in the top half of the picture shown here comprise a portion of the fretted terrain. This picture has a resolution of about 243 meters (266 yards) per pixel and covers an area about 248 kilometers (154 miles) wide. The long valley that runs diagonal from lower center toward right center in the bottom half of the picture is Auqakuh Vallis. This image is located near 32°N, 299°W, and is illuminated by sunlight from the left/lower left. Another view of landforms in the fretted terrain was featured yesterday in "Fretted Terrain Craters." | |
Hills Explored by Spirit | Figure 1: Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450This view from orbit shows the region in the "Columbia Hills" where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been working since mid-2004. The area in the image is about 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) across. North is to the top. The bright region near the center is the north flank of "Husband Hill." The imagery is from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450 (Detail) More than 15 months after landing on Mars, NASA's Spirit rover is still going strong, having traveled a total of 4,276 meters (2.66 miles) as of martian day, or sol, 450 (April 8, 2005). This orbital view shows the path of Spirit's trek through the "Columbia Hills," beginning on the "West Spur" on sol 156 (June 11, 2004) and continuing up the flanks of "Husband Hill." The dashed line indicates the perimeter of the Columbia Hills, which consist of older rocks of different composition than those of the surrounding plain. The path of Spirit's trek is overlain on imagery from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The 500-meter scale bar is 1,640 feet long. | |
Tongue-Shaped Flow Feature in Hellas Planitia | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002320_1415) captures a tongue-shaped lobate flow feature along a interior crater wall located in eastern Hellas Planitia.The flow feature is approximately 5 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide with a partial double inner ridge and raised outer margin. The flow feature's surface is generally devoid of impact craters and parts of its outer margin have deflected around obstacles.Similar flow features, though not as distinctively tongue-shaped as this one, are found in many other craters throughout the southern mid-latitudes of Mars.Recent studies of these flow features have determined a latitudinal dependence to which side of the crater interior these features are formed upon. For this particular flow feature, it has formed on the pole-facing slope. This polar or equatorial-facing preference has implications for the amount of solar isolation these slopes are receiving, which may be a result of recent climate change due to shifts from low to high obliquity.Although these Martian flow features may have Earth analogs such as rock glaciers, uncertainty remains as to what types of fluvial, glacial and mass-wasting processes are involved in their formation. This particular flow feature was imaged previously by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.Observation GeometryAcquisition date:1 January 2007Local Mars time: 3:46 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -38.1 °Degrees longitude (East): 113.2 °Range to target site: 255.2 km (159.5 miles) Original image scale range: 25.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~77 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 9.4 °Phase angle: 75.0 °Solar incidence angle: 67 °, with the Sun about 23 ° above the horizonSolar longitude: 171.9 °, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
Small channels dissect the northwestern rim of Gale Crater in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageSmall channels dissect the northwestern rim of Gale Crater.Orbit Number: 38833 Latitude: -4.42676 Longitude: 137.138 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-15 18:41Please 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 portion of a mesa in eastern Candor Chasma on Mars. | 21 June 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a mesa in eastern Candor Chasma. The mesa appears to be composed of at least two different rock types based on the near-vertical appearance of the scarps which define the top portion of the mesa and the gentler slopes that extend down to where the base of the mesa meets the chasm floor. The uppermost rock unit is more resistant to erosion, and thus is harder.Location near: 7.6°S, 65.5°W Image width: ~2 km (~1.2 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, shows a close up of the rock dubbed 'El Capitan,' located in the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum. Seen are fine, parallel lamination in the upper area of the rock, and scattered sphere-shaped objects. | This image, taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, shows a close up of the rock dubbed "El Capitan," located in the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. This image shows fine, parallel lamination in the upper area of the rock, which also contains scattered sphere-shaped objects ranging from 1 to 2 millimeters (.04 to .08 inches) in size. There are also more abundant, scattered vugs, or small cavities, that are shaped like discs. These are about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long. | |
The materials that make up the Medusa Fossae Formation are easily eroded by the wind. Over the millenia the wind has sculpted the surface into new textures on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08742Medusa Fossae FormationThe materials that make up the Medusa Fossae Formation are easily eroded by the wind. Over the millenia the wind has sculpted the surface into new textures.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -1.6N, Longitude 218.4E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Off the image to the right is Yuty Crater, located between Simud and Tiu Valles. The crater ejcta forms the large lobes along the right side of this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image Off the image to the right is Yuty Crater, located between Simud and Tiu Valles. The crater ejcta forms the large lobes along the right side of this VIS image. This type of ejecta was created by surface flow rather than air fall. It is thought that the near surface materials contained volatiles (like water) which mixed with the ejecta at the time of the impact.Orbit Number: 68736 Latitude: 22.247 Longitude: 325.213 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-06-12 17:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Slippery Slope? | This digital elevation map shows the topography of the "Columbia Hills," just in front of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Rover planners are currently plotting the safest route for Spirit to climb to the front hill, called "West Spur." The direct path from the bottom crosshatch to the top crosshatch may be too steep. Data from the Mars Orbital Camera on the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor were used to create this 3-D map. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Arabia Terra. Arabia Terra is one of the oldest surface regions on Mars and contains a large variety of features. | 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 Arabia Terra. Arabia Terra is one of the oldest surface regions on Mars and contains a large variety of features. This image is located east of Mawrth Valles.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 85216 Latitude: 22.2165 Longitude: 345.858 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-02-28 23:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image, acquired on May 31, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a small crater, just seven meters across, was created on Mars sometime between April 2018 and January 2019. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionDebris in space often impacts planets, and on Mars, we are finding new craters from recent impacts. The meteorite that caused the small crater in this image, just seven meters across, hit Mars sometime between April 2018 and January 2019. Context Camera images are used to identify changes in large areas and then HiRISE images are scheduled to verify that there is, indeed, a new crater on Mars. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 26.6 centimeters [10.5 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 80 centimeters [31.5 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this panorama while driving toward the center of this scene, an area that forms the narrow Paraitepuy Pass on Aug. 14, 2022. | NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this panorama while driving toward the center of this scene, an area that forms the narrow "Paraitepuy Pass," on Aug. 14, the 3,563rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The hill on the right is "Bolívar"; on the left of is "Deepdale." The floor of the vast Gale Crater is visible in the background in the upper right.This panorama was stitched together from 146 images after they were sent back to Earth. The color has been adjusted to match the lighting conditions as the human eye would perceive them on Earth.Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.For more about Curiosity, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of an unnamed crater in southern Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in southern Terra Cimmeria. The rim of the crater is dissected by several channels (top of image) and the floor contains a small group of sand dunes (bottom of image).Orbit Number: 84031 Latitude: -33.338 Longitude: 163.552 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-11-23 09:26Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned, somewhat layered rock outcrops on the north wall of Columbus Crater on Mars. Remnants are found all around the walls of the crater, and at least one small remnant has been spotted on the crater floor. | 25 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned, somewhat layered rock outcrops on the north wall of Columbus Crater, located near 28.7°S, 166.3°W. This material is a remnant of a formerly more extensive light-toned unit that extended across the floor of Columbus. Today, remnants are found all around the walls of the crater, and at least one small remnant has been spotted on the crater floor. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
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 Ganges Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Ganges Chasma.Orbit Number: 4434 Latitude: -6.76774 Longitude: 310.838 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-12-14 13:03Please 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 map shows where NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has driven since landing at a site subsequently named 'Bradbury Landing,' and traveling to an overlook position near beside 'Point Lake,' in drives totaling 1,703 feet (519 meters). | This map shows where NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has driven since landing at a site subsequently named "Bradbury Landing," and traveling to an overlook position near beside "Point Lake," in drives totaling 1,703 feet (519 meters). The rover landed on Aug. 5 Pacific Time (Aug. 6, Universal Time). It was at the easternmost waypoint on this map on Nov. 30, 2012. It worked on scoops of soil for a few weeks at the drift of windblown sand called "Rocknest." The place called "Glenelg" is where three types of terrain meet. The depression called "Yellowknife Bay" is a potential location for selecting the first target rock for Curiosity's hammering drill. All of these sites are within Gale Crater and north of the mountain called Mount Sharp in the middle of the crater. After using its drill in the Glenelg area, the rover's main science destination will be on the lower reaches of Mount Sharp. For broader-context images of the area, see PIA16064 and PIA16058.The base image from the map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment Camera (HiRISE) in NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large dune field on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows a large dune field on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. In this crater winds sweep across the dunes from the lower right corner of the image towards the left. In this color combination dark blue typically indicates dunes comprised of basaltic sands.Orbit Number: 67200 Latitude: -45.4445 Longitude: 36.7847 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-02-06 04:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small section of Reull Vallis. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small section of Reull Vallis.Orbit Number: 59494 Latitude: -39.0839 Longitude: 111.047 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-05-13 10:47Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a field of secondary craters located on the plains north of Ares Vallis, roughly 30 or 35 kilometers (19-22 miles) northeast of the Mars Pathfinder landing site. | 26 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a field of secondary craters located on the plains north of Ares Vallis, roughly 30 or 35 kilometers (19-22 miles) northeast of the Mars Pathfinder landing site. These craters did not form directly by individual meteor impacts -- they resulted from the impact of material ejected from a much larger meteor impact that occurred somewhere to the south of the region.Location near: 19.9°N, 33.3°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Sirenum Fossae near Daedalia Planum. The linear breaks near the top of the cliff sides indicates surface layered materials. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in Sirenum Fossae near Daedalia Planum. The arc at the bottom of the image is the rim of a crater that was dissected when the tectonic event created the linear faults and down dropped blocks of highland material visible in this image. The linear breaks near the top of the cliff sides indicates surface layered materials.Orbit Number: 74527 Latitude: -25.7241 Longitude: 220.258 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-02 19:27Please 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 dunes located on the complex floor of Rabe Crater. | Context imageThe dunes seen in this VIS image are located on the complex floor of Rabe Crater. The sand is likely derived by erosion into the deposit that fills most of the crater floor, creating a pit which hosts the dunes. Rabe Crater is located in Noachis Terra and is 108km in diameter (67 miles).Orbit Number: 82906 Latitude: -43.447 Longitude: 35.0145 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-08-22 18:52Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an ancient channel in Arabia Terra. | (Released 12 July 2002)This image shows another example of an ancient channel in the Arabia Terra region of Mars. As with other channels observed on Mars, the geomorphology of Huo Hsing Vallis is suggestive of, and assumed to have been carved by, running water, although the fluid that flowed through these channels cannot be proven to have been water. This channel cuts through several layers of rocks. These rock layers may be sedimentary, composed of particles of other rocks that have been cemented together somehow, or they may be igneous layers, formed by the repeated eruption of lava (or some combination of sedimentary and igneous layers). The distinctive appearance of this terrain has led to its being described as "etched." Because the channel cuts through these rocks, the layered rocks must be older than the channel (see previous discussion of superposition). At the lower left side of the image, several intersecting ridges can be seen. These ridges may be inverted topography, or they may be exposed dikes, which form by linear intrusions of lava into rock underground; dikes are exposed by erosion of the overlying rock. The most recent activity in the region appears to be the formation of mega-ripples in the channel. Wind moving particles of rock forms these ripples perpendicular to the wind direction. | |
The dark sand dunes in this image are only a very small portion of the sand sea that surrounds the north polar cap of Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01876Polar DunesThe dark sand dunes in this image are only a very small portion of the sand sea that surrounds the north polar cap of Mars.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 80.7N, Longitude 311.5E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a dune field on the floor of Brashear Crater on Mars. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image shows the dune field on the floor of Brashear Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -53.4N, Longitude 240.6E. 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a very small portion of the extensive lava flows of the Tharsis volcanic complex. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a very small portion of the extensive lava flows of the Tharsis volcanic complex. These flows are located southwest of Ascraeus Mons.Orbit Number: 81900 Latitude: 6.11029 Longitude: 250.287 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-31 23:08Please 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 graph shows atmospheric temperatures above the surface of Mars at Gusev Crater, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's landing site. The color red denotes warmer temperatures, while blue is cooler. Red and yellow waves of represent pockets of heat. | This graph shows that the atmospheric temperatures above the surface of Mars at Gusev Crater, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's landing site, fluctuate to a significant degree. The color red denotes warmer temperatures, while blue is cooler. The red and yellow waves of color represent thermals, or pockets of heat, which rise and fall across the surface. These data, acquired by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, help scientists understand how the bottom layer of air closest to the surface behaves and interacts with global winds. | |
Cumberland' has been selected as the second target for drilling by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The rover has the capability to collect powdered material from inside the target rock and analyze that powder with laboratory instruments. | Figure 1Figure 2Click on an individual image for full resolution figures imageThis patch of bedrock, called "Cumberland," has been selected as the second target for drilling by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The rover has the capability to collect powdered material from inside the target rock and analyze that powder with laboratory instruments. The favored location for drilling into Cumberland is in the lower right portion of the image.The rover's first drilling target, "John Klein," provided evidence for an ancient freshwater environment that had the basic elemental ingredients and an energy source favorable for microbial life. Like that first target, Cumberland is a patch of flat-lying rock with pale veins and nodules, on the floor of a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay." The rover team plans to investigate Cumberland to check and confirm the results from John Klein. This image was taken by the right (telephoto-lens) camera of the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument during the 192nd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 19, 2013). The scale bar is 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). The image has been white-balanced to show what the rock material would look like if it were on Earth. Two unannotated versions, white-balanced and raw color (showing what the rock material looks like on Mars to the camera) are available as Figure 1 and Figure 2.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates Mastcam. 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 built 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/. | |
Polar stereographic mosaic of the seasonal south polar region. Mars Orbiter Camera wide-angle red images from orbits 67 through 73, taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter. | Polar stereographic mosaic of the seasonal south polar region. Mars Orbiter Camera wide-angle red images from orbits 67 through 73Figure caption from Science Magazine. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.