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The faint dark lines in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are caused by dust devils. As the dust devil travels along the surface it scours away the loose surface dust, revealing the darker surface beneath. | Context imageThe faint dark lines in this VIS image are caused by dust devils. As the dust devil travels along the surface it scours away the loose surface dust, revealing the darker surface beneath. There are also gullies on the inner rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 58268 Latitude: -51.7254 Longitude: 17.0688 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-02-01 12:25Please 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. | |
A grid of small polygons on the Martian rock surface near the right edge of this view may have originated as cracks in drying mud more than 3 billion years ago. Multiple images of this view were combined for this view from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger versionA grid of small polygons on the Martian rock surface near the right edge of this view may have originated as cracks in drying mud more than 3 billion years ago. Multiple images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover were combined for this mosaic of a block called "Squid Cove" and its immediate surroundings. The location is within an exposure of Murray formation mudstone on lower Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater. Mastcam's right-eye camera, which has a telephoto lens, took the component images of this view on Dec. 20, 2016, during the 1,555th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The rover drove farther uphill on Gale Crater before the possible mud cracks were detected in the Mastcam images. This possible evidence about the area's ancient environment prompted the rover mission to backtrack for closer inspection of Squid Cove and nearby target rocks.This scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth.The polygons are about half an inch to 1 inch (about 1 to 2 centimeters) across. Figure 1 includes a scale bar of 30 centimeters (12 inches). The polygons are outlined by ridges. This could result from a three-step process after cracks form due to drying: Wind-blown sediments accumulate in the open cracks. Later, these sediments and the dried mud become rock under the pressure of multiple younger layers that accumulate on top of them. Most recently, after the overlying layers were eroded away by wind, the vein-filling material resists erosion better than the once-muddy material, so the pattern that began as cracks appears as ridges.Mud cracks would be evidence of a drying interval between wetter periods that supported lakes in the area. Curiosity has found evidence of ancient lakes in older, lower-lying rock layers and also in younger mudstone that is above Squid Cove. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates MAHLI. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built the project's Curiosity rover.For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This is a medium-resolution version of the first 360-degree panoramic view of the martian surface, taken on Mars by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera. Part of the spacecraft can be seen in the lower corner regions. | Click on the image for Mars in Full View (QTVR)This is a medium-resolution version of the first 360-degree panoramic view of the martian surface, taken on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera. Part of the spacecraft can be seen in the lower corner regions. (A higher-resolution image will be made available once it has been processed.) | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Naktong Vallis, located in Terra Sabaea on Mars. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Naktong Vallis, located in Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 46062 Latitude: 0.08567 Longitude: 37.4721 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-02 23:41Please 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. | |
The target beneath the tool turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm in this image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is 'Private John Potts,' which slices through the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | The target beneath the tool turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm in this image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is "Private John Potts." It lies high on the southern side of "Marathon Valley," which slices through the western rim of Endeavour Crater.The target's informal name refers to a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery.The image was taken by Opportunity's front hazard avoidance camera on Jan. 5, 2016, during the 4,248th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. This camera is mounted low on the rover and has a wide-angle lens. In this image, the microscopic imager on the turret is pointed downward. Opportunity's examination of this target also used the turret's rock abrasion tool for removing the surface crust and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for identifying chemical elements in the rock. For more about Opportunity's mission, see http://mars.nasa.gov/mer. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Maja Valles, a large channel system in Lunae Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Maja Valles, a large channel system in Lunae Planum. The main part of the channel is visible at the upper left in this image. The lower part of the image is located within an old crater called Stege Crater. The channel in the central part of the image is flowing along the inner rim of the crater and into the main Maja Valles channel just off the image to the left. Maja Valles in 1600 km (1000 miles) long. Like most outflow channels in the region, Maja Valles arises from Valles Marineris and drains into Chryse Planitia. Maja Valles starts in Juventae Chasma.Orbit Number: 89111 Latitude: 4.27445 Longitude: 300.886 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-01-15 16:56Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Sample of Mid-latitude Southern Highlands | This image shows terrain northeast of Martz Crater in the southern highlands of Mars. It is a landscape dominated by impact craters, scarps and ridges. The plethora of craters and the overprinting of younger craters on older craters indicate that this is an ancient surface. Curvilinear ridges called "wrinkle ridges" are common landforms on Mars. They form when layers of rock and sediment break and fold under compression. Multiple wrinkle ridges are captured in this image, the most prominent of which is a curving structure oriented approximately north-south. A 2.8-kilometer-wide (1.7-mile-wide) impact crater is superimposed on this north-south wrinkle ridge. Gullies, perhaps carved by water or muddy debris, are visible inside this crater. They are partly in shadow, but can be shown clearly by adjusting the contrast of the full-resolution image. Several of the smaller craters in this image contain dune fields, which attest to the presence of wind-blown sediments. In the lower portion of the image a few cliffs or scarps can be seen. While their origin is uncertain, they may have formed by some combination of flowing water and mass wasting. If one looks carefully at this image, it is possible to find horizontal blurred zones about 100 pixels tall. During these times the spacecraft was executing a test of how much the motion of another instrument would shake the spacecraft. These blurred regions also introduce geometric distortions, so the match between the three CCD images utilized for this observation is sometimes poor. The MRO spacecraft includes a high-stability mode that should minimize these problems. This image was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on March 25, 2006. The image is centered at 33.66 degrees south latitude, 145.97 degrees east longitude. It is oriented such that north is 7 degrees to the left of up. The range to the target was 2,485 kilometers (1,544 miles). At this distance the image scale is 2.49 meters (8.17 feet) per pixel, so objects as small as 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) are resolved. In total this image is 15.01 kilometers (9.33 miles) or 6,045 pixels wide and 57.27 kilometers (35.59 miles) or 23,024 pixels long. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 07:30 and the scene is illuminated from the upper right with a solar incidence angle of 78.7 degrees, thus the sun was about 11.3 degrees above the horizon. At an Ls of 30 degrees (with Ls an indicator of Mars' position in its orbit around the sun), the season on Mars is southern autumn.Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Herschel Crater located in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageToday's false color image shows part of Herschel Crater located in Terra Cimmeria.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 63043 Latitude: -15.3399 Longitude: 131.225 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-02-29 17:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
An area of very rocky terrain at the Ares Vallis landing site, along with the lander's deflated airbags, were imaged by NASA's Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The two dark lines are missing data. | An area of very rocky terrain at the Ares Vallis landing site, along with the lander's deflated airbags, were imaged by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The two dark lines are missing data.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image acquired on November 28, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows impact disturbed dust over an area more than two kilometers wide, large enough to be visible in MARCI daily global images. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis impact disturbed dust over an area more than two kilometers wide, large enough to be visible in MARCI daily global images. The largest new crater is about 35 meters in diameter, making it the about the 16th largest new crater found on Mars.By "new crater" we mean that its formation is documented by before and after images, usually acquired by MRO's Context Camera. There are many other new craters formed up to a kilometer away from the biggest crater. These appear unusual for secondary craters produced by the main 35-meter crater, and are probably more like primary craters resulting from fragmentation of the bolide high in the Martian atmosphere.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 30.0 centimeters [11.8 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 90 centimeters [35.4 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_076735_2180.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater in Acidalia Planitia. The margins of the ejecta are lobate and higher than the ejecta closer to the crater. | Context imageThis VIS image shows an unnamed crater in Acidalia Planitia. The margins of the ejecta are lobate and higher than the ejecta closer to the crater. This type of ejecta blanket is called rampart and it is thought that a volitile material like water may have played a role in creating this morphology. The crater is fairly pristine, and therefore relatively young.Orbit Number: 62074 Latitude: 41.521 Longitude: 4.9399 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-12-11 22:48Please 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. | |
This color image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the trench dubbed 'Snow White,' after further digging on June 19, 2008. The lander's solar panel is casting a shadow over a portion of the trench. | This color image taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the trench dubbed "Snow White," after further digging on the 25th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (June 19, 2008). The lander's solar panel is casting a shadow over a portion of the trench.The trench is about 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep and 30 centimeters (12 inches) long.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows troughs and pits formed by collapse in the Gordii Fossae region, east of the volcano, Olympus Mons on Mars. Squiggly ridges with crests are evident. | 22 July 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows troughs and pits formed by collapse in the Gordii Fossae region, east of the volcano, Olympus Mons. Squiggly ridges with crests roughly aligned northwest-southeast (upper left to lower right), scattered throughout the image, are windblown dunes that have been covered by a mantling of dust. The image is located near 16.2°N, 125.3°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
Nili Patera is one of the most active dune fields on Mars. Continuously monitored by the HiRise instrument onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a new image is acquired about every six weeks. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionNili Patera is one of the most active dune fields on Mars. As such, it is continuously monitored with HiRISE, with a new image acquired about every six weeks.By monitoring the sand dune changes, we can determine how winds vary seasonally and year-to-year. This observation is one of the more recent Nili images (1 March 2014). Compared to an image acquired on 22 November 2012, changes are obvious. The ripples on the dunes have moved, as well some of the dune boundaries, such as the one at upper left. New landslides on the central dune"s lee face are apparent.Such changes, in just 16 months (and finer scale changes have been seen in just a couple of weeks), demonstrate the effectiveness of wind in modifying the Martian landscape.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. | |
The Tharsis province of Mars was the main center of volcanism on the planet. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft in September 2003. | Released 29 September 2003The Tharsis province of Mars was the main center of volcanism on the planet. This THEMIS visible image shows lava flows that appear to be originating from linear vents just east of Pavonis Mons, the middle of the three giant Tharsis volcanoes. A large volume of lava also appears to be flowing out of a smaller series of pits on the far eastern side of the image, towards the bottom.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 2.1, Longitude 253.1 East (106.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Olympia Undae. It was collected at the middle of north polar summer. | Context imageThis VIS image of Olympia Undae was collected at the middle of north polar summer. The density of dunes and the alignments of the dune crests varies with location, controlled by the amount of available sand and the predominant winds over time.Olympia Undae is a vast dune field in the north polar region of Mars. It consists of a broad sand sea or erg that partly rings the north polar cap from about 120° to 240°E longitude and 78° to 83°N latitude. The dune field covers an area of approximately 470,000 km2 (bigger than California, smaller than Texas). Olympia Undae is the largest continuous dune field on Mars. Olympia Undae is not the only dune field near the north polar cap, several other smaller fields exist in the same latitude, but in other ranges of longitude, e.g. Abolos and Siton Undae. Barchan and transverse dune forms are the most common. In regions with limited available sand individual barchan dunes will form, the surface beneath and between the dunes is visible. In regions with large sand supplies, the sand sheet covers the underlying surface, and dune forms are found modifying the surface of the sand sheet. In this case transverse dunes are more common. Barchan dunes "point" down wind, transverse dunes are more linear and form parallel to the wind direction. The "square" shaped transverse dunes in Olympia Undae are due to two prevailing wind directions.Orbit Number: 88180 Latitude: 80.9111 Longitude: 135.309 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-31 01:32Please 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 Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took these images using its navigation camera during its eighth flight on June 21, 2021. | Click here for animationNASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took these images using its navigation camera during its eighth flight on June 21, 2021.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. | |
The HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took this image of the Perseverance rover on Feb. 24, 2021. | The High-Resolution Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took this image of the Perseverance rover on Feb. 24, 2021. The false-color image shows a ring of blast marks where thrusters from the rover's descent stage blew away dust during landing on Feb. 18, 2021.By rolling MRO to the side (18 degrees for this image) as it passes over Perseverance every few days, the mission team enables HiRISE to see the rover. Perseverance is about 10 feet by 9 feet (3 by 2.7 meters) in size and is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) away from HiRISE in this image.MRO's mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona in Tucson provided and operates HiRISE. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 74840 Latitude: -58.7099 Longitude: 8.80766 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-28 13:39Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 5 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows evidence of two collapsed lava tubes on the southeast flank of the giant martian volcano, Olympus Mons. One runs diagonally across the entire image, the other is shorter and does not extend across the whole image. The shorter one is a series of pits and troughs, rather than a continuous channel. Lava flowed in tubes under the surface; later, the roof of each tube collapsed to form a series of pits and troughs which, in the larger example, eventually coalesced to its present, channel-like form. The image is located near 16.8°N, 132.2°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
These five images from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show different Martian features of progressively greater size and complexity. | These five images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show different Martian features of progressively greater size and complexity, all thought to result from thawing of seasonal carbon-dioxide ice that covers large areas near Mars' south pole during winter. The sequence illustrates possible stages in development of a type of Martian terrain called "araneiform," from Latin for spider-shaped. They range from a depression with one trough (upper left) to a broad network of "spiders" (lower right). Each image has a scale bar in meters, from 20 meters (66 feet) in the upper-left image to 300 meters (984 feet) in the lower-right one. Each image also includes dark "fans" that result from the same thawing process. Carbon-dioxide ice, better known as "dry ice," does not occur naturally on Earth. On Mars, sheets of it cover the ground during winter in areas near both poles, including the south-polar regions with spidery terrain. The dark fans appear in these areas each spring. Spring sunshine penetrates the ice to warm the ground underneath, causing some carbon dioxide on the bottom of the sheet to thaw into gas. The trapped gas builds pressure until a crack forms in the ice sheet. Gas erupts out, and gas beneath the ice rushes toward the vent, picking up particles of sand and dust. This erodes the ground and also supplies the geyser with particles that fall back to the surface, downwind, and appear as the dark spring fans.These five images are excerpts from HiRISE observations PSP_002718_0950, taken Feb. 24, 2007, at 85 degrees south latitude, 82 degrees east longitude, and ESP_011842_0980, taken Feb. 4, 2009, at 81 degrees south latitude, 76 degrees east longitude.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed crater located on the margin of the south polar cap. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows an unnamed crater located on the margin of the south polar cap. A very large mound of sand on the crater floor merges with the edge of the polar ice. The dunes in the crater appear different from other crater dunes on Mars due to the influence of ice within the sand.Orbit Number: 84231 Latitude: -72.3612 Longitude: 143.513 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-12-09 20:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image is an edited version of the last 360-degree panorama taken by the Opportunity rover's Pancam from May 13 through June 10, 2018. The version of the scene is presented in approximate true color. | Photojournal Note: Also available is the original source, full resolution TIFF file, PIA22909_full.tif (23123 x 5163 pixels). This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software.This 360-degree panorama is composed of 354 images taken by the Opportunity rover's Panoramic Camera (Pancam) from May 13 through June 10, 2018, or sols (Martian days) 5,084 through 5,111. This is the last panorama Opportunity acquired before the solar-powered rover succumbed to a global Martian dust storm on the same June 10. This version of the scene is presented in approximate true color.To the right of center and near the top of the frame, the rim of Endeavour Crater rises in the distance. Just to the left of that, rover tracks begin their descent from over the horizon towards the location that would become Opportunity's final resting spot in Perseverance Valley, where the panorama was taken. At the bottom, just left of center, is the rocky outcrop Opportunity was investigating with the instruments on its robotic arm. To the right of center and halfway down the frame is another rocky outcrop - about 23 feet (7 meters) distant from the camera - called "Ysleta del Sur," which Opportunity investigated from March 3 through 29, 2018, or sols 5,015 through 5,038. In the far right and left of the frame are the bottom of Perseverance Valley and the floor of Endeavour Crater. Located on the inner slope of the western rim of Endeavour Crater, Perseverance Valley is a system of shallow troughs descending eastward about the length of two football fields from the crest of Endeavour's rim to its floor.This true-color version combines images collected through three Pancam filters. The filters admit light centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (blue). The three-color bands are combined. A few frames (bottom left) remain black and white, as the solar-powered rover did not have the time to photograph those locations using the green and violet filters before a severe Mars-wide dust storm swept in on June 2018.This image is also available in false color (PIA22908) and anaglyph (PIA22910).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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the floor of Galle Crater. This large crater is located on the eastern side of Argyre Planitia. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a small portion of the floor of Galle Crater. This large crater is located on the eastern side of Argyre Planitia. The floor of Galle Crater contains many different features, including fluvial, glacial and aeolian derived products. The steep crater rim is toward the bottom of the image. The incised, flat laying materials at the top of the image are probably eroded layered deposits.Orbit Number: 74804 Latitude: -52.1339 Longitude: 329.267 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-10-25 14:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope took the picture on June 26, 2001 when Mars was approximately 43 million miles (68 million km) from Earth -- the closest Mars has ever been to Earth since 1988. | Frosty white water ice clouds and swirling orange dust storms above a vivid rusty landscape reveal Mars as a dynamic planet in this sharpest view ever obtained by an Earth-based telescope.NASA's Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope took the picture on June 26, 2001 when Mars was approximately 43 million miles (68 million km) from Earth -- the closest Mars has ever been to Earth since 1988. Hubble can see details as small as 10 miles (16 km) across. The colors have been carefully balanced to give a realistic view of Mars' hues as they might appear through a telescope.Especially striking is the large amount of seasonal dust storm activity seen in this image. One large storm system is churning high above the northern polar cap [top of image], and a smaller dust storm cloud can be seen nearby. Another large dust storm is spilling out of the giant Hellas impact basin in the Southern Hemisphere [lower right].Hubble has observed Mars before, but never in such detail. The biennial close approaches of Mars and Earth are not all the same. Mars' orbit around the Sun is markedly elliptical; the close approaches to Earth can range from 35 million to 63 million miles.Astronomers are interested in studying the changeable surface and weather conditions on Mars, in part, to help plan for a pair of NASA missions to land rovers on the planet's surface in 2004.The Mars opposition of 2001 serves as a prelude for 2003 when Mars and Earth will come within 35 million miles of each other, the closest since 1924 and not to be matched until 2287. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor highlights a Cydonia landform popularly known as the 'D&M Pyramid' on Mars. Much of the landform is covered with eroded mantling material. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-484, 15 September 2003Images of the Cydonia region of Mars continue to be popular among visitors to the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) web site. The two pictures (one annotated, the other not) are mosaics of two images from MGS MOC and one from the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System visible camera (THEMIS VIS). The mosaics highlight a Cydonia landform popularly known as the "D&M Pyramid." It is located near 40.7°N, 9.6°W.Although it is not really shaped like a pyramid, the Cydonia landform is one of thousands of massifs, buttes, mesas, knobs, and blocks that mark the transition from the far northwestern Arabia Terra cratered highlands down to the northeastern Acidalia Planitia lowlands. Each block, whether shaped like a face, a pyramid, or simply a mesa, massif, or knob, is a remnant of the bedrock of northeastern Arabia that was left behind as erosion slowly degraded the terrain along this zone between the highlands and the lowlands. A few outcroppings of layers in this ancient bedrock can be seen in the mosaic of the pyramid-like landform shown here; much of the landform is covered with eroded mantling material that was deposited long after this highlands remnant became an isolated feature in Cydonia.The mosaic was created from two MOC images obtained in June (R06-00469) and July (R07-00422) of 2003 and one THEMIS VIS image acquired in 2002 (V01024003). The mosaic is 8 km by 8 km (5 mi by 5 mi) across and each of the three images is illuminated from the lower left. North is up. The picture on the right shows the location of the two MOC images as black outlines; the THEMIS image not only covers the gap between the two MOC images, it also fills out the lower left and upper right corners.In recent weeks, the MOC team has received numerous requests through the Mars Orbiter Camera Target Request Site to obtain pictures of the "D&M Pyramid." The images shown here were acquired before the public target suggestion effort began in August 2003, but they have not yet been archived with the NASA Planetary Data System. In the future, the MOC team hopes--depending upon whether the spacecraft flies over this area again before the end of the mission--to fill the remaining gap and obtain some 1.5 m/pixel images of the landform, based on the many public suggestions that have been received.Other, previous MOC data and captioned releases regarding Cydonia landforms can be seen by visiting http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/themes/CYDONIA.html and the MOC Gallery. | |
This image taken at Meridiani Planum, shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's wheels in their stowed configuration. As January 28, 2004, the rover had deployed its wheels and completed the first half of the stand-up process. | This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's wheels in their stowed configuration. As of 9:00 a.m. January 28, 2004, the rover had deployed its wheels and completed the first half of the stand-up process. This image was taken at Opportunity's landing site, Meridiani Planum, by the hazard-identification camera. | |
The sinuous ridges in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft display strong characteristics of ancient meandering riverbeds that are preserved as inverted topography. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe sinuous ridges in this image display strong characteristics of ancient meandering riverbeds that are preserved as inverted topography (blue). The ancient river sediments that make up the ridges might have allowed fluids to produce cements (e.g., calcite or iron oxides) to make the channel lithology resistant to weathering and erosion. Later, physical and/or chemical processes removed the weaker surrounding flood plain material and left inverted river channels, or "positive relief." On closer inspection, degradation along sections of some inverted channels display large blocks of cemented sediment that were transported downslope by mass wasting.The sinuous character of the ridges resembles multi-thread river branches, implying that the ancient river flowed down a gentle to nearly horizontal slope (i.e., a moderate to low stream gradient). This ancient river was a mature meandering system, with flow from south to north. Multiple branches that diverted from the main flow later converged back with it.This is a stereo pair with ESP_019803_1765.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 observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows light-toned layered deposits at the contact between the Ladon Valles channel and Ladon Basin. | This image shows light-toned layered deposits at the contact between the Ladon Valles channel and Ladon Basin.These deposits could either be fluvial sediments transported along Ladon Valles when water carved out this channel, or they could be sediments deposited in Ladon Basin, perhaps when a lake existed here. Some of these light-toned deposits have mineral signatures consistent with clays, indicating favorable water conditions for life.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image of a moderately small impact crater on Mars was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera (MOC) on October 17, 1997. Long, linear features of different brightness values are seen on the steep slopes inside and outside the crater. | This high resolution picture of a moderately small impact crater on Mars was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera (MOC) on October 17, 1997 at 4:11:07 PM PST, during MGS orbit 22. The image covers an area 2.9 by 48.4 kilometers (1.8 by 30 miles) at 9.6 m (31.5 feet) per picture element, and is centered at 21.3 degrees N, 179.8 degrees W, near Orcus Patera. The MOC image is a factor of 15X better than pervious Viking views of this particular crater (left, Viking image 545A49).The unnamed crater is one of three closely adjacent impact features that display the ejecta pattern characteristic of one type of "flow-ejecta" crater. Such patterns are considered evidence of fluidized movement of the materials ejected during the cratering event, and are believed to indicate the presence of subsurface ice or liquid water.Long, linear features of different brightness values can be seen on the steep slopes inside and outside the crater rim. This type of feature, first identified in Viking Orbiter images acquired over 20 years ago, are more clearly seen in this new [sic] view (about 3 times better than the best previous observations). Their most likely explanation is that small land or dirt slides, initiated by seismic or wind action, have flowed down the steep slopes. Initially dark because of the nature of the surface disturbance, these features get lighter with time as the ubiquitous fine, bright dust settles onto them from the martian atmosphere. Based on estimates of the dust fall-out rate, many of these features are probably only a few tens to hundreds of years old. Thus, they are evidence of a process that is active on Mars today.Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
Just north of the hematite deposit in Meridiani Planum, the remnants of a formerly extensive layer of material remain as isolated knobs and buttes in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Just north of the hematite deposit in Meridiani Planum, the remnants of a formerly extensive layer of material remain as isolated knobs and buttes. Note the transition from north to south in the size and frequency of these features, a reflection of the decreasing elevation along this trend.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -0, Longitude 353 East (7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a suite of Mars' north polar dunes in the early stages of the defrosting process. | 27 July 2004Frost-covered dunes develop spots and streaks as they begin to defrost in springtime. This April 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a suite of north polar dunes in the early stages of the defrosting process. At the time the image was acquired, Mars was only 1 month into the northern spring season. The picture is located near 75.9°N, 266.0°W, and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of Victoria Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region on Sept. 26, 2006. The rim of the crater shows alternating promontories, rocky points while the bottom is covered by sand that has been shaped into ripples. | NASA's Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of "Victoria Crater" in Mars' Meridiani Planum region with a 26-meter (85-foot) drive during the rover's 951st Martian day, or sol (Sept. 26, 2006). After the drive, the rover's navigation camera took the three exposures combined into this view of the crater's interior. This crater has been the mission's long-term destination for the past 21 Earth months.A half mile in the distance one can see about 20 percent of the far side of the crater framed by the rocky cliffs in the foreground to the left and right of the image. The rim of the crater is composed of alternating promontories, rocky points towering approximately 70 meters (230 feet) above the crater floor, and recessed alcoves. The bottom of the crater is covered by sand that has been shaped into ripples by the Martian wind.The position at the end of the sol 951 drive is about six meters from the lip of an alcove called "Duck Bay." The rover team planned a drive for sol 952 that would move a few more meters forward, plus more imaging of the near and far walls of the crater.Victoria Crater is about five times wider than "Endurance Crater," which Opportunity spent six months examining in 2004, and about 40 times wider than "Eagle Crater," where Opportunity first landed.This view is presented as a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This image, captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, shows the western side of an elongated pit depression in eastern Noctis Labyrinthus. Along the pit's upper wall is a light-toned layered deposit. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows the western side of an elongated pit depression in eastern Noctis Labyrinthus. Along the pit's upper wall is a light-toned layered deposit.CRISM spectra extracted from the light-toned deposit are consistent with the mineral jarosite, which is a potassium and iron hydrous sulfate. On Earth, jarosite can form in ore deposits or from alteration near volcanic vents, and indicates an oxidizing and acidic environment. The Opportunity rover discovered jarosite at the Meridiani Planum landing site, and jarosite has been found at several other locations on Mars, indicating that it is a common mineral on the Red Planet.The jarosite-bearing deposit observed here could indicate acidic aqueous conditions within a volcanic system in Noctis Labyrinthus. Above the light-toned jarosite deposit is a mantle of finely layered darker-toned material. CRISM spectra do not indicate this upper darker-toned mantle is hydrated. The deposit appears to drape over the pre-existing topography, suggesting it represents an airfall deposit from either atmospheric dust or volcanic ash. 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 observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbite shows a candidate 2018 European Space Agency ExoMars landing site in Hypanis Vallis. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis observation shows a candidate 2018 European Space Agency ExoMars landing site in Hypanis Vallis. Instead of imaging ancient fluvial deposits (thought to be the remnants of a delta feed lake), the image shows patchy concentrations of dust clouds. These clouds are part of the annually occurring Acidalia storm track, a regional dust storm system that originates in the Acidalia-Chryse-Kasei region and propagates southward into equatorial Valles Marineris and beyond. While this image is only partially obscured by dust, many others captured around this time frame were completely dominated by think clouds of dust. For example, this image in Capri Chasma was rendered useless for geology and will have to be reacquired. Landing by the ExoMars rover in these kinds of atmospheric conditions would be complicated. That mission is set to touchdown on Mars in January 2019, hopefully with clear skies. HiRISE will continue to image Hypanis Vallis and other interesting sites on Mars despite the changing weather. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The ejecta surrounding the crater rim shows both layering and radial grooves. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The ejecta surrounding the crater rim shows both layering and radial grooves. These features formed during the impact event.Orbit Number: 77363 Latitude: 38.7001 Longitude: 99.283 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-05-24 09:13Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of Mars was taken from the height of 33 feet (10 meters) by NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its sixth flight on May 22, 2021. | This image looking west toward the Séítah geologic unit on Mars was taken from the height of 33 feet (10 meters) by NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its sixth flight, on May 22, 2021.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this enhanced color image of Hogwallow Flats on June 6, 2022. | Figure AClick here for animationNASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this enhanced color image of "Hogwallow Flats" on June 6, 2022, the 461st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Hogwallow Flats is made up of fine-grained sedimentary rock that was deposited underwater in the ancient past. Perseverance collected two pairs of rock-core samples near this area because of its high potential for preserving signs of ancient life and information about the timing of habitable conditions in Mars' Jezero Crater.Figure A is a natural color version of the same image.The animation is a movie that zooms in on the image.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
Reull Vallis, located in Mars' cratered southern hemisphere, flows for over 1,000 km (about 620 miles) toward the Hellas basin. This NASA Mars Odyssey image shows a portion of the channel with its enigmatic lineated floor deposits. | Reull Vallis (from the Gaelic word for planet) located in the Promethei Terra region of Mars' cratered southern hemisphere flows for over 1,000 km towards the Hellas basin. This THEMIS image shows a portion of the channel with its enigmatic lineated floor deposits. These deposits are most likely rich in volatiles such as ice. The southern wall of the channel exhibits an obvious spur and gully topography. Several round impact craters are visible on the channel floor. Numerous crescentic features are also observed on the floor material. Could these crescentic features be older flow distorted craters? The THEMIS team will continue to study these features in detail.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft was taken to look at seasonal frost in gullies during southern winter on Mars, with the Sun only about two degrees over the horizon (just before sunset). | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionIt's hard to see in the dark. Most HiRISE images are are taken when the sun is at least 15 degrees above the horizon. (If you hold your hand at arm's length with fingers together, it's about five degrees wide on average.) However, to see what's going on in winter, we need to look at times and places where the Sun is just barely over the horizon.This image was taken to look at seasonal frost in gullies during southern winter on Mars, with the Sun only about two degrees over the horizon (just before sunset). To make things more difficult, the gullies are on a steep slope facing away from the sun, so they are in deep shadow. Under these conditions, HiRISE takes what are called "bin 4" images. This means that the image shows less detail, but by adding up the light from 16 pixels (a 4x4 square) we can see details in shadows.Even with the reduced resolution, we can see plenty of detail in the gullies, and learn about the seasonal frost.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image released on July 22, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows that eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the surface of Mars such as wind eroded landforms that can be covered by later materials. | Released July 22, 2004The atmosphere of Mars is a dynamic system. Water-ice clouds, fog, and hazes can make imaging the surface from space difficult. Dust storms can grow from local disturbances to global sizes, through which imaging is impossible. Seasonal temperature changes are the usual drivers in cloud and dust storm development and growth. Eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the surface of Mars. Dust carried aloft by the wind has settled out on every available surface; sand dunes have been created and moved by centuries of wind; and the effect of continual sand-blasting has modified many regions of Mars, creating yardangs and other unusual surface forms. It is often difficult to determine if wind eroded surface represent the youngest activity in a region. Wind eroded landforms can be covered by later materials and the exhumed long after they were initially formed. This image illustrates how difficult it can be to interpret the surface of Mars.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6.7, Longitude 174.7 East (185.3 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a linear depression which is part of Idaeus Fossae. | Context imageThe linear depression in this VIS image is part of Idaeus Fossae. Idaeus Fossae is a complex set of channels on the margin of Tempe Terra and Acidalia Planitia.Orbit Number: 78903 Latitude: 37.553 Longitude: 307.559 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-09-28 04:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Spirit's View from 'Engineering Flats' | Figure 1Figure 2This 360-degree view from a site dubbed "Engineering Flats" combines several frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the rover's 182nd martian day, or sol (July 7, 2004). Spirit had driven to this spot in the "Columbia Hills" for four sols of engineering work on its right front wheel and a recalibration of positioning accuracy for tools on its robotic arm. The wheel tracks just beyond the rover's shadow indicate where Spirit had spent the preceding three weeks examining rocks in and near "Hank's Hollow." The view is presented in a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.Figure 1 is the left-eye view of a stereo pair and Figure 2 is the right-eye view of a stereo pair. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dried streambeds -- martian gullies -- in the mountainous central peak region of Hale Crater on Mars. | 13 August 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dried streambeds -- martian gullies -- in the mountainous central peak region of Hale Crater. Some scientists have suggested that the fluid which carved these gullies was liquid water, and that it either resulted from ancient snowmelt or from release of groundwater that percolated to the surface in the intensely fractured rock of Hale's central peak. In either case, the gullies are dry today, and dark sand can be seen as dunes near the right/lower right part of the image.Location near: 35.8°S, 36.8°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a valley which has become partially-filled with material. It is located west of Hellas Planitia on Mars. The valley splits to form a 'V.' | 30 March 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a valley which has become partially-filled with material. It is located west of Hellas Planitia. The valley, entering the scene from the east (right), turns toward the southwest (lower left) and splits to form a "V." Partially-filled depressions are common throughout the scene, including the circular feature near the top of the image. In each such case, the filling material is probably the remains of a material that once covered the entire scene.Location near: 48.4°S, 318.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This right-eye view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Endurance Crater' in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. | This is the rightt-eye half of a stereo pair of views looking toward the northeast across "Endurance Crater" in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. It was assembled from frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 131st martian day, or sol, on June 6, 2004. That was two sols before Opportunity entered the crater, taking the route nearly straight ahead in this image into the "Karatepe" area of the crater. This view is a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction.See PIA06057 for 3-D view and PIA06059 for left eye view of this right eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
The Context Camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovers new dark spots on Mars that, upon closer examination, turn out to be brand new impact craters. | Figure 1Annotated ImageNo AnnotationFigure 2Annotated ImageNo AnnotationThe team operating the Context Camera (CTX) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter frequently discovers new dark spots on Mars that, upon closer examination, turn out to be brand new impact craters. Sometimes only a single crater is present, but often there is a cluster of several craters. Depending on the patterns and size, crater clusters are interpreted as indicating that the incoming meteorite broke apart before it hit the surface. In some cases, clusters could be formed by ejecta from other, larger impact craters.Shown above are subframes of two Context Camera images of terrain in western Arcadia Planitia (near 46.7 degrees north latitude, 183.2 degrees west longitude). Each covers an area about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) across. The first (figure 1) was taken on June 4, 2008, the second (figure 2) on Aug. 10, 2008. Between the time the two images were acquired, a cluster of dark spots -- and dark rays radial to some of the dark spots -- formed. The camera team immediately considered this to be a candidate new meteor impact site, but Context Camera images have a resolution of 6 meters (19.7 feet) per pixel. This means that features, including impact craters, smaller than about 20 to 25 meters (65 to 82 feet) across cannot usually be resolved. Thus, most of the dark spots (like these) that the Context Camera team finds and suspects to be new impact craters have to be imaged at higher resolution to find out whether small impact craters are actually present.To confirm that the features were craters, the Context Camera team created an opportunity for the team operating the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which is also on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, to take a picture of the site. This camera makes images of Mars' surface with a resolution of about 30 centimeters (1 foot) per pixel. Such images can be used to identify objects as small as about a meter (3 feet) across. The Context Camera team targeted its camera to take a new picture centered on the candidate impact site and made a request to the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment team to take a picture at the same time.Meanwhile, the Context Camera team also did some homework: Before asking for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment to look at candidate new impact sites, such as the dark spots shown here, they make the best determination possible as to when the features formed. If the features result from a meteor impact, then the team can state approximately when the impact occurred. In the case shown here, the impact occurred sometime between June 4 and Aug. 10, 2008. At the time it was found, this candidate impact site was so new that the Context Camera team very quickly suggested that the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment take a look so that a good example of a very new impact site could be examined.That interest -- and the Context Camera team's quick work -- paid off. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment team obtained a picture of the site on Sept. 12, 2008, just a month after the Aug. 10 Context Camera image was received on Earth and evaluated. The Sept. 12 image, HiRISE PSP_009978_2265, shows a nice cluster of new impact craters. Some of the craters exposed a light-toned material that appeared somewhat bluish in the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment's color data. Immediately suspecting the material to be an exposure of subsurface ice, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment team began a campaign to monitor this site to see if the bright material changed. It did, suggesting that perhaps the material was going away, just as ice might do at that time of year (summer in Mars' northern hemisphere). The two camera teams worked during the next several months to identify more such craters and, in the end, found a total of five brand new impact crater sites at northern middle latitudes that seemed to have exposed buried water ice. At the same time, the camera teams encouraged the team operating the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), a third instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, to obtain multispectral infrared observations. Most of the craters and bright patches were too small for the spectrometer to resolve, but one of them was large enough that the spectrometer team did, in fact, confirm that the light-toned material was water ice.Details and scientific interpretation of these new impact craters and their use to examine subsurface ice at northern mid-latitudes on Mars are captured in a paper published this week in Science by Shane Byrne and 17 colleagues on teams operating the Contect Camera, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars. All of that effort began with a single pair of Context Camera images, the two shown here. If the Context Camera team had not found these first two images and had not immediately attempted to re-image the suspected crater cluster and provide an opportunity for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment to "ride along," then the most important aspect of the observations reported in Science -- the presence of excavated ground ice -- would have been lost because the ice began to disappear or darken immediately after the impacts occurred.The two pictures are map-projected subframes of Context Camera images P20_008699_2247_XN_44N182W and P22_009556_2263_XI_46N183W. The scale bar is 500 meters (1,640 feet) long. North is up and sunlight illuminates the scenes from the lower left. Both images are archived with the NASA Planetary Data System Imaging Subnode. | |
These two images are synthetic views of Mars made by combining NASA's Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera wide angle images from several orbits during the first week of March 1999 during MOC's focus and calibration testing period. | These two images are synthetic views of Mars made by combining Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide angle images from several orbits during the first week of March 1999 -- during MOC's focus and calibration testing period. The blue and red lines are the edges of the original pictures. Views such as these will be used throughout the MGS Mapping Mission to characterize the changing weather patterns on Mars. Right now, it is northern hemisphere summer on Mars, and the north polar ice cap can be seen at the top of each image.In the view on the left, thick blue-white afternoon water ice clouds can be seen surrounding and obscuring the northern-most of the large volcanoes of the Tharsis Montes region (left), and clouds can also be seen over Lunae Planum (center) and Chryse Planitia (center right).In the right image, faint clouds are seen over Arabia (center left bright region) with somewhat thicker clouds seen over Syrtis Major (dark, triangular region toward the right). Very thick southern winter clouds can be seen "ponded" within the Hellas Basin near the bottom of the frame.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 stereo scene combines frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the 1,869th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on Mars (April 6, 2009). You will need 3-D glasses to view this image. | Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA12139Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA12139This stereo scene combines frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the 1,869th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on Mars (April 6, 2009). It spans 120 degrees, with south at the center. The view appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The view is from the position Spirit reached with a 17.5-meter (57-foot) southward drive on the preceding sol. The foreground includes terrain that the rover covered in its next two drives, when it traveled 12.7 meters (42 feet) southward on Sol 1870 (April 7, 2009) and an additional 7 meters (23 feet) on Sol 1871 (April 8, 2009).On the far left of the image is the slope of the western edge of the low plateau called "Home Plate." On the right, in the middle distance, is a ridge called "Tsiolkovsky." Behind the saddle between Home Plate and Tsiolkovsky is a mound capped with light-toned rock and called "Von Braun," a possible destination for Spirit to investigate in the future. Spirit was driving toward Von Braun when the rover became embedded in soft soil at a site called "Troy" by Sol 1899 (May 6, 2009). The soft soil at Troy was covered with a darker layer before Spirit's wheels broke through that top layer and revealed lighter material, so the site is inconspicuous in the middle distance toward Von Braun in this image. This scene combines right-eye and left-eye views presented as cylindrical-perspective projections with geometric seam correction. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a common, rough and bumpy texture on the northern plains of Mars. | Each day, Mars Global Surveyor makes 12 orbits around the red planet. On each orbit at the present time (April 1999), the spacecraft passes from daylight into night somewhere over the northern plains of Mars, and re-emerges into daylight over the southern cratered highlands. The illumination conditions near the martian terminator--the line between night and day--are perfect for observing surface texture and topography. This picture shows a common, rough and bumpy texture that MOC has revealed on the northern plains of Mars. Note the eroded impact crater at the bottom right--small black dots along its rim are interpreted to be boulders. This image covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 8 kilometers (5 miles) long and is illuminated by the sun shining low from the northeastern horizon (from the upper right).Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
Stages in the seasonal disappearance of surface ice from the ground around the Phoenix Mars Lander are visible in these images taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Rover on 2-8-2010 and 2-25-2010, during springtime on northern Mars. | Stages in the seasonal disappearance of surface ice from the ground around the Phoenix Mars Lander are visible in these images taken on Feb. 8, 2010, (left) and Feb. 25, 2010, during springtime on northern Mars.These views come from observations made by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as part of an ongoing study of changes at the Phoenix site. The views cover an area about 100 meters (100 yards) wide and are products from observations catalogued as ESP_016582_2485 and ESP_016793_2485. North is toward the bottom.Phoenix landed on Mars on May 25, 2008, and operated successfully in the Martian arctic for about two months longer than its planned three-month mission. Operations ended when waning sunlight left the solar-powered craft with insufficient energy to keep working. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experment, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the spacecraft development and integration contractor for the project. For more information about the camera, and thousands of images, visit http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a daisy pattern created by the rover's rock abrasion tool on the surface of 'Mazatzal.' The pattern was made as the rover brushed dust off enough area on the rock to form the pattern. | This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera shows a daisy pattern created by the rover's rock abrasion tool on the surface of "Mazatzal." The pattern was made as the rover brushed dust off enough area on the rock to match the field of view of the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer instrument. | |
One of the two forward cameras aboard NASA's Sojourner imaged this area of Martian terrain on Sol 26. The large rock dubbed 'Pooh Bear' is at far left, and stands between four and five inches high. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | One of the two forward cameras aboard Sojourner imaged this area of Martian terrain on Sol 26. The large rock dubbed "Pooh Bear" is at far left, and stands between four and five inches high. Mermaid Dune is the smooth area stretching horizontally across the top quarter of the image. The Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument aboard Sojourner will be deployed on Mermaid Dune, and the rover will later use its cleated wheels to dig into it.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages and Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
The intersecting ridges in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Angustus Labyrinthus, informally called Inca City. | Context imageThe intersecting ridges in this VIS image are part of Angustus Labyrinthus, informally called Inca City.Orbit Number: 56624 Latitude: -81.4795 Longitude: 297.295 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-09-19 03:41 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in a region that has been heavily modified by wind action. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located in a region that has been heavily modified by wind action. The narrow ridge/valley system seen in this image are a feature called yardangs. Yardangs form when unidirectional winds blow across poorly cemented materials. Multiple yardang directions can indicate changes in regional wind regimes.Orbit Number: 64188 Latitude: -0.629314 Longitude: 206.572 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-03 01:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In this NASA Mars Odyssey image of western Acidalia, two craters of similar size dramatically display the effects of geologic activity. The younger one on the left has been left relatively well preserved. | In western Acidalia, two craters of similar size (a few km's) dramatically display the effects of geologic activity. The younger one on the left has been left relatively well preserved, retaining a sharp rim crest, a classic bowl shape, and a clearly defined ejecta blanket. The older one on the right likely has experienced a flood of lava that covered over the ejecta and filled in the bowl (note the breach in the rim). Its rim crest has been worn down by a multitude of subsequent impacts.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 35.9, Longitude 311.1 East (48.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows most of Hecates Tholus. The circular feature is the summit caldera. | Context imageThis VIS image crosses most of Hecates Tholus. The circular feature in the bottom half of the image is the summit caldera. This volcano is located on the northern part of the Elysium Volcanic Complex. Hecates Tholus is 5.3 km (3.3 miles) high and 182 km (113 miles) across.Orbit Number: 85360 Latitude: 32.2672 Longitude: 150.166 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-03-12 20:36Please 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. | |
A wheel track cuts through a windblown ripple of dusty sand in this Nov. 7, 2014, image from the Mastcam on NASA's Curiosity rover. The view spans about four feet across. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger versionA wheel track cuts through a windblown ripple of dusty sand in this image from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. The view spans about four feet (1.2 meters) from left to right.The rover team planned this experiment to get a view of the inside of the ripple for assessment of particle sizes, distribution and composition. The site is near the lower edge of the "Pahrump Hills" outcrop at the base of Mount Sharp. The view combines Mastcam exposures taken on Nov. 7, 2014, during the 801st Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The color has been approximately white-balanced to resemble how the scene would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. Figure 1 is a version with a scale bar overlaid on the image.One motive for this experiment is to gain a better understanding of loose, wind-carried deposits in the area. Some nearby wind drifts that Curiosity drove into were more difficult to cross than drifts experienced earlier in the mission.The far wall of the track offers a cross-section view of the ripple. A series of five small holes arranged in a line in the left half of the image are where laser firings by Curiosity's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument were used for identifying chemical elements present.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows where the rover's airbag seams left impressions in the martian soil. The drag marks were made after the rover successfully landed at Meridiani Planum and its airbags were retracted. | This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera shows where the rover's airbag seams left impressions in the martian soil. The drag marks were made after the rover successfully landed at Meridiani Planum and its airbags were retracted. The rover can be seen in the foreground. | |
This view from within 'Perseverance Valley,' on the inner slope of the western rim of Endurance Crater on Mars, includes wheel tracks from NASA's Opportunity rover's descent of the valley. | This view from within "Perseverance Valley," on the inner slope of the western rim of Endurance Crater on Mars, includes wheel tracks from the Opportunity rover's descent of the valley. The Panoramic Camera (Pancam) on Opportunity's mast took the component images of the scene during the period Sept. 4 through Oct. 6, 2017, corresponding to sols (Martian days) 4840 through 4871 of the rover's work on Mars.Perseverance Valley is a system of shallow troughs descending eastward about the length of two football fields from the crest of the crater rim to the floor of the crater. This panorama spans from northeast on the left to northwest on the right, including portions of the crater floor (eastward) in the left half and of the rim (westward) in the right half. Opportunity began descending Perseverance Valley in mid-2017 (see map) as part of an investigation into how the valley formed. Rover wheel tracks are darker brown, between two patches of bright bedrock, receding toward the horizon in the right half of the scene. This view combines multiple images taken through three different Pancam filters. The selected filters admit light centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The three color bands are combined here to show approximately true color.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.For more information about Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA22074_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a section of an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 81393 Latitude: -9.10693 Longitude: 118.856 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-20 05:09Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the Nili Patera dune field. The paterae are calderas on the volcanic complex called Syrtis Major Planum. | Context image This image shows part of the Nili Patera dune field. High resolution imaging by other spacecraft has revealed that the dunes in this region are moving. Winds are blowing the dunes across a rough surface of regional volcanic lava flows. The paterae are calderas on the volcanic complex called Syrtis Major Planum. Dunes are found in both Nili and Meroe Paterae and in the region between the two calderas.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 42079 Latitude: 8.99242 Longitude: 67.1173 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-10 03:08Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 16, 2004 shows the central part of Gusev Crater, including the landing site of Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in the white streak caused by dust devils. | Released 16 January 2004Long before the MER landers were named or launched, the two orbiters at Mars were asked to examine landing sites. Both the Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have been collecting landing site data for the past two years. The MGS and ODY data were used as part of the decision making process in the final selection of the two landing sites. The types of data collected by the two orbiters included not only images of the surface but also thermal data about the surface composition, atmospheric data about the climate at each location, and the tracking of major dust storms in the region prior to landing. The presence of, and data collected by, the MGS and ODY orbiters have proven invaluable in MER mission planning.This image, captured just last September 26, shows the central part of Gusev Crater, including Spirit's landing site in the white streak caused by dust devils.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -14.9, Longitude 175.4 East (184.6 West). 100 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. | |
Palenque' Rock: Tempting Target, Poor Location | Figure 1A rock dubbed "Palenque" in the "Columbia Hills" of Mars has contrasting textures in upper and lower portions. This view of the rock combines two frames taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the rover's 278th martian day (Oct. 14, 2004). The layers meet each other at an angular unconformity that may mark a change in environmental conditions between the formation of the two portions of the rock. Scientists would have liked the rover to take a closer look, but Palenque is not on a north-tilted slope, which is the type of terrain needed to keep the rover's solar panels tilted toward the winter sun. The exposed portion of the rock is about 100 centimeters (39 inches) long. | |
NASA's Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows the Elysium region of Mars as it appeared from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft on August 20, 1997. | This Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows the Elysium region of Mars as it appeared from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft on August 20, 1997. At the time, MGS was 5.57 million kilometers (3.46 million miles) and 22 days from Mars, and the picture has a resolution is about 20.8 km per picture element. Mars, 6800 km (4200 mile) in diameter, is about 327 pixels across. North is at the top of the image. The camera was pointed at the center of the planet (near the dark, morning sunrise line, or terminator) at 23.6° N, 217.4° W. At this distance from Mars, only atmospheric phenomena (clouds and fogs) and bright and dark markings resulting from variations in the amount and thickness of dust and sand are usually visible. However, in this view the shading of the relief of the three Elysium volcanoes (from north to south Hector Tholus, Elysium Mons, and Albor Tholus) can be seen owing to their position close to the terminator. Elysium Mons, the center-most volcano, is estimated to be 12,000-14,000 meters (39,000 to 46,000 feet) high.Mars Global Surveyor has been enroute to Mars since November 7, 1996 and arrives there on Thursday, September 11 around 6:30 PM PDT. The spacecraft will use atmospheric drag to reduce the size of its orbit, and will begin mapping operations in March 1998.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology were responsible for development of the Mars Observer and Mars Global Surveyor cameras. MSSS operates the MOC from its facilities in San Diego, CA, under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. | |
This color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows bedrock layers of diverse colors and composition. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel.[The original image scale is 50.9 centimeters (20.0 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 153 centimeters (60.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.This color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows bedrock layers of diverse colors and composition.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This field of dunes is located on the floor of Brashear Crater on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03645Brashear Cr. DunesThis field of dunes is located on the floor of Brashear Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 53.9S, Longitude 240.6E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Layers in Terby Crater | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_001596_1525) shows a sequence of predominantly light-toned, layered, sedimentary rocks exposed by erosion on the floor of Terby Crater. Terby Crater is ~165 kilometers (~100 miles) in diameter. It's located on the northern rim of the Hellas impact basin in the southern hemisphere of Mars. The layered sequence is ~2 kilometers (~1.2 miles) thick and consists of many repetitive, relatively horizontal beds. The beds appear to be laterally continuous, which means you can identify a given layer in many locations across the area. Details in the layering seen in this HiRISE image reveal variations in the brightness of the layers and may indicate differing mineralogies. Based on the ease with which wind appears to erode these layers, they are believed to be composed mostly of fine-grained sediments. However, one or more of the beds is weathering to form meter (yard)-scale boulders that have accumulated downslope in fans of debris (see subimage, full resolution, approx. 200 m [218 yards] across). These larger boulders indicate the material in the layers may be stronger than just fine-grained sediments.It's not clear how these layers formed, but it may have involved deposition by wind or volcanic activity. Another theory involves all or part of the Hellas basin being filled with ice-covered lakes at one time in the past. The layers we see may have formed as material that was suspended in the water dropped down to the bottom of the lake.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 11 November 2006Local Mars time: 3:38 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -27.3°Degrees longitude (East): 74.3°Range to target site: 256.5 km (160.3 miles)Original image scale range: 25.7 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: 0.3°Phase angle: 68.1°Solar incidence angle: 68°, with the Sun about 22° above the horizonSolar longitude: 142.3°, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a radial magnetic field measured over the South Polar Region with corresponding image showing the polar cap. Strips are in the Terra Sirenum region. | Radial magnetic field measured over the South Polar Region with corresponding image showing the polar cap. Strips are in the Terra Sirenum region. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an eroded, rounded hill in the Deuteronilus Colles region of Mars. The plains surrounding the hill have been pitted and modified by erosion. | 28 December 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an eroded, rounded hill in the Deuteronilus Colles region of Mars, near 40.3°N, 338.8°W. The plains surrounding the hill have been pitted and modified by erosion. Similar pitting is common throughout the middle latitude regions of Mars. Some Mars science investigators have proposed that the pitted materials were ice-rich, and that sublimation of ice has created these textures. However, no similar landforms are found on Earth, thus there is no clear analog that would help scientists better understand the origin of these features. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the left/lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the southern flank of Arsia Mons, along the center of the aligned fracture system. | Context imageThe three large aligned Tharsis volcanoes are Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascreaus Mons (from south to north). There are collapse features on all three volcanoes, on the southwestern and northeastern flanks. This alignment may indicate a large fracture/vent system was responsible for the eruptions that formed all three volcanoes. This VIS image shows part of the southern flank of Arsia Mons, along the center of the aligned fracture system. The scalloped depressions are most likely created by collapse of the roof of lava tubes. Lava tubes originate during eruption event, when the margins of a flow harden around a still flowing lava stream. When an eruption ends these can become hollow tubes within the flow. With time, the roof of the tube may collapse into the empty space below. The tubes are linear, so the collapse of the roof creates a linear depression. In this region, the complexity of the collapse and faulting has created a unique surface. This region has collapse depressions with floors at a variety of elevations and depression sizes from small to large.Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes. It is 270 miles (450km) in diameter, almost 12 miles (20km) high, and the summit caldera is 72 miles (120km) wide. For comparison, the largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa. From its base on the sea floor, Mauna Loa measures only 6.3 miles high and 75 miles in diameter. A large volcanic crater known as a caldera is located at the summit of all of the Tharsis volcanoes. These calderas are produced by massive volcanic explosions and collapse. The Arsia Mons summit caldera is larger than many volcanoes on Earth.Orbit Number: 88040 Latitude: -6.88266 Longitude: 240.595 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-19 12:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This complexly eroded region is part of Aeolis Planum with portions that appear to be layered material that has been eroded by wind action. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThis complexly eroded region is part of Aeolis Planum. The image has portions that appear to be layered material that has been eroded by wind action. The top of the image has a branching feature that may represent a filled channel that is now a topographic high (the channel fill material being more resistant to erosion than the surrounding materials).Orbit Number: 45385 Latitude: -6.54536 Longitude: 149.074 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-08 04:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A landslide deposit is visible in this image of Coprates Catena. Coprates Catena parallels the much larger Coprates Chasma; both are part of Valles Marineris. This image was captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image A landslide deposit is visible in this VIS image of Coprates Catena. Coprates Catena parallels the much larger Coprates Chasma; both are part of Valles Marineris.Orbit Number: 71880 Latitude: -14.7075 Longitude: 295.237 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-02-26 18:24Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A very large valley (mega gully) on Mars cuts through part of this mesa in Chryse Chaos in this image as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageA very large valley (mega gully) cuts through part of this mesa in Chryse Chaos.Orbit Number: 46901 Latitude: 8.55361 Longitude: 323.058 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-07-11 01:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This polar-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 101 (April 15, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view just before a stopping-point dubbed 'Missoula Crater.' | This polar-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 101 (April 15, 2004). It reveals Spirit's view just before a stopping-point dubbed "Missoula Crater." The rover is on its way to the "Columbia Hills." | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Aureum Chaos. | 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 Aureum Chaos.Orbit Number: 10849 Latitude: -3.61061 Longitude: 332.761 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-05-25 15:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This composite image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit gives an approximately true-color rendering of a daisy-like pattern of brushed circles that Spirit produced on a rock called 'Route 66.' | This composite image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit gives an approximately true-color rendering of a daisy-like pattern of brushed circles that Spirit produced on a rock called "Route 66." Spirit used the rock abrasion tool to complete this 6-position "RAT daisy" on sol 99. It took this image on sol 100, April 14, 2004.The purpose for these large brushings is to create a large enough patch of treated surface area for the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to analyze. Scientists had previously conducted a brushing like this one on the rock "Mazatzal." The brushed area of Route 66 looks very different from the brushed area of Mazatzal, leading scientists to think that the rocks although both light in tone actually have different coating types. | |
This Mars map shows variations in thickness of the planet's crust, the relatively thin surface layer over the interior mantle of the planet as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of one of the larger depressions on the NW edge of the Elysium volcanic complex. Portions of this large channel system appear to have been created by liquid flow, while other portions appear to have tectonic action as the formation process.Orbit Number: 61770 Latitude: 28.4502 Longitude: 138.828 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-11-16 21:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed crater located on the boundary between Terra Cimmeria and Nepenthes Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows an unnamed crater located on the boundary between Terra Cimmeria and Nepenthes Planum. The rugged nature of the interior of the crater and the outer rim ejecta indicate that this is a relatively youthful crater.Orbit Number: 81206 Latitude: 10.5144 Longitude: 111.079 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-04 19:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is located in the center of Hebes Chasma, a large deposit of layered material called Hebes Mensa. | Context imageLocated in the center of Hebes Chasma is a large deposit of layered material called Hebes Mensa. Extensive erosion has created gullies in the mensa and distributed fine sand size materials to create dunes and sand drifts within the chasma.Orbit Number: 72030 Latitude: -1.0854 Longitude: 283.966 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-03-11 03:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows that originated at Arsia Mons on Mars. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis IR image shows lava flows that originated at Arsia Mons.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -22.6N, Longitude 239.4E. 122 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 Sojourner rover and undeployed ramps onboard NASA's Mars Pathfinder spacecraft can be seen in this image, by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 4, 1997 (Sol 1). | The Sojourner rover and undeployed ramps onboard the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft can be seen in this image, by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 4 (Sol 1). This image has been corrected for the curvature created by parallax. The microrover Sojourner is latched to the petal, and has not yet been deployed. The ramps are a pair of deployable metal reels which will provide a track for the rover as it slowly rolls off the lander, over the spacecraft's deflated airbags, and onto the surface of Mars. Pathfinder scientists will use this image to determine whether it is safe to deploy the ramps. One or both of the ramps will be unfurled, and then scientists will decide whether the rover will use either the forward or backward ramp for its descent.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Gullies and Arcuate Ridges | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_001816_1410) shows gullies and arcuate ridges in a crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Arcuate ridges and gullies are found together at many places on Mars, which has led some researchers to suggest that their coexistence may be a result of a single process.Conversely, there are many locations on Mars where gullies and arcuate ridges are found alone, causing the debate about the relationship, or lack thereof, between their origins to continue. The bright regions in this image are frost, probably water frost, that is deposited and removed seasonally.The arcuate ridges are the wavy features on the crater floor. They appear to parallel the alcove heads (upslope end) of the gullies. Arcuate ridges resemble protalus ramparts that are found on Earth. Protalus ramparts form at the bottom of snow-covered slopes when rock debris becomes separated from the slope face and accumulates downslope. There is a mantled unit that covers the majority of the mid-latitudes of Mars that is thought to be ice-rich. This mantled unit drapes over topography and likely contains large amounts of dust, creating a dusty "snowpack." It is unknown how arcuate ridges form on Mars, but they are thought to be a result of mass wasting of ice-rich materials, possibly sections of the mantled unit.The gullies seen in this image exhibit a range of morphologies. The large gully in the center of the image is deeply incised with a wide alcove. The gullies on the west (left) rim of the crater have small alcoves and tiny channels. Many of the channels appear to start at one of the fine layers that can be seen along this wall (see subimage, ~ 800 meters across). It is possible that water came from underground along these layers to form the gullies. The gully on the far left of the image extends all the way to the top of the slope. It is likely that the water that fed this gully came from one of the layers and then the slope experienced headward (upslope) erosion and collapse to extend the alcove to the crater rim.The alternating stripes on the left side of the image are camera artifacts, not Martian features.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006Local Mars time: 3:44 PMDegrees latitude (centered): : -38.7°Degrees longitude (East): 194.0°Range to target site: 253.5 km (158.4 miles)Original image scale range: 25.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 0.6°Phase angle: 72.5°Solar incidence angle: 73°, with the Sun about 17° above the horizonSolar longitude: 151.0°, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows gullies on the southern rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria on Mars. | Context image for PIA08819Multiple TexturesMany gullies occur on the southern rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -43.8N, Longitude 126.0E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Proposed MSL Site in Juventae Chasma | Click on image for larger versionHiRISE image (PSP_003368_1755) of proposed landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in Juventae Chasma.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 4 April 2007Local Mars time: 3:34 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -4.5°Degrees longitude (East): 297.9°Range to target site: 268.1 km (167.6 miles)Original image scale range: 26.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~80 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 5.5°Phase angle: 59.1°Solar incidence angle: 54°, with the Sun about 36° above the horizonSolar longitude: 219.8°, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows buttes composed of light-toned, sedimentary rock exposed by erosion within a crater occurring west of Schiaparelli Basin on Mars. A field of dark sand dunes and very large windblown ripples are seen. | 25 November 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows buttes composed of light-toned, sedimentary rock exposed by erosion within a crater occurring immediately west of Schiaparelli Basin near 4.0°S, 347.9°W. Surrounding these buttes is a field of dark sand dunes and lighter-toned, very large windblown ripples. The sedimentary rocks might indicate that the crater interior was once the site of a lake. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
Slope Streaks in Terra Sabaea | Figure 1Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image shows the rim of a crater in the region of Terra Sabaea in the northern hemisphere of Mars. The subimage (figure 1) is a close-up view of the crater rim revealing dark and light-toned slope streaks. Slope streak formation is among the few known processes currently active on Mars. While their mechanism of formation and triggering is debated, they are most commonly believed to form by downslope movement of extremely dry sand or very fine-grained dust in an almost fluidlike manner (analogous to a terrestrial snow avalanche) exposing darker underlying material. Other ideas include the triggering of slope streak formation by possible concentrations of near-surface ice or scouring of the surface by running water from aquifers intercepting slope faces, spring discharge (perhaps brines), and/or hydrothermal activity.Several of the slope streaks in the subimage, particularly the three longest darker streaks, show evidence that downslope movement is being diverted around obstacles such as large boulders. Several streaks also appear to originate at boulders or clumps of rocky material.In general, the slope streaks do not have large deposits of displaced material at their downslope ends and do not run out onto the crater floor suggesting that they have little reserve kinetic energy. The darkest slope streaks are youngest and can be seen to cross cut and superpose older and lighter-toned streaks. The lighter-toned streaks are believed to be dark streaks that have lightened with time as new dust is deposited on their surface.Observation GeometryImage PSP_001808_1875 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on 15-Dec-2006. The complete image is centered at 7.4 degrees latitude, 47.0 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 272.1 km (170.1 miles). At this distance the image scale is 54.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~163 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 03:36 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 53 degrees, thus the sun was about 37 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 150.7 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a trench dug by the rover in the vicinity of the 'Anatolia' region. Two imprints from the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer instrument were left in the exposed soils. | This approximate true-color image mosaic from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a trench dug by the rover in the vicinity of the "Anatolia" region. Two imprints from the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer instrument were left in the exposed soils. Detailed comparisons between soils exposed at the surface and those found at depth reveal that surface soils have higher levels of hematite while subsurface soils show fine particles derived from basalt. The trench is approximately 11 centimeters deep. This image was taken on sol 81 with the panoramic camera's 430-, 530- and 750-nanometer filters. | |
This image acquired on December 30, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows Tooting Crater, one of the youngest craters on Mars that is larger than 20-kilometers in diameter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionTooting Crater is one of the youngest craters on Mars that is larger than 20-kilometers in diameter. Relatively low areas inside and outside the crater are covered by a distinctive pitted and ponded material. The pits are not impact craters, as they lack ejecta and are very closely spaced.There is one small impact crater near the lower right corner of our picture, which is much more circular than the pits and has a raised rim and ejecta. One interpretation is that this pitted and ponded material was hot impact ejecta from Tooting, and loss of volatiles from this material or underlying materials created the pits as it cooled.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 58.0 centimeters [22.8 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 174 centimeters [68.5 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the southwestern floor of a 50-kilometer diameter unnamed crater, about 100 kilometers northeast of Hellas Basin. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionIn this image, we explore the southwestern floor of a 50-kilometer diameter unnamed crater, about 100 kilometers northeast of Hellas Basin.The crater's rim is breached on both the north and south by a valley system that previously flowed across the crater floor, leaving behind an interesting array of channel patterns and deposits as it transported water and sediments into and out of the crater.In this image, we see a portion of the channel system along the southwestern crater floor near where the valley breaches the southern rim. The darker-toned surface has a pattern similar to the texture of a basketball, and blankets the region both in the channel belt and in the basin below the cliffs. Superposed on this patterned surface are clusters of larger, circular mounds that may be related to the thawing and freezing of ice-rich sediment, which is unusual at this relatively low latitude. Extensional cracks and clusters of pits make this topography more complicated.The southern part of this image reveals a prominent irregular scarp with light-toned layered deposits exposed along the margin beneath this textured surface. The light-toned layers look like an ancient mosaic in some areas as they are irregularly fractured and brecciated. Individual blocks and large boulders of this material are visible at full-resolution near the scarp, just about to fall and already lying on the debris slopes below the scarp. Some are brighter than the others: these may be dust-free, indicating that they have detached from the cliff more recently. This is a stereo pair with ESP_041036_1460.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image is the first view of Mars, a dusty rose in the distance, taken by the Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) on 7 September 1999 when the spacecraft was approximately 4.5 million kilometers (2.8 million miles) from the planet. | This image is the first view of Mars taken by the Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) Mars Color Imager (MARCI). It was acquired on 7 September 1999 at about 16:30 UTC (9:30 AM PDT), when the spacecraft was approximately 4.5 million kilometers (2.8 million miles) from the planet. This full-scale medium angle camera view is the highest resolution possible at this distance from Mars. At this point in its orbit around the sun, MCO is moving slower than, and being overtaken by, Mars (the morning side of the planet is visible in this picture). The center longitude is around 240° W.The Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft will reach Mars on September 23, 1999. The Mars orbit insertion (MOI) will be immediately followed by a period of aerobraking (into November 1999). The orbiter will then function as a relay and communication satellite for data from the Mars Polar Lander through February 2000 before beginning its Mars-year-long mapping mission.When the next MARCI image will be acquired is presently uncertain. The original mission plan calls for operation of the camera on a "non-interference basis" after the completion of aerobraking and during the lander relay phase. Planning for such operations cannot begin until after MOI.For additional information about the Mars Climate Orbiter MARCI, Click HERE.Also visit the Mars Climate Orbiter Home. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-579, 19 December 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, acquired in December 2003, shows light-toned sedimentary rocks (bottom half of image) and dark-toned sand dunes and ripples (top half of image). The light-toned, wind-eroded rocks are formed of ancient sediments; while the dark-toned, wind-blown dunes and ripples are modern sediments. This picture is located in Ophir Chasma near 4.4°S, 71.1°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows different flow surfaces in Daedalia Planum. | Context imageThis VIS image shows different flow surfaces in Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 39641 Latitude: -6.98292 Longitude: 226.255 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-11-21 07:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image on Jan 6, 1998. Shown here are layered materials in the walls and on the floors of the enormous Valles Marineris system. | One of the most striking discoveries of the Mars Global Surveyor mission has been the identification of thousands of meters/feet of layers within the wall rock of the enormous martian canyon system, Valles Marineris.Valles Marineris was first observed in 1972 by the Mariner 9 spacecraft, from which the troughs get their name: Valles--valleys, Marineris--Mariner.Some hints of layering in both the canyon walls and within some deposits on the canyon floors were seen in Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images from the 1970s. The Mars Orbiter Camera on board Mars Global Surveyor has been examining these layers at much higher resolution than was available previously.MOC images led to the realization that there are layers in the walls that go down to great depths. An example of the wall rock layers can be seen in MOC image 8403, shown above (C).MOC images also reveal amazing layered outcrops on the floors of some of the Valles Marineris canyons. Particularly noteworthy is MOC image 23304 (D, above), which shows extensive, horizontally-bedded layers exposed in buttes and mesas on the floor of western Candor Chasma. These layered rocks might be the same material as is exposed in the chasm walls (as in 8403--C, above), or they might be rocks that formed by deposition (from water, wind, and/or volcanism) long after Candor Chasma opened up.In addition to layered materials in the walls and on the floors of the Valles Marineris system, MOC images are helping to refine our classification of geologic features that occur within the canyons. For example, MOC image 25205 (E, above), shows the southern tip of a massive, tongue-shaped massif (a mountainous ridge) that was previously identified as a layered deposit. However, this MOC image does not show layering. The material has been sculpted by wind and mass-wasting--downslope movement of debris--but no obvious layers were exposed by these processes.Valles Marineris a fascinating region on Mars that holds much potential to reveal information about the early history and evolution of the red planet. The MOC Science Team is continuing to examine the wealth of new data and planning for new Valles Marineris targets once the Mapping Phase of the Mars Global Surveyor mission commences in March 1999.This image: Layers in western Candor Chasma northern wall. MOC image 8403 subframe shown at full resolution of 4.6 meters (15 feet) per pixel. The image shows an area approximately 2.4 by 2.5 kilometers (1.5 x 1.6 miles). North is up, illumination is from the left. Image 8403 was obtained during Mars Global Surveyor's 84th orbit at 10:12 p.m. (PST) on January 6, 1998.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Ascraeus Mons, the northernmost of the three Tharsis Montes shield volcanoes on Mars. | 24 December 2004This red wide angle Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows Ascraeus Mons, the northernmost of the three Tharsis Montes shield volcanoes. Ascraeus Mons is about 460 km (~286 mi) across and its summit is at an elevation of about 18 km (11 mi) above the martian datum -- the elevation designated as 0 km. The center of the summit caldera is near 11°N, 104°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/upper left. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a channel entering a crater in the region called Libya Montes. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a channel entering a crater in the region called Libya Montes.Orbit Number: 49631 Latitude: 2.87567 Longitude: 86.5428 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-02-20 17:26 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This traverse map traces the route that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove from its landing inside Eagle Crater on Jan. 4, 2004. | Annotated VersionClick on the image for full viewThe red line on this image traces the route that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove from its landing inside Eagle Crater on Jan. 4, 2004 (Universal Time; Jan. 3 Pacific Standard Time) through the 1,742nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 17, 2008). During that period, Opportunity drove 13.62 kilometers (8.5 miles). Opportunity climbed out of the 800-meter-wide (half-mile-wide) Victoria Crater on Sol 1634 (Aug. 28, 2008) after spending almost 12 months exploring the crater's interior and the preceding 12 months examining it from the rim. The rover's next major destination is a much larger crater further south, Endeavour Crater, with a diameter of about 22 kilometers (14 miles).The route and labels on this map are overlain on a mosaic of images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the Memnonia Fossae graben. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the Memnonia Fossae graben. Memnonia Fossae, Mangala Fossae and Sirenum Fossae are all long graben (tectonic troughs) systems that stretch from eastern Terra Sirenum into western Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 80629 Latitude: -21.8719 Longitude: 201.417 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-02-17 07:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the wind eroded Amazonis Mensa. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the wind eroded Amazonis Mensa. Just one of several large linear mounds of material, Amazonis Mensa has been carved by long term surface winds. The linear grooves are aligned with the prevailing winds. The mensa has to be formed of soft, relatively uncemented materials to be eroded so easily. It has been suggested that the surface material may be volcanic ash from nearby volcanoes.Orbit Number: 79493 Latitude: 1.56883 Longitude: 210.942 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-15 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 Mars Global Surveyor shows craters in the regions north and northwest of the giant basin, Hellas, with sedimentary rocks with distinct polygonal cracks in them. Such cracks might have formed by desiccation as an ancient lake dried up on Mars. | 4 December 2004Exposures of sedimentary rock are quite common on the surface of Mars. Less common, but found in many craters in the regions north and northwest of the giant basin, Hellas, are sedimentary rocks with distinct polygonal cracks in them. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example from the floor of an unnamed crater near 21.0°S, 311.9°W. Such cracks might have formed by desiccation as an ancient lake dried up, or they might be related to ground ice freeze/thaw cycles or some other stresses placed on the original sediment or the rock after it became lithified. The 300 meter scale bar is about 328 yards long. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. |
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