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This stereo vista from NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity shows 'Wdowiak Ridge,' from left foreground to center, as part of a northward look. You will need 3-D glasses to view this image. | This stereo vista from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Wdowiak Ridge," from left foreground to center, as part of a northward look with the rover's tracks visible at right. The image combines views from the left eye and right eye of Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) to appear three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses with the red lens on the left.Opportunity's Pancam recorded the component images for this mosaic on Sept. 17, 2014, during the 3,786th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. The ridge stands prominently on the western rim of Endeavour crater, about 200 yards or meters west of the rim's main crest line. Its informal name is a tribute to Opportunity science team member Thomas J. Wdowiak (1939-2013). This panorama spans about 70 compass degrees from north-northwest on the left to east-northeast on the right. Wdowiak Ridge rises steeply about 40 feet from base to top. It extends about 500 feet (150 meters) in length. For scale, the distance between Opportunity's parallel wheel tracks is about 3.3 feet (1 meter).Wdowiak Ridge is visible from overhead in the map at http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/tm-opportunity/images/MERB_Sol3798_1.jpg, from the northeastern end near the rover's Sol 3751 location to Odyssey Crater near the rover's Sol 3789 location. JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a linear feature, part of Labeatis Fossae. | Context imageThe linear feature in this VIS image is part of Labeatis Fossae. Fossae are linear depressions, most often caused by extensional tectonic forces pulling the crust apart and allowing material to slide downward between bounding faults. This type of feature is called a graben. In this image, the feature as numerous circular features within the fossae. In regions of volcanic flows, the depression may be caused by roof collapse into an underlying void left by a lava tube. As this feature is located in the Tharsis volcanic region, it is likely that this feature was primarily created by volcanic collapse rather tectonic stress.Orbit Number: 79516 Latitude: 21.1075 Longitude: 264.698 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-17 16:06Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a layered terrain near the martian south pole. Together, these three views document changes that occurred between August 1999 and February 2000 for the same small region. | Over the past six months, the southern hemisphere of Mars has passed through spring and into summer. Spring started in early August 1999 and summer arrived toward the end of December 1999. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is in a polar orbit, thus the spacecraft's Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has had an excellent view of the daily changes that have occurred as the south polar frosts sublimed away during spring and into the summer season.Shown here are three views of the same portion the layered terrain near the martian south pole. Together, these three views document changes that occurred between August 1999 and February 2000 for the same small region. Each view is 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. The differences in orientation of the surface features are caused by the fact that the MGS did not pass directly over the exact same spot in each view. Each view is illuminated by sunlight from the lower right. The wavey, almost parallel lines in the upper half of each picture are exposed layers of the south polar "layered terrain."As the terrain began to defrost in early August 1999, dark spots appeared. Wind occasionally picks up some of the dark material and blows it across the landscape, creating dark streaks. By late September, much of the scene is covered with these dark spots and narrow, dark wind streaks. By February, all of the frost and dark spots were gone, revealing the underlying layered terrain surface.Based upon the extremely cold temperatures measured by the MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) during southern spring at 87°S latitude, the frost seen in the left and middle pictures are probably composed mostly of frozen carbon dioxide--known on Earth as "dry ice." The 1 km scale bar is also equivalent about 0.62 miles; the arrow indicates the general direction of north. | |
East of Adamas Labyrinthus is this region with a stark contrast between bright and dark surfaces on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09139 Bright and DarkEast of Adamas Labyrinthus is this region with a stark contrast between bright and dark surfaces.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 36.1N, Longitude 109.2E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-558, 28 November 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture presents a high resolution view of the thick, dust-mantled surface of the upper west flank of the volcano, Pavonis Mons. Strong slope winds move and redistribute some of the fine sediment on the surface of this volcano, creating a pattern of light and dark wind streaks. The cluster of craters near the center of the image, for example, have bright tails that indicate winds blew from the lower left (southwest) toward upper right (northeast). This image is located near 0.7°N, 113.4°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, and is illuminated by sunlight from the left/lower left. | |
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its MAHLI camera about 10.5 inches (27 centimeters) away from the top of a rock called 'Bathurst Inlet' for a set of eight images combined into this merged-focus view of the rock. | NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera about 10.5 inches (27 centimeters) away from the top of a rock called "Bathurst Inlet" for a set of eight images combined into this merged-focus view of the rock. This context image covers an area roughly 6.5 inches by 5 inches (16 centimeters by 12 centimeters). Resolution is about 105 microns per pixel.MAHLI took the component images for this merged-focus view, plus closer-up images of Bathurst Inlet, during Curiosity's 54th Martian day, or sol (Sept. 30, 2012). The instrument's principal investigator had invited Curiosity's science team to "MAHLI it up!" in the selection of Sol 54 targets for inspection with MAHLI and with the other instrument at the end of Curiosity's arm, the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer.A merged-focus MAHLI view from closer to the rock, providing even finer resolution (see PIA14763).The "Bathurst Inlet" rock is dark gray and appears to be so fine-grained that MAHLI cannot resolve grains or crystals in it. This means that the grains or crystals, if there are any at all, are smaller than about 80 microns in size. Some windblown sand-sized grains or dust aggregates have accumulated on the surface of the rock but this surface is clean compared to, for example, the pebbly substrate below the rock (upper left and lower right in this context image).MAHLI can do focus merging onboard. The full-frame versions of the eight separate images that were combined into this view were not even returned to Earth -- just the thumbnail versions. Merging the images onboard reduces the volume of data that needs to be downlinked to Earth. JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of one of the numerous channels that dissect the northern margin of Arabia Terra. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of one of the numerous channels that dissect the northern margin of Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 53342 Latitude: 38.6504 Longitude: 29.3947 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-23 02:08Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows streak patterns made by wind as it distributed and re-distributed dark sediment across a light-toned substrate west of Schiaparelli Crater on Mars. | 15 September 2004Mars is a desert world. Today, wind is the most powerful agent of change. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows streak patterns made by wind as it distributed and re-distributed dark sediment across a light-toned substrate. This image is located west of Schiaparelli Crater near 1.0°S, 347.6°W, and covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the left/upper left. | |
The narrow volcanic flows in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the northeastern flank of Olympus Mons. | Context imageThe narrow volcanic flows in this VIS image are located on the northeastern flank of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 45606 Latitude: 20.3483 Longitude: 230.538 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-26 10:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an exposure of finely-detailed layers in the martian north polar region. The north polar ice cap, which is made up of frozen water, is underlain by a thick sequence of layers. | 3 December 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an exposure of finely-detailed layers in the martian north polar region. The polar ice cap, which is made up of frozen water (whereas the south polar cap is mostly frozen carbon dioxide), is underlain by a thick sequence of layers. Some have speculated that these layers may record the history of changes in martian climate during the past few hundreds of millions of years. This picture is located near 86.0°N, 30.2°W, and covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
Lower slopes of Mount Sharp appear at the top of this image taken by the right Navigation Camera (Navcam) of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity at the end of a drive of about 135 feet during the 329th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. | Lower slopes of Mount Sharp appear at the top of this image taken by the right Navigation Camera (Navcam) of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity at the end of a drive of about 135 feet (41 meters) during the 329th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (July 9, 2013). That was the third drive by Curiosity since finishing observations at the mission's final science target in the "Glenelg" area east of the rover's landing site. The planned entry point to the lower layers of Mount Sharp, the mission's next major destination, lies about 5 miles (8 kilometers) to the southwest.The turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm is in the foreground, with the rover's rock-sampling drill in the lower left corner of the image.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
Northern Plains | Image PSP_001395_2485 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 13, 2006. The complete image is centered at 68.2 degrees latitude, 142.3 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 314.5 km (196.6 miles). At this distance the image scale is 31.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~94 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:05 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 58 degrees, thus the sun was about 32 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 134.6 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
In this image from NASA's Mars Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we can see quite a spectacular layering pattern inside an impact crater called Spallanzani. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionIn this recent HiRISE image, we can see quite a spectacular layering pattern inside an impact crater called Spallanzani. Seeing layering is always exciting to geologists because it implies that the region has experienced multiple climatic conditions or geologic processes through time. The study of layering is so important in geology that it has its own dedicated branch of study: stratigraphy!Commonly, layering implies different lithologies (i.e., rock types). However, sometimes the layers could be of very similar composition but formed in different periods of time. This could happen for example in the case of annual flood deposits from rivers, multiple volcanic eruptions, or annual or periodic deposition of ice-rich material.We can also see in this image another feature called terracing, which happens when the layers form distinctive planes on top of one another like terraces. This could imply that the layers are being eroded with time but some of the layers are being eroded quicker than others because they are less resistant to erosion.So what is the composition of these layers? Spallanzani Crater lies in the high latitudes of the Southern hemisphere (around 60 degrees in latitude) so there is a good possibility that the deposits are ice-rich. If we look more closely we will notice fractured mounds, which sometimes indicate the presence of subsurface ice. Another interesting observation is the presence of grooves in the shaded slopes of some of the layers. Perhaps these grooves formed because of the sublimation (the direct transfer of solid ice to water vapor) of ice from these slopes since slopes tend to get warmer than the surrounding terrains.A close inspection of this image may help answer this question and investigate the multiple cycles in which these deposits were laid down as well as the duration of these individual cycles.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. | |
A stereo landscape scene from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows rock rows at 'Junda' forming striations in the foreground, with Mount Sharp on the horizon. You need 3D glasses to view this image. | This stereo landscape scene from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows rows of rocks in the foreground and Mount Sharp on the horizon. It appears three dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The left-eye and right-eye cameras of Curiosity's Navigation Camera (Navcam) took the component images for this mosaic during a pause in driving on the 548th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Feb. 19, 2014). The Sol 548 drive covered 328 feet (100 meters). Images taken from orbit and used in planning the rover's route toward lower slopes of Mount Sharp had piqued researchers interest in the striations on the ground that are formed by these rows of rocks. This particular outcrop is called "Junda." Similar striations are apparent on other patches of ground along the planned route.The view is centered toward south-southeast and spans about 160 degrees. It is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection. A one-eye "mono" view of the scene is available at PIA17947. A look back from the end of the Sol 548 drive is available at PIA17949.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
The floor of Eos Chasma is composed of thousands of small hills; this type of terrain is called 'chaos.' This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey and shows a small portion of Eos Chaos. | Context imageThe floor of Eos Chasma is composed of thousands of small hills. This type of terrain is called "chaos." Today's VIS image shows a small portion of Eos Chaos.Orbit Number: 41098 Latitude: -43.6804 Longitude: 312.588 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-21 06:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this view of the summit of 'Cape Tribulation,' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater on the day before the rover drove to the top. You need 3D glasses to view this image. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this stereo view of the summit of "Cape Tribulation," on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, on the day before the rover drove to the top. The scene appears three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses with the red lens on the left.This crest is about 440 feet (about 135 meters) higher in elevation than the plain surrounding the crater, higher than any other point Opportunity has reached since it began exploring the Endeavour rim in 2011. This view combines images taken by the left-eye and right-eye cameras of Opportunity's stereo navigation camera on Jan. 5, 2015, during the 3,893rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. The summit is about 40 feet (about 12 meters) southwest of the location from which the images were taken.JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
This set of graphs shows variation in the amount and the depth of water detected beneath NASA's Mars rover Curiosity by use of the rover's Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument at different points the rover has driven. | This set of graphs shows variation in the amount and the depth of water detected beneath NASA's Mars rover Curiosity by use of the rover's Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument at different points along the distance the rover has driven, in meters.DAN detects even very small amounts of water in the ground beneath the rover, primarily water bound into the crystal structure of hydrated minerals. The bottom graph indicates that the water content of the top 2 feet (60 centimeters) of the ground at points in the "Yellowknife Bay" area where DAN has taken measurements is estimated at about 3 percent. JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera shows the rear part of NASA's Sojourner rover, the rolled-up rear ramp, and portions of the partially deflated airbags. | This image from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera shows the rear part of the Sojourner rover, the rolled-up rear ramp, and portions of the partially deflated airbags. The Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer instrument is protruding from the rear (right side) of the rover. The airbags behind the rover are presently blocking the ramp from being safely unfurled. The ramps are a pair of deployable metal reels that will provide a track for the rover as it slowly rolls off the lander, and onto the surface of Mars, once Pathfinder scientists determine it is safe to do so.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. | |
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spies what looks like a praying mantis looking back at the spacecraft. | Context image Do you see what I see? Is that a praying mantis looking at me?Orbit Number: 53957 Latitude: 33.4229 Longitude: 298.441 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-11 16:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the western half of Jezero Crater. The Perserverance Rover is located in this part of the crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows the western half of Jezero Crater. The Perserverance Rover is located in this part of the crater – near the delta deposit formed by the influx of silt laden water into the crater at a time during Mars' past that was wetter. The crater most likely hosted a lake for a period of time. Jezero Crater is 47km (29 miles) in diameter.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 95046 Latitude: 18.449 Longitude: 77.436 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-05-19 09:28Please 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. | |
This image acquired on May 24, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Hebrus Valles, a complex set of channels in the northern lowlands of Mars just to the west of the Elysium volcanic region. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionHebrus Valles are a complex set of channels in the northern lowlands of Mars just to the west of the Elysium volcanic region.The channel segments to the north of this image display a variety of features, including streamlined forms and terracing that are suggestive of catastrophic flooding.However, this observation shows channels of uniform width suggesting more persistent flows eroding into and around two impact craters, each about two hundred meters in diameter. This complex geology may be the result of formation in volcanic terrains as fluid flows erode into basalt and interbedded ash or sediment layers. The channel system is thought to be early Amazonian in age (as far back as 3 billion years ago), which is younger than many of the other outflow channels on Mars.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 32.5 centimeters [12.8 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 98 centimeters [38.6 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.This is a stereo pair with ESP_073686_2010.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The graben and collapse features in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Ceraunius Fossae, which is located south of Alba Mons. | Context imageThe graben and collapse features in this image are part of Ceraunius Fossae, which is located south of Alba Mons.Orbit Number: 60406 Latitude: 27.0278 Longitude: 249.29 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-07-27 14:05Please 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 Arsia Mons, one of the largest volcanoes known on Mars. This shield volcano is part of an aligned trio known as the Tharsis Montes, the others are Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons. | Arsia Mons (above) is one of the largest volcanoes known. This shield volcano is part of an aligned trio known as the Tharsis Montes--the others are Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons. Arsia Mons is rivaled only by Olympus Mons in terms of its volume. The summit of Arsia Mons is more than 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) higher than the surrounding plains. The crater--or caldera--at the volcano summit is approximately 110 km (68 mi) across. This view of Arsia Mons was taken by the red and blue wide angle cameras of the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) system. Bright water ice clouds (the whitish/bluish wisps) hang above the volcano--a common sight every martian afternoon in this region. Arsia Mons is located at 120° west longitude and 9° south latitude. Illumination is from the left. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's now-empty lander, the Challenger Memorial Station, at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | This image taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's now-empty lander, the Challenger Memorial Station, at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The image was acquired on the 24th martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission at approximately 13:00 Local Solar Time. This is a mosaic image consisting of 12 color images acquired with the camera's red, green and blue filters. The color balance has been set to approximate the colors that a human eye would see. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater west of Hellas Basin | Context image for PIA09434Fill/RemoveAt one time the floor of this unnamed crater west of Hellas Basin was completely filled with material from rim to rim. As this image shows, part of that fill material is being removed. The hole that is formed shows that the fill material was layered. A very rough surface is located at the bottom of the hole.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -32.3N, Longitude 41.1E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 87308 Latitude: 2.36838 Longitude: 116.9 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-08-20 05:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the Kasei Vallis complex on Mars which contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia. | Kasei Vallis is our topic for the weeks of April 18 and 25. Originating on the margin of Lunae Planum, the Kasei Vallis complex contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia. During the week of April 18th we will concentrate on the northern branch of Kasei Vallis. The week of April 25 will be devoted to the southern branch.The formation of Kasei Vallis is still being studied and several theories exist. It is thought that volcanic subsurfaceing heating in the Tharsis/Lunae Planum region resulted in a release of water, which carved the channels and produced the landforms seen within the channels. One theory is that this was a one-time catastropic event, another theory speculates that several flooding events occurred over a long time period. Others have proposed that some of the landforms (especially scour marks and teardropshaped "islands") are the result of glacial flow rather than liquid flow. Teardrop shaped islands are common in terrestrial rivers, where the water is eroding material in the channel. A glacial feature called a drumlin has the exact sameshape, but is formed by deposition beneath continental glaciers.This VIS image illustrates the complexity of the main channel. At the top of the image the channel splits with a narrow side channel heading north. At the bottom of the image, the channel splits again.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 29, Longitude 305.2 East (54.8 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. | |
An engineer watches as a test version of NASA's Mars InSight lander grasps a model of the spacecraft's seismometer. This work was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. | Engineer Marleen Sundgaard watches as a test version of NASA's Mars InSight lander grasps a model of the spacecraft's seismometer. This work was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/insight. | |
Track of Right-Wheel Drag (Polar) | This 360-degree panorama combines several frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the rover's 313th martian day (Nov. 19, 2004). The site, labeled Spirit site 93, is in the "Columbia Hills" inside Gusev Crater. The rover tracks point westward. Spirit had driven eastward, in reverse and dragging its right front wheel, for about 30 meters (100 feet) on the day the picture was taken. Driving backwards while dragging that wheel is a precautionary strategy to extend the usefulness of the wheel for when it is most needed, because it has developed more friction than the other wheels. The right-hand track in this look backwards shows how the dragging disturbed the soil. This view is presented in a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover and now-empty lander that had carried it 283 million miles to Meridiani Planum, Mars. | This image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's navigation camera shows the rover and the now-empty lander that carried it 283 million miles to Meridiani Planum, Mars. Engineers received confirmation that Opportunity's six wheels rolled off the lander and onto martian soil at 3:02 a.m. PST, January 31, 2004, on the seventh martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover, seen at the bottom of the image, is approximately 1 meter (3 feet) in front of the lander, facing north. | |
Layered Rocks Near Mawrth Vallis | Mawrth Vallis is one of the oldest valleys on Mars. It was formed in and subsequently covered by layered rocks, from beneath which it is now being exhumed. The rocks surrounding the valley have been observed by the Omega spectrometer aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, which found them to include minerals with water bound within their structure. Thus, the Mawrth Vallis region is of keen interest to the team using the mineral-mapping Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The CRISM team requested this image by the orbiter's Context Camera in support of a CRISM observation during orbiter's transition phase testing of instruments. The image is centered near 25.6 degrees north, 19.4 degrees west. This area was discussed during an Oct. 16, 2006, news briefing, and related imagery from CRISM and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera can be found at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/. | |
This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was taken on the rover's 171st sol on Mars. Opportunity had driven 11 meters (36 feet) into 'Endurance Crater.' 3D glasses are necessary. | This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was taken on the rover's 171st sol on Mars (July 17, 2004). It was assembled from images taken by the rover's navigation camera at a position referred to as "site 33." Opportunity had driven 11 meters (36 feet) into "Endurance Crater." The view is a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction.See PIA06703 for left eye view and PIA06704 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
Aside from a few highstanding ridges, the Gigas Sulci region on Mars is completely dust/sand covered. The wind has formed dunes across the region. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03579Gigas Sulci FeaturesAside from a few highstanding ridges, the Gigas Sulci region is completely dust/sand covered. The wind has formed dunes across the region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 7.8N, Longitude 229.5E. 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. | |
Alteration of the Crust Beneath a Highland Crater | This image of the wall of Capri Chasma, in Valles Marineris, was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at 1151 UTC (7:51 a.m. EDT) on October 6, 2007, near 12.03 degrees south latitude, 312.04 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 20 meters (66 feet) across. The region covered is just over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide at its narrowest point, and is one of several dozen that CRISM has taken to search for exposed layering in the chasma walls.Valles Marineris is a large canyon system that extends more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) covering nearly one-fifth of the planet's circumference. If it were located on Earth, Valles Marineris would stretch from the California coast to New England and hold a volume of water approximately equal to that held by the Mediterranean Sea. One of several chasmata that comprise Valles Marineris, Capri Chasma is located toward the eastern end of the larger system.The upper left panel in the montage above reveals the location of the CRISM image on a mosaic taken by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The CRISM data are centered on a resistant spur of material roughly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) long, located below a crater whose floor was eroded away by the chasma's rim. The upper right panel reveals this spur in infrared false color. Bright streaks emanating downward from the ridge indicate mass wasting of the lighter material that caps the spur.The lower two images are renderings of data draped over topography without vertical exaggeration. These images provide a view of the spur's elevation relative to the surrounding terrain - the lower right in infrared false color, the lower left in false color to reveal mineral content. The predominantly blue color of the lower left image shows that the chasma wall rock is rich in pyroxene, a major constituent of basaltic rocks. The reds and greens in the resistant material that comprises the ridge indicate the presence of olivine and clay-like minerals called phyllosilicates. Broad swaths of red, yellow and green indicate mass wasting of this resistant material down the slope of the spur. Occurrence of phyllosilicate in the deep-seated wall rock provides evidence for a very ancient wet environment.CRISM is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Science Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Shalbatana Vallis. Along side of the major channel is a smaller tributary channel. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Shalbatana Vallis. Along side of the major channel is a smaller tributary channel. A landslide deposit is also visible in this image. Shalbatana Vallis is located in Xanthe Terra. It is an outflow channel carved by massive floods from escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image.Orbit Number: 78229 Latitude: 6.91366 Longitude: 317.791 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-08-03 16:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The edge of the south polar cap is the bright band in the center of this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe edge of the south polar cap is the bright band in the center of this VIS image. Dunes fill the upper part of the image.Orbit Number: 50541 Latitude: -71.9907 Longitude: 143.93 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-05-06 13:09Please 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 dune field on the floor of Hussey Crater. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the dune field on the floor of Hussey Crater.Orbit Number: 49277 Latitude: -52.8798 Longitude: 233.008 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-01-22 12:33 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 acquired on May 4, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows circles on the Martian landscape of Utopia Planitia. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionSometimes we see circles on the Martian landscape with no apparent cause, such as in this picture of Utopia Planitia.Landscapes have rich histories, and what's happening here is likely the result of a long sequence of events. Impact craters are common throughout Mars' history. This area of Utopia Planitia has been buried by material and some of these craters have been buried with it. Loose material compacts over time and if there was the same thickness of material everywhere, then the surface would drop in height by the same amount everywhere.However, there's more of this material inside the buried craters than outside, so there's more compaction and dropdown of the surface in the circular area above the buried crater. This stretches the surface and causes the cracks to appear around the edge. The crater may be long lost from view, but it's still affecting the landscape today.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 57.3 centimeters [22.6 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 172 centimeters [67.7 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. | |
Sand is common in the region of Juventae Chasma as shown in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageSand is common in this region of Juventae Chasma.Orbit Number: 40225 Latitude: -3.51921 Longitude: 298.91 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-01-08 09:32Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This anaglyph view of 'Wedge' was produced by NASA's Mars Pathfinder's Imager camera. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | This view of "Wedge" was produced by combining the "Super Panorama" frames from the IMP camera. Super resolution was applied to help to address questions about the texture of this rock and what it might tell us about its mode of origin.The composite color frames that make up this anaglyph were produced for both the right and left eye of the IMP. Each composite consists of 7 frames, taken with different color filters that were enlarged by 500% and then co-added using Adobe Photoshop to produce, in effect, a super-resolution panchromatic frame that is sharper than an individual frame would be. These panchromatic frames were then colorized with the red, green, and blue filtered images from the same sequence. The color balance was adjusted to approximate the true color of Mars.The anaglyph view was produced by combining the left with the right eye color composite frames by assigning the left eye composite view to the red color plane and the right eye composite view to the green and blue color planes (cyan), to produce a stereo anaglyph mosaic. This mosaic can be viewed in 3-D on your computer monitor or in color print form by wearing red-blue 3-D glasses.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).The left eye and right eye panoramas from which this anaglyph was created is available atPIA02405 andPIA02406.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows changes on a set of nearly pear-shaped sand dunes located on the floor of an unnamed crateon Mars featuring dunes as they appeared on June 19, 1999 and July 15, 1999. | As the retreat of the south polar winter frost cap became visible in June 1999, high resolution images from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) began to show dark spots forming on the surfaces of frost-covered sand dunes. Immediately, the MOC science team began to plan to observe several dune fields more than once, should that opportunity arise, so that the evolution of these dark spots could be documented and studied. Such work will eventually lead to abetter understanding of how the martian polar caps retreat as winter ends and spring unfolds in each hemisphere.MGS is in a polar orbit, which means that, unlike many other places on Mars, the spacecraft has more opportunities to take pictures of the same place. Dune fields near 87° latitude can be repeatedly viewed; dunes near the equator are not likely to be photographed more than once during the entire MGS mission.The pictures presented here show changes on a set of nearly pear-shaped sand dunes located on the floor of an unnamed crater at 59°S, 353°W. The picture on the left shows the dunes as they appeared on June 19, 1999, the picture on the right shows the same dunes on July 15, 1999. The dark spots in the June 19picture -- indicating areas where frost has sublimed away -- became larger by July 15th. In addition, new spots had appeared as of mid-July. If possible, these dunes will be photographed by MOC again in mid-August and each month until the frost is gone.The pictures shown in (B) (above) are expanded views of portions of the pictures in (A). The 200 meter scale bar equals 656 feet; the 100 meter bar is 328 feet (109 yards) long. All images are illuminated from the upper left; north is toward 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows martian polar layered deposits taken in July 1998 exhibiting features common to sedimentary rocks on Earth. At left, an angular unconformity, with horizontal layers overlying tilted beds; at right: deformed layers. | The martian polar layered deposits exhibit features common to sedimentary rocks on Earth. The image on the left shows an angular unconformity, with horizontal layers overlying tilted beds. The image on the right shows deformed layers. Both pictures were taken on MGS's 445th orbit about the planet in July 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which displays clearly the contrast between bedrock, sand, and dust surfaces, covers a portion of Coprates Chasma, part of the Valles Marineris system of canyons that stretch for thousands of kilometers. | (Released 21 June 2002)The ScienceThis image covers a portion of Coprates Chasma, located near 15.5S, 57.8W, which is part of the Valles Marineris system of canyons that stretch for thousands of kilometers. This image displays clearly the contrast between bedrock, sand, and dust surfaces. The steepest slopes, such as on the canyon walls, appear to be free of the mantle of dust and sand that is nearly ubiquitous elsewhere in the image. Layering is clearly present in the bedrock unit, but it is not clear if that layering is due to sedimentary deposits or volcanic lava flows. Superimposed on the slopes is a mantle of dust in a manner that appears similar to snow covered mountains on Earth. This is because in both situations, fine-grained dry, particulate material is settling on a sloped surface. Collecting in the valleys and, in some cases, climbing up the slopes are several sand sheets. The amount of cover and the apparent thickness of these sands give some indication to the huge volume of material that is collected here. The orientation of the slip faces of the dunes in this image can be used to deduce the prevalent wind patterns in the region. In this case, the prevalent wind direction is towards the east but there are areas where the winds indicate a more complex system, perhaps indicating topographic control of the local winds.The StoryThe canyon walls of Coprates, the old name for the Persian River Ab-I-Diz, descend clearly at the top of this image, without being obscured by the dust that covers much of this region. Coprates Chasma is part of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the solar system.In addition to the hard bedrock and dust, sand dunes also appear on the floor of the canyon. They almost look as though they've been raked by a Zen gardener, but the eastward-blowing wind is really responsible for their rows. Scientists can tell the direction of the wind by looking at the slip faces of the dunes -- that is, by identifying the steep, downward slope formed from loose, cascading sand. Some areas seem to have been formed by more complex wind patterns that may have emerged due to the topography of the area.This region is, in fact, pretty complex. The sand in this area looks like it is thick and abundant. Not only has it collected in the valleys, it has also built up enough to begin to "climb up" the slopes. There is also layering in the bedrock, but who knows if this layering is made of deposits of "dirt" and rock or from lava. Finally, at the bottom of this image, dust-covered slopes appear like snow-covered mountain s on Earth. This similar look occurs because both dust and snow are fine-grained particles and cover the slopes in comparable ways. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the global thermal inertia of the Martian surface as measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument. | This image shows the global thermal inertia of the Martian surface as measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor. The data were acquired during the first 5000 orbits of the MGS mapping mission. The pattern of inertia variations observed by TES agrees well with the thermal inertia maps made by the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper experiment, but the TES data shown here are at significantly higher spatial resolution (15 km versus 60 km).The TES instrument was built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing and is operated by Philip R. Christensen, of Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. | |
NASA's Opportunity rover shows soil clods exposed in the upper wall of the trench dug by its right front wheel. The presence of soil clods implies weak bonding between individual soil grains. | This picture, obtained by the microscopic imager on NASA's Opportunity rover during sol 24, February 17 PST, shows soil clods exposed in the upper wall of the trench dug by Opportunity's right front wheel on sol 23. The clods were not exposed until the trench was made. The presence of soil clods implies weak bonding between individual soil grains. The chemical agent or mineral that causes the dirt to bind together into a clod, which scientists call the "bonding agent," is currently unknown. Moessbauer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer measurements of this spot, planned for sol 25, might help explain the bonding, which would ultimately help the rover team understand how geological processes vary across the red planet. In any case, the bonds between soil grains here cannot be very strong because the wheel dug down through this layer with little trouble. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of northeastern Syrtis Major. In this image are several windstreaks and a lava flow that has entered the crater on the top of the image. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of northeastern Syrtis Major. In this image are several windstreaks and a lava flow that has entered the crater on the top of the image.Orbit Number: 47434 Latitude: 18.0611 Longitude: 73.8956 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-23 21:52Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This THEMIS as art image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft looks like a flounder, or maybe a deep sea trigger fish. The sand deposit on the floor of this polar crater on Mars is still partially frost covered. | Context image for PIA09318THEMIS ART #81It looks like a flounder, or maybe a deep sea trigger fish. The sand deposit on the floor of this polar crater is still partially frost covered, with the margins mostly free of frost to create the fish-like outline.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -73.9N, Longitude 234.8E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-March 2006. | 25 April 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 39° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 39° occurred in mid-April 2006. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: Northern Spring/Southern Autumn | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the four large Tharsis volcanoes on Mars: Olympus Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-402, 25 June 2003The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) experiment consists of 3 different cameras: a narrow angle imager that provides the black-and-white high resolution views (up to 1.4 meters per pixel) of Mars, and 2 wide angle cameras, observing in red and blue wavelengths, from which color views of the entire planet are assembled each day. The wide angle cameras provide a daily record of changes in martian weather and surface frost as the seasons progress. MGS MOC has obtained a record of martian weather spanning a little over 2 martian years since it began systematic observations in March 1999.The view of Mars shown here was assembled from MOC daily global images obtained on May 12, 2003. At that time, the northern hemisphere was in early autumn, and the southern hemisphere in early spring. At the left/center of this view are the four large Tharsis volcanoes: Olympus Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons. Stretching across the center of the globe is the ~5,000 kilometers (~3,000 miles) long Valles Marineris trough system. The seasonal south polar carbon dioxide frost cap is visible at the bottom of this view. A dust storm sweeps across the plains of northern Acidalia at the upper right. North is up, east is right, sunlight illuminates the planet from the left. | |
Layered material can be seen eroding out of Ritchey crater. Some small channels are also visible on the deposit. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft in October 2003. | Released 8 October 2003Layered material can be seen eroding out of this crater. Some small channels are also visible on the deposit.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -29, Longitude 309.3 East (50.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-553, 23 November 2003Iberus Vallis is a trough system located radial to and southeast of the martian volcano, Elysium Mons. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, acquired in October 2003, shows some of the valleys of this region; they are cut into what is presumably (at least near the top) volcanic rock. The dark dots and specks on the valley floors are large boulders that have been shed from the slopes. This picture is located near 21.6°N, 208.3°W. The image shows an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-520, 21 October 2003Craters formed by meteor impact are the "tools of the trade" for planetary geologists. Craters have formed on every solid Solar System body, and thus they can be compared to each other and provide insights as to the nature of the object on which the crater occurs. Mars is pocked with craters of a wide range of diameters, from the giant Hellas Basin, which is several thousand kilometers across, to tiny craters of only a few tens of meters in diameter. The impact crater shown in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture is located in northern Elysium Planitia near 33.1°N, 230.2°W. It is about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) across, nearly four times the size of the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona on the North American continent. The impact that formed this crater exposed layered bedrock (visible in the upper walls of the crater). Erosion, mostly by dry mass movement, has created gullies and piles of talus on the crater walls. Dark dots at the base of the wall are large boulders that have come down these slopes. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the left/lower left. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the northern cliff face of Ganges Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the northern cliff face of Ganges Chasma.Orbit Number: 7380 Latitude: -6.68954 Longitude: 312.135 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-14 01:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow — or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km – more than four times the size of Texas.Orbit Number: 91559 Latitude: -22.1397 Longitude: 240.149 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-05 06:28Please 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 shows layered sedimentary rocks in southern Galle Crater on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-385, 8 June 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image provides a glimpse of the layered sedimentary rocks in southern Galle Crater. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide near 52.3°S, 30.1°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows fractured blocks of ancient sedimentary rock separated by sand dunes. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is currently traveling southward over a pavement of outcrop dubbed the "Erebus Highway." "Erebus Crater," the rover's next target, lies less than 100 meters (328 feet) south of its current position. This view is a mosaic produced from from frames taken by the rover's navigation camera during Opportunity's 582nd martian day, or sol (Sept. 13, 2005). It shows fractured blocks of ancient sedimentary rock separated by recent sand dunes. Mars Exploration Rover team scientists are investigating both the composition of the rocks and the processes by which the distinctive fracture pattern arose. | |
This images shows part of the northeastern flank and margin of Pavonis Mons on Mars. Collapse features are common on the margins of the Tharsis volcanoes along the vent axis as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09068Pavonis MonsThis images shows part of the northeastern flank and margin of Pavonis Mons. Collapse features are common on the margins of the Tharsis volcanoes along the vent axis.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 3.4N, Longitude 250.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dunes near the north polar cap of Mars. It is springtime at the north pole and the dunes are starting to lose their frost cover. | Context imageThis VIS image shows dunes near the north polar cap of Mars. It is springtime at the north pole and the dunes are starting to lose their frost cover. As the season continues towards summer the dunes will appear darker and darker as the frost sublimates.Orbit Number: 53076 Latitude: 80.2675 Longitude: 157.439 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-01 04:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Olympia Undae, a large sand sea located near the north polar cap. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Olympia Undae, a large sand sea located near the north polar cap. This image was collected during northern spring. As the region warms in the sun, frost is disappearing and the dark dunes are becoming more visible.Orbit Number: 60731 Latitude: 80.399 Longitude: 211.288 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-23 08:41Please 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. | |
Eroding Layers in an Impact Crater | Figure 1Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image shows a stack of layers on the floor of an impact crater roughly 30 km across. Many of the layers appear to be extremely thin, and barely resolved. In broad view, it is clear that the deposit is eroding into a series of ridges, likely due to the wind. Below the ridges, additional dark-toned layered deposits crop out. These exhibit a variety of textures, some of which may be due to transport of material. The light ridges are often capped by thin dark layers, and similar layers are exposed on the flanks of the ridges. These layers are likely harder than the rest of the material, and so armor the surface against erosion. They are shedding boulders which roll down the slope, as shown in the subimage (figure 1). Although these cap layers are relatively resistant, the boulders do not seem to accumulate at the base of the slope, so it is likely that they also disintegrate relatively quickly. The subimage shown is 250 meters wide. The light is from the left. Boulders can be seen on the slopes of the ridges along with thin dark layers including the cap layer, but they are absent on the spurs where the resistant cover has been eroded. This demonstrates that the boulders come only from the dark layers, and are not embedded in the rest of the deposit.Observation GeometryImage PSP_001503_1645 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on 21-Nov-2006. The complete image is centered at -15.3 degrees latitude, 89.7 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 256.3 km (160.2 miles). At this distance the image scale is 25.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~77 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 03:35 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 62 degrees, thus the sun was about 28 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 138.7 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a rounded knob in the Propontis region of Mars. Dark dots on the hilltop and slopes are house-sized (and larger) boulders. | 22 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows a rounded knob in the Propontis region of Mars near 43.1°N, 182.3°W. Dark dots on the hilltop and slopes are house-sized (and larger) boulders. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows parallel sets of depressions. These are tectonic graben formed when a block of material is down dropped between paired faults. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows parallel sets of depressions. These are tectonic graben formed when a block of material is down dropped between paired faults. Nilokeras Fossa is located on the margin of Kasei Valles.Orbit Number: 85542 Latitude: 23.3657 Longitude: 300.935 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-03-27 20:13Please 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks located along Nia Vallis. The Argyre Basin is located to the northwest of this image. | Context image for PIA10159Dust Devil TracksThe dust devil tracks in this VIS image are located along Nia Vallis. The Argyre Basin is located to the northwest of this image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -59.7N, Longitude 325.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of eastern Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of eastern Terra Cimmeria. The image contains from bottom to top: a region of hills, part of Sirenum Fossae, channels dissecting a ridge, and a region of linear erosion. The top of the image is higher in elevation than the bottom.Orbit Number: 81703 Latitude: -36.0913 Longitude: 179.445 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-15 17:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small region of wind erosion and deposition in the Tharsis area on Mars. | Context image for PIA10807Tharsis WindsAlthough the Tharsis region of Mars is best known for its towering volcanoes and extensive lava flows the volcanic activity responsible ended long ago. Since then wind has been the active process, slowly eroding the surface and depositing fine materials. This image shows a small region of wind erosion and deposition in the Tharsis area.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 7.6N, Longitude 232.6E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These lava flows are associated with Ascraeus Mons on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09145 Ascraeus LavaThese lava flows are associated with Ascraeus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 16.4N, Longitude 259.9E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This small landslide on Mars is located in an unnamed crater as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09163LandslideThis small landslide is located in an unnamed crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -26.0N, Longitude 344.4E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A large streamlined island in Kasei Vallis, as seen in this NASA Mars Odyssey image, shows evidence of scour on its surface, probably from floods that preceded the formation of the island. | A large streamlined island in Kasei Vallis shows evidence of scour on its surface, probably from floods that preceded the formation of the island.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks covering most of the surface in this region of Utopia Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows dust devil tracks covering most of the surface in this region of Utopia Planitia.Orbit Number: 53677 Latitude: 53.5237 Longitude: 94.6408 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-01-19 15:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Gale Crater. | Context image 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. Today's false color image shows part of Gale Crater. The Curiosity Rover is located in Gale Crater.Orbit Number: 52390 Latitude: -4.49318 Longitude: 137.423 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-10-05 16:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The region surrounding the south polar cap on Mars contains many different terrain types. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows both etched terrain and a region of 'mounds.' | Context image for PIA03577Polar TerrainsThe region surrounding the South Polar Cap contains many different terrain types. This image shows both etched terrain and a region of "mounds."Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 75S, Longitude 286.5E. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity focuses on the rock dubbed 'Bounce,' which the rover's airbag-wrapped lander hit upon landing in Meridiani Planum, Mars in 2004. | This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's front hazard-avoidance camera focuses on the rock dubbed "Bounce," which the rover's airbag-wrapped lander hit upon landing. Though the plains surrounding Opportunity's "Eagle Crater" landing site are relatively free of any hazards that would have hindered landing, the packaged rover managed to bounce down on one of the only rocks in the vicinity. The rock measures approximately 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) across.Bounce -- a rock that differs significantly from the light rocks in the Eagle Crater outcrop -- is currently being investigated by Opportunity. So far, the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer has revealed that it is rich in hematite. In the coming sols, a target yet to be chosen on the rock will be examined by the rover's spectrometers, then ground into by the rock abrasion tool. After the grind, the spectrometers will assess the chemical content of the exposed rock. | |
This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the best examples yet seen in Meridiani Planum outcrop rocks of well-preserved, fine-scale layering and what geologists call 'cross-lamination.' | Close-Up of 'Festoon' Pattern This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the best examples yet seen in Meridiani Planum outcrop rocks of well-preserved, fine-scale layering and what geologists call "cross-lamination." Opportunity acquired this image of a rock called "Overgaard" at the edge of "Erebus Crater" during the rover's 690th Martian day (Jan. 2, 2006).The uppermost part of the rock, just above the center of the image and in the enlargement at top, shows distinctive centimeter-sized, smile-shaped features that sedimentary geologists call "festoons." The detailed geometric patterns of such nested sets of concave-upward layers in sedimentary rocks imply the presence of small, sinuous sand ripples that form only in water on Earth. Similar festoon cross-lamination and other distinctive sedimentary layer patterns are also visible in the lower parts of the rock, just left of center, and in other rocks near the rim of Erebus. Essentially, these features are the preserved remnants of tiny (centimeter-sized) underwater sand dunes formed long ago by waves in shallow water on the surface of Mars.This image was obtained in the late afternoon (4:15 p.m. local solar time) using the panoramic camera's 430 nanometer filter. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a circular feature, a partly-exhumed vrater, interpreted to be an ancient impact crater on Mars that formed on the same layered rock surface into a channel. | This image continues the theme of things eroded, things covered up, and then exposed again. The circular feature labeled, "Partly-Exhumed Crater," is interpreted to be an ancient impact crater that formed on the same layered rock surface into which the channel in PIA02844 was cut. This crater, like the channel in PIA02844, indicates that the layered rock was exposed to the atmosphere for some period of time before the next layer of material--the bright, almost white ridged rock that covers most of the upper half of this picture--was deposited. In this scenario, the sedimentation ceased long enough for the lower rocks seen here to remain exposed, so that meteorites could hit the surface and form craters. These craters were then buried by the bright material that still covers about 1/3 of the partly-exhumed crater in this scene. When an ancient erosion surface, such as that into which the crater formed, is buried by additional layers of material, a gap in the geologic record is created. Geologists call a gap such as this an erosional unconformity.Note: This is a subframe of PIA02843 | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows large, low albedo (dark) sand dunes in Kaiser Crater on Mars. Avalanching sand in the Kaiser dune field has left deep scars on these slopes. | 05 August 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows large, low albedo (dark) sand dunes in Kaiser Crater near 47.2°S, 340.4°W. The dunes are--ever so slowly--moving east to west (right to left) as sand avalanches down the steeper, slip face slopes of each. Avalanching sand in the Kaiser dune field has left deep scars on these slopes, suggesting that the sand is not loose but is instead weakly cemented. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. | |
This image shows a portion of Candor Chasma as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Candor Chasma.Orbit Number: 51473 Latitude: -6.36614 Longitude: 290.738 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-22 05:23Please 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. | |
An enhanced-color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveals bedrock that is several kilometers below the top of the giant Valles Marineris canyons. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionAn enhanced-color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveals bedrock that is several kilometers below the top of the giant Valles Marineris canyons.The upper layers have relatively little diversity of colors and textures, but deeper levels show more complex processes. The upper layers could be mostly volcanic while the lower layers were influenced by the period of heavy bombardment and greater interactions with water.This is a stereo pair with ESP_013362_1710.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 26.6 centimeters (10.4 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is of an unnamed crater in Terra Sirenum. There are gullies dissecting part of the crater rim, and small dunes on the crater floor. | Context image Today's VIS image is of an unnamed crater in Terra Sirenum. There are gullies dissecting part of the crater rim, and small dunes on the crater floor.Orbit Number: 66334 Latitude: -43.8989 Longitude: 194.906 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-11-26 19:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover imaged these drifting clouds on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, using its Navigation Cameras (Navcams). | Click here for animationNASA's Curiosity Mars rover imaged these drifting clouds on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, using its black-and-white Navigation Cameras (Navcams).These are likely water-ice clouds about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above the surface. They are also "noctilucent" clouds, meaning they are so high that they are still illuminated by the Sun, even when it's night at Mars' surface. Scientists can watch when light leaves the clouds and use this information to infer their altitude.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image acquired on November 4, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows an exposed section of the north polar layered deposits (NPLD). | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe Martian ice cap is like a cake with every layer telling a story. In this case, the story is one of climate change on Mars. In this image is an exposed section of the north polar layered deposits (NPLD). Like a delicious slice of layered tiramisu, the NPLD is made up of water-ice and dust particles stacked one on top of the other. However, instead of icing, layers are topped with seasonal carbon dioxide frost. We can observe lingering frost adhering to one of the layers.The high-resolution and color capabilities of HiRISE provide details on the variations in the layers. Scientists are also using radar data, which show us that they have continuity in the subsurface. During deposition, these complex layers might encapsulate tiny air pockets from the atmosphere which, if sampled, could be studied to understand linkages to previous climates.In the end, it's not always a piece of cake studying NPLD on Mars but, where there is cake, there is hope!The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 31.9 centimeters [12.6 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 96 centimeters [37.8 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. | |
Observations by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show a summertime view of the north polar region of Mars in intermediate-energy, or epithermal, neutrons. | Observations by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show a wintertime view of the north polar region of Mars in intermediate-energy, or epithermal, neutrons. The map is based on data acquired by the high-energy neutron detector, one of the instruments in Odyssey's gamma-ray spectrometer suite. Soil enriched by hydrogen is indicated by the purple and deep blue colors on the map, which show a low intensity of epithermal neutrons. Progressively smaller amounts of hydrogen are shown in the colors light blue, green, yellow and red. The hydrogen is believed to be in the form of water ice. Much of the hydrogen is hidden at this time beneath a layer of carbon dioxide frost (dry ice). A shaded-relief rendition of topography is superimposed on this map for geographic reference.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson, and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. The gamma-ray spectrometer was provided by the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and Institute for Space Research (IKI), which provided the high-energy neutron detector, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, which provided the neutron spectrometer. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the central portion of Hephaestus Fossae. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in the central portion of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. It has been proposed that the channel formed by the release of melted subsurface ice during the impact event that created the crater in this image. Additionally, the nearby Elysium volcanic center created subsurface heating that may have played a part in creating both Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles to the north.Orbit Number: 81193 Latitude: 18.8168 Longitude: 124.985 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-03 18:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard identification camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform. Tracks were left in the martian soil by the rovers' wheels, all six of which had rolled off the lander. | This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard identification camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform, its nest for the past 12 sols, or martian days. The rover is approximately 1 meter (3 feet) in front of the airbag-cushioned lander, facing northwest. Note the tracks left in the martian soil by the rovers' wheels, all six of which have rolled off the lander. This is the first time the rover has touched martian soil. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of eastern Candor Chasma. At the bottom of the image is the steep cliff between the upper surface elevation and the depths of Candor Chasma. | Context image This image shows part of eastern Candor Chasma. At the bottom of the image is the steep cliff between the upper surface elevation and the depths of Candor Chasma. The small lobate feature at the base of the cliff in the bottom of the image is a landslide deposit formed by failure of the cliff face and gravitational downslope movement of the material.Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides).The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 8916 Latitude: -7.95016 Longitude: 293.509 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-12-18 11:38Please 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 composite shows two of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's magnets, the 'capture' magnet (upper portion of left panel) and the 'filter' magnet (lower portion of left panel). | This image composite shows two of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's magnets, the "capture" magnet (upper portion of left panel) and the "filter" magnet (lower portion of left panel). Scientists use these tools to study the origins of martian dust in the atmosphere. The left panel was taken by the rover's panoramic camera. The four panels to the right, taken by the microscopic imager, show close-up views of the two magnets. The bull's-eye appearance of the capture magnet is a result of alternating magnetic fields, which are used to increase overall magnetic force. The filter magnet lacks these alternating fields and consequently produces a weaker magnetic force. This weaker force selectively attracts only strong magnetic particles.Scientists were surprised by the large dark particles on the magnets because airborne particles are smaller in size. They theorize that these spots might be aggregates of small particles that clump together in a magnetic field. | |
This image shows the path (blue line) taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as it bounced down to its final resting spot in Gusev Crater, Mars. | This image shows the path (blue line) taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as it bounced down to its final resting spot in Gusev Crater, Mars. Data taken by Spirit during descent indicates that the rover bounced 28 times, including one dip into a crater. The green dot shows where the parachute bridle was cut, and the red dot indicates where the main retrorockets were fired. North is denoted by the red-tipped arrow in the white cross. This picture consists of reconstructed telemetry data mapped on top of surface images captured by the descent image motion estimation system camera located on the bottom of the rover. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image on April 5, 1998 of Cydonia Region, Mars. | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image of a 4.42 by 82.94 km area of the Cydonia Region. The left image is raw, the right has been filtered and contrast enhanced. A full resolution, TIFF formatted version of this image is available for direct downloading here: PIA01236.tiff. Warning: This image is 4.2 Megabytes in size!Orbit: 220Range: 444.21 kmResolution: 4.32 m/pixelImage dimensions: 4.42 km X 82.94 kmLine time: 0.69 msecEmission angle: 44.66 degreesIncidence angle: 64.96 degreesPhase angle: 61.97 degreesScan rate: ~0.1 degree/secStart time: periapsis + 375 secSequence submitted to JPL: Sat 04/04/98 15:15 PSTImage acquired by MOC: Sun 04/05/98 00:39:37 PSTData retrieved from JPL: Mon 04/06/98 9:05 PDT | |
Deposits in Electris Region | Image PSP_001460_1425 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 18, 2006. The complete image is centered at -37.0 degrees latitude, 185.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 250.3 km (156.4 miles). At this distance the image scale is 25.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~75 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:38 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 75 degrees, thus the sun was about 15 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 137.1 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This THEMIS as art image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the region of outwash where Mawrth Vallis empties into Chryse Planitia looking like a frowning ghost with prominent eyes. | Context image for PIA09420THEMIS ART #83Tilt your head to the right to "see" the frowning ghost with prominent eyes. This nighttime infrared image shows part of the region of outwash where Mawrth Vallis empties into Chryse Planitia. The dark regions are colder than the bright regions. At night rock retains heat better than dust, so the dark "eyes" are small craters with dust on the floors surrounding a rocky central peak or pit.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 26.4N, Longitude 339.4E. 103 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity caught its own silhouette in this late-afternoon image from the rover's rear HAZCAM on Mar, 20, 2014; its shadow falls across a slope called McClure-Beverlin Escarpment on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity caught its own silhouette in this late-afternoon image taken by the rover's rear hazard avoidance camera. This camera is mounted low on the rover and has a wide-angle lens. The image was taken looking eastward shortly before sunset on the 3,609th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (March 20, 2014). The rover's shadow falls across a slope called the McClure-Beverlin Escarpment on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, where Opportunity is investigating rock layers for evidence about ancient environments. The scene includes a glimpse into the distance across the 14-mile-wide (22-kilometer-wide) crater.JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of eastern Candor Chasma. At the top of the image is the steep cliff between the upper surface elevation and the depths of Candor Chasma. | Context image This image shows part of eastern Candor Chasma. At the top of the image is the steep cliff between the upper surface elevation and the depths of Candor Chasma. The bottom of the image is the cliff side of a large mesa. The two cliff faces have very different appearances. The cliff face between the top of the canyon and the bottom is likely layers of volcanic flows from the nearby Tharsis volcanoes. The mesa, however, is probably layers of sediments deposited in the canyon from wind, water and gravity driven erosion and deposition. These layered materials are much more easily eroded than the solid rock of the canyon sides.Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides). The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 9540 Latitude: -6.76471 Longitude: 292.539 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-02-07 20:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the sand sheet and dunes on the floor of Rabe Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the sand sheet and dunes on the floor of Rabe Crater.Orbit Number: 42917 Latitude: -43.768 Longitude: 35.0564 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-08-18 01:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This 3-dimensional model shows a postage-stamp-sized patch of the rock target in the outcrop near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. A sliced sphere-like particle, or 'blueberry' can be seen. | This three-dimensional model shows a postage-stamp-sized patch of the rock target in the outcrop near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. A sliced sphere-like particle, or "blueberry," can be seen to the far right of the model. The model was created from images taken by the rover's microscopic imager, after the surface of the rock was scraped away with the rock abrasion tool. | |
NASA's rover Curiosity took this close-up view of 'Tintina' showing interesting linear textures in the bright white material on the rock. | This close-up view of "Tintina" was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on Sol 160 (Jan. 17, 2013) and shows interesting linear textures in the bright white material on the rock. Curiosity studied Tintina with the Mast Camera (Mastcam) science filters on sols 160 and 162 (Jan. 17 and 19, 2013). The size of the rock is roughly 1.2 inches by 1.6 inches (3 centimeters by 4 centimeters).Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This computer-generated visualization depicts an overhead view of the path NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took when it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | This computer-generated visualization depicts an overhead view of the path Opportunity took when it landed at Meridiani Planum, Mars. A red line shows the path of the spacecraft's descent and bouncing along the surface. The line is superimposed on a mosaic of the three images taken during descent by the descent image motion estimation system camera, located on the bottom of the lander. Initially, the Opportunity lander was traveling east, but near the end of its descent, it began moving north. When the lander was released from the parachute, the spacecraft bounced to the north into the crater shown at the top of the image. North is indicated by the red-tipped white arrow in the coordinate axes and east, by the green-tipped white arrow. | |
Flat Top,' the rectangular rock at lower right, is part of a stretch of rocky terrain in this image, taken by NASA's deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 7, 1997. | "Flat Top," the rectangular rock at lower right, is part of a stretch of rocky terrain in this image, taken by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. Dust has accumulated on the top of Flat Top, but is not present on the sides due to the steep angles of the rock. This dust may have been placed by dust storms moving across the Martian surface. Flat Top has been studied using several different color filters on the IMP camera.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.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the complex surface on the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. The channel-like features and collapse pits are likely all due to subsurface lava tubes. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows the complex surface on the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. The channel-like features and collapse pits are likely all due to subsurface lava tubes.Orbit Number: 45981 Latitude: -7.70564 Longitude: 241.194 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-04-26 05:44Please 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 pits in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are collapse features on the northern flank of Ascraeus Mons. | Context imageThe pits in this VIS image are collapse features on the northern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Such collapse pits, often forming a linear pattern, are thought to be related to lava tubes below the surface that have been emptied of the final flow and forming a void. When the weight of the roof over the void overcomes the strength of the walls gravity caused the roof to collapse.Orbit Number: 45655 Latitude: 12.9408 Longitude: 256.447 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-30 11:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This dramatic image was NASA's Mars Global Surveyor captured during March 1999 shows a field of dark sand dunes in the Nili Patera region of Syrtis Major on Mars. The shapes of these dunes indicate that wind has been steadily transporting the dark sand. | This dramatic image shows a field of dark sand dunes in the Nili Patera region of Syrtis Major. The shapes of these dunes indicate that wind has been steadily transporting the dark sand from the right/upper right toward the lower left. This picture was taken on the first day of the MGS Mapping Phase during the second week of March 1999. It shows an area 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) wide at the full commanded resolution of 3 meters per pixel. Illumination is from the upper left.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 NASA Mars Global Surveyor image shows wind-eroded outcrops overlying lava flow surfaces located west of Olympus Mons. Outcrops with this appearance are called yardangs. | 7 May 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows wind-eroded outcrops overlying lava flow surfaces located west of Olympus Mons. Outcrops with this appearance are called yardangs. Yardangs typically form in sedimentary rock or volcanic ash that contains some amount of sand. The weathering of the rock and release of sand-sized particles from the outcrops, in the face of wind erosion, slowly shape the rock into the classic, inverted boat hull-like shapes of yardangs.Location near: 13.2°N, 160.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring |
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