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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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Hebes Mensa. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Hebes Mensa, the central higland feature in Hebes Chasma.Orbit Number: 17727 Latitude: -1.06768 Longitude: 283.845 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-12-12 22:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity highlights a portion of a puzzling reddish hue rock outcropping thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. | This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights a portion of the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists eagerly wait to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. Data from the panoramic camera's near-infrared, blue and green filters were combined to create this approximate true color image. | |
This image to the east of Tharsis Tholus from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows one of many vast fields of lava flows produced by the great Tharsis volcanoes. | (Released 31 May 2002)This image may at first appear somewhat bland -- there is little contrast in the surface materials due to dust cover, and there are few impact craters -- but there are some very interesting geologic features here. The great Tharsis volcanoes have produced vast fields of lava flows, such as those shown in this image, to the east of Tharsis Tholus. The flows in this image have moved from west to east, down the regional topographic slope. The lobate edges of the flows are distinctive, and permit the discrimination of many overlapping individual flows that may represent tens, hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years worth of volcanic activity (overlapping relationships are especially evident at the bottom of the image). Viewed at full resolution, the image reveals interesting patterns and textures on the top surfaces of these flows. In particular, at the top of the image, there are numerous parallel curved ridges visible on the upper surfaces of the lava flows. These ridges make the flow surface look somewhat ropy, and at smaller scales this flow might be referred to as pahoehoe, indicative of a relatively fluid type of lava flow. At the scales observed here, however, these features are probably better referred to as pressure ridges. Pressure ridges form on the surface of a lava flow when the upper part of the flow is exposed to air, freezing it, but the insulated unfrozen interior of the flow continues to move down slope (and more material is pushed forward from behind), causing the surface to compress and pile up like a rug. Rough-looking flows with less distinct (more random) patterns on their surfaces may be flows that are more like terrestrial a'a flows, which are distinguished from pahoehoe flows by their higher viscosities and effusion rates. Near the center of the image there is an east-west trending, smooth-floored depression. The somewhat continuous width of this depression suggests that it is not simply formed by the edges of two higher-standing flows on either side; rather it may be a leveed channel created by more fluid lava flows. Faint east-west trending linear to arcuate features in the lower third of the image separate rougher and smoother surfaces, and may be fractures that guided or were barriers to later flows. | |
Tharsis-centered volcanic and tectonic activity resulted in the formation of radial grabens of Memnonia Fossae, which cut materials of the ancient cratered highlands and relatively young, highland-embaying lava flows as seen by NASA's Viking Orbiter 2. | Tharsis-centered volcanic and tectonic activity resulted in the formation of radial grabens of Memnonia Fossae, which cut materials of the ancient cratered highlands and the relatively young, highland-embaying lava flows from the Tharsis volcanoes. Center of picture is at latitude 16 degrees S., longitude 142 degrees W. The enhanced color version (following decorrelation stretch) reveals a diversity of subtle color variations; many of the color variations may be due to different lava flow units and variable amounts of weathering, possible alteration by water, and eolian redistributions. Viking Orbiter Picture Numbers 41B52 (green) 41B54 (red), and 41B56 (blue) at 198 m/pixel resolution. Picture width is 206 km. North is 119 degrees counter-clockwise from top. | |
This image of the floor of Proctor Crater, taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, shows part of the sand sheet and dune forms that are located there. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image of the floor of Proctor Crater shows part of the sand sheet and dune forms that are located there.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.7N, Longitude 30.6E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in September 2003, showing heavily cratered southern highlands of Mars. Elliptical craters with 'butterfly' ejecta patterns make up roughly 5% of the total crater population of Mars. | Released 4 September 2003In the heavily cratered southern highlands of Mars, the type of crater seen in this THEMIS visible image is relatively rare. Elliptical craters with "butterfly" ejecta patterns make up roughly 5% of the total crater population of Mars. They are caused by impactors which hit the surface at oblique, or very shallow angles. Similar craters are also seen in about the same abundance on the Moon and Venus.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -24.6, Longitude 41 East (319 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This mosaic of images from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks to the southeast from inside Eagle Crater. This was among the first peeks out into the plains, revealing the enigmatic dark feature dubbed 'Bounce' rock. | Click on the image for Rock on the Range (QTVR)This mosaic of images from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity panoramic camera looks to the southeast from inside Eagle Crater. This was among the first peeks out into the plains, revealing the enigmatic dark feature dubbed "Bounce" rock, seen on the left side of the mosaic. This feature is right next to one of the large bounce marks that the airbag-packaged rover made as it was bouncing across the plains during landing. This enhanced color mosaic was made on sol 36 from the camera's the infrared (750 nanometer), green (530 nanometer), and violet (430 nanometer) filters. | |
Pebble-sized debris can be seen in the bit carousel of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover in this January 7, 2022, image. | Figure 1This image of pebble-sized debris in the bit carousel on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover was acquired on Jan. 7, 2022, by the WATSON camera. The image was taken to assist the Perseverance team in diagnosing an anomaly that occurred during a rock sampling on Dec. 29, 2021.The supplemental image (Figure 1) shows a zoomed-in view of the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) image, highlighting the location of the sample debris. The area within the blue box is roughly 6.5 millimeters squared.A subsystem of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) instrument, WATSON can document the structure and texture within a drilled or abraded target, and its data can be used to derive depth measurements.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and is operated jointly by MSSS and JPL.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
The landslide deposits in this infrared image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in Valles Marineris and are called Coprates Labes. | Originally released on Oct. 15, 2013Context imageThe landslide deposits in this IR image are located in Valles Marineris and are called Coprates Labes.Orbit Number: 51935 Latitude: -12.6599 Longitude: 291.987 Instrument: IR Captured: 2013-08-29 05:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Many places on Mars, such as in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft of a crater superposed on the floor of a larger crater, display scabby, eroded landscapes that commonly are referred to as etched terrain. | (Released 23 May 2002)The ScienceMany places on Mars display scabby, eroded landscapes that commonly are referred to as etched terrain. These places have a ragged, tortured look that reveals a geologic history of intense deposition and erosion. This THEMIS image shows such a place. Here a 10 km diameter crater is superposed on the floor of a 40 km diameter crater, most of which is outside of the image but apparent in the MOLA context image. The rugged crater rim material intermingles with low, flat-topped mesas and layers with irregular outlines along with dune-like ridges on many of the flat surfaces. The horizontal layers that occur throughout the scene at different elevations are evidence of repeated episodes of deposition. The apparent ease with which these deposits have been eroded, most likely by wind, suggests that they are composed of poorly consolidated material. Air-fall sediments are the likely candidate for this material rather than lava flows. The dune-like ridges are probably inactive granule ripples produced from the interaction of wind and erosional debris. The large interior crater displays features that are the result of deposition and subsequent erosion. Its raised rim is barely discernible due to burial while piles and blocks of slumped material along the interior circumference attest to the action of erosion. Some of the blocks retain the same texture as the surrounding undisrupted surface. It appears as if the crater had been buried long enough for the overlying material to be eroded into the texture seen today. Then at some point this overburden foundered and collapsed into the crater. Continuing erosion has caused the upper layer to retreat back from what was probably the original rim of the crater, producing the noncircular appearance seen today. The length of time represented by this sequence of events as well as the conditions necessary to produce them are unknown.The StoryHave you ever seen an ink etching, where the artistic cross-hatching of lines creates the image of a town or a landscape? Click on the large THEMIS image above, and you'll see why this scabby, eroded landscape is known as etched terrain. Etched terrain is found in lots of areas of Mars. These places have a ragged, tortured look that reveals a geologic history where material has been deposited and eroded away with great intensity over time.Much of the terrain looks like peeling, layered-on paint. In a sense, that's what it's all about. Deposits of dust and dirt settled down from the air in layer after uneven layer, while the wind kept eroding it away. Dune-like ridges also mark the surface in tiny ripples. Unlike the loose sand dunes we're familiar with on Earth, these ridges are probably harder and more stationary, They are produced by long-term interactions between the sculpting, knife-like action of the Martian wind and the deposited materials of dust and "dirt" on the surface.What we can also see in this image is a six-mile-wide crater. If you look at the context image to the right, you can see that it is actually a crater within a crater. The larger crater is about 24 miles wide in diameter. (Students! How many times bigger is the larger crater than the one that lies inside of it? If you look at the context image, you can get a really good sense of what "four times bigger" really means.)What's interesting about this crater is that it doesn't have typical features known to many craters: it isn't nice-and-neatly round and its raised rim is barely noticeable. That's because there's been a whole lot of depositing and eroding going on here too. After the impact crater formed, it was probably entirely buried by deposits over time. In fact, it was probably buried long enough for the overlying material to be eroded into the texture seen today. At some point, the load on top foundered and collapsed into the crater.Around the inside circumference of the crater, you can see piles of slumped material (material that has slid downslope). Some of these blocks of material have the same texture as surrounding terrain that hasn't been disrupted. That's because of continuing erosion acting on all of these features. In the upper layers, continuing erosion has also caused a retreat from the original rim of the crater, producing the noncircular shape seen today. | |
This 3D scene shows the view from where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity first arrived on the rim of Endeavour crater, an impact crater about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. You will need 3D glasses to view this image. | Left-eye viewRight-eye viewClick on an individual image for full resolution figures imageThis stereo scene shows the view from where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity first arrived on the rim of Endeavour crater, an impact crater about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. The scene appears three dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. The location of Opportunity's arrival at Endeavour is informally named "Spirit Point," as a tribute to Opportunity's rover twin, Spirit, which stopped communicating in March 2010 after more than six years of work on Mars. The scene encompasses nearly a full circle, from northeast at the left, around to straight north at the right. The small crater on Endeavour's rim near the left edge of the scene is informally named "Odyssey," as a tribute to the Mars Odyssey orbiter, which has served as the communications relay for nearly all of the data sent by Opportunity and Spirit since they landed on Mars in January 2004.Orbital observations suggest that the rim of Endeavour crater will offer Opportunity access to rocks from an earlier, less-acidic wet environment than the ancient wet environment that left its signature in rocks Opportunity has examined so far. "Cape York" is the Endeavor rim fragment that encompasses Spirit Point and Odyssey crater at its southern end, and extends about half a mile (800 meters) to the northeast. The next rim fragment counterclockwise around Endeavour begins at "Solander Point," on the horizon to the south, near the center of this view.The tracks left by Opportunity's wheels as the rover arrived at the rim are visible on the right. For scale, the distance between the two parallel tracks is about 3.3 feet (1 meter). Opportunity's navigation camera took the images that are combined into this mosaic. Some of the component images were taken on the 2,681st Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (Aug. 9, 2011). That was the sol that the rover completed a three-year journey of more than 13 miles (21 kilometers) from its last previous major destination, Victoria crater. The rest of the component images were taken the next sol. | |
Floor of Becquerel Crater | Image PSP_001480_2015 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 19, 2006. The complete image is centered at 21.3 degrees latitude, 352.5 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 283.6 km (177.3 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 28.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 113.5 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:27 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 49 degrees, thus the sun was about 41 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 137.9 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
Angular Grains of Sand Hint at Short Transport Distance | A basic tenet of sedimentology, the field of geology that studies sedimentary processes, is that the farther a piece of rock travels from its source, the smaller and rounder in shape it becomes as the materials suffer impacts with other grains during transport by wind or water. Grains that have not traveled as far are more angular and less rounded. A comparison of photographs taken by the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit suggests that sand that has accumulated in drifts on the plains of Gusev Crater traveled farther from the source rock than similar sand grains in the hills inside Gusev. In a microscopic image taken on the plains of Gusev Crater early in the mission (PIA05288), sand deposits were made up of rounded grains. In contrast, this more recent microscopic image of a sand drift near the top of the "Columbia Hills" shows poorly sorted, more angular grains of sand, which suggests they were transported a relatively short distance from a local source.This image is of grains in a sand drift informally named "Cliffhanger" because of its proximity to the edge of steep slopes that bound the summit region of "Husband Hill," highest of the Columbia Hills. Spirit took the image with its microscopic imager on the rover's 607th martian day, or sol (Sept. 9, 2005). The photo covers an area 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. The scale of the image (31 microns or one one-thousandth of an inch per pixel) allows features as small as 0.1 millimeter (four one-thousandths of an inch) to be resolved. | |
This image released on August 9, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a decorrelation stretch of the Elysium region. Pink/magenta colors usually represent basaltic dunes, cyan indicates the presence of water ice clouds, while green can represent dust. | Released August 9, 2004This image shows two representations of the same infra-red image in the Elysium region of Mars. On the left is a grayscale image showing surface temperature, and on the right is a false-color composite made from 3 individual THEMIS bands. The false-color image is colorized using a technique called decorrelation stretch (DCS), which emphasizes the spectral differences between the bands to highlight compositional variations. The light blue area in the center of this image is a very nice example of a water ice cloud. Water ice is frequently present in the Martian atmosphere as a thin haze. Clouds such as this one can be difficult to identify in a temperature image, but are easy to spot in the DCS images. In this case, the water ice is relatively confined and concentrated which may be due to the topography of the Elysium volcanic construct.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 23.2, Longitude 150.1 East (209.9 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the context for orbital observations of exposed rocks that had been buried on Mars. The area is dominated by the Huygens crater, which is about the size of Wisconsin. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger versionThis image shows the context for orbital observations of exposed rocks that had been buried an estimated 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep on Mars. It covers an area about 560 kilometers (350 miles) across, dominated by the Huygens crater, which is about the size of Wisconsin. The impact that excavated Huygens lifted material from far underground and piled some of it in the crater's rim. At about the 10 o'clock position around the rim of Huygens lies an unnamed crater about 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter that has punched into the uplifted rim material and exposed rocks containing carbonate minerals (Figure 1). The minerals were identified by observations with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.North is toward the top of this image, which is centered at 14 degrees south latitude, 304.4 degrees west longitude.The image combines topographical information from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor with daytime infrared imaging by the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.The Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing and is operated by a team based at ASU. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Odyssey mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is NASA's industry partner for the mission and built the spacecraft. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft looks a plank of wood, with a beautiful grain to it. | Context image Do you see what I see? Looks like a plank of wood, with a beautiful grain to it.Orbit Number: 64928 Latitude: -86.5268 Longitude: 158.521 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-08-02 23:46Please 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 two annular clouds, common in mid-northern summer in the north polar region on Mars, and may result from eddy currents in the lower atmosphere. | 7 November 2006Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was launched 10 years ago today, on 7 November 1996. The spacecraft reached Mars on 12 September 1997, and has been observing the ever-changing red planet over the course of the past 5 martian years. The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has spent 10 years in the near vacuum of space -- not bad, considering that the Primary Mission, at the time of launch, was expected to end in early 2000. Since September 1997, MOC has been acquiring new images that highlight the geology and meteorology of Mars; more than 240,000 images have been returned to Earth. A recent example, from 15 October 2006, is shown here. Two annular (i.e., somewhat circular) clouds are seen in the upper left corner of this mosaic of MOC wide angle camera daily global mapping images. To the right of the picture's center is the martian north polar cap. The image has a scale of about 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) per pixel. Annular clouds are common in mid-northern summer in the north polar region, and may result from eddy currents in the lower atmosphere. The appearance of such clouds happens every year; this year they came like clockwork within a two-week forecasted period, based on the previous 4 martian years of experience gained from MGS MOC daily global imaging. Despite their superficial resemblance to Earth-orbiting satellite views of hurricanes, these cloud features are not the result of strong winds, and they typically dissipate later in the day. The pictures used to make this mosaic were acquired less than 2 days before the MOC was turned off for MGS's fifth Mars-Earth Solar Conjunction period. During Conjunction, Mars was on the other side of the Sun, relative to Earth, and thus MGS could not transmit data (through the Sun) during the second half of October. Examples of north polar annular clouds seen in previous Mars years were featured by the MGS MOC team in September 2005: "Celebrating 8 Years at Mars: Repeated Weather Events." To review the MGS launch of 10 years ago, one can visit the NASA Kennedy Space Center web site, which includes pictures and video at: http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/mgs/video.html. Video clips of the launch and many movies and videos from the earlier phases of the MGS mission can be reviewed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory web site at: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/movpics/anim/anim.html. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a pattern of branching channels in an apron of debris that distributed the sediment and fluid carried by the large gully on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-360, 14 May 2003At the center of this February 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image is a pattern of branching channels in an apron of debris that distributed the sediment and fluid carried by the large gully below (to the south) of them. The slope decreases from the bottom toward the top of the image-that is, everything is downhill from the bottom to the top. Middle- and polar-latitude gullies were first discovered in MOC images and reported in June 2000. The distributing channels found in this gully apron are a good indicator that the fluid responsible for the gully and distributary channels had properties like that of liquid water. However, of course, the exact nature of the fluid is unknown, because it is no longer present. This picture is located near 47.8°S, 355.6°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This stereo view shows the landscape surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at the edge of 'Erebus Crater.' 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Left-eye member of a color stereo pair taken through the camera's left lensusing 430-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 750-nanometer filtersRight-eye member of a color stereo pair taken through the camera's right lensusing 430-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 750-nanometer filtersLeft-eye member of a stereo pair taken through the camera's left lensusing 430-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 750-nanometer filtersRight-eye member of a stereo pair taken through the camera's right lens using430-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 750-nanometer filtersThis stereo view shows the landscape surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at the edge of "Erebus Crater" while the rover's panoramic camera captured frames for a full-circle panorama on Opportunity's sols 652 to 663 (Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, 2005 ). The scene includes finely-layered outcrop rocks, wind ripples, and small cobbles and grains along the rim of the wide but shallow crater. The full panorama, including more of the rover deck than shown here, is at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03270.This image appears three dimensional when viewed through red and blue glasses with a red left eye and blue right eye. Both the left and right images were taken through blue filters. The view is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 21, 2004 shows a large crater on Mars in Memnonia Fossae that contains lobates situated on the mid-left hand side of the image. | Released 21 April 2004Our group is from Saratoga Springs, NY and is called the Saratoga Springs NASA Club. It contains approximately 30 students between 9th and 12th grade who have been participating since September of 2001. We also worked with a small group of students from Chekhov, Russia in order to do a joint MSIP project. Chekhov is the sister city of Saratoga Springs. Their group contains kids of the same age group as our NASA Club. Our group, along with a few students from the Chekhov branch, visited Arizona State University in November of 2003.We targeted our image in the Memnonia Fossae Region because our thesis had to do with the relationship between craters with lobates and the depth of the craters as use for evidence of the presence of water in the past. Our Russian counter parts agreed with this idea because they wanted to look into the relationship between gully formation and whether or not it could hint at the presence of water on Mars.The major feature of our image is a large crater that contains lobates situated on the mid-left hand side of the image. Other features present in the image include a graben running along the top section and a channel that runs parallel to it. We are still looking into the possibilities behind the structure of the crater and if it could have had something to do with the presence of water on the surface. This area is somewhat unique due to its relative closeness to a region containing three of the largest volcanoes in the solar system. We believe that the graben could be due to volcanic activity in the past that affected our area.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -2.7, Longitude 217.2 East (142.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.NASA and Arizona State University's Mars Education Program is offering students nationwide the opportunity to be involved in authentic Mars research by participating in the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP). Teams of students in grades 5 through college sophomore level have the opportunity to work with scientists, mission planners and educators on the THEMIS team at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility, to image a site on Mars using the THEMIS visible wavelength camera. For more information go to the MSIP website: http://msip.asu.edu.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover shot video of Ingenuity helicopter's flight, presented here in side-by-side processed versions that have both been enhanced to show a dust plume swirling during takeoff and again on landing. | Click here for animationClick here for animation with timerNASA's Ingenuity helicopter can be seen here taking off, hovering and then landing on the Martian surface on April 19, 2021. The Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover shot video of the helicopter's flight. The video is presented here in side-by-side formats that have both been enhanced to show a dust plume swirling during takeoff and again on landing.The view on the left uses motion filtering to show where dust was detected during liftoff and landing and the view on the right is enhanced with the motion filtering. Scientists use this image processing to detect dust devils as they pass by Mars rovers. An additional version of the video includes a timer that counts down until liftoff and then counts up until landing.A ghostly "cut-out" of the helicopter is visible in each side-by-side format; that's an artifact related to the digital processing.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development.Arizona State University in Tempe leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.More About the MissionA key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 6 February 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows very heavily wind-streaked slopes in an area near southern Claritas Fossae. Wind rushing down slopes toward the lower left has moved fine sediment to create these patterns. This is located near 25.3°S, 109.7°W, and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a ridge, located in Terra Sabaea, which contains dark slope streaks. These features are thought to form by downslope movement of material. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in Terra Sabaea. The ridge near the right side of the image contains dark slope streaks. These features are thought to form by downslope movement of material which either reveals the darker rock beneath the dust coating, or creates the darker surface by flow of a volatile just beneath the dust coating.Orbit Number: 72662 Latitude: 2.93981 Longitude: 42.3759 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-05-02 04:33Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The expanse of Jezero Crater's river delta is shown in this panorama of 64 stitched-together images taken by the Mastcam-Z system on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on April 11, 2022. | NASA's Perseverance Mars rover looks out at the expanse of Jezero Crater's river delta on April 11, 2022, the 406th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This panorama is made up of 64 individual images from the rover's Mastcam-Z camera system and stitched together after the files were sent back from Mars.The color bands of the image have been processed to improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences. The sky would not actually look blue to a human explorer on the Red Planet.The delta formed billions of years ago from sediment that an ancient river carried to the mouth of the lake that once existed in the crater. Aeolian bedforms (sand dunes) can be seen running along the base of the delta. The hills visible on the distant horizon to the far left of the image – about 3.8 miles (6.2 kilometers) away from the rover – are actually part of the rim of Jezero Crater. The peak of the delta remnant to the right center of the image is about 920 feet (260 meters) away and the peak of the hill camera right is about 950 feet (280 meters) away.The portion of the delta farthest left in this image (visible directly below the crater wall) is the area where "Cape Nukshak" and "Hawksbill Gap" channels can be found. The rover is expected to ascend to the top of the delta via one of these two channels.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.The Mastcam-Z investigation is led and operated by Arizona State University in Tempe, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.For more about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
Hellas Crater in the ancient highlands contains some of the clearest evidence on Mars for glacial processes. This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a number of features consistent with glaciation. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionHellas Crater in the ancient highlands contains some of the clearest evidence on Mars for glacial processes. This image, on the eastern margin of the giant impact crater, shows a number of features consistent with glaciation.There are roughly north-south running ridges and troughs which mark the deposition of sediment called moraine underneath or beside a glacier. There are also sinuous channels which may formed from meltwater underneath a glacier. A small (3.5 x 3.5 kilometer) cutout shows an example of the moraine and meltwater channel. HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dark dunes located on the floor of this unnamed crater in Meridiani Planum. | Context image for PIA11302DunesDark dunes are located on the floor of this unnamed crater in Meridiani Planum.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -2.8N, Longitude 353.7E. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity inspected this mineral vein, called 'Homestake,' in November 2011 at the northern end of the 'Cape York' section of Endeavour Crater's western rim. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity inspected this mineral vein, called "Homestake," in November 2011 at the northern end of the "Cape York" section of Endeavour Crater's western rim. The vein is about the width of a thumb and about 18 inches (45 centimeters) long, extending beyond the portion shown here.This view, showing subtle linear texture on the bright vein, combines close-up detail recorded by Opportunity's microscopic imager (MI) and enhanced color information from Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam). The area covered in this view spans about 2 inches (5 centimeters) across. The MI exposures used in this view were taken while the vein was fully shadowed by the rover during the mission's 2,766th Martian day, or sol (Nov. 4, 2011). A Pancam view encompassing more of the Homestake vein is at PIA15033. Researchers using the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) on Opportunity determined that this vein is rich in calcium and sulfur, possibly the calcium-sulfate mineral gypsum. | |
The muted terrain of northern Acidalia Planitia, as seen in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, testifies to the fact that the region is heavily mantled with dust. | The muted terrain of northern Acidalia Planitia testifies to the fact that the region is heavily mantled with dust. The most interesting features in this image are the small terraces located along the flanks of the ridges and the patterned ground seen at the base of the largest ridge (upper right). These features appear to be classic examples of periglacial landforms and may indicate the presence of shallow subsurface ice.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 54.9, Longitude 351 East (9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
One of two Mars Exploration Rovers sits inside its cruise stage waitingto undergo environmental testing at NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory. | One of two Mars Exploration Rovers sits inside its cruise stage waitingto undergo environmental testing at NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory. In this photo, engineers are preparing the rover forvibration testing to ensure that it can undergo the rigors oflaunch and entry into the martian atmosphere. The rovers are scheduled to launch next spring and will arrive at Mars inJanuary 2004. | |
This stereo view was taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the rover's 87th martian day, or sol (April 1, 2004), just after Spirit left 'Bonneville Crater.' 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Figure 1Figure 2This stereo view was taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the rover's 87th martian day, or sol (April 1, 2004), just after Spirit left "Bonneville Crater." It shows the terrain to be covered in the trek towards the "Columbia Hills" in the background. Barely visible to the right of the hills is the outline of the distant rim of Gusev Crater.This image is a stereo anaglyph in cylindrical-perspective projection. It combines images from the left and right eyes of the panoramic camera, taken through blue filters on both sides.Figure 1 is the left-eye view of a stereo pair and Figure 2 is the right-eye view of a stereo pair. | |
Dark slope streaks are visible on the rim of this unnamed crater located on the floor of Cassini Crater in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDark slope streaks are visible on the rim of this unnamed crater located on the floor of Cassini Crater.Orbit Number: 43578 Latitude: 21.5399 Longitude: 31.9211 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-11 12:39Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a mid-summer scene in Mars' south polar region. The light-toned surface is covered with seasonal frost. | 19 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a mid-summer scene in the south polar region of the red planet. The light-toned surface is covered with seasonal frost that, later in the season, would have sublimed away.Location near: 86.8°S, 322.8°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark sand dunes and relatively small, light-toned, windblown ripples on the floor of a crater in central Noachis Terra. | 22 March 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark sand dunes and relatively small, light-toned, windblown ripples on the floor of a crater in central Noachis Terra.Location near: 50.0°S, 353.7°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took the four images that make up this mosaic that reveals the drilled surface of the target called 'New York' on the rock dubbed 'Mazatzal.' | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took the four images that make up this mosaic with its microscopic imager on sol 82. The mosaic reveals the drilled surface of the target called "New York" on the rock dubbed "Mazatzal." The rock abrasion tool ground for 3 hours and 45 minutes to create this 3.8 millimeter-deep (0.15 inch) hole. The exposed area is 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter.Mazatzal was an interesting rock to grind because it has a lighter tone than the previously ground rocks "Adirondack" and "Humphrey," and because it looks different from its surrounding environment. Scientists hypothesized that Mazatzal's surface might be covered with a rind of weathered material. They drilled through this very top layer to reveal the underlying rock.Because Mazatzal's surface was not even, the left half of the rock was penetrated more deeply than the right. As can be seen in this image, the right, darker portion of the rock is still covered by the rind material. Spirit completed a second grind at this location at a different angle to remove the remaining veneer from the right side and create an even deeper hole. Images of this second grind will be sent back to Earth in the next sol or two.After the Final GrindThe image was acquired on sol 85 after the rover drilled into New York a second time with its rock abrasion tool. Remnants of the dark grey coating that covers Mazatzal's interior can be seen at the right side of the hole. The crack in the rock may have once contained fluids out of which minerals precipitated. Each image making up this mosaic is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. | |
This 360-degree panorama was taken by NASA's Mars Pathfinder. Three petals and the perimeter of the deflated airbags are seen in the foreground. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | This 360-degree panorama was taken in stereo by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses (red left lens, blue right lens) are necessary to help identify surface detail. All three petals, the perimeter of the deflated airbags, deployed rover Sojourner, forward and backward ramps and prominent surface features are visible, including the double "Twin Peaks" at the horizon. Sojourner would later investigate the rock "Barnacle Bill" just to its left in this image, and the larger rock "Yogi" at its forward right.The IMP is a stereo imaging system with color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye." It stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters. Stereoscopic imaging brings exceptional clarity and depth to many of the features in this image, particularly the ridge beyond the far left petal and the large rock Yogi. The curvature and misalignment of several section are due to image parallax.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 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.Click below to see the left and right views individually.LeftRight
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 Exploration Rover Opportunity look at the martian soil of its landing site, Meridiani Planum. Coarse grains are sprinkled over a fine layer of sand. | This magnified look at the martian soil near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, Meridiani Planum, shows coarse grains sprinkled over a fine layer of sand. The image was captured by the rover's microscopic imager on the 10th day, or sol, of its mission and roughly approximates the color a human eye would see. Scientists are intrigued by the spherical rocks, which can be formed by a variety of geologic processes, including cooling of molten lava droplets and accretion of concentric layers of material around a particle or "seed."The examined patch of soil is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. The circular grain in the lower left corner is approximately 3 millimeters (.12 inches) across, or about the size of a sunflower seed.This color composite was obtained by merging images acquired with the orange-tinted dust cover in both its open and closed positions. The blue tint at the lower right corner is a tag used by scientists to indicate that the dust cover is closed. | |
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in December 2015. | This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in December 2015, at examples of the "Bagnold Dunes." The mission's investigation targets in the "Marias Pass" and "Bridger Basin" areas included rocks with compositions high in silica.The traverse line covers drives completed through the 1,185th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Dec. 6, 2015).The base image for this map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. North is up. Bagnold Dunes form a band of dark, wind-blown material at the foot of Mount Sharp. The scale bar at lower right represents one kilometer (0.62 mile). For broader-context images of the area, see PIA17355, PIA16064 and PIA16058.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered rock outcropping in a pit on the lower west flank of Arsia Mons, one of the large Tharsis shield volcanoes on Mars. Layers are very likely dominated by volcanic rocks, including lava flows. | This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered rock outcropping in a pit on the lower west flank of Arsia Mons, one of the large Tharsis shield volcanoes. Given their location, these layers are very likely dominated by volcanic rocks, including lava flows. This depression is located near 8.8°S, 123.7°W. The image covers an area about 4.8 km (3 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower right. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-510, 11 October 2003The sharp, nearly straight line that runs diagonally across the center of this April 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image is an albedo boundary. Albedo is a term that refers to reflectance of sunlight. A surface with a low albedo is one that appears dark because it reflects less light than a high albedo (bright) surface. On Mars, albedo boundaries occur between two materials of differing texture, particle size, or composition, or some combination of these three factors. The boundary shown here is remarkable because it is so sharp and straight. This is caused by wind. Most likely, the entire surface was once covered with the lower-albedo (darker) material that is now seen in the upper half of the image. At some later time, wind stripped away this darker material from the surfaces in the lower half of the image. The difference in albedo here might be related to composition, and possibly particle size. This picture is located near the southwest rim of Schiaparelli Basin at 5.5°S, 345.9°W. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the left. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 12, 2004 shows the surface of Mars during the southern winter season in Ganges Chasma. | Released 12 April 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.This daytime VIS image was collected on December 14, 2002 during the southern winter season in Ganges Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6.7, Longitude 310.8 East (49.2 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
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 summertime 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. In some areas, the abundance of water ice is estimated to be up to 90 percent by volume. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a contact between terrain which is completely mantled by a smooth-surfaced material (perhaps dust) and a rugged, cratered surface that is only partially dust-covered in the Noachis Terra region of Mars. | 19 April 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a contact between terrain which is completely mantled by a smooth-surfaced material -- perhaps dust -- and a rugged, cratered surface that is only partially dust-covered in the Noachis Terra region of Mars. The smooth-surfaced material likely once covered this entire scene, but has been slowly eroded away to reveal the underlying, older surface.Location near: 27.8°S, 338.8°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dark dunes located on the floor of an unnamed crater north of Rabe Crater. | Context image for PIA09303DunesThese dark dunes are located on the floor of an unnamed crater north of Rabe Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -37.8N, Longitude 33.1E. 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Siton Undae, a dune field located near Escorial Crater and the north polar cap. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Siton Undae, a dune field located near Escorial Crater and the north polar cap.Orbit Number: 62762 Latitude: 75.3402 Longitude: 300.364 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-02-06 14:54Please 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. | |
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 Ganges Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Ganges Chasma.Orbit Number: 43282 Latitude: -8.53126 Longitude: 313.149 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-17 02:06Please 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 autumn frost in the martian northern hemisphere around August 1, 1999. | Autumn in the martian northern hemisphere began around August 1, 1999. Almost as soon as northern fall began, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) started documenting the arrival of autumn frost--a precursor to the cold winter that will arrive in late December 1999. The first features to become covered by frost were the sand dunes that surround the north polar ice cap. The dunes seen here would normally appear very dark--almost black--except when covered by frost. Why the dunes begin to frost sooner than the surrounding surfaces is a mystery: perhaps the dunes contain water vapor that emerges from the sand during the day and condenses again at night. This picture shows dunes near 74.7°N, 61.4°W at a resolution of about 7.3 meters (24 feet) per pixel. The area covered is about 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated from the upper right. The picture appears to be somewhat fuzzy and grainy because the dunes here are seen through the thin haze of the gathering north polar winter hood (i.e., clouds). | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows more of the south polar cap at the end of summer. | Context image Today's VIS image shows more of the south polar cap at the end of summer.Orbit Number: 67907 Latitude: -85.55 Longitude: 285.999 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-04-05 09:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This false-color image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of the Iani Chaos region that was collected during the Mars' southern fall season. | 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.This false color image of a portion of the Iani Chaos region was collected during the Southern Fall season.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -2.6 Longitude 342.4 East (17.6 West). 36 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This simulated view shows Mars as it might have appeared during the height of a possible ice age in geologically recent time. | December 17, 2003This simulated view shows Mars as it might have appeared during the height of a possible ice age in geologically recent time.Of all Solar System planets, Mars has the climate most like that of Earth. Both are sensitive to small changes in orbit and tilt. During a period about 2.1 million to 400,000 years ago, increased tilt of Mars' rotational axis caused increased solar heating at the poles. A new study using observations from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters concludes that this polar warming caused mobilization of water vapor and dust into the atmosphere, and buildup of a surface deposit of ice and dust down to about 30 degrees latitude in both hemispheres. That is the equivalent of the southern Unites States or Saudi Arabia on Earth. Mars has been in an interglacial period characterized by less axial tilt for about the last 300,000 years. The ice-rich surface deposit has been degrading in the latitude zone of 30 degrees to 60 degrees as water-ice returns to the poles.In this illustration prepared for the December 18, 2003, cover of the journal Nature, the simulated surface deposit is superposed on a topography map based on altitude measurements by Global Surveyor and images from NASA's Viking orbiters of the 1970s.Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. | |
These elevation measurements were collected by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor during the spring and summer of 1998, as the spacecraft orbited Mars in an interim elliptical orbit. | The elevation measurements were collected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard Global Surveyor during the spring and summer of 1998, as the spacecraft orbited Mars in an interim elliptical orbit. MOLA sends laser pulses toward the planet and measures the precise amount of time before the reflected signals are received back at the instrument. From this data, scientists can infer surface and cloud heights.During its mapping of the north polar cap, the MOLA instrument also made the first direct measurement of cloud heights on the red planet. Reflections from the atmosphere were obtained at altitudes from just above the surface to more than nine miles (approximately 15 kilometers) on about 80 percent of the laser profiles. Most clouds were observed at high latitudes, at the boundary of the ice cap and surrounding terrain.Clouds observed over the polar cap are likely composed of carbon dioxide that condenses out of the atmosphere during northern hemisphere winter. Many clouds exhibit dynamic structure probably caused by winds interacting with surface topography, much as occurs on Earth when winds collide with mountains to produce turbulence.The principal investigator for MOLA is Dr. David E. Smith of Goddard. The MOLA instrument was designed and built by the Laser Remote Sensing Branch of Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics at Goddard. The Mars Global Surveyor Mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for the NASA Office of Space Science. | |
In 1997, NASA's Mars Pathfinder took this picture of three classes of Martian rock: large rounded rocks with weathered coatings, small gray angular rocks lacking weathered coatings, and flat white rocks. | In this portion of the 360-degree color gallery pan, looking to the northeast, the colors have been exaggerated to highlight the differences between rocks and soils. Visible are the downwind sides of rocks, not exposed to wind scouring like "Barnacle Bill" (which faces upwind). There is a close correspondence between the shapes and colors of the rocks. Three general classes of rocks are recognized: large rounded rocks with weathered coatings, small gray angular rocks lacking weathered coatings, and flat white rocks. The large rounded rocks in the distance, marked by the red arrows, are comparable to "Yogi." Spectral properties show that these rocks have a highly weathered coating in addition to a distinctive shape. A second population of smaller, angular rocks (blue arrows) in the foreground have unweathered surfaces even on the downwind side, except where covered on their tops by drift. These are comparable to Barnacle Bill. They may have been emplaced at the site relatively recently, perhaps as ejecta from an impact crater, so they have not had time to weather as extensively as the larger older rocks. The third kind of rock (white arrows) is white and flat, and includes "Scooby Doo" in the foreground and a large deposit in the background called "Baker's Bank." The age of the white rock relative to the other two classes is still being debated. One representative rock of each class (Yogi, Barnacle Bill, and Scooby Doo) has been measured by the rover.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. 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. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large landslide deposit in central Ganges Chasma. The radial grooves on the top of the landslide are a common feature formed by the downslope movement of the landslide materials. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in central Ganges Chasma. A large landslide deposit fills the top third of the image. The radial grooves on the top of the landslide are a common feature formed by the downslope movement of the landslide materials. The landslide was deflected in some areas by preexisting blocks on the chasma floor. Ganges Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris chasma system, but is north of the main section of canyons.Orbit Number: 72790 Latitude: -7.88588 Longitude: 309.432 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-05-12 17:34Please 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows some of the complex channels that make up Granicus Valles. | Context imageThis VIS image shows some of the complex channels that make up Granicus Valles. This channel system is located west of Elysium Mons.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 61134 Latitude: 31.4871 Longitude: 126.897 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-25 12:52Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken by NASA's Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the rover -- its main science target, informally called Mount Sharp. The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are dunes. | This image taken by NASA's Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the rover -- its main science target, Mount Sharp. The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are dunes. Rising up in the distance is Mount Sharp, whose peak is 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) high, taller than Mt. Whitney in California. The actual summit is not visible from this vantage point -- the highest elevation seen in this view is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the rover. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to past environmental change.This image was captured by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution shortly after it landed. It has been linearized to remove the distorted appearance that results from its fisheye lens. | |
The piece of metal with the American flag on it in this image of a NASA rover on Mars is made of aluminum recovered from the site of the World Trade Center towers in the weeks after their destruction. | The piece of metal with the American flag on it in this image of a NASA rover on Mars is made of aluminum recovered from the site of the World Trade Center towers in the weeks after their destruction. The piece serves as a cable guard for the rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as well as a memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. An identical piece is on the twin rover, Opportunity.
The rock abrasion tools were built by Honeybee Robotics in lower Manhattan, less than a mile from the site.
This image comes from the panoramic camera on Spirit and was taken on Feb. 2, 2004, the 30th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's work on Mars. Both Spirit and Opportunity completed their prime missions in April 2004 and began years of additional work in extended missions. Both rovers have made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life. Spirit ended communications in March 2010. Opportunity is still active, and researchers plan to use its rock abrasion tool on selected targets around a large crater that the rover reached last month.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
A sand sheet and dune forms are present on the floor of Capri Chasmain this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageA sand sheet and dune forms are present in this image of the floor of Capri Chasma.Orbit Number: 45342 Latitude: -14.8509 Longitude: 307.98 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-04 15:28Please 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 annotated image from NASA's Perseverance Mars rover shows how its SHERLOC instrument investigates a rock surface. | This annotated image from NASA's Perseverance Mars rover shows how its SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Minerals) instrument investigates a rock surface. After an area has been ground down by the abrasion tool on the rover's arm, SHERLOC fires its laser in a grid pattern, shown here with blue dots. This scan area is roughly the size of a pencil eraser. SHERLOC's laser allows scientists to see how light interacts with the rock surface and reveals different components in the rock, including chemicals, minerals, and organic matter.The image was created by combining two SHERLOC images: one from the Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering (WATSON) camera, and one from the Autofocus and Context Imager (ACI) camera. Those images were taken at a location called "Wildcat Ridge" on July 22, 2022, the 505th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image color has been enhanced to increase contrast so different rock components are easier to distinguish.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. WATSON and ACI were built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and are operated jointly by MSSS and JPL. For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a short section of Reull Vallis. Reull Vallis starts in Promethei Terra and empties into Hellas Plainitia. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a short section of Reull Vallis. Reull Vallis starts in Promethei Terra and empties into Hellas Plainitia. Reull Vallis is 1051km (653 miles) long.Orbit Number: 92169 Latitude: -41.0221 Longitude: 107.284 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-24 11:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box. | NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box. The rover is descending toward the etched plains just north of the sand dunes that fringe "Mt. Sharp." From the perspective of the orbiter, the parachute and Curiosity are flying at an angle relative to the surface, so the landing site does not appear directly below the rover.The parachute appears fully inflated and performing perfectly. Details in the parachute, such as the band gap at the edges and the central hole, are clearly seen. The cords connecting the parachute to the back shell cannot be seen, although they were seen in the image of NASA's Phoenix lander descending, perhaps due to the difference in lighting angles. The bright spot on the back shell containing Curiosity might be a specular reflection off of a shiny area. Curiosity was released from the back shell sometime after this image was acquired.This view is one product from an observation made by HiRISE targeted to the expected location of Curiosity about one minute prior to landing. It was captured in HiRISE CCD RED1, near the eastern edge of the swath width (there is a RED0 at the very edge). This means that the rover was a bit further east or downrange than predicted.The image scale is 13.2 inches (33.6 centimeters) per pixel.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows tear drop-shaped landforms in Athabasca Vallis in the Cerberus region of Mars, south of the Elysium volcanoes. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-322, 12 December 2002Tremendous floods carved these tear drop-shaped landforms in Athabasca Vallis in the Cerberus region, south of the Elysium volcanoes. The orientation of the streamlined forms indicate that the fluid flowed from the right/upper right toward the left/lower left (from the northeast to the southwest). Similar features occur in central and eastern Washington in the northwestern United States. The examples in Washington formed when massive amounts of water rushed across the landscape, scouring a "channeled scabland" during the last Ice Age, roughly 12,000-13,000 years ago. The features on Mars are much older; while the absolute age cannot be determined, the small impact craters with rayed ejecta patterns on the flood surfaces indicate it must be much, much older than the flood landscape in Washington. This is a mosaic of six Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images acquired in 1999 through 2002. Illumination is from the left. The mosaic covers an area 11.9 km (7.4 mi) by 13.0 km (8.1 mi). The full-size mosaic has a resolution of 4 meters (13 ft) per pixel. | |
Holden Crater was once filled by at least two different lakes. The sediments deposited in those lakes are relatively light-toned where exposed in this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionHolden Crater was once filled by at least two different lakes. The sediments deposited in those lakes are relatively light-toned where exposed, as seen in this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Each layer represents a different point in time and perhaps a changing environment for Martian life, if it existed. The elongated ridges with sharp crests are sand dunes.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 25.9 centimeters (10.2 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 78 centimeters (30.7 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Reull Vallis, a large channel which originates in Promethei Terra and empties into Hellas Basin. | Context image for PIA09437Reull VallisThis image shows part of Reull Vallis, a large channel which originates in Promethei Terra and empties into Hellas Basin.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -37.8N, Longitude 111.7E. 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. | |
The large mesa in the center of Hebes Chasma dominates this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image The large mesa in the center of Hebes Chasma dominates this image. The top of the mesa is at the center of the image, with the cliff faces to the top and bottom of the image. The layering of the mesa is most easily identified in the lower part of the image. The long linear depression on the northern face indicate that wind action played a large part in eroding the mesa. Hebes Chasma is an enclosed basin not connected to Valles Marineris.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: 15281 Latitude: -1.13682 Longitude: 283.509 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-05-25 12:52Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a region of the floor of Schaiparelli Crater with an unusual texture. The texture almost looks like cells with nuclei. | Context image for PIA10830THEMIS ART #85This region of the floor of Schaiparelli Crater has an unusual texture. The texture almost looks like cells with nuclei.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -2.0N, Longitude 15.4E. 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. | |
NASA's rover Sojourner's first target for measurement by the Alpha-Proton-Xray Spectrometer (APXS) was the rock named 'Barnacle Bill', located close to the ramp down which the rover made its egress from the lander. | The rover Sojourner's first target for measurement by the Alpha-Proton-Xray Spectrometer (APXS) was the rock named Barnacle Bill, located close to the ramp down which the rover made its egress from the lander. The full spectral capability of the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP), consisting of 13 wavelength filters, was used to characterize the rock's surface. The measured area is relatively dark, and is shown in blue. Nearby on the rock surface, soil material is trapped in pits (shown in red).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. 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. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
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 Melas Chasma. | 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 Melas Chasma.Orbit Number: 59750 Latitude: -10.5452 Longitude: 290.307 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-06-03 12:33Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Medusa Fossae, a region that has undergone extreme amounts of wind erosion, revealing an older surface below the easily eroded surface material. | Context image for PIA10805Wind ActionWind erosion is an active process on Mars today. The Medusa Fossae region has undergone extreme amounts of wind erosion, revealing an older surface below the easily eroded surface material.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 6.9N, Longitude 203.6E. 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. | |
Members of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter team at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory react to data showing that the helicopter completed its second flight on the Red Planet on April 22, 2021. | Members of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter team at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory react to data showing that the helicopter completed its second flight on the Red Planet on April 22, 2021.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Kasei Vallis which contains a feature type on Mars called a Mensa, from the Latin word for 'table.' A Mensa is a flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges. | The topic for the Image of the Day for the weeks of March 7-18 will be mountains on Mars.This image is located in Kasei Vallis and contains a feature type called a Mensa, from the Latin word for 'table.' A Mensa is a flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges.A good diagram showing the structural difference between simple and complex craters is here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/science/craterstructure.htmlImage information: VIS instrument. Latitude 22.6, Longitude 293.9 East (66.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows windstreaks features caused by the interaction of wind and topographic landforms. These windstreaks are located on the lava flows of the Elysium volcanic complex. | Windstreaks are features caused by the interaction of wind and topographic landforms. The raised rims and bowls of impact craters causes a complex interaction such that the wind vortex in the lee of the crater can both scour away the surface dust and deposit it back in the center of the lee. If you look closely, you will see evidence of this in a darker "rim" enclosing a brighter interior. These windstreaks are located on the lava flows of the Elysium volcanic complex.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 22.7, Longitude 136.6 East (223.4 West). 36 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Endeavour Crater in Meridiani Planum. | Context imageToday's false color image shows part of Endeavour Crater in Meridiani Planum. The MER Opportunity Rover drove along the rim of this crater, ending it's 15 year mission after losing contact during a global dust storm.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 63135 Latitude: -2.24737 Longitude: 354.624 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-03-08 07:47Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a bright plain west of Schiaparelli Crater, Mars, some of them long-lived and others that are transient. The circular features scattered throughout are impact crater in a variety of states of degradation. | 17 July 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a bright plain west of Schiaparelli Crater, Mars, which is host to several features, some of them long-lived and others that are transient. The circular features scattered somewhat randomly throughout the scene are impact craters, all of which are in a variety of states of degradation. In the lower left (southwest) corner of the image, there is a small hill surrounded by ripples of windblown sediment, and near the center of the image, there is an active dust devil casting a shadow to the east as it makes its way across the plain.Location near: 5.9°S, 348.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
This image of the north polar cap captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the layering of ice and dust materials. | Context imageThis VIS image of the north polar cap shows the layering of ice and dust materials.Orbit Number: 62477 Latitude: 82.9225 Longitude: 99.8216 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-14 03:41Please 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Olympus Rupes, part of the steep margin surrounding Olympus Mons. The term rupes means scarp. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Olympus Rupes, part of the steep margin surrounding Olympus Mons. The term rupes means scarp.Orbit Number: 54309 Latitude: 22.1556 Longitude: 228.416 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-03-12 16:04Please 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 overlay map lays navigation and panoramic camera images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration rover Spirit from the surface of Mars on top of one of Spirit's descent images taken as the spacecraft descended to the martian surface. | Scientists created this overlay map by laying navigation and panoramic camera images taken from the surface of Mars on top of one of Spirit's descent images taken as the spacecraft descended to the martian surface. The map was created to help track the path that Spirit has traveled through sol 44 and to put into perspective the distance left to travel before reaching the edge of the large crater nicknamed "Bonneville."The area boxed in yellow contains the ground images that have been matched to and layered on top of the descent image. The yellow line shows the path that Spirit has traveled and the red dashed line shows the intended path for future sols. The blue circles highlight hollowed areas on the surface, such as Sleepy Hollow, near the lander, and Laguna Hollow, the sol 45 drive destination. Scientists use these hollowed areas - which can be seen in both the ground images and the descent image - to correctly match up the overlay.Field geologists on Earth create maps like this to assist them in tracking their observations. | |
This image acquired on March 27, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a couple of dark lineations on the equator-facing wall of this impact crater that resemble small recurring slope lineae (RSL). | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionExisting images of this impact crater show a couple of dark lineations on the equator-facing wall that resemble small recurring slope lineae (RSL). However, unlike typical RSL, these lines persist for several Mars years with only minor changes.We are continuing to monitor this site to understand how they differ from "standard" recurring slope lineae. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 28.8 centimeters [11.3 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 86 centimeters [33.9 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft very clearly shows the layering that is found in both polar caps. This image is of the north polar cap. | Context imageThis VIS image very clearly shows the layering that is found in both polar caps. This image is of the north polar cap.Orbit Number: 54723 Latitude: 79.6439 Longitude: 339.648 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-15 17:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Sand Dune Field in Richardson Crater | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002542_1080) is a view of the sand dune field in Richardson Crater covered with seasonal frost. The subimage is a close-up view of defrosting patterns on the dunes. The frost is a combination of frozen carbon dioxide and some water ice that covers the dunes in the winter and spring. As the seasonal frost sublimes away, odd features such as spots, fans, and streaks form. Small dark streaks on the dune slip face slopes may be where recent avalanches of sand, or perhaps wind, has moved the dark sand underlying the frost, or where frost has been removed to expose the sand. Alternatively, the dark streaks may be patches of coarse-grained ice that are clear enough so that the dark material below the ice is visible. The slip faces indicate that the general direction of sand transport is from the right to the left across the image.It has been hypothesized that the dark spots and fans may be "geysers" or "cold gas jets" that form when sublimation processes trap gas at the bottom of the ice. The gas is released through cracks in the ice, entraining dust from below the ice and scattering it onto the surface to form the dark spots and fans. The high resolution, stereo, and low light imaging capabilities of HiRISE has provided new insight into the processes that form these features. Repeated imaging in a variety of locations will provide a record of their development and evolution. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007Local Mars time: 4:05 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -72.0°Degrees longitude (East): 179.5°Range to target site: 251.8 km (179.5 miles)Original image scale range: 50.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~151 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 50 cm/pixelMap-projection: POLAR STEREOGRAPHICEmission angle: 9.2°Phase angle: 88.5°Solar incidence angle: 81°, with the Sun about 9° above the horizonSolar longitude: 181.5 °, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a crater interior on Mars containing smaller craters, sand dunes, and erosional features caused the wind. Additionally, the crater rim appears subdued, likely due to dust cover. | Today's crater interior contains smaller craters, sand dunes, and erosional features caused the wind. Additionally, the crater rim appears subdued, likely due to dust cover. Note how the ejecta surrounding the small craters has be eroded by the wind.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 9, Longitude 358 East (2 West). 18 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In this illustration, Mars holds near-surface water ice that would be easily accessible for astronauts to dig up. The water ice was identified as part of a map using data from NASA orbiters. | Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionClick here for animationThe annotated area of Mars in this illustration holds near-surface water ice that would be easily accessible for astronauts to dig up. The water ice was identified as part of a map using data from NASA orbiters. | |
This image is part of THEMIS art month, taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey featuring a portion of Mars' landscape looking like a Jack-O-Lantern face for Halloween. | Welcome to the second annual THEMIS ART MONTH. From Jan. 31 through March 4 we will be showcasing images for their aesthetic value, rather than their science content. Portions of these images resemble things in our everyday lives, from animals to letters of the alphabet. We hope you enjoy our fanciful look at Mars!Perhaps we should have saved this Jack-O-Lantern face for Halloween?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 Syrtis Major face of Mars in mid-August 2006. | 15 August 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 93° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 93° occurs in mid-August 2006. The picture shows the Syrtis Major 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 Summer/Southern Winter | |
This is the first image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). It was taken through a 'fisheye' wide-angle lens on one of the rover's rear right Hazard-Avoidance cameras. | This is one of the first images taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). It was taken through a "fisheye" wide-angle lens on one of the rover's rear Hazard-Avoidance cameras at one-quarter of full resolution. The camera is the right eye of a stereo pair located at the back left, or port, side of the rover.
The clear dust cover on the camera is still on in this view, and dust can be seen around its edge, along with three cover fasteners. One of the rover's wheels is in the lower right corner.
As planned, the rover's early engineering images are lower resolution. Larger color images are expected later in the week when the rover's mast, carrying high-resolution cameras, is deployed. | |
These clouds from Sol 15 have a new look. As water ice clouds cover the sky, the sky takes on a more bluish cast. The clouds were imaged by NASA's Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | These clouds from Sol 15 have a new look. As water ice clouds cover the sky, the sky takes on a more bluish cast. This is because small particles (perhaps a tenth the size of the martian dust, or one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair) are bright in blue light, but almost invisible in red light. Thus, scientists expect that the ice particles in the clouds are very small. The clouds were imaged by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP).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 Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbite is centered on a small cone on the side of one of Mars' giant shield volcanoes. The cone shows some layers of hard rock but most of it is made of relatively soft material. | This image is centered on a small cone on the side of one of Mars' giant shield volcanoes. The cone shows some layers of hard rock but most of it is made of relatively soft material. This appears to be an example of a "cinder" cone composed of pieces of lava thrown into the air during a small volcanic eruption.Typically, such eruptions produce fountains of molten lava. Most of the lava would have cooled in this fountain, producing a loose pile of lava rocks. However, it appears that some pulses of the eruption allowed the lava to land without cooling much. These pieces were hot enough to weld together to make the hard layers we see today. The cone is 700 x 1100 meters (2300 x 3600 feet) in size, similar to many cinder cones on Earth.In other parts of the image, we see channels carved by lava. It is sometimes difficult to tell if a channel was formed by flowing water or lava; in this case, it is possible to see that lava flows feed out of these channels.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, 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 & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo.Originally released May 30, 2007 | |
Spirit's View on Sol 142 (Polar) | This 360-degree view of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the 142nd martian day of the rover's mission inside Gusev Crater, on May 27, 2004, was assembled from images taken by Spirit's navigation camera. The rover's position is Site A55. The view is presented in a polar projection with geometrical seam correction. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is of the northern plains and shows hundreds of dust devil tracks. | Context imageToday's VIS image of the northern plains show hundreds of dust devil tracks.Orbit Number: 54706 Latitude: 62.5081 Longitude: 310.578 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-14 07:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 28, 2004 shows layered material in a crater on Meridiani Planum on Mars. | Released 28 January 2004Long before the MER landers were named or launched, the two orbiters at Mars were asked to examine landing sites. Both the Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have been collecting landing site data for the past two years. The MGS and ODY data were used as part of the decision making process in the final selection of the two landing sites. The types of data collected by the two orbiters included not only images of the surface but also thermal data about the surface composition, atmospheric data about the climate at each location, and the tracking of major dust storms in the region prior to landing. The presence of, and data collected by, the MGS and ODY orbiters have proven invaluable in MER mission planning.This image shows layered material in a crater northwest of Opportunity's landing spot. It was captured on April 25, 2003, a few months before the MER landers launched.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 0.9, Longitude 350.8 East (9.2 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This set of images shows parts of the robotic arm on NASA's Perseverance rover flexing and turning during its first checkout after landing on Mars. | Click here for animationThis set of images shows parts of the robotic arm on NASA's Perseverance rover flexing and turning during its first checkout after landing on Mars. These images were taken by Perseverance's Navigation Cameras on March 3, 2021.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a very small gully example in a crater on Mars. Debris transported through the gullies was deposited on top of light-toned, windblown ripples on the floor of the crater. | 18 November 2004Middle- and polar-latitude martian gullies remain as much a mystery today as they were when first announced in June 2000. Some have argued that they form by running water, others argue they required carbon dioxide in liquid or gas form, still others have proposed that these features form "dry" by simple landsliding processes (although landslides elsewhere on Mars do not form features that look like the martian gullies). They occur almost exclusively at latitudes higher than 30° in both hemispheres, although they are more common in the southern hemisphere. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a very small gully example in a crater that is only about 1 km across -- roughly the size of the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona. The debris transported through the gullies was deposited on top of light-toned, windblown ripples on the floor of the crater, indicating that the ripples are older. This crater is located near 37.9°S, 169.3°W. The 150 meter scale bar is about 490 feet long. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in July 2017, and its planned path to additional geological layers of lower Mount Sharp. | Photojournal Note: A newer version of this map can be seen at PIA23412.
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in July 2017, and its planned path to additional geological layers of lower Mount Sharp.The blue star near top center marks "Bradbury Landing," the site where Curiosity arrived on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, EDT and Universal Time). Blue triangles mark waypoints investigated by Curiosity on the floor of Gale Crater and, starting with "Pahrump Hills," on Mount Sharp. The Sol 1750 label identifies the rover's location on July 9, 2017, the 1,750th Martian day, or sol, since the landing.In July 2017, the mission is examining "Vera Rubin Ridge" from the downhill side of the ridge. Spectrometry observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have detected hematite, an iron-oxide mineral, in the ridge. Curiosity's planned route continues to the top of the ridge and then to geological units where clay minerals and sulfate minerals have been detected from orbit.The base image for the map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. North is up. "Bagnold Dunes" form a band of dark, wind-blown material at the foot of Mount Sharp.The scale bar at lower right represents one kilometer (0.62 mile). For broader-context images of the area, see PIA17355, PIA16064 and PIA16058. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image released on Sept 30, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows an area on Mars in Candor Chasma. Wind etched surfaces, dunes and layered rock are present in this area. A land slide can be seen on the left-center portion of this image. | The Odyssey spacecraft has taken some great pictures of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. If this canyon were on Earth, it would stretch from New York to Los Angeles. For the next several weeks, the Image of the Day will tour some of the canyons that make up this vast system. We will start with Ius Chasma in the west, and end with Coprates Chasma to the east. For more information on Vallis Marineris, please see http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/science/vm.html.This image shows an area in Candor Chasma. Wind etched surfaces, dunes and layered rock are present in this area. A land slide can be seen on the left-center portion of this image. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.1, Longitude 293.8 East (66.2 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken on Oct. 14, 2008 shows four of the eight cells in the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. TEGA's ovens, located underneath the cells, heat soil samples so the released gases can be analyzed. | This image shows four of the eight cells in the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. TEGA's ovens, located underneath the cells, heat soil samples so the released gases can be analyzed.Left to right, the cells are numbered 7, 6, 5 and 4. Phoenix's Robotic Arm delivered soil most recently to cell 6 on the 137th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Oct. 13, 2008).Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera took this image at 3:03 p.m. local solar time on Sol 138 (Oct. 14, 2008).Phoenix landed on Mars' northern plains on May 25, 2008.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in Medusae Fossae. Along the cliffside several dark streaks are visible. | Context image This VIS image is located in Medusae Fossae. Along the cliffside several dark streaks are visible. It is thought that these streaks mark the location where downslope movement of material has removed some of the dust that coats every surface of Mars, and revealed the rocky surface beneath the dust. The surface of the rest of the image appears to have been modified by wind erosion, which has created the aligned small hills and ridges.Orbit Number: 71135 Latitude: -5.43154 Longitude: 197.71 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-12-27 09:27Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view combines more than 400 images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain on Mars in 2008. The full-circle panorama shows the polygonal patterning of ground in the landing area. | This view combines more than 400 images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 68.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars.The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground in the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. North is toward the top. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible just north of the lander.This view comprises more than 100 different camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing. It is presented here as a vertical projection.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA_x0092_s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image from the front Hazcam on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the rover's drill in place during a test of whether the rock beneath it, 'Bonanza King,' would be an acceptable target for drilling to collect a sample. | This image from the front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Hazcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the rover's drill in place during a test of whether the rock beneath it, "Bonanza King," would be an acceptable target for drilling to collect a sample. Subsequent analysis showed that the rock budged during the procedure and did not pass the test.The image was taken during the 724th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Aug. 19, 2014, PDT). The rover was doing a mini-drill procedure, which is part of evaluating the target in advance of full-depth, sample-collection drilling. One step in the procedure, called "start hole," uses the hammering action of the percussive drill to create a small indentation in the rock. During this part of the test, the rock moved slightly, the rover sensed that instability in the target, and protective software properly halted the procedure. After analysis of the target's instability, the rover team decided on Aug. 21, 2014, to drive Curiosity away from this Bonanza King site and resume the trek toward long-term destinations on the slopes of Mount Sharp and perhaps a shorter-term science destination at an outcrop called "Pahrump Hills."The site in this southward-looking image is at the northeastern end of sandy-floored "Hidden Valley." The largest of the individual flat rocks in the foreground are a few inches (several centimeters) across. For scale, the rover's left front wheel, visible at left, is 20 inches (0.5 meter) in diameter.A map showing Hidden Valley is at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18408 . NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Hazcams.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars. The flat landscape is strewn with tiny pebbles and shows polygonal cracking, a pattern seen widely in Martian high latitudes. | This image, one of the first captured by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, shows the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars. The flat landscape is strewn with tiny pebbles and shows polygonal cracking, a pattern seen widely in Martian high latitudes and also observed in permafrost terrains on Earth. The polygonal cracking is believed to have resulted from seasonal contraction and expansion of surface ice. Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude. This image was taken shortly after landing by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image shows a small portion of the layered deposits on Mars found in Melas Chasma as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context image for PIA08033Layered DepositThis image shows a small portion of the layered deposits found in Melas Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -13.1N, Longitude 289.3E. 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 | 18 October 2004The best time of year to obtain images of the floor of the vast Hellas Planitia impact basin occurs in mid to late southern autumn. At that time of year, the atmosphere over this deep basin is clear and the solar illumination conditions are ideal. Hellas was in this ideal period during July-September 2004. This August 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the eroded floor of a portion of the basin. Hellas has some of the lowest elevations on the planet. This image is located near 39.3°S, 302.8°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
Acheron Fossae is a dissected region of rugged terrain located north of Olympus Mons. Numerous channels are visible in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageAcheron Fossae is a dissected region of rugged terrain located north of Olympus Mons. Numerous channels are visible in this image.Orbit Number: 36683 Latitude: 35.2769 Longitude: 219.273 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-03-22 19:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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