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This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an interesting sand dune on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows an interesting sand dune on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. With close inspection, multiple dust devil tracks are visible along the margins of the dune.Orbit Number: 79049 Latitude: 26.1914 Longitude: 57.0391 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-10 05:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. The entire inner rim of the crater contains dark slope streaks. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. The entire inner rim of the crater near the center 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: 72650 Latitude: 11.8595 Longitude: 27.5294 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-05-01 04:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Tharsis face of Mars in mid-August 2005. | 2 August 2005This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 269° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 269° occurs in mid-August 2005. The picture shows the Tharsis 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: last days of Northern Autumn/Southern Spring | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. | Context imageThis false color image shows part of the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. The material in part of the crater floor has been eroded by the wind. The small blue dots are sand dunes. In this false color combination basaltic sand is typically a dark blue.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: 64281 Latitude: -24.9701 Longitude: 46.0487 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-10 17:03Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The martian region called Deuteronilus is characterized by hills and mesas surrounded by broad debris slopes. Some of the slopes have surface markings are mixed in with the debris as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01773DeuteronilusThe martian region called Deuteronilus is characterized by hills and mesas surrounded by broad debris slopes. Some of the slopes have surface markings that may indicate volatiles are mixed in with the debris.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 41.9N, Longitude 18.1E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft imaged Mars' surface and spies what looks like a bumblebee. This image is part of the THEMIS as Art series. | Context imageDo you see what I see? A large bumble bee!Orbit Number: 36521 Latitude: 4.44421 Longitude: 208.319 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-03-09 11:46 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Two volcanic vents have erupted material to form this small volcano just south of Pavonis Mons on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context image for PIA02030Double VentTwo volcanic vents have erupted material to form this small volcano just south of Pavonis Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.0N, Longitude 246.7E. 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow — or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km – more than four times the size of Texas.Orbit Number: 92152 Latitude: -22.9243 Longitude: 240.536 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-23 01:36Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Navigation Camera (Navcam) to capture this view on April 11, 2015, during the 952nd Martian day, or sol of the rover's work on Mars. | NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Navigation Camera (Navcam) to capture this view on April 11, 2015, during the 952nd Martian day, or sol of the rover's work on Mars. The rover's location was in a valley called "Artist's Drive" on the route up Mount Sharp.The view spans from east, at left, to southwest, at right. Upper Mount Sharp appears on the horizon at left.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Mamers Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Mamers Valles. The channel enters a crater in the center of the image and exits at the top of the image. The channel is nearly 1000 km long (600 miles). Mamers Valles originates near Cerulli Crater in northern Arabia Terra, and after a short section near the crater where flow is to the south, flows northward to empty in Deuteronilus Mensae. The steep walls of Mamers Valles can reach heights of 1200 m (4000 feet).Orbit Number: 89807 Latitude: 40.6271 Longitude: 16.0543 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-03-14 00:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The large, elongated rock left of center in the middle distance is 'Zaphod' is seen in this image from NASA's Mars Pathfinder. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | This panorama of the region to the northeast of the lander was constructed to support the Sojourner Rover Team's plans to conduct an "autonomous traverse" to explore the terrain away from the lander after science objectives in the lander vicinity had been met. The large, relatively bright surface in the foreground, about 10 meters (33 feet) from the spacecraft, in this scene is "Baker's Bench." The large, elongated rock left of center in the middle distance is "Zaphod."This anaglyph view was produced by combining the left and right eye mosaics (above) by assigning the left eye view to the red color plane and the right eye view to the green and blue color planes (cyan), to produce a stereo anaglyph mosaic. This mosaic can be viewed in 3-D on your computer monitor or in color print form by wearing red-blue 3-D glasses.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The 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. | |
The white line on this map shows where NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has driven from the place where it landed in January 2004 -- inside Eagle Crater, at the upper left end of the track -- to where it reached on the 2,442nd Martian day, or sol. | The white line on this map shows where NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has driven from the place where it landed in January 2004 -- inside Eagle Crater, at the upper left end of the track -- to where it reached on the 2,442nd Martian day, or sol, of its work on Mars (Dec. 6, 2010). The map covers an area about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) wide. North is at the top. An eastward drive of 124 meters (405 feet) on Sol 2442 brought Opportunity to within about 550 meters (1,800 feet) of Santa Maria Crater. Santa Maria, with a diameter about of about 90 meters (295 feet), is nearly as big as Endurance Crater, which Opportunity entered and explored from June to December 2004. Endurance is where the white line near the upper corner of the map bend from eastbound to southbound.The Sol 2442 drive brought Opportunity's total odometry to 25.92 kilometers (16.11 miles). The long-term destination of the mission since mid-2008 has been Endeavour Crater, still more than 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) away. The western edge of Endeavour appears in the lower right, including ridges that are part of the crater's eroded rim. This crater is about 22 kilometer (14 miles) in diameter, dwarfing the largest crater that Opportunity has visited so far, Victoria, which is about 800 meters (half a mile) in diameter. Opportunity explored the rim and interior of Victoria from mid-2006 to mid-2008.The base map for this traverse map is a mosaic combining images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera and the Context Camera, both on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It is used by Tim Parker of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, for mapping each of Opportunity's drives based on images taken by the rover after the drive.Opportunity completed its three-month prime mission in April 2004 and has continued operations in extended missions since then. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, operates the Context Camera. | |
This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover looks south of the rover's landing site on Mars towards Mount Sharp. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger viewThis color image from NASA's Curiosity rover looks south of the rover's landing site on Mars towards Mount Sharp. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera.The image provides an overview of the eventual geological targets Curiosity will explore over the next two years, starting with the rock-strewn, gravelly surface close by, and extending towards the dark dune field. Beyond that lie the layered buttes and mesas of the sedimentary rock of Mount Sharp.The images in this mosaic were acquired by the 34-millimeter Mastcam over about an hour of time on Aug. 8, 2012 PDT (Aug. 9, 2012 EDT), each at 1,200 by 1,200 pixels in size. In the main version, the colors portrayed are unmodified from those returned by the camera. The view is what a cell phone or camcorder would record since the Mastcam takes color pictures in the exact same manner that consumer cameras acquire color images. The second version (Figure 1), shows the colors modified as if the scene were transported to Earth and illuminated by terrestrial sunlight. This processing, called "white balancing," is useful for scientists to be able to recognize and distinguish rocks by color in more familiar lighting.
JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena.
For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This polar-projection view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Burns Cliff,' a portion of the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater' on Mars. This view shows rock layers in the wall. | The navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took images during the rover's 285th martian day (Nov. 11, 2004) that are combined into this 360-degree panorama. Opportunity had reached the base of "Burns Cliff," a portion of the inner wall of "Endurance Crater." This view shows rock layers in the wall. The rover's position when taking the images was labeled Opportunity site 37, position 550. This view is presented in a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
NASA's Curiosity rover took this selfie on Oct. 11, 2019, the 2,553rd Martian day, or sol, of its mission. The rover drilled twice in this location, which is nicknamed Glen Etive. | Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionNASA's Curiosity rover took this selfie on Oct. 11, 2019, the 2,553rd Martian day, or sol, of its mission. The rover drilled twice in this location, nicknamed "Glen Etive" (pronounced "glen EH-tiv"). About 984 feet (300 meters) behind the rover, Vera Rubin Ridge rises up. Behind it lies the floor of Gale Crater, which Curiosity is exploring, and the northern rim of the crater.Just left of the rover are the two drill holes, called "Glen Etive 1" (right) and "Glen Etive 2" (left). Curiosity performed its first wet-chemistry experiment on a drilled sample at this location. The rover can analyze the chemical composition of rock samples by powderizing them with the drill, then dropping the samples into a portable lab in its belly called Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM).This panorama is made up of 57 individual images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm. The images are stitched together into a panorama; the robotic arm isn't visible in the parts of the images used in the composite.MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. The SAM instrument suite was built at Goddard Space Flight Center with significant elements provided by industry, university, and national and international NASA partners. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.For more information about Curiosity, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/ or http://nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl. | |
This image acquired on August 29, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows different terrain types on the apron that indicate the presence and flow of ice. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis observation shows a lobe-shaped debris apron emanating from a massif (shown in the upper left of the image) in the Protonilus Mensae region in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars.These aprons are composed of nearly pure water ice with a layer of debris on the surface protecting the ice from sublimation (going directly from a solid to gaseous state). This image shows different terrain types on the apron that indicate the presence and flow of ice, from smoother polygonal terrain closer to the massif, to rougher, patterned ground commonly called "brain terrain." Also visible on the apron are a series of linear pits. These pits might form from material collapsing into subsurface voids after buried ice has sublimated.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 30.1 centimeters [11.9 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 90 centimeters [35.4 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 laser altimeter profile across Martian volcanoes is from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. | The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Sept 15, 2004 shows the martian surface of Ophir Chasma, layered rock formations and wind etched rocks are present. The southern part of the image contains a dune field. | 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.On this image of Ophir Chasma, layered rock formations and wind etched rocks are present. The southern part of the image contains a dune field.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.1, Longitude 286.5 East (73.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Curiosity's Russian-made instrument for checking hydration levels in the ground beneath the rover detected an unusually high amount at a site near 'Marias Pass,' prompting repeated passes over the area to map the hydrogen amounts. | Curiosity's Russian-made instrument for checking hydration levels in the ground beneath the rover detected an unusually high amount at a site near "Marias Pass," prompting repeated passes over the area to map the hydrogen amounts.The instrument is named Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, or DAN. It detects hydrogen by the effect of hydrogen atoms on neutrons entering the ground either from cosmic rays and Curiosity's power source (DAN's passive mode) or from the instrument's neutron pulse generator (DAN's active mode). DAN recognizes which neutrons have bounced off hydrogen from their rerduced energy level.This map, covering an area about 130 feet (40 meters) across, shows results from DAN's multiple traverses over the area, with color coding for levels of hydrogen detected. The red coding indicates amounts of hydrogen three to four times as high as the amounts detected anywhere previously along Curiosity's traverse of about 6.9 miles (11.1 kilometers) since landing in August 2012. The inset map at lower right shows the full traverse through Sol 1051 (July 21, 2015), with names assigned to rectangles within Gale Crater for geological mapping purposes. The vertical bar at left indicates the color coding according to counts per second in DAN's passive mode.The hydrogen detected by DAN is interpreted as water molecules or hydroxyl ions bound within minerals or water absorbed onto minerals in the rocks and soil, to a depth of about 3 feet (1 meter) beneath the rover. The amount of hydrogen is often expressed as "water equivalent hydrogen" based on two hydrogen atoms per molecule of water.In the same area where DAN detected an unusually high amount of hydration, Curiosity's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument detected an unusually high amount of silica in several rock targets. The DAN and ChemCam findings led to the rover's science team choosing a rock target called "Buckskin" for collection of a drilled sample to be analyzed by the rover's internal laboratory instruments.Russia's Space Research Institute developed DAN in close cooperation with the N.L. Dukhov All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics, Moscow, and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna. The neutron generator development was supervised by the late technical designer German A. Smirnov of the All-Russia Institute of Automatics. Moscow.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 rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the plains between Chryse and Acidalia Planitias. Dark blue tones in this false color combination are usually created by basaltic sands. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located in the plains between Chryse and Acidalia Planitias. Dark blue tones in this false color combination are usually created by basaltic sands. There appears to be surface sands in the middle of the image. The "orange" tail behind the crater towards the top of the image is created by wind action. Wind will both erode and deposit fine materials. The wind tail is the downward side of the crater. These features are termed windstreaks, and they help to understand the direction of wind. Both the windstreak and the surface sands indicate a dusty/sandy region confined to the central part of this 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.Orbit Number: 62487 Latitude: 35.5378 Longitude: 328.516 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-14 23:06Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This 1997 close-up from NASA's Mars Pathfinder Sojourner rover is of a small rock shows that weathering has etched-out pebbles to produce sockets. In the image, sunlight is coming from the upper left. | This close-up Sojourner rover image of a small rock shows that weathering has etched-out pebbles to produce sockets. In the image, sunlight is coming from the upper left. Sockets (with shadows on top) are visible at the lower left and pebbles (with bright tops and shadowed bases) are seen at the lower center and lower right. Two pebbles (about 0.5 cm across) are visible at the lower center.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).
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. | |
Once the summer sun has removed all the frost, the surface texture of the polar cap ice is visible. Many different textures exist in the ice on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08681Polar Textures>Once the summer sun has removed all the frost, the surface texture of the polar cap ice is visible. Many different textures exist in the ice.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -80.4N, Longitude 77.1E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the edge of the north polar cap. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located along the edge of the north polar cap. The ice of the cap covers most of the image, with only the upper 1/4 of the image showing the ice free plains. Dunes cover most of the plains and are 'climbing' up onto the cap. This region of dunes in near Olympia Undae, the immense sand sea that surrounds part of the polar cap.Orbit Number: 80094 Latitude: 83.6465 Longitude: 118.114 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-01-04 06:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, there are at least two distinct geologic units, a light-toned bedrock and a surface veneer of dark-toned material that contains sand dunes. | The amount of time that a geologic deposit is exposed at the surface can be measured by counting the number of impact craters that is contains in a given area. The longer a deposit is exposed at the surface the more impact events that it endures.In this image, there are at least two distinct geologic units, a light-toned bedrock and a surface veneer of dark-toned material that contains sand dunes. The light-toned bedrock must be older that the dark-toned veneer of sand; the bedrock must have been present first in order to be covered by the sand. The dark-toned sand however, contains many more impact craters than the light-toned bedrock. This suggests that the surface of the bedrock is younger than the veneer of sand.This can be explained by the bedrock being more easily eroded by the wind than the veneer of sand. The surface of the bedrock is rapidly refreshed (craters smoothed away), while the sand veneer retains impact craters for a longer period of time. This indicates that the bedrock is very friable (weak and easily eroded, in this case by the wind) and the sand veneer is less friable.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 June 6, 2007 | |
Bright Soil Near 'McCool' (False Color) | While driving eastward toward the northwestern flank of "McCool Hill," the wheels of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit churned up the largest amount of bright soil discovered so far in the mission. This image from Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam), taken on the rover's 788th Martian day, or sol, of exploration (March 22, 2006), shows the strikingly bright tone and large extent of the materials uncovered.Several days earlier, Spirit's wheels unearthed a small patch of light-toned material informally named "Tyrone." In images from Spirit's panoramic camera, "Tyrone" strongly resembled both "Arad" and "Paso Robles," two patches of light-toned soils discovered earlier in the mission. Spirit found "Paso Robles" in 2005 while climbing "Cumberland Ridge" on the western slope of "Husband Hill." In early January 2006, the rover discovered "Arad" on the basin floor just south of "Husband Hill." Spirit's instruments confirmed that those soils had a salty chemistry dominated by iron-bearing sulfates. Spirit's Pancam and miniature thermal emission spectrometer examined this most recent discovery, and researchers will compare its properties with the properties of those other deposits.These discoveries indicate that salty, light-toned soil deposits might be widely distributed on the flanks and valley floors of the "Columbia Hills" region in Gusev Crater on Mars. The salts, which are easily mobilized and concentrated in liquid solution, may record the past presence of water. So far, these enigmatic materials have generated more questions than answers, however, and as Spirit continues to drive across this region in search of a safe winter haven, the team continues to formulate and test hypotheses to explain the rover's most fascinating recent discovery.This image is a false-color rendering using using Pancam's 753-nanometer, 535-nanometer, and 432-nanometer filters. | |
This image released on Oct 26, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows the Martian north polar cap. Streamers of dust moving downslope over the darker trough sides showing the laminar flow regime coming off the cap. | This week we will be looking at five examples of laminar wind flow on the north polar cap. On Earth, gravity-driven south polar cap winds are termed "catabatic" winds. Catabatic winds begin over the smooth expanse of the cap interior due to temperature differences between the atmosphere and the surface. Once begun, the winds sweep outward along the surface of the polar cap toward the sea. As the polar surface slopes down toward sealevel, the wind speeds increase. Catabatic wind speeds in the Antartic can reach several hundreds of miles per hour.In the images of the Martian north polar cap we can see these same type of winds. Notice the streamers of dust moving downslope over the darker trough sides, these streamers show the laminar flow regime coming off the cap. Within the trough we see turbulent clouds of dust, kicked up at the trough base as the winds slow down and enter a chaotic flow regime.The horizontal lines in these images are due to framelet overlap and lighting conditions over the bright polar cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 84.2, Longitude 57.4 East (302.6 West). 40 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Warrego Valles, a suite of branching valleys located in the martian southern hemisphere. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-440, 2 August 2003Warrego Valles is a suite of branching valleys located in the martian southern hemisphere near 43°S, 92°W. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the valleys of this system. They are old and have been partially filled with material that today forms an eroded, rugged texture. Prior to the MGS mission, it had been hoped that MOC would show evidence as to how valleys such as those in the Warrego system formed, but many of the valleys turned out to have been modified by later processes that obscure the original geologic features related to their origin. This image is illuminated from the upper left. | |
This view of a Martian rock target called /Harrison' merges images from two cameras onboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover to provide both color and microscopic detail. The elongated crystals are likely feldspars, and the matrix is pyroxene-dominated. | Figure AClick on the image for larger versionThis view of a Martian rock target called "Harrison" merges images from two cameras on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover to provide both color and microscopic detail. Curiosity inspected the rock's appearance and composition on the mission's 514th sol, or Martian day (Jan. 15, 2014). The Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) of the rover's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument obtained the detail shown in the center of this view. The right-eye, telephoto-lens camera of the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument obtained the color information and wider context. ChemCam's laser and spectrometers provided composition information.Harrison bears elongated, light-colored crystals in a darker matrix. Some of the crystals are about 0.4 inch (1 centimeter) in size. Figure A is a version of the image with a superimposed scale bar of 5 centimeters (about 2 inches). Based on composition information gathered from an array of ChemCam laser shots on Harrison, the elongated crystals are likely feldspars, and the matrix is pyroxene-dominated. This mineral association is typical of basaltic igneous rocks. The texture provides compelling evidence for igneous rocks at Gale Crater, where Curiosity is on a traverse to reach the lower slopes of Mount Sharp near the center of the crater.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This animation shows the progress of Perseverance Mars Rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter as they make their way up the Jezero river delta. The Mars Helicopter's route is depicted in green. The rover's progress is depicted in orange. | Click here for animationThis animation shows the progress of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover and its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter as they make the climb up Jezero Crater's delta toward ancient river deposits. The helicopter's route is depicted in green, while the rover's progress is shown in orange. Black labels indicate which day, or sol, of the mission the rover and helicopter were on at each point. (Martian sols are counted from the date the Perseverance rover landed on Mars, Feb. 18, 2021). For the helicopter, the black labels also indicate which flight is shown; depicted here are Ingenuity's 42nd (F42) to 46th (F46) sorties.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity_x0092_s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies a portion of a flood-carved canyon within the larger Kasei Valles system on Mars. This canyon is the result of the very last flood event that poured through the Kasei valleys, long ago. | 26 July 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a flood-carved canyon within the larger Kasei Valles system on Mars. This canyon is the result of the very last flood event that poured through the Kasei valleys, long ago.Location near: 21.1°N, 72.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Spring | |
Light-toned nodules and veins of a patch of sedimentary rock called 'Knorr' are visible in this image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. | Light-toned nodules and veins are visible in this image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity of a patch of sedimentary rock called "Knorr." The target is in the "Yellowknife Bay" area of Gale Crater, close to where Curiosity found evidence of an ancient environment favorable for microbial life. The rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) recorded this raw image during the 133rd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Dec. 20, 2012). The width of the area shown in the image is about 10 inches (25 centimeters).Curiosity's Mastcam was built and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This view, taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from Martian orbit, shows a pale circular shape in the center is a low plateau called 'Home Plate'; the bright dot just to the left NASA's rover Spirit. | In this view from Martian orbit, the pale circular shape in the center is a low plateau called "Home Plate," about 80 meters (about 260 feet) across. The bright dot just to the left of Home Plate at the 9 o'clock position is NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. North is toward the top.The view is a portion of an image taken on June 13, 2009, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. At that date, Spirit had been embedded for more than a month in a patch of soft soil called "Troy." During the subsequent three months, Spirit studied the unusually layered soil at the site while engineers used test rovers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to assess possible maneuvers for getting Spirit away from Troy.The site is at 14.6 degrees south latitude, 175.5 degrees east longitude. Home Plate is in the inner basin of the Columbia Hills range, inside Mars' Gusev Crater. Spirit has been exploring the Columbia Hills and nearby features since January 2004 in a mission originally scheduled to last for three months.Full-frame images from this HiRISE observation, catalogued as ESP_013499_1650, are at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_013499_1650. The image was taken at 2:39 p.m. local Mars time, with the sun about 51 degrees above the horizon. The season was summer in the southern hemisphere of Mars.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Exploration Rovers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter project and built the orbiter. 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. | |
This whole area, located in Solis Planum, is an interesting, tectonic terrain south of Noctis Labrynthus which generally slopes toward the south as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionTransverse aeolian ridges -- or TAR -- are mysterious, wind-blown features that are intermediate in size between ripples and much larger sand dunes.Ripples form from hopping sand grains, and dunes form from sand grains being blown over longer distances. One hypothesis for TAR formation is that larger grains like pebbles are rolled on top of smaller ripples; then, finer dust settles into the cracks, "inflating" the pebbles, making the TAR larger than typical ripples.Looking between the TAR, one sees a network of ancient, beaten-up channels that were carved by water, lava, or both.This whole area is located in Solis Planum, an interesting, tectonic terrain south of Noctis Labrynthus which generally slopes toward the south.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Gorgonum Chaos. Chaos terrain is typified by regions of blocky, often steep sided, mesas interspersed with deep valleys. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Gorgonum Chaos. Chaos terrain is typified by regions of blocky, often steep sided, mesas interspersed with deep valleys. With time and erosion the valleys widen and the mesas become smaller. Chaotic regions form when groundwater escapes to the surface, undermining it and causing the ground to collapse. The linear depressions at the bottom of the image are part of Sirenum Fossae. Gorgonum Chaos is located in Terra Sirenum.Orbit Number: 92266 Latitude: -36.8519 Longitude: 189.676 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-10-02 10:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the summit caldera of Pavonis Mons, the middle of three Tharsis volcanos that form a line southeast of Olympus Mons and northwest of Vallis Marineris. | This image shows part of the summit caldera of Pavonis Mons. Pavonis the middle of three Tharsis volcanos that form a line southeast of Olympus Mons and northwest of Vallis Marineris. On Earth volcanic calderas usually form when a massive eruption has emptied out the magma chamber and the "roof" of the chamber collapses into the resultant space. It is likely that summit calderas on Martian volcanoes form in a similar manner.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 used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree polar view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009). | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (July 19, 2009). North is at the top.Opportunity had driven 60.8 meters (199 feet) that sol, moving backward as a strategy to mitigate an increased amount of current drawn by the drive motor in the right-front wheel. The rover was traveling a westward course, skirting a large field of impassable dunes to the south. Much of the terrain surrounding the Sol 1950 position is wind-formed ripples of dark soil, with pale outcrop exposed in troughs between some ripples. A small crater visible nearby to the northwest is informally called "Kaiko." For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).The site is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) south-southwest of Victoria Crater. This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
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 Juventae 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 Juventae Chasma.Orbit Number: 43008 Latitude: -4.84972 Longitude: 296.606 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-08-25 12:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Tiu Valles, part of a large system of channels that arise from Vallis Marineris and flow northward to empty into Chryse Planitia. | Context imageThe channel form at the top of this VIS image is part of Tiu Valles. The impact crater has affected the course of the channel, as has the small hill at the top of the image. This type of feature, a hill with a teardrop shaped section, is called a streamline island. The hill interrupts the fluid flow, creating eddies on the downstream side where the flow velocity lessens and it is unable to erode as easily as in the main part of the channel. The teardrop points downstream. Located in Margaritifer Terra, Tiu Valles is part of a large system of channels that arise from Vallis Marineris and flow northward to empty into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 86527 Latitude: 16.6616 Longitude: 325.954 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-06-16 22:38Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The massive, complex landslide deposits in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the northern slope of Ophir Chasma on Mars. | Context imageThe massive, complex landslide deposits in today's VIS image are located on the northern slope of Ophir Chasma.Orbit Number: 46254 Latitude: -3.46289 Longitude: 288.764 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-18 17:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on July 22, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows sand dunes moving across the landscape. Winter frost covers the colder, north-facing half of each dune. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionUsually, HiRISE takes pictures of well-illuminated terrain where there is plenty of light to produce clear images. Sometimes though, we would like to know what's going on in the dim wintertime areas.This picture was taken far north of the equator just two days after the winter solstice when the Sun was just a few degrees above the horizon. Sand dunes are moving across this landscape from top left to bottom right. Winter frost covers the colder, north-facing half of each dune (but not the warmer south-facing half). The frost here is a mixture of carbon dioxide ice and water ice and will disappear in a few months when spring arrives.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 62.1 centimeters [24.4 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 186 centimeters [73.2 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter unlocked its blades, allowing them to spin freely, on April 7, 2021. This image was captured by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on the following sol, April 8, 2021. | NASA's Ingenuity helicopter unlocked its rotor blades, allowing them to spin freely, on April 7, 2021, the 47th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. They had been held in place since before launch, and the unlocking is one of several milestones that must be met before the helicopter can attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. This image was captured by the Mastcam-Z imager on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on the following sol, April 8, 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.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the Meridiani Terra region. | Context image for PIA10267MeridianiThis VIS image shows part of the Meridiani Terra region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 0.9N, Longitude 4.6E. 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Medusa Fossae. Winds have eroded materials in this region, creating ridges and valleys aligned with the direction of the wind. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Medusa Fossae. Winds have eroded materials in this region, creating ridges and valleys aligned with the direction of the wind. These features are created by long term winds scouring a poorly cemented surface material. It has been suggested that this region of Mars provides a large percentage of the surface dust seen around the planet. Ash falls from nearby volcanoes may have been the source of the surface materials eroded into these and other wind eroded landforms.Orbit Number: 79144 Latitude: -4.5831 Longitude: 200.487 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-18 00:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft shows an exposure of bedrock on the floor of Bakhuysen Crater, an impact crater in Noachis Terra. The bedrock is highly fragmented and fractured. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis HiRISE image shows an exposure of bedrock on the floor of Bakhuysen Crater, a 150-kilometer diameter impact crater in Noachis Terra. The bedrock is highly fragmented and fractured. The distinct false-color in the image may indicate that the tan-colored, fractured bedrock may have been altered in the presence of water.The location of this bedrock and context of its surroundings give us significant clues to the possible water-involved origin of these materials. Numerous channels are carved into the rim of the crater. At this particular location, one such channel has deposited a smooth-textured, fan-like deposit onto the crater floor. The bedrock is now exposed at the edge of this fan-like deposit, which overlies a heavily pitted surface to the north.The pitted surface likely represents an older impact-related deposit, possibly containing melt and rock fragments produced during the crater's formation. If the fan formed soon after, while these deposits were still hot, the heat and any available fluids may have altered materials and were quickly transported and deposited within the crater.This interpretation of the origin of these deposits may be further tested through data returned by HiRISE's sister instrument, CRISM, a spectrometer also aboard MRO.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft takes a look at THEMIS image as art. Many science-fiction writers have postulated many life forms on Mars. Perhaps a Martian rhinoceros? | Welcome to another brief interval of THEMIS Images as Art. For two weeks, 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!While Martian Bears may not be unique, I don't recall anyone ever postulating a Martian rhinoceros.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the floor of an unnamed crater located in Terra Sabaea. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the floor of an unnamed crater located in Terra Sabaea. The small linear ridges throughout the crater floor indicate that tectonics and erosion have played a part in creating the features seen today. Dark blue tones in this filter combination indicate basaltic sands.Orbit Number: 81245 Latitude: 30.6923 Longitude: 63.0958 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-08 00:54Please 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. | |
Sandwiched between a crater nearly 4 kilometer across and a much larger and older crater over 15-kilometers in diameter is this small impact crater with light-toned material exposed in its ejecta. This image is from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionSandwiched between a crater nearly 4 kilometer across and a much larger and older crater over 15-kilometers in diameter is this small impact crater with light-toned material exposed in its ejecta.Because the material is still brighter than the surrounding surface, darker dust settling out of the atmosphere has not had time to cover it up, so the crater is fairly recent. Of course, "recent" could mean on the order of thousands of years or older. This small crater is also fairly shallow and smooth in its interior.This light toned rock deposit is also visible along neighboring scarps and even in the rock strata exposed along the rim of the larger 15-kilometer crater, indicating that the formation of this rocky strata predates all of these craters. The brightness and color of these deposits are the result of different minerals within the rock relative to the nearby darker rocks and soils, and perhaps indicate extensive chemical interaction between water and the native rocks.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This graph shows spectra of outcrop regions near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. Blue line shows data which contains a handful of sphere-like grains dubbed 'blueberries'; yellow line represents an area devoid of berries. | This graph shows two spectra of outcrop regions near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. The blue line shows data for a region dubbed "Berry Bowl," which contains a handful of the sphere-like grains dubbed "blueberries." The yellow line represents an area called "Empty" next to Berry Bowl that is devoid of berries. Berry Bowl's spectrum still shows typical outcrop characteristics, but also exhibits an intense hematite signature, seen as a "magnetic sextet." Hematite is an iron-bearing mineral often formed in water. These spectra were taken by the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer on the 46th (Empty) and 48th (Berry Bowl) martian days, or sols, of its mission. | |
This view from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a type of light-colored, rough-textured spherules scientists call 'popcorn' in contrast to the darker, smoother spherules called 'blueberries.' | Figure 1Figure 2This view from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a type of light-colored, rough-textured spherules scientists are calling "popcorn" in contrast to the darker, smoother spherules called "blueberries." It is the lower-left frame of a four frame mosaic (see PIA06778) taken on sol 199 (Aug. 15, 2004). The red arrows in figure 1 indicate blueberries partially covered with popcorn material. The yellow arrows in figure 2 point to something even more puzzling. These darker toned, irregularly shaped objects might be blueberry fragments emerging from the popcorn material as the pebble weathers away. It is still not clear whether all of the popcorn spherules contain blueberry material. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows spots and streaks on Mars' north polar dunes resulting from the defrosting process. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-323, 12 December 2002Each spring as the sun comes up over the polar regions, the seasonal frosts that have accumulated there during winter begin to sublime away. Dunes are among the first features to show spots and streaks resulting from the defrosting process. Unknown is whether the dark spots and streaks are sand (from the dune) that has been mobilized by wind, or frost that has become disrupted and coarse-grained (coarse grains of ice can look darker than fine grains). This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows north polar dunes near 76.6°N, 255.9°W in early spring. The image, acquired in June 2002, is 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Hyperboreae Undae, a dune field located between the north polar cap and Escorial Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Hyperboreae Undae, a dune field located between the north polar cap and Escorial Crater. This image was taken during northern spring and the dunes still have significant surface frost. The dunes "darken" with time as the frost sublimates from solar heating and the dark sands are revealed.Orbit Number: 61858 Latitude: 77.8284 Longitude: 309.388 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-11-24 04:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows sand dunes that are dark and patches of southern winter frost are bright on Mars. | Observation of dune activity -- whether the movement of whole dunes or the movement of sediment on a dune -- is the result of a direct link between the martian surface and its atmosphere. Observation of dune activity can be used to determine the rate at which wind moves sediment. It can also help to estimate how long it takes for windblown sand to abrade surfaces -- including rocks and Mars landers.One of the first sand dune fields ever recognized on Mars is shown here. Located on the floor of Proctor Crater (at 48°S, 330°W), this dune field was seen in Mariner 9images more than 27 years ago. In fact, the photomosaic base map in MOC2-170a (above, left) is constructed from Mariner 9 images taken in February and March of 1972. The thin strip overlain on the Mariner 9 mosaic is a Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image taken in June 1999. The new MOC image shows evidence that the Proctor Crater dunes are active today.The picture on the right is an expanded view of a portion of the MOC image (its location is indicated by the white box in the picture on the left). In this view (right), the sand dunes are dark and patches of southern winter frost are bright. The sun illuminates the scene from the upper left. Dark streaks can be seen on frost-covered slopes, particularly just left of the center of the picture. Thesestreaks result from recent avalanching of sand on the steep (up to 35°), down-wind side of the dune, otherwise known as the slip face. Because the dark sand streaks are superposed upon the bright frost, these streaks can only be as old as the frost. This frost cannot be more than 11 months old, and was probably only a few months old at the time the picture was taken. Thus, the dunes must be active today in order to show such streaks.The placement of dunes in the MOC image was also compared with their positions in the earlier Mariner 9 image (above, left). No evidence that entire dunes have moved since March 1972 has been found. While the period of March 1972 to June 1999 is 27 Earth years, it is only about 14 Mars years. Looking for evidence of dune movement since 1972 is limited by the fact that the Mariner 9 images have spatial resolutions of about 62 meters (203 feet) per pixel -- this means that the dunes would have to move more than about 62 meters before their motion could be clearly detected in a MOC image.Taking the two results together -- evidence for recent dune activity in the form of avalanches on slip faces versus lack of movement at the scale of 62 meters -- helps to establish that (a) the dunes are active, but (b) they moved less than approximately 62 meters in 14 Mars years.The 8 kilometer scale (upper left) indicates a distance of 5.0 miles. The 300 meter scale bar (lower right) represents 328 yards (984 feet). The Mariner 9 images are illuminated from the upper right, the MOC image from the upper left.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
North Sinus Meridiani Landforms | Image PSP_001427_1820 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 15, 2006. The complete image is centered at 1.8 degrees latitude, 0.7 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 268.1 km (167.6 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 26.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 107.3 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 3:30 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 54 degrees, thus the sun was about 36 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 135.8 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows the central portion of the complex caldera at the summit of Olympus Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the central portion of the complex caldera at the summit of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 53385 Latitude: 18.2734 Longitude: 226.686 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-26 15:10Please 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 approximately true-color image shows paper-thin layers of light-toned, jagged-edged rocks; a light gray rock with smooth, rounded edges atop and drifts; and several dark gray to black, angular rocks with vesicles typical of hardened lava | At least three different kinds of rocks await scientific analysis at the place where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will likely spend several months of Martian winter. They are visible in this picture, which the panoramic camera on Spirit acquired during the rover's 809th sol, or Martian day, of exploring Mars (April 12, 2006). Paper-thin layers of light-toned, jagged-edged rocks protrude horizontally from beneath small sand drifts; a light gray rock with smooth, rounded edges sits atop the sand drifts; and several dark gray to black, angular rocks with vesicles (small holes) typical of hardened lava lie scattered across the sand.This view is an approximately true-color rendering that combines images taken through the panoramic camera's 753-nanometer, 535-nanometer, and 432-nanometer filters. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an intracrater dune field on Mars during autumn 2004. | 7 June 2004Presently, it is autumn in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Sand dunes at high and middle latitudes are becoming cold and frosted. This frost, probably water ice, is persistent enough that it is still present around 2 p.m. in the afternoon, when Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) flies over these dune fields. This MGS Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an intracrater dune field at 59.4°S, 158.9°W, as it appeared last week on 3 June 2004. In summer, these dunes would be very dark relative to the substrate on which they occur. In autumn, as shown here, they begin to accumulate frost that will last through the coming winter. Southern hemisphere winter will arrive around 20 September 2004. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. | |
This false-color view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit taken on Sept 18, 2005 shows 'Husband Hill' inside Gusev Crater, where the rover had been conducting scientific studies. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will not plant a flag, as did Sir Edmund Hillary when he scaled Mount Everest on Earth, when the rover reaches the hilltop outcrop shown here, which scientists have nicknamed in honor of Hillary. But Spirit will send images and other scientific data across the millions of miles that separate Earth from the distant planet where no human has yet set foot. This false-color view combines images that Spirit took with its panoramic camera during the rover's 608th martian day, or sol (Sept. 18, 2005). The site is on top of "Husband Hill" inside Gusev Crater, where the rover has been conducting scientific studies. The component images were taken through the camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters.The slightly lower outcrop to the left of "Hillary" is nicknamed "Tenzing." The names recall the first humans -- Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal -- to reach the highest point on Earth, in 1953. Husband Hill rises 106 meters (348 feet) above the surrounding plains. | |
This scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Wharton Ridge,' which forms part of the southern wall of 'Marathon Valley' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | This scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Wharton Ridge," which forms part of the southern wall of "Marathon Valley" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The full extent of Wharton Ridge is visible, with the floor of Endeavour Crater beyond it and the far wall of the crater in the distant background. Near the right edge of the scene is "Lewis and Clark Gap," through which Opportunity crossed from Marathon Valley to "Bitterroot Valley" in September 2016. Before the rover departed Marathon Valley, its panoramic camera (Pancam) acquired the component images for this scene on Aug. 30, 2016, during the 4,480th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars.Opportunity's science team chose the ridge's name to honor the memory of Robert A. Wharton (1951-2012), an astrobiologist who was a pioneer in the use of terrestrial analog environments, particularly in Antarctica, to study scientific problems connected to the habitability of Mars. Over the course of his career, he was a visiting senior scientist at NASA Headquarters, vice president for research at the Desert Research Institute, provost at Idaho State University, and president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The view spans from east-northeast at left to southeast at right. It merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). It is presented in approximately true color.JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
This artist's concept shows the proposed Capture, Containment, and Return System, a NASA payload on the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter. | This artist's concept shows the proposed Capture, Containment, and Return System, a NASA payload on the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter. The payload is tasked with capturing the Orbiting Sample container, orienting it, sterilizing its exterior, and transferring it into a clean zone for secondary containment, toward safe return to Earth.The Capture, Containment, and Return System is part of the multi-mission Mars Sample Return program being planned by NASA and European Space Agency (ESA).For more information, visit: mars.nasa.gov/msr. | |
These schematic drawings show a top view and a cutaway view of a section of the drill on NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. | These schematic drawings show a top view and a cutaway view of a section of the drill on NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. The section view on the right also indicates the flow of material within the drill bit.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows aprons that surround mesas and buttes of remnant layers on Mars' south polar cap such as two almost triangular features featuring a stair-stepped pattern that suggest these hills are layered. | This scene is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left.While Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images have shown that the north and south polar cap surfaces are very different from each other, one thing that the two have in common is that they both seem to have been eroded. Erosion in the north appears mostly to come in the form of pits from which ice probably sublimed to vapor and was transported away from the polar cap by wind. Erosion in the south takes on a wider range of possible processes that include collapse, slumping and mass-movement on slopes, and probably sublimation. Among the landforms created by these process on the south polar cap are the "aprons" that surround mesas and buttes of remnant layers such as the two almost triangular features in the lower quarter of this image. The upper slopes of the two triangular features show a stair-stepped pattern that suggest these hills are layered.This image shows part of the south polar residual cap near 86.9°S, 78.5°W, and covers an area approximately 1.2 by 1.0 kilometers (0.7 x 0.6 miles) in size. The image has a resolution of 2.2 meters per pixel. The picture was taken on September 11, 1999.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the rover's grinding of the rock dubbed 'Mazatzal.' Dark grey coating is seen after brushing remains on the right side of the hole, while the left side is the underlying basaltic rock. | This image was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera during the rover's grinding of the rock dubbed "Mazatzal" with its rock abrasion tool. The picture shows the rock after the rover drilled 3.8 millimeters (.15 inches) into the target dubbed "New York" on Sol 82. The dark grey coating seen after brushing remains on the right side of the hole, while the left side is the underlying basaltic rock. This approximate true-color image was created using the panoramic camera's red, green and blue filters. | |
This panoramic image, dubbed 'Rub al Khali,' was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the plains of Meridiani during the period from the May 6 to May 14, 2005. Opportunity was at a place known informally as 'Purgatory Dune.' | Click on the image for Opportunity's 'Rub al Khali' Panorama (QTVR)This panoramic image, dubbed "Rub al Khali," was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the plains of Meridiani during the period from the rover's 456th to 464th sols on Mars (May 6 to May 14, 2005). Opportunity was about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of "Endurance Crater" at a place known informally as "Purgatory Dune." The rover was stuck in the dune's deep fine sand for more than a month. "Rub al Khali" (Arabic translation: "the empty quarter") was chosen as the name for this panorama because it is the name of a similarly barren, desolate part of the Saudi Arabian desert on Earth.The view spans 360 degrees. It consists of images obtained in 97 individual pointings of the panoramic camera. The camera took images with five camera filters at each pointing. This 22,780-by-6,000-pixel mosaic is an approximately true-color rendering generated using the images acquired through filters admitting light wavelengths of 750, 530, and 480 nanometers.Lighting varied during the nine sols it took to acquire this panorama, resulting in some small image seams within the mosaic. These seams have been smoothed in sky parts of the mosaic to better simulate the vista that a person would see if able to view it all at the same time on Mars. Opportunity's tracks leading back to the north (center of the panorama) are a reminder of the rover's long trek from Endurance Crater. The deep ruts dug by Opportunity's wheels as it became stuck in the sand appear in the foreground. The crest and trough of the last ripple the rover crossed before getting stuck is visible in the center. These wind-formed sand features are only about 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) tall. The crest of the actual ripple where the rover got stuck can be seen just to the right of center. The tracks and a few other places on and near ripple crests can be seen in this color image to be dustier than the undisturbed or "normal" plains soils in Meridiani. Since the time these ruts were made, some of the dust there has been blown away by the wind, reaffirming the dynamic nature of the martian environment, even in this barren, ocean-like desert of sand. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a linear depression, part of Sirenum Fossae. | Context imageThe linear depression in this VIS image is part of Sirenum Fossae. Depressions of this type are called graben, which form by the down drop of material between two parallel faults. The faults are caused by extensional tectonic stresses in the region. The fossae are 2735km long (1700 miles).Orbit Number: 83781 Latitude: -39.5762 Longitude: 174.649 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-11-02 19:27Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a cross section of Pavonis Mons, including part of the summit caldera. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows a cross section of Pavonis Mons, including part of the summit caldera (circular depression). This caldera is approximately 5km (3 miles) deep, much deeper that the larger caldera that surrounds the northern and eastern sides of the small caldera. Pavonis Mons, like the other large volcanoes in the region, is a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. In shield volcanoes summit calderas are typically formed where the surface collapses into the void formed by an emptied magma chamber.Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. In order from north to south are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows that arose from the flanks of the volcanoes rather than the summit. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the three volcanoes, rising 14 km (8 miles) above the mean Mars surface level with a width of 375 km (233 miles). Like most shield volcanoes the surface has a low profile. In the case of Pavonis Mons the average slope is only 4 degrees.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 94566 Latitude: 0.498282 Longitude: 247.385 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-09 20:50Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows that dust avalanches, also called slope streaks, occur on many Martian terrains. This region of dust avalanches is located in and around a crater to the west of Tikhonravov Crater. | Dust avalanches, also called slope streaks, occur on many Martian terrains. The deposition of airborne dust on surfaces causes a bright tone in the THEMIS VIS images. Any movement of the dust downhill, a dust avalanche, will leave behind a streak where the darker, dust-free surface is exposed. This region of dust avalanches is located in and around a crater to the west of yesterday's image. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.7, Longitude 32.7 East (327.3 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark slope streaks on ridges in the Lycus Sulci region, north of the Olympus Mons volcano. Slope streaks form in the dry, dust-mantled regions of Mars. | 21 March 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark slope streaks on ridges in the Lycus Sulci region, north of the Olympus Mons volcano. Slope streaks form in the dry, dust-mantled regions of Mars. The darker streaks formed more recently than lighter ones, perhaps within the past Mars year or two. These streaks are located near 24.1°N, 146.1°W. This picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This stereo mosaic of images from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows surroundings of the rover's location following an 93.3-meter (306-foot) drive east-northeastward on Oct. 6, 2010. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA13491Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA13491This stereo mosaic of images from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a 90-degree view centered toward the east following a 93.3-meter (306-foot) drive east-northeastward during the 2,382nd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (Oct. 6, 2010). The view appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The camera took the component images for this mosaic on Sol 2382 after the drive. The terrain includes light-toned bedrock and darker ripples of wind-blown sand. On the following sol, Opportunity drove an additional 94.3 meters (309 feet) toward its long-term destination: the rim of Endeavour Crater. Portions of the rim, still more than 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, are visible in the horizon of this scene. This stereo view combines right-eye and left-eye views presented as cylindrical-perspective projections. | |
The trenches or 'fossae' are found in Athabasca Valles as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThese trenches or "fossae" are about a kilometer (0.62 miles) across. This area shows where two segments have joined up and are close to a third section.The fossae are probably areas where the surface has collapsed down into voids made from faults (huge cracks with movement on either side) that don't extend up to the surface. In structural geology, when multiple faults are closely spaced, we call that a relay zone. These zones have much higher stress built up in the crust and consequently tend to be more fractured. These fractures can serve as "pipes" for fluids (water, lava, gases) to flow through.This area corresponds with the youngest of Mars' giant outflow channels, Athabasca Valles, that is only 2 to 20 million years old and shows geologic evidence of having been formed and modified jointly by water and lava.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is from the Cydonia region of Mars. It illustrates how difficult it can be to identify modified impact craters in a region of collapse pits/craters. Generally collapse craters/pits have no rims and form lines. | This VIS image is from the Cydonia region of Mars. It illustrates how difficult it can be to identify modified impact craters in a region of collapse pits/craters. Generally collapse craters/pits have no rims and, due to structural control, form lines. Collapse pits/craters also may coalesce into scalloped-edged trenches. In this image, only the small rimmed features are likely to have formed due to impact.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 30.9, Longitude 345.2 East (14.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the complex channel called Mengala Valles. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the complex channel called Mengala Valles. The tear-drop shaped regions in the channel are called streamlined islands and the narrow "tail" points down stream.Orbit Number: 60732 Latitude: -5.55105 Longitude: 209.351 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-23 10:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows the calibration target for the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover. The calibration target is one square and a group of nine circles that look dark in the black-and-white image. | Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows the calibration target for the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover. The calibration target is one square and a group of nine circles that look dark in the black-and-white image. The calibration target set can be seen in the middle left in this image, to the right of the rover's power source. The materials used in these circles are the types of materials scientists anticipated they might encounter on Mars. The square is a titanium alloy with a painted edge.Figure 1 is an annotated version indicating where the target is.The ChemCam instrument will be firing a series of powerful, but invisible, laser pulses at a target rock or soil. It is located on the rover's mast, near the Navigation camera that took this image. A telescopic camera known as the remote micro-imager will show the context of the spots hit with the laser. This image was taken by the right-side Navigation camera on Aug. 16, 2012.
JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena.
For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Spirit's Shadow, Sol 153 (Right Eye) | This is the right-eye half of a stereo pair of mosaics created from navigation camera images acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during Spirit's sol 153, on June 8, 2004. It is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection. Spirit is pointing toward the base of the "Columbia Hills."See PIA06049 for 3-D view and PIA06050 for left eye view of this right eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
These stills are from the first rover movie which showed the rover being deployed and touching down on the Martian surface. NASA's Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | These stills are from the first rover movie which showed the rover being deployed and touching down on the Martian surface.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-574, 14 December 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an active dust devil making its way across an intercrater surface in western Daedalia Planum. This picture, a MOC "classic," was obtained back in October 1999. Sunlight illuminates the scene [missing text] curved shadow cast by the spinning column of air can be seen to the right of the dust devil. This area is located near 10.0°S, 143.0°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows streamlined landforms carved by catastrophic floods that occurred in the eastern Cerberus region on Mars, some time in the distant martian past. | 16 October 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows streamlined landforms carved by catastrophic floods that occurred in the eastern Cerberus region, some time in the distant martian past.Location near: 15.1°N, 193.5°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a young crater. Dark radial spokes are created by the explosive blast of an impact event. With time, only thick ejecta near the rim of the crater will be visible, and dark spokes will disappear. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a young crater. The dark radial "spokes" are created by the explosive blast of the impact event. These "spokes" are very thin and are easily covered by dust depositing from the atmosphere. With time, only the thick ejecta near the rim of the crater will be visible, and the dark "spokes" will "disappear."Orbit Number: 47447 Latitude: 19.4223 Longitude: 59.2318 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-24 23:32Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Disturbed Soil Along the Path from 'Tyrone'(Panorama) | This view shows tracks created by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit while traveling from the bright soil deposit seen in the upper right, informally named "Tyrone," to the vehicle's current location, dubbed "Winter Haven." Spirit parked at "Winter Haven" on a small north-facing slope to maximize solar energy input during the Martian winter. This stayover presents an opportunity to do more intensive, long-term investigations of the rover's surroundings than are typically possible during warmer seasons when the vehicle spends more time driving from place to place. One of these activities is assessing the influence of wind by monitoring surface changes. Experience from the Viking Landers of the 1970s suggests that wind-related surface changes are more likely to occur in recently disturbed soil. This mosaic view combines two cameras' images of disturbed soil in Spirit's tracks, taken shortly after arriving at Winter Haven. It will provide a comparison with future images to help reveal any wind-related surface changes.The mosaic includes images of the rover's tracks obtained through the left eye of the navigation camera on the rover's 807th Martian day, or sol (April 11, 2006), merged with higher-resolution images obtained through the 750-nanomater filter in the left eye of the panoramic camera on sol 835 (May 9, 2006). | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Alba Patera, a very large old volcano on the surface of Mars. While still impressive in height, it no longer towers over the surrounding plains. | Context image for PIA10816CollapseAlba Patera is a very large old volcano on the surface of Mars. While still impressive in height, it no longer towers over the surrounding plains. It is thought that after a major eruption that emptied the magma chamber beneath Alba Patera the entire volcano collapsed into the empty space below. This collapse is marked by extensive fracturing. This VIS image shows collapse on a much smaller scale.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 35.5N, Longitude 245.4E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large trough in the north polar cap near the head of Chasma Boreale. | Context imageThis false color image is located near the head of Chasma Boreale, a large trough in the north polar cap. The floor of the trough is mostly ice free. The linear features in the image are wind driven erosion of the trough floor.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: 60947 Latitude: 84.2441 Longitude: 332.444 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-10 03:39Please 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 Exploration Rover Spirit took this microscopic image of the drift dubbed 'Serpent' on Mars after successfully digging into the side of the drift. The drift is dominated by larger pea-shaped particles. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this microscopic imager picture of the drift dubbed "Serpent" on Spirit's 73rd martian day on Mars after successfully digging into the side of the drift. The image, which has a black box at the top caused by missing data, captures a transition part of the drift where lighter, undisturbed material meets disturbed, darker material. The microscopic view of the undisturbed material reveals sphere-like grains with diameters between one and two millimeters (.04 and .08 inches), which are similar to the grains Spirit observed in other drift areas near Spirit's landing site, Gusev Crater. These larger grains form a single layer or crust on the surface of the drift and are covered in a fine layer of martian dust.Most interesting to scientists are the fine grains making up the interior of Serpent drift. The grains of sand found within drifts or dunes on Earth are usually about 200 micrometers (.008 inches) in diameter--much like sand on a beach. On Earth, dunes are formed when sand particles of this size are bounced across a surface by wind and collect together as drifts. Smaller particles, like the ones making up Serpent drift, would not necessarily collect into a dune on Earth, but would more likely be distributed across the surface like dust. The fine grains making up the interior of Serpent drift are no larger than 50 or 60 micrometers (.002 inches) and can be compared to silt on Earth.How did this very fine material managed to accumulate into a drift? Earth-based tests that simulate the wind speed and atmospheric density of Mars have found it difficult to reproduce dunes with grain particles as small as those found in the Serpent drift. However, Earth-based tests cannot duplicate the gravity of Mars, which is one-third that of the gravity on Earth. This environmental factor is a likely contributor to the diminutive material making up Serpent drift. | |
Walls of Noctus Labyrinthus | Image PSP_001404_1720 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 13, 2006. The complete image is centered at -7.7 degrees latitude, 269.2 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 254.6 km (159.1 miles). At this distance the image scale is 25.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:32 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 58 degrees, thus the sun was about 32 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 135.0 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
The image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity illustrates the tremendous variety of soil types and shapes found in Eagle Crater on Mars. | This mosaic of microscopic images (each about two centimeters by two centimeters or .8 inches by .8 inches) from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity illustrates the tremendous variety of soil types and shapes observed by the science team during the recent "Eagle Crater" five-target soil survey. Scientists are working to understand the sorting mechanisms that have distributed the various soil types. The survey was conducted from sol 52 to sol 56."Punaluu's" largest particles are similar to those seen in the "Eagle Crater" outcrop (see also PIA05640). There are also some smaller, more irregular rounded particles that have likely been transported by wind. The "Lanikai" target reveals irregularly shaped, light-colored, millimeter-sized (0.04 inch-sized) clasts, or particles, in a fine-grained soil (see also PIA05646). Lanikai's angular, less-rounded clast shapes interested the science team when compared to other soil targets in the crater area studied by the microscopic imager. The image of "Neopolitan" highlights the border between two different soil types - a lighter, finer-grained unit to the left and a darker, coarser-grained to the right (see also PIA05648). Scientists are pondering the unusually distinct border between these different soil types. "Cookies and Cream" (see also PIA05649) is a mixture of light and dark soil units in the "Neopolitan" area. There are several different types of clasts, or particles, held in surrounding fine-grained sands: rounded spherules, angular, irregular fragments (containing what are presumably vesicles or small cavities) and smaller, about one millimeter-sized (0.04 inch-sized), rounded clasts. At "Vanilla," the microscopic images have revealed small grains one millimeter (0.04 inch) or less in size and somewhat lighter in color than those in other soil units observed in the crater (see also PIA05650). "Mudpie" is representative of the soils lower in the crater, a fair distance from the outcrop. It contains spherules and irregularly shaped vesicles held in a dark sand. In the "Black Forest" area at the target referred to as "Brian's Choice" are irregularly shaped clasts, low in hematite content based on miniature thermal emission spectrometer readings. Presumably, the particles in this area are more affected by winds since they are on the outer part of crater and are likely deposited and re-distributed by wind on a fairly frequent basis. | |
This area seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is known as the Deuteronilus contact of the Isidis Basin; it has been interpreted as a possible ancient shoreline. There are also suggestions that this contact is of volcanic origin. | This area -- known as the Deuteronilus contact of the Isidis Basin -- has been interpreted as a possible ancient shoreline. There are also suggestions that this contact is of volcanic origin.One direct benefit of a high resolution image is the ability to monitor the detailed morphology of the contact to help to determine whether this formation is the result of an ocean or of a volcanic filling of the Isidis Basin.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows from Arsia Mons on Mars. The different tones of brightness are indicative of the relative ages of the flows in the images. The small circular features are impact craters. | This nighttime IR image is of lava flows from Arsia Mons. The different tones of brightness in the nighttime IR are indicative of the relative ages of the flows in the images. The small circular features are impact craters.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -5.7, Longitude 243.5 East (116.5 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. | |
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 Ophir 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 Ophir Chasma.Orbit Number: 35733 Latitude: -3.49485 Longitude: 287.291 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-01-03 12:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-March 2005. | 22 March 2005 This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 176° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 176° occurred in mid-March 2005. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Location near: 79.1°N, 228.8°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer/Southern Winter | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Ius and Tithonium Chasmata, located at the western end of Valles Marineris. | Context imageIus and Tithonium Chasmata are located at the western end of Valles Marineris. Tithonium Chasma is north of Ius Chasma. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long (2495 miles), almost as wide as the United States. Ius Chasma is almost 840 kilometers long (522 miles), 120 kilometers wide and over 8 kilometers deep. Tithonium Chasma is 803 km (499 miles) long. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 175 kilometers long (109 miles), 30 kilometers wide, and only 2 kilometers deep. The canyons of Valles Marineris were formed by extensive fracturing and pulling apart of the crust during the uplift of the vast Tharsis plateau. Landslides have enlarged the canyon walls and created deposits on the canyon floor. Weathering of the surface and influx of dust and sand have modified the canyon floor, both creating and modifying layered materials. There are many features that indicate flowing and standing water played a part in the chasma formation. The rugged floor of Ius Chasma (bottom of image) is comprised of large landslide deposits.Orbit Number: 92700 Latitude: -5.02133 Longitude: 273.439 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-11-07 04:26Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the summit of Ascraeus Mons. Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost and tallest of the three large aligned Tharsis volcanoes. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the summit of Ascraeus Mons. Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost and tallest of the three large aligned Tharsis volcanoes. Calderas are found at the tops of volcanoes and are the source region for magma that rises from an underground lava source to erupt at the surface. Volcanoes are formed by repeated flows from the central caldera. The final eruptions can pool within the summit caldera, leaving a flat surface as they cool. Calderas are also a location of collapse, creating rings of tectonic faults that form the caldera rim. Ascraeus Mons has several caldera features at its summit. Ascraeus Mons is 18 km (11 miles) tall, for comparison Mauna Kea – the tallest volcano on Earth – is 10 km tall (6.2 miles, measured from the base below sea level).Orbit Number: 93767 Latitude: 11.2722 Longitude: 11.2722 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-03 01:58Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows low-albedo sand dunes in the north polar region of Mars. | 10 April 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows low-albedo sand dunes in the north polar region. The slip faces on the dunes face toward the lower left, indicating that the dominant winds in this region blow or blew from the upper right.Location near: 82.4°N, 46.5°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer | |
The navigation camera on NASA's Spirit caught this stereo view of a dust devil during the on May 21, 2009. The view is to the west from Spirit's position at the 'Troy' location where Spirit had become embedded a few weeks earlier. 3D glasses are needed. | The navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit caught this stereo view of a dust devil during the 1,913th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (May 21, 2009).The view is to the west from Spirit's position at the "Troy" location where Spirit had become embedded a few weeks earlier. The dust-lofting whirlwind is out on the plain west of the Columbia Hills range that Spirit has been exploring since five months after landing on the plain in January 2004. In the foreground is the northern end of a ridge called "Tsiolkovsky," about 25 meters (about 80 feet) from Troy.This view combines images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera. It appears three-dimensional when seen through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. Dust devils occur on both Mars and on Earth when solar energy heats the surface, resulting in a layer of warm air just above the surface. Since the warmed air is less dense than the cooler atmosphere above it, it rises, making a swirling thermal plume that picks up the fine dust from the surface and carries it up into the atmosphere. This plume of dust moves with the local wind. | |
This image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity showing a sinuous trough in the plains of Meridiani Planum with curious dimples. | This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's navigation camera was taken on the rover's 71st sol on the red planet. On the previous sol, the rover drove beside a sinuous trough in the plains of Meridiani Planum to get a closer look at its curious dimples. The rover then approached the pictured trough area referred to as "Anatolia." From a distance, the rocks here resemble those in the "Eagle Crater" outcrop. These rocks will be imaged in greater detail with the rover's cameras. | |
The windstreaks in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the lava plains between Pavonis Mons and Noctis Fossae. | Context imageThe windstreaks in this VIS image are located on the lava plains between Pavonis Mons and Noctis Fossae. Streaks form on the down wind side of positive topographic features (like hills and crater rims), indicating that the winds which created these streaks blew to the north east in this region.Orbit Number: 53285 Latitude: -1.22511 Longitude: 255.604 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-18 07:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This panorama from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover was taken on Dec. 19, 2018 (Sol 2265). | Photojournal Note: Also available is the original source, full resolution PNG file, PIA23042_full.png (29163 x 6791 pixels). This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software.This panorama was taken on Dec. 19, 2018, (Sol 2265) by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. The rover's last drill location on Vera Rubin Ridge is visible, as well as the clay region it will spend the next year exploring.The scene combines 122 images taken with Mastcam's left-eye camera. It is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth.Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates the Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This graph presents simplified data from overnight measurements by the Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander from noon of the mission's 70th Martian day, or sol, to noon the following sol (Aug. 5 to Aug. 6, 2008). | This graph presents simplified data from overnight measurements by the Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander from noon of the mission's 70th Martian day, or sol, to noon the following sol (Aug. 5 to Aug. 6, 2008).The graph shows that water disappeared from the atmosphere overnight, at the same time that electrical measurements detected changes consistent with addition of water to the soil.Water in soil appears to increase overnight, when water in the atmosphere disappears.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 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 continues the northward trend through the Iani Chaos region. Compare this image to Monday's and Tuesday's. This image was collected during the Southern Fall season.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -0.1 Longitude 342.6 East (17.4 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. | |
Swirls of Rock in Candor Chasma | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_001984_1735) shows spectacular layers exposed on the bottom of Candor Chasma, which is a large canyon in the Valles Marineris system. The floor here is approximately 4 km below the canyon rim. The layers are made of sand- and dust-sized particles that were transported here by either wind or water. This canyon may have been filled to its rim by these sedimentary layers, subsequently eroded away, most likely by the wind. The elongate hills may represent areas of rock that are stronger due to differences in the size of the sedimentary particles, chemical alteration, or both. One of the most eye-catching aspects of this scene are the intricate swirls that these layers form. Sedimentary rock generally accumulates in horizontal layers. These layers, however, have been folded into the patterns that we see today. Folding of the layers that are exposed here may have occurred due to the weight of overlying sediments. Understanding the geologic history of this region may provide clues into the history of water on Mars, because these layers may have accumulated in shallow lakes and may have undergone chemical reactions with this water. The presence of certain kinds of chemical reactions between water and rock can release energy that could have sustained habitable oases in these areas. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006Local Mars time: 3:39 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -6.5°Degrees longitude (East): 283.1°Range to target site: 261.6 km (163.5 miles)Original image scale range: 26.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~79 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 0.9°Phase angle: 56.1°Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizonSolar longitude: 157.8°, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
Sample material from the fourth scoop of Martian soil collected by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is on the rover's observation tray in this image taken during the mission's 78th Martian sol, (Oct. 24, 2012) by Curiosity's left Navigation Camera. | Sample material from the fourth scoop of Martian soil collected by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is on the rover's observation tray in this image taken during the mission's 78th Martian day, or sol, (Oct. 24, 2012) by Curiosity's left Navigation Camera. The tray is 3 inches (7.8 centimeters) in diameter. JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
The suggested area in this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is characterized by a group of cones, shield-like features, and round mounds. They are a few hundred meters to kilometers in diameter but their heights are unknown. | The suggested area in this observation is characterized by a group of cones, shield-like features, and round mounds. They are a few hundred meters to kilometers in diameter but their heights are unknown.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 July 13, 2011 | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows several large, dark slope streaks formed on the wall of a trough on the lower north flank of the giant Tharsis shield volcano, Pavonis Mons. | This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows several large, dark slope streaks formed on the wall of a trough on the lower north flank of the giant Tharsis shield volcano, Pavonis Mons. The layered rock in the upper wall of the slope shown here is probably volcanic (lava flows). The ancient lava flows and the troughs cut through them have been thickly mantled by windblown dust. From time to time, dry dust avalanches will create streaks such as those shown here. This scene is located near 4.1°N, 111.5°W, and has been rotated such that north is toward the bottom, west to the right. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the right/lower right. The picture covers an area approximately 0.8 km (1/2 mile) wide by about 1.7 km (~1 mile) long. |
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