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This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Patapsco Vallis, a channel located east of Elysium Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a section of Patapsco Vallis, a channel located east of Elysium Mons. Patapsco Vallis, as other valley systems on the Elysium Mons volcanic complex, was likely formed by the flow of lava rather than water.Orbit Number: 81192 Latitude: 23.6547 Longitude: 153.166 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-03 16:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This view combines four frames from Spirit's panoramic camera, looking in the drive direction on the rover's 680th Martian day, or sol (Dec. 1, 2005). 'Algonquin' is the information name given to the outcrop of apparently layered bedrock. | This view combines four frames from Spirit's panoramic camera, looking in the drive direction on the rover's 680th Martian day, or sol (Dec. 1, 2005). The outcrop of apparently layered bedrock has the informal name "Algonquin." | |
This view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Endurance Crater' in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. | This view looking toward the northeast across "Endurance Crater" in Mars' Meridiani Planum region was assembled from frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 131st martian day, or sol, on June 6, 2004. That was two sols before Opportunity entered the crater, taking the route nearly straight ahead in this image into the "Karatepe" area of the crater. This view is a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This image taken by the hazard-avoidance camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover investigating a bright patch of soil dubbed 'Mont Blanc' on Meridiani Planum. | This image taken by the hazard-avoidance camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover investigating a bright patch of soil dubbed "Mont Blanc." The rover used its microscopic imager, located on the instrument deployment device, or arm, to take pictures of Mont Blanc on sol 59, two sols after it exited 'Eagle Crater.' Later, Opportunity observed the spot with its Moessbauer and alpha particle X-ray spectrometers, also located on the arm. Though Mont Blanc appears unusually bright amidst the dark plains of Meridiani Planum, scientists believe it is the same red dust that blankets most of the surface of Mars. The soil patch appears to have collected downwind of Eagle Crater. The rover is facing northwest. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows and a portion of Buvinda Vallis, a channel located at the base of Hecates Tholus. | Context image for PIA10854Buvinda VallisThis VIS image shows lava flows and a portion of Buvinda Vallis, a channel located at the base of Hecates Tholus.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 33.1N, Longitude 152.3E. 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. | |
On June 19, 2005, NASA's Spirit rover took this true-color panorama nicknamed 'Sunset Ridge' showing the terrain that lay ahead of the rover. | Click on the image for Looking Up from the Deep (QTVR)Not long after conducting extensive investigations of tilted martian rock layers along its path, NASA's Spirit rover prepared to resume the trek to the top of the "Columbia Hills" in June. This panorama, nicknamed "Sunset Ridge," shows the terrain that lay ahead of the rover on Spirit's 519th martian day, or sol (June 19, 2005). On the left is the summit of "Husband Hill," Spirit's objective at that time. This mosaic of images is an approximate true-color rendering of snapshots taken by the rover's panoramic camera using 750-, 530-, and 430-nanometer filters. Spirit took these images at approximately 3 p.m. local true solar time in Gusev Crater on Mars. The rover then continued to climb throughout July, making numerous scientific investigations of martian rocks along the way. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Rzvius Valles, located on the northern flank of Alba Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Rzvius Valles, located on the northern flank of Alba Mons.Orbit Number: 60281 Latitude: 46.16 Longitude: 252.006 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-07-17 07:09Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Athabasca Valles. The tear shaped features in the image are called streamlined islands. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Athabasca Valles. The tear shaped features in the image are called streamlined islands. They are formed by the erosion of pre-existing positive topographic features that deflect the fluid around them. The narrow "tail" of the island points downstream, in this case from the upper right to the lower left.Orbit Number: 78846 Latitude: 9.30566 Longitude: 156.14 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-09-23 11:57Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the distal (far) end of a landslide deposit in Coprates Chasma, part of the vast Valles Marineris trough system on Mars. Large boulders, the size of buildings, occur on the landslide surface. | 15 November 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the distal (far) end of a landslide deposit in Coprates Chasma, part of the vast Valles Marineris trough system. Large boulders, the size of buildings, occur on the landslide surface. This October 2004 picture is located near 15.3°S, 54.6°W, and covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
In this image the martian surface is completely hidden from view by thick clouds. The thickness of the clouds indicates the dust is a major component of the clouds as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context image for PIA02182Where's the Surface?In this image the martian surface is completely hidden from view by thick clouds. The thickness of the clouds indicates the dust is a major component of the clouds. Images like this one can provide vital information about the atmosphere and climate of Mars today. This image was collected during late summer near the south pole.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -69.9N, Longitude 235.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows outcrops of south polar layered terrain enhanced by bright patches of carbon dioxide frost. | 30 September 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows outcrops of south polar layered terrain. Their appearance in this July 2005 springtime image is enhanced by bright patches of carbon dioxide frost. The frost is left over from the previous southern winter season; by summer, the frost would be gone.Location near: 84.6°S, 203.5°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a sand sheet with surface dune forms located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Vastitas Borealis. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a sand sheet with surface dune forms located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Vastitas Borealis.Orbit Number: 62680 Latitude: 71.9401 Longitude: 344.635 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-30 21:00Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in July 2003, showing mesas with interesting erosional patterns just south of Olympus Mons on Mars. | Released 21 July 2003Located not far south of Olympus Mons, these mesas show interesting erosional patterns. Some of their slopes, particularly those on the eastern-facing sides, show a debris with a blocky and somewhat etched appearance. In the bottom half of the image, where the mesas become more common, small bright bedforms snake between the mesas. Perhaps they are formed from locally-derived materials eroding off the mesa slopes. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 9.3, Longitude 227.1 East (132.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows that make up Daedalia Planum. These flows originate at Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows that make up Daedalia Planum. These flows originate at Arsia Mons.Orbit Number: 58379 Latitude: -24.4283 Longitude: 237.799 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-02-10 15:13Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a region of the south pole where the surface has developed linear markings, a pattern not unlike a thumbprint. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a region of the south pole where the surface has developed linear markings, a pattern not unlike a thumbprint.Orbit Number: 48024 Latitude: -86.1515 Longitude: 307.082 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-11 09:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this vista of Victoria Crater from the viewpoint of Cape Verde, one of the promontories that are part of the scalloped rim of the crater. Opportunity drove onto Cape Verde shortly after arriving at the ri | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this vista of "Victoria Crater" from the viewpoint of "Cape Verde," one of the promontories that are part of the scalloped rim of the crater. Opportunity drove onto Cape Verde shortly after arriving at the rim of Victoria in September 2006. The view combines hundreds of exposures taken by the rover's panoramic camera (Pancam). The camera began taking the component images during Opportunity's 970th Martian day, or sol, on Mars (Oct. 16, 2006). Work on the panorama continued through the solar conjunction period, when Mars was nearly behind the sun from Earth's perspective and communications were minimized. Acquisition of images for this panorama was completed on Opportunity's 991st sol (Nov. 7, 2006).The top of Cape Verde is in the immediate foreground at the center of the image. To the left and right are two of the more gradually sloped bays that alternate with the cliff-faced capes or promontories around the rim of the crater. "Duck Bay," where Opportunity first reached the rim, is to the right. Beyond Duck Bay counterclockwise around the rim, the next promontory is "Cabo Frio," about 150 meters (500 feet) from the rover. On the left side of the panorama is "Cape St. Mary," the next promontory clockwise from Cape Verde and about 40 meters (130 feet) from the rover. The vantage point atop Cape Verde offered a good view of the rock layers in the cliff face of Cape St. Mary, which is about 15 meters or 50 feet tall. By about two weeks after the Pancam finished collecting the images for this panorama, Opportunity had driven to Cape St. Mary and was photographing Cape Verde's rock layers.The far side of the crater lies about 800 meters (half a mile) away, toward the southeast.This view combines images taken through three of the Pancam's filters, admitting light with wavelengths centered at 750 nanometers (near infrared), 530 nanometers (green) and 430 nanometers (violet). It is presented in false color to emphasize differences among materials in the rocks and soils. | |
This vertical 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 vertical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Daedalia Planum. Daedalia Planum is a huge lava flow field that originates at Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Daedalia Planum. Daedalia Planum is a huge lava flow field that originates at Arsia Mons, the southermost of the three large aligned Tharsis region volcanoes. Individual lava flows can have lengths up to almost 180 km (111 miles). The longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (31 miles). The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km — more than four times the size of Texas.Orbit Number: 78207 Latitude: -14.2806 Longitude: 235.365 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-08-01 20:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity along the eastern rim of 'Endurance Crater' before reaching the beginning of the 'Karatepe' area on Mars. | This left eye of a stereo pair of views in a cylindrical-perspective projection was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity acquired on sol 103 (May 8, 2004). Opportunity traversed approximately 13 meters (about 43 feet) farther south along the eastern rim of "Endurance Crater" before reaching the beginning of the "Karatepe" area. Scientists believe this layered band of rock may be a good place to begin studying Endurance because it is less steep and more approachable than the rest of the crater's rocky outcrops.See PIA05907 for 3-D view and PIA05909 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This image, taken at a region of the rock outcrop dubbed 'Shoemaker's Patio' near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, shows finely layered sediments, accentuated by erosion and sphere-like grains or 'blueberries.' | This false-color composite image, taken at a region of the rock outcrop dubbed "Shoemaker's Patio" near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, shows finely layered sediments, which have been accentuated by erosion. The sphere-like grains or "blueberries" distributed throughout the outcrop can be seen lining up with individual layers. This observation indicates that the spherules are geologic features called concretions, which form in pre-existing wet sediments. Other sphere-like grains, such as impact spherules or volcanic lapilli (fragments of material etween 2 and 64 millimeters or .08 and 2.5 inches in maximum dimension that are ejected from a volcano) are thought to be deposited with sediments and thus would form layers distinct from those of the rocks. This image was captured by the rover's panoramic camera on the 50th martian day, or sol, of the mission. Data from the camera's infrared, green and violet filters were used to create this false-color picture. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Ravi Vallis. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Ravi Vallis.Orbit Number: 56073 Latitude: 0.182473 Longitude: 320.807 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-08-04 19:24Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is near the margin between Coprates Chasma and Melas Chasma on Mars. | Context imageToday's VIS image is further west from yesterday's image. This image is near the margin between Coprates Chasma and Melas Chasma.Orbit Number: 51423 Latitude: -12.124 Longitude: 291.311 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-18 02:40Please 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 layers of Mars' south polar layered deposits. | On December 3, 1999, the Mars Polar Lander will touch down on the upper surface of a thick accumulation of layered material known as the "South Polar Layered Deposits." The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has been providing stunning new pictures of the south polar layered deposits that, in conjunction with Mars Polar Lander observations, will eventually help answer many questions about this terrain.Both the north and south polar regions are blanketed by thick accumulations of layered material. This has been known since the 1971-1972 mission of Mariner 9. Based upon data from the Mariner and Viking projects in the 1970s, the polar layered deposits have long been considered to be accumulations of dust and ice. The layering is thought to indicate changes in how ice and dust accumulate at the poles over the course of millenia. Changes in climate might affect the thickness and composition of polar layers in a way that is analogous to how years of drought and years of plentiful rain change the width of rings in a tree trunk on Earth.The pictures shown here provide new details of what the south polar layered deposits look like at extremely high resolution from the MGS MOC. The picture on the left is a context frame taken at the same time as the high resolution view on the right. The context image covers an area about 115 km (71 mi) across and shows a thick, smooth blanket of material covering the upper 2/3 of the frame. This thick blanket is the south polar layered deposit material. The circular features at the lower left in the context image are craters occurring outside the polar layered deposit. More craters occur underneath the polar layered deposits. The small white box indicates the location of the MOC high resolution image (right) along the edge of the polar layered deposits. The picture is illuminated from the lower right.The picture on the right shows one of the clearest and highest-resolution images of south polar layered material ever obtained. Located at 73.0°S, 224.5°W, this picture covers an area approximately 550 km (340 miles) northwest of where the Mars Polar Lander will touch down in December. Illuminated from the lower right, this scene covers an area 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide and 4.6 km (1.9 mi) long. The smallest objects that can be seen are about the sizes of automobiles. Small dark streaks in the upper right are formed from winds that have blown small patches of sediment across the surface of the layered material. Layers of only a few meters thickness are exposed along the edge of the polar layered deposits. The amount of dust versus ice in these layers is unknown. It is hoped that the Mars Polar Lander will be able to help determine--at least for the upper layers of the deposit--how much ice is present. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a landslide deposit from the cliffside along Tiu Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a landslide deposit from the cliffside along Tiu Valles. The mesas at the bottom of the image are part of Hydraotes Chaos.Orbit Number: 64820 Latitude: 2.76947 Longitude: 326.791 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-07-25 02:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image comes from observations of Newton crater by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter where features appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fade in cold seasons. | Click on the image for the movieThis series of images shows warm-season features that might be evidence of salty liquid water active on Mars today. Evidence for that possible interpretation is presented in a report by McEwen et al. in the Aug. 5, 2011, edition of Science.These images come from observations of Newton crater, at 41.6 degrees south latitude, 202.3 degrees east longitude, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In time, the series spans from early spring of one Mars year to mid-summer of the following year. The images taken from oblique angles have been adjusted so that all steps in the sequence show the scene as if viewed from directly overhead.The features that extend down the slope during warm seasons are called recurring slope lineae. They are narrow (one-half to five yards or meters wide), relatively dark markings on steep (25 to 40 degree) slopes at several southern hemisphere locations. Repeat imaging by HiRISE shows the features appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fade in cold seasons. They extend downslope from bedrock outcrops, often associated with small channels, and hundreds of them form in rare locations. They appear and lengthen in the southern spring and summer from 48 degrees to 32 degrees south latitudes favoring equator-facing slopes. These times and places have peak surface temperatures from about 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit to 80 degree above zero Fahrenheit (about 250 to 300 Kelvin). Liquid brines near the surface might explain this activity, but the exact mechanism and source of the water are not understood.The series is timed to dwell two seconds on the first and last frames and one second on intermediate frames, though network or computer performance may cause this to vary. The legend on each image gives the exact HiRISE observation number so that additional image products from the observation and information about the observation can be found on the HiRISE website (e.g., the first image of the series is from ESP_011428_1380, at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_011428_1380). The legend also marks the Mars year and seasonal identifier (Ls) for each image. The Mars years begin with the first years of Mars exploration by robot spacecraft. This sequence includes images from Mars Year 29 and Mars Year 30. Ls stands for longitude of the sun, dividing the year into 360 degrees to mark the seasons. Ls = 180 is the beginning of southern spring, Ls = 270 is the beginning of southern summer, and Ls = 360 (or 0) is the beginning of southern autumn.Other imagery related to these new findings from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/gallery/gallery-index.html.HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument 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 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Navigation Camera (Navcam) to capture this view partway back down a slope it climbed toward 'Marias Pass' on lower Mount Sharp. The image was taken May 22, 2015. | Figure 1Click on the image for larger version
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Navigation Camera (Navcam) to capture this view partway back down a slope it climbed toward "Marias Pass" on lower Mount Sharp. The image was taken May 22, 2015, during the 992nd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. A rock about a wheel's width to the left of the foreground wheel in this image is a target called "Elk," where Curiosity's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument detected a composition about 80 percent silica. Silica is a mineral-forming chemical combining silicon and oxygen, commonly found on Earth in the form of quartz, but also existing in many other forms.Figure 1 includes annotation identifying the Elk target.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Curiosity project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL built the rover and Navcam. For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows severely tilted, or dipping, layered rocks in Oudemans Crater in the Valles Marineris region of Mars. The rocks have a light tone and are somewhat broken-up by faults. These rocks were deposited in flat-lying layers. | 11 August 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows severely tilted--dipping--layered rocks in Oudemans Crater in the Valles Marineris region of Mars. The rocks have a light tone and are somewhat broken-up by faults. These rocks were deposited in flat-lying layers. Sometime later, Oudemans Crater formed by meteor impact. When that occurred, rocks that were underneath the site of the impact were uplifted and tilted by the force of the impact. The light tone and repeated nature of some of the layers suggests that these may be sedimentary rocks.Location near: 10.2°S, 92.0°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Southern Spring | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Gusev Crater on Mars. The Spirit/Columbia Memorial Station is clearly seen as a bright feature, as are the parachute and backshell from which the rover Spirit was detached. | Click on image for larger view 23 January 2004 The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), operating in martian orbit since September 1997, acquired an image of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A), Spirit, on 19 January 2004. The Spirit/Columbia Memorial Station is clearly seen as a bright feature in the image, as are the parachute and backshell from which Spirit was detached during the landing on 4 January 2004 (see inset for annotation). Also evident is a dark scar on the rim of a crater to the northeast of the lander; this dark marking was not present prior to landing, and is believed to have been caused by the impact of Spirit's heatshield. The lander is white because the data received from Mars were saturated at this location--that is, the lander was so much brighter than the surrounding terrain that the camera saw it as a white object.The image shown here is located in Gusev Crater near 14.7°S, 184.6°W. North is up and sunlight illuminates each image from the left. The MOC image was acquired near 2 p.m. local time on Mars. The lander appears white because the DNs (data numbers) received from Mars for the lander were 255--the maximum possible (i.e., the lander was saturated). The values were saturated because of the high sun elevation angle and the fact that the lander and parachute are covered with highly reflective, light-toned materials (as seen in the lander portrait released on 21 January 2004). | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small section of Mawrth Vallis in Arabia Terra. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a small section of Mawrth Vallis in Arabia Terra.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: 60877 Latitude: 23.0343 Longitude: 342.383 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-04 08:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at Airfield Mu was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance on April 14, 2023. | Figure AThis image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at "Airfield Mu" was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance on April 14, 2023, the 764th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission. The helicopter's landing hazard avoidance algorithm helped guide it to a safe landing at Mu the previous sol, after completing its 50th flight. The helicopter is just below and to the left of center in the image. It is about 720 feet (220 meters) away from the rover. The approximately 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) split boulder, which appears to be directly in front and to the right of the helicopter, is actually about 380 feet (115 meters) in front of the rotorcraft. Figure A is an annotated version of image indicating Ingenuity.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which 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'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. | |
This image mosaic from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the distant horizon from Opportunity's position inside a small crater at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | Click on the image for Opportunity's Heatshield on the Horizon (QTVR)This image mosaic from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the distant horizon from Opportunity's position inside a small crater at Meridiani Planum, Mars. To the left is a large crater about 700 meters (2,296 feet) away from the landing site and approximately 200 meters (656 feet) in diameter. In the center, Opportunity's heatshield and its impact mark can be seen at a distance of approximately 875 meters (one-half mile) from the landing site. To the right, a string of bounce marks left by the rover's airbags is visible. Near the mark just outside the landing site crater's rim is the largest rock in the area. This rock is about 40 centimeters (16 inches) across and 50 meters (164 feet) from the rover's position. The image is an enhanced color composite acquired on the 35th and 36th martian days, or sols, of Opportunity's journey, using three different wavelength filters. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Kasei Valles. Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Kasei Valles. Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars, in places up to 482 km (300 miles) wide and 1580 km (982 miles) long. For comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is is only 29 km (18 miles) at its widest and only 446 km (277 miles) long. Kasei Valles flows eastward through Lunae Planum and empties into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 80538 Latitude: 24.6507 Longitude: 300.343 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-02-09 19:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Chaos and small channels mark the boundary between the highlands of Terra Sabaea and the lowlands of Utopia Planitia in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageChaos and small channels mark the boundary between the highlands of Terra Sabaea and the lowlands of Utopia Planitia.Orbit Number: 38884 Latitude: 30.4564 Longitude: 81.8197 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-20 01:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 3, 2004 shows dark streaks where wind has either scoured off the brighter martian dust or has covered it up by sand in Gusev Crater, the site of Spirit's landing. | Released 3 January 2004This evening at approximately 8:35 PST the Mars Exploration Rover named Spirit will bounce to the ground somewhere in this scene. The image is composed of nine THEMIS VIS frames that have been mosaiced together, producing a complete picture of the region in which the rover is predicted to land.The dark streaks are places where wind has either scoured off the brighter martian dust or has covered it up by sand. Note the interesting lobes of material evident along the right side of the image just below the large crater. These may be due to the emplacement of water rich sediments or possibly lava flows. It is hoped that Spirit and all of its instruments will help us to understand the rich geologic history that is on display in this image. The biggest question to be answered: was Gusev Crater filled with water sometime in its ancient past? Stay tuned...Mosaic produced by Noel Gorelick, ASU/THEMIS Team.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -14.8, Longitude 175.2 East (184.8 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars in mid-February 2006. | 15 February 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 12° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 12° occurs in mid-February 2006. The picture shows the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: Northern Winter/Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear ridges, the result of wind action eroding the material of a layered deposit. | Context imageWhile far from the rover, this VIS image of Gale Crater covers the same central layered deposit that Curiosity is studying. The linear ridges are the result of wind action eroding the material.Orbit Number: 72297 Latitude: -5.20235 Longitude: 138.126 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-02 02:54Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-517, 18 October 2003Frost covers dark sand dunes in this springtime view from Chasma Boreale in the martian north polar region. Dark spots indicate areas where the cold, carbon dioxide frost has begun to sublime away. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image is located near 84.7°N, 359.3°W and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
This view of a test rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, results from advance testing of arm positions and camera pointings for taking a low-angle self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. | This view of a test rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, results from advance testing of arm positions and camera pointings for taking a low-angle self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.This rehearsal in California led to a dramatic Aug. 5, 2015, selfie of Curiosity, online at PIA19807. Curiosity's arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera took 92 of component images that were assembled into that mosaic. The rover team positioned the camera lower in relation to the rover body than for any previous full self-portrait of Curiosity.This practice version was taken at JPL's Mars Yard in July 2013, using the Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) rover, which has a test copy of MAHLI on its robotic arm. MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
The main map shows landforms near NASA's Curiosity Mars rover as the rover's second anniversary of landing on Mars nears. The gold traverse line ends at Curiosity's position as of July 31, 2014 (Sol 705). | The main map here shows the assortment of landforms near the location of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover as the rover's second anniversary of landing on Mars nears. The gold traverse line entering from upper right ends at Curiosity's position as of the 705th Martian day, or sol, of the mission on Mars (July 31, 2014). The inset map shows the mission's entire traverse from the landing on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, UTC) to Sol 705, and the remaining distance to long-term science destinations near Murray Buttes, at the base of Mount Sharp. The label "Aug. 5, 2013" indicates where Curiosity was one year after landing.Curiosity spent much of July 2014 crossing an upland area called "Zabriskie Plateau," where embedded, sharp rocks presented hazards for the rover's wheels. The traverse line enters the main map at the rover's location as of Sol 692 (July 17, 2014). A near-term science destination is the "Pahrump Hills" feature near the lower left corner. Scientists anticipate that outcrop rock there may provide a preview of a geological unit that is part of the base of Mount Sharp, rather than floor of Gale Crater. Between the Sol 705 location and Pahrump Hills, the rover's anticipated route dips into sandy-floored valleys.Scale bars are 50 meters (164 feet) on the main map and 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) on the inset map. The base images for the map are from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. For broader-context views of the area that Curiosity is crossing within Gale Crater, see PIA16064 and PIA15687. Before the first anniversary of the landing, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project, which built and operates Curiosity, achieved its main science objective of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. Rock-powder samples drilled from two mudstone rocks at Yellowknife Bay and analyzed onboard yielded evidence for an ancient lakebed with mild water, the chemical elements needed for life and a mineral source of energy used by some Earth microbes. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Spokes, Creep, and Channels in a Crater in Utopia Planitia | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_001910_2215) shows an unnamed impact crater located in Utopia Planitia; this crater is more than 10 km (6.25 miles) in diameter and 700 m (765 yards) deep. Different features in and around this crater may indicate fluid beneath the surface.Linear features radiating outward from the crater's rim are evident in the upper right and lower right parts of this image. Closer examination shows these features are formed by rocks and finer soils that are located along a straight line; they are "spokes" produced immediately after the impact by very fast outward-moving materials ejected from the impact.Because these ejecta came from deep under the crater, their composition will tell us what type of rocks are under the surface.A MOC context image of this crater shows its ejecta materials form an elevated "pedestal," shaped like a pancake. The pedestal is approximately 20 km (12.5 miles) in diameter. "Pedestal craters" such as this may have formed because ice beneath the surface melted when the impact occurred.This image's cutout (approximately 800 x 250 m, or 875 x 275 yards) shows a portion of the west-facing slope inside the crater; upslope is to the right (east). In this subimage, east-west channels, some of them 6 m (6.5 yards) wide, cut into the slope's soils. It is not clear if these channels were carved by dry landslides or by a fluid. The channels cut across relatively older, rock-rich, elongated ridges (e.g., location labeled "A" in the subimage) that are approximately perpendicular to the slope. By contrast, in location "B" relatively younger ridges are on top of channels, some of which have dunes in their floors.Elsewhere in this crater, ridges transition laterally to ripples and fissures of similar orientation. One possible explanation for these ridges, ripples, and fissures could be creep. Creep is slow downhill movement of slope soils that are held together somehow, maybe cemented by ice or some other agent. From the cross-cutting relationships seen in this subset, we infer there may have been several alternating episodes of creep and channel formation.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006Local Mars time: 3:24 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 41.2°Degrees longitude (East): 136.3°Range to target site: 303.1 km (189.4 miles)Original image scale range: 30.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~91 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 7.5°Phase angle: 61.7°Solar incidence angle: 54°, with the Sun about 36° above the horizonSolar longitude: 154.8°, 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. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in August 2003, showing several linear cross-cutting grabens and collapse features on Mars. | Released 25 August 2003The several linear cross-cutting grabens and collapse features observed in this THEMIS image illustrate the relative timing of a series of complex geologic processes as more recent events produce features that overlap and intersect older ones. Some impact craters are observed to be cut grabens, suggesting an older impact event compared to impact craters that appear fresh and unmodified.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.1, Longitude 236.3 East (123.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Six facsimile sample tubes hang on the sample tube board in this image taken in the offices of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. | Six facsimile sample tubes hang on the sample tube board in the offices of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Each 3D-printed tube represents actual sample tubes the rover has filled on Mars, either with rock or atmosphere, and they are labeled with the names of the target from which they came. The board was handmade by Perseverance's deputy project manager, Rick Welch.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
This image released on Nov 11, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows collapse pits found within the extensive lava flows of the Tharsis region on Mars. They are related to lava tubes, likely coming from Ascraeus Mons. | We will be looking at collapse pits for the next two weeks. Collapse pits on Mars are formed in several ways. In volcanic areas, channelized lava flows can form roofs which insulate the flowing lava. These features are termed lava tubes on Earth and are common features in basaltic flows. After the lava has drained, parts of the roof of the tube will collapse under its own weight. These collapse pits will only be as deep as the bottom of the original lava tube. Another type of collapse feature associated with volcanic areas arises when very large eruptions completely evacuate the magma chamber beneath the volcano. The weight of the volcano will cause the entire edifice to subside into the void space below it. Structural features including fractures and graben will form during the subsidence. Many times collapse pits will form within the graben. In addition to volcanic collapse pits, Mars has many collapse pits formed when volatiles (such as subsurface ice) are released from the surface layers. As the volatiles leave, the weight of the surrounding rock causes collapse pits to form.These collapse pits are found within the extensive lava flows of the Tharsis region. They are related to lava tubes, likely coming from Ascraeus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 22.8, Longitude 266.8 East (93.2 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a cross section of Baldet Crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows a cross section of Baldet Crater. Dark blue tones in this filter combination indicate basaltic sands. A large field of dunes is visible on the floor of the crater. Baldet Crater is located in Terra Sabaea and is 181km (112 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 77776 Latitude: 22.6741 Longitude: 65.6646 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-06-27 09:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Candor Chasma. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Candor Chasma.Orbit Number: 44444 Latitude: -4.82537 Longitude: 284.642 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-12-21 17:27Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This cropped image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows one set of marks on the surface of Mars where blasts from the descent-stage rocket engines blew away some of the surface material. | This cropped image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows one set of marks on the surface of Mars where blasts from the descent-stage rocket engines blew away some of the surface material. This particular scour mark is near the rear left wheel of the rover and is the left-most scour mark on the left side of this larger panorama from Curiosity's Mast Camera (PIA16051). This scour mark is named Goulburn after a 2-billion year-old sequence of rocks in northern Canada.
Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL. Curiosity was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image acquired on January 22, 2022 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows some steep slopes with good exposures of the bedrock layers, revealing diverse color and textures. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe sedimentary history of Mars is important to understanding climate change and the evolution of Mars. Sedimentary rocks consist of fine particles carried by the atmosphere and/or water and deposited in generally flat-lying layers, which become indurated (turn into rock) over time.This image covers some steep slopes with good exposures of the bedrock layers, revealing diverse color and textures. A detailed study of many such exposures along with compositional data can be used to reconstruct the sequence of events and interpret the geologic history.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 51.8 centimeters [20.4 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 155 centimeters [61.0 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Jan 12, 2004 shows the central part of Gusev crater, including Columbia Memorial Station, the landing site of Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. | Released 12 January 2004Long before the MER landers were named or launched, the two orbiters at Mars were asked to examine landing sites. Both the Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have been collecting landing site data for the past two years. The MGS and ODY data were used as part of the decision making process in the final selection of the two landing sites. The types of data collected by the two orbiters included not only images of the surface but also thermal data about the surface composition, atmospheric data about the climate at each location, and the tracking of major dust storms in the region prior to landing. The presence of, and data collected by, the MGS and ODY orbiters have proven invaluable in MER mission planning.This infrared image, captured just six weeks ago (27 November 2003), shows the central part of Gusev crater, including Columbia Memorial Station, Spirit's landing site (in the area pointed to by the arrow).Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -14.4, Longitude 175.7 East (184.3 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 gullies at the top of the image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft occur on the rim of an unnamed crater on the larger rim of the Argyre Basin on Mars. | Context image for PIA03081GulliesThe gullies at the top of the image occur on the rim of an unnamed crater on the larger rim of the Argyre Basin. It has been postulated that this type of gully may form due to the melting of a snow/ice cover.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 52.4S, Longitude 304.5E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals that gullies, or ravines, are landforms commonly found in the mid-latitudes on Mars, particularly in the Southern highlands. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionGully, or ravine, landforms are commonly found in the mid-latitudes on Mars, particularly in the Southern highlands. These features typically have a broad upslope alcove, feeding into a channel and apron of debris that has been carried from above.HiRISE has discovered many examples of activity in these gullies, likely driven by seasonal carbon dioxide (dry ice) frost. Images to look for such changes have been key targets for HiRISE in recent years, as we seek to understand the full range of surface processes that are active today.This area was targeted to look for changes in gullies previously covered by ESP_020051_1420 and ESP_013115_1420. Comparing the newer and older images, we see that a substantial new channel formed sometime between November 2010 and May 2013. Material flowing down from the alcove broke out of the old route, eroded a new channel, and formed a deposit on the apron.Observations like this show that gullies are forming today. Although we cannot pin down the season of this event, locations where HiRISE has been able to image more often demonstrate that this sort of event generally occurs in the winter, when liquid water is very unlikely. Despite their resemblance to water-formed ravines on Earth, carbon dioxide may play a key role in the formation of many Martian gullies. 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 360-degree panoramic mosaic image composed of data from the hazard avoidance camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a view of the lander from under the rover deck. | This 360-degree panoramic mosaic image composed of data from the hazard avoidance camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a view of the lander from under the rover deck. The images were taken as the rover turned from its landing position 95 degrees toward the northwest side of the lander. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 23 February 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a wind streak developed in the lee of a meteor impact crater in western Daedalia Planum. The dominant winds responsible for the streak blew from the bottom/lower right (southeast). The image is located near 9.9°S, 144.9°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left; the picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. | |
This map shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's travels since arriving on the red planet Jan. 3, 2004. Data within the yellow box represent a digital map made of images taken by rover's panoramic and navigation cameras. | This map shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's travels since arriving on the red planet Jan. 3, 2004 PST. Spirit is on its way to a large crater nicknamed "Bonneville." On the 45th day, or sol, of its mission (Feb.18, 2004), it stopped off at the shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow" to investigate the fine-grained soil contained there. The rover is not far from Bonneville's ejecta, the blanket of material expelled from the crater when it was hit by whatever celestial object created it. So far, Spirit has traveled about 120 meters from its lander. Data within the yellow box represent a digital map made of images taken by rover's panoramic and navigation cameras. Data outside this box are a composite of images from the rover's descent image motion estimation system camera and the orbiter Mars Global Surveyor. | |
The Night Sky on Mars | Taking advantage of extra solar energy collected during the day, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit settled in for an evening of stargazing, photographing the two moons of Mars as they crossed the night sky. This time-lapse composite, acquired the evening of Spirit's martian sol 590 (Aug. 30, 2005) from a perch atop "Husband Hill" in Gusev Crater, shows Phobos, the brighter moon, on the left, and Deimos, the dimmer moon, on the right. In this sequence of images obtained every 170 seconds, Phobos is moving from top to bottom and Deimos is moving from bottom to top. The bright star Aldebaran forms a trail on the right, along with some other stars in the constellation Taurus. Most of the other streaks in the image mark the collision of cosmic rays with pixels in the camera. Scientists will use images of the two moons to better map their orbital positions, learn more about their composition, and monitor the presence of nighttime clouds or haze. Spirit took the six images that make up this composite using Spirit's panoramic camera with the camera's broadband filter, which was designed specifically for acquiring images under low-light conditions. | |
This image released on Nov 17, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows collapse pits are found on the flank of Arsia Mons on Mars and are related to lava tube collapse. | We will be looking at collapse pits for the next two weeks. Collapse pits on Mars are formed in several ways. In volcanic areas, channelized lava flows can form roofs which insulate the flowing lava. These features are termed lava tubes on Earth and are common features in basaltic flows. After the lava has drained, parts of the roof of the tube will collapse under its own weight. These collapse pits will only be as deep as the bottom of the original lava tube. Another type of collapse feature associated with volcanic areas arises when very large eruptions completely evacuate the magma chamber beneath the volcano. The weight of the volcano will cause the entire edifice to subside into the void space below it. Structural features including fractures and graben will form during the subsidence. Many times collapse pits will form within the graben. In addition to volcanic collapse pits, Mars has many collapse pits formed when volatiles (such as subsurface ice) are released from the surface layers. As the volatiles leave, the weight of the surrounding rock causes collapse pits to form.These collapse pits are found on the flank of Arsia Mons and are related to lava tube collapse.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -8.8, Longitude 240.4 East (119.6 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows remnants of layered materials near the west rim of South Crater, Mars. The composition of these layered rocks is unknown -- are they the remains of sedimentary rocks or accumulations of dust and ice? | 20 May 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows remnants of layered materials near the west rim of South Crater, Mars. The composition of these layered rocks is unknown -- are they the remains of sedimentary rocks or accumulations of dust and ice? We'll probably not know until someone visits this area, perhaps centuries from now.Location near: 77.4°S, 341.5°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 56122 Latitude: 12.6451 Longitude: 345.967 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-08-08 20:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies in the wall of a large southern mid-latitude impact crater on Mars. The gullies might have formed by transport of water and sediment down these crater slopes. | 2 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows gullies in the wall of a large southern mid-latitude impact crater located near 39.8°S, 202.0°W. The gullies might have formed by transport of water and sediment down these crater slopes. Alternatively, a fluid other than water may have been involved (e.g., carbon dioxide), but most investigators agree that water is most likely. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This dune field on Mars is located on the floor of a crater located southeast of Mutch Crater as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03634DunesThis dune field is located on the floor of a crater located southeast of Mutch Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 3.1S, Longitude 307.5E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Livonia, New York, Students Study Past Martian Water | This image of the central peak and wall of a crater in Tyrrhena Terra, in Mars' ancient southern highlands, was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at 0956 UTC (4:56 a.m. EST) on February 8, 2008, near 4.85 degrees south latitude, 104.16 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 35 meters (115 feet) across. The region covered is just over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide at its narrowest point.This image was part of an investigation planned by students at Livonia High School in Livonia, New York. The students are working with the CRISM science team in a project called the Mars Exploration Student Data Teams (MESDT), which is part of NASA's Mars Public Engagement Program and Arizona State University's Mars Education Program. The students started by analyzing a medium-resolution map of the area, taken as part of CRISM's "multispectral survey" campaign to map Mars in 72 colors at 200 meters (660 feet) per pixel. They noted multiple outcrops of clay-like minerals called phyllosilicates in the walls and central peaks of impacts craters, and hypothesized that the craters were excavating an extremely ancient, buried rock layer that had been altered by liquid water. They chose this central peak for a closer look to test their ideas, and provided its coordinates to CRISM's operations team who took a high-resolution image of the site. The Context Imager (CTX) accompanied CRISM with a 6 meter (20 feet) per pixel, high-resolution image to sharpen the relationship of spectral variations to the underlying surface structures. The Livonia High School students worked with a mentor on the CRISM team to analyze the data, and presented their project at the 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held in League City, Texas, on March 10-14, 2008.The upper panel of the image shows the location of the CRISM data and the surrounding, larger CTX image, overlain on an image mosaic taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on Mars Odyssey. The mosaic has been color-coded for elevation using data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft. Redder colors indicate higher elevations. The bottom left image shows infrared brightness of the surface measured by CRISM at 2.5, 1.5, and 1.1 micrometers. In the lower right image, the data have been transformed into a map of spectral features indicating the presence of different minerals. This map emphasizes the primary igneous minerals that are present, with reddish areas indicating olivine and blue to greenish areas indicating pyroxene. In a different version of the mineral map, phyllosilicates can also be seen in the crater's central peak near the upper portion of the image.CRISM is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Science Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a region of arcuate fractures and chaos on the highland/lowland boundary which is called Avernus Colles. | Context imageThis region of arcuate fractures and chaos on the highland/lowland boundary is called Avernus Colles.Orbit Number: 88691 Latitude: 2.44735 Longitude: 178.064 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-12-12 02:56Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Hebes Chasma on Mars containing complex layered deposits that have been modified by wind action. | Context image for PIA09979Hebes ChasmaThe major Martian dust storm of 2007 filled the sky with dust and produced conditions that prevented the THEMIS VIS camera from being able to image the surface. With no new images being acquired, we've dug into the archive to highlight some interesting areas on Mars. The this week's region is Valles Marineris. Although not directly connected to Vallis Marineris, Hebes Chasma parallels the main canyon system. Hebes Chasma also contains complex layered deposits that have been modified by wind action.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -1.7N, Longitude 284.7E. 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. | |
Triangular shaped deposits at cliff edges are termed alluvial fans. Alluvial fans typically form in arid regions were water flow is limited, so deposits of material are not washed away as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageTriangular shaped deposits at cliff edges are termed alluvial fans. Alluvial fans typically form in arid regions were water flow is limited, so deposits of material are not washed away. Formation of these alluvial fans in the channel of Kasei Valles likely happened after any flow of fluid in the Valles system.Orbit Number: 54132 Latitude: 23.0851 Longitude: 291.525 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-26 02:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This vertical projection image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows tracks from the drive extend northward across dark-toned sand ripples and light-toned patches of exposed bedrock in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this full-circle view of the rover's surroundings just after driving 60.86 meters (200 feet) on the 1,806th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 21, 2009). North is at the center; south at both ends.Tracks from the drive extend northward across dark-toned sand ripples and light-toned patches of exposed bedrock in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).Engineers designed the Sol 1806 drive to be driven backwards as a strategy to redistribute lubricant in the rovers wheels. The right-front wheel had been showing signs of increased friction.The rover's position after the Sol 1806 drive was about 2 kilometer (1.2 miles) south southwest of Victoria Crater. Cumulative odometry was 14.74 kilometers (9.16 miles) since landing in January 2004, including 2.96 kilometers (1.84 miles) since climbing out of Victoria Crater on the west side of the crater on Sol 1634 (August 28, 2008). This view is presented as a vertical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This illustration depicts the two main types of radiation that NASA's Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) onboard Curiosity monitors, and how the magnetic field around Earth affects the radiation in space near Earth. | The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover monitors high-energy atomic and subatomic particles coming from the sun, distant supernovae and other sources. RAD measured the flux of this energetic-particle radiation while shielded inside the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft on the flight delivering Curiosity from Earth to Mars, and continues to monitor the flux on the surface of Mars.This illustration depicts the two main types of radiation that RAD monitors, and how the magnetic field around Earth affects the radiation in space near Earth. Galactic cosmic rays are a variable shower of charged particles coming from supernova explosions and other events extremely far from our solar system. The sun is the other main source of energetic particles this investigation detects and characterizes. The sun spews electrons, protons and heavier ions in "solar particle events" fed by solar flares and ejections of matter from the sun's corona. The spacecraft carrying RAD departed the influence of Earth's magnetic field early during the flight from Earth to Mars. Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere provide effective shielding against the possible deadly effects of galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events. Mars lacks a global magnetic field and has only about 1 percent as much atmosphere as Earth does.Data from RAD during the trip to Mars and on the surface of Mars provide important aid to planning for astronaut safety in design of possible human missions to Mars.Southwest Research Institute, in San Antonio, Texas, and Boulder, Colo., supplied and operates the RAD instrument in collaboration with Germany's national aerospace research center, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.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.For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows several individual dunes located in Kaiser Crater. With continued winds sand dunes will move across the surface. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in Kaiser Crater and shows several individual dunes. With continued winds sand dunes will move across the surface. There are two sides to a dune, the low angle slope of the windward face and the high angle slope of the leeward side. The steep side is called the slip face. Wind blows sand grains up the low angle slope of the dunes which then "fall down" the slip face. In this way the whole dune moves towards the slip face. The winds blow from the windward to the leeward side of the dunes. In this image the slip faces are on the left side of the dune, so the dunes are slowly moving to the left side of this image.Orbit Number: 75451 Latitude: -46.7049 Longitude: 20.0962 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-12-17 21:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Deep in the southern highlands, the work of innumerable dust devils produces a cobweb-like pattern of tracks across the Martian surface. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft in September 2003. | Released 30 September 2003Deep in the southern highlands, the work of innumerable dust devils produces a cobweb-like pattern of tracks across the Martian surface. The spinning atmospheric vortices commonly called dust devils are like mini tornadoes that vacuum up the dust from the surface to expose darker material in their wake. Dust devil tracks are among the most recent features on Mars and are continually forming.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -55.6, Longitude 203.9 East (156.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Naktong Vallis. Naktong Vallis is located in Terra Sabaea. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Naktong Vallis. Naktong Vallis is located in Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 77927 Latitude: 6.21741 Longitude: 31.221 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-07-09 19:42Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a shallow valley south of Cerberus on Mars. The valley may have been cut but torrents of mud-laden water; alternatively, an extremely fluid lava was involved. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-413, 6 July 2003To date, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle system has only imaged about 3% of the martian surface. Thus, a new discovery can come at any time, as additional places are covered every day. This MOC image shows a portion of a shallow valley south of Cerberus that was just discovered in April 2003. The valley may have been cut but torrents of mud-laden water; alternatively, an extremely fluid lava was involved. This picture was acquired in May 2003; it covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated from the left. North is toward the top/upper right. The picture is located near 4.6°N, 204.3°W. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows shows a close-up of the 'Snow Queen' feature under the lander. The area has a smooth surface with layers visible and several smooth rounded cavities. | This image captured by the Robotic Arm Camera aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on Sol 6, the sixth Martian day of the mission, (May 31, 2008) shows a close-up of the "Snow Queen" feature under the lander.Swept clear of surface dust by the thruster rockets as Phoenix landed, the area has a smooth surface with layers visible and several smooth rounded cavities.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 28 April 2004One of the simplest forms a sand dune can take is the barchan. The term, apparently, comes from the Arabic word for crescent-shaped dunes. They form in areas with a single dominant wind direction that are also not overly-abundant in sand. The barchan dunes shown here were imaged in March 2004 by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) as it passed over a crater in western Arabia Terra near 21.1°N, 17.6°W. The horns and steep slope on each dune, known as the slip face, point toward the south, indicating prevailing winds from the north (top). The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
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: 92489 Latitude: -22.5933 Longitude: 238.293 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-10-20 19:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows poorly cemented material of a hill located on the southern edge of a mensa east of Apollinaris Patera is being eroded by wind action. | Context image for PIA10343Wind ActionLocated on the southern edge of a mensa east of Apollinaris Patera, the poorly cemented material of this hill is being eroded by wind action.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -11.6N, Longitude 180.4E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers a steep west-facing slope in southwestern Ganges Chasma, north of the larger canyons of Valles Marineris. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers a steep west-facing slope in southwestern Ganges Chasma, north of the larger canyons of Valles Marineris. The spot was targeted both for the bedrock exposures and to look for active slope processes.We see two distinct flow deposits: lobate flows that are relatively bright, sometimes with dark fringes, and very thin brownish lines that resemble recurring slope lineae (or 'RSL'). Both flows emanate from rocky alcoves. The RSL are superimposed on the lobate deposits (perhaps rocky debris flows), so they are younger and more active.The possible role of water in forming the debris flows and RSL are the subjects of continuing debate among scientists. We will acquire more images here to see if the candidate RSL are active. The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 52.9 centimeters (20.8 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 159 centimeters (62.6 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the northern rim of Oyama Crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the northern rim of Oyama Crater. Located in Arabia Terra near Mawrth Vallis, Oyama Crater is 101km (63 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 81198 Latitude: 24.3956 Longitude: 340.003 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-04 03:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the ancient collapsed volcano, Alba Patera, surrounded by graben and collapse features termed catenae on Mars. | Context image for PIA10865Alba PateraThe ancient collapsed volcano, Alba Patera, is surrounded by graben and collapse features termed catenae. The 'string-of-prearl' appearance of the catenae is caused by collapse controlled by the fractures at the margins.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 35.9N, Longitude 258.1E. 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. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of the depression on the floor of Rabe Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of the depression on the floor of Rabe Crater.Orbit Number: 43641 Latitude: -43.5516 Longitude: 34.2324 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-16 15:29Please 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 several of the many channels on Mars located on the eastern margin of Tempe Terra. | Context image for PIA10859Tempe TerraThe top of this VIS image shows several of the many channels located on the eastern margin of Tempe Terra.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 42.6N, Longitude 304.3E. 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 shows a portion of the southern flank of Olympus Mons on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09039Lava FlowsThis image shows a portion of the southern flank of Olympus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 15.9N, Longitude 226.3E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows a strongly magnetic surface which had scavenged particles from within the microscope enclosure before a sample delivery from the lander's Robotic Arm. | This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Optical Microscope shows a strongly magnetic surface which has scavenged particles from within the microscope enclosure before a sample delivery from the lander's Robotic Arm. The particles correspond to the larger grains seen in fine orange material that makes up most of the soil at the Phoenix site. They vary in color, but are of similar size, about one-tenth of a millimeter.As the microscope's sample wheel moved during operation, these particles also shifted, clearing a thin layer of the finer orange particles that have also been collected. Together with the previous image, this shows that the larger grains are much more magnetic than the fine orange particles with a much larger volume of the grains being collected by the magnet. The image is 2 milimeters across.It is speculated that the orange material particles are a weathering product from the larger grains, with the weathering process both causing a color change and a loss of magnetism.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by JPL, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development was by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image shows the nighttime temperatures measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument onboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor wrapped on to a globe. | This image shows the nighttime (2AM) temperatures measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor wrapped on to a globe. The coldest temperatures (shown in purple) are -120C and the warmest temperatures (white) are -65C.The view is centered on Isidis Planitia (15N, 270W), which is covered with warm material, indicating a sandy and rocky surface. The small, cold (blue) circular region to the right is the Elysium volcanoes, which are covered in dust that cools off rapidly at night. At this season the north polar region is in full sunlight as is relatively warm at night. It is winter in the southern hemisphere and the temperatures are extremely low(~-120C). | |
The complex channel in this image is a small section of Reull Vallis as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe complex channel in this VIS image is a small section of Reull Vallis.Orbit Number: 51017 Latitude: -39.2644 Longitude: 111.174 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-06-14 17:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a valley in Xanthe Terra on Mars. | 4 April 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a valley in Xanthe Terra.Location near: 5.2°N, 46.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Summer | |
This image of the rock 'Half Dome' was taken by NASA's Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 71. Pits, linear textures, and pronounced topography on the rock are clearly visible. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | This image of the rock "Half Dome" was taken by the Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 71 (September 14). Pits, linear textures, and pronounced topography on the rock are clearly visible.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a suite of troughs in the Tharsis region that were also the site of some catastrophic floods. These features are located northwest of the volcano, Jovis Tholus. | 11 July 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a suite of troughs in the Tharsis region that were also the site of some catastrophic floods. These features are located northwest of the volcano, Jovis Tholus. Location near: 1220.7°N, 118.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of spider-shaped features on Mars, carved by vaporizing dry ice. | Spider-shaped features in the south polar region of Mars are carved by vaporizing dry ice in a dynamic seasonal process. This image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter includes several of the distinctive features in an area 1.2 kilometers (three-fourths of a mile) wide. It is one of the HiRISE camera team's featured images this week.The features are cut into the ground, not built up above the surrounding surface. Sunlight is coming from the right, from about 15 degrees above the horizon. Scientists call these features "araneiform," which means spider-like.Mars' carbon-dioxide atmosphere partially condenses every winter to form polar caps of dry ice. These seasonal caps sublimate (change directly from solid to gas, just as dry ice does on Earth) in the spring. Carbon-dioxide gas coming from the bottom surface of the ice builds up pressure and carves channels into the ground as it flows toward a point where it escapes back into the atmosphere. Often the channels are radial in nature, with the escape point for the gas becoming the center for one ofthese araneiform features. In this image, taken during southern-hemisphere summer, all the seasonal frost is gone from the area. The channels carved into the ground are typically 1 to 2 meters (3 to 7 feet) deep. The dynamic Martian polar processes that form features like these are described at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-146 and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2006-100.This view is a portion of a HiRISE observation taken on Aug. 23, 2009, at 87.0 degrees south latitude and 86.5 degrees east longitude. The full frame image is available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_014413_0930. | |
Investigation of exposed clay minerals at thousands of Martian sites by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests a long period of wet, warm conditions, mostly underground. | Click on an individual image for larger resolutionImpact cratering and erosion combine to reveal the composition of the Martian underground by exposing materials from the subsurface. Investigation of exposed clay minerals at thousands of Martian sites by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests a long period of wet, warm conditions, mostly underground.Infrared light indicates terrains of different composition in false-color infrared images (top) of a crater (left) and an escarpment (right). Each of the scenes is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide. The lower images of the same sites show how distinctive absorption bands permit identification and mapping of specific minerals. In the lower images, iron-magnesium clays are mapped in blue. These are the most common clays on Mars, occupying large sections of the deep crust and mostly formed by subsurface water. These clays are beneath unaltered volcanic layers that contain the mineral olivine (green). The site shown in the image on the right also contains aluminum clays (red), which formed by waters near the surface. These clays are uncommon on Mars but are sometimes located on top of iron-magnesium clays in a distinctive stratigraphy, indicating formation later in time.These two example sites, out of thousands where CRISM has observed clay minerals, are at 10.65 degrees south latitude, 98.22 degrees east longitude (left pair) and 22.06 degrees north latitude, 74.63 degrees east latitude (right pair).In the top two images, the false color comes from presenting observed brightnesses in three different wavelengths of invisible infrared wavelengths -- 2,529 nanometers, 1,506 nanometers and 1,080 nanometers -- as red, green and blue, respectively, composited into color images. In the bottom two images, colors are assigned to absorption-band characteristics: infrared frequencies at which the materials on the Mars surface are less bright compared to their brightness at other frequencies. The data presented as red are pixel-by-pixel absorption-band depths at 2,210 nanometers, the data presented as green are broad absorption-band depths near 1,000 nanometers, and the data presented as blue are the absorption-band depths at 2,300 nanometers. These color data were then overlain and merged with the brightness at 770 nanometers to show the relationship of detected minerals with underlying topography. For more information on mineral mapping and more CRISM images, see http://crism-map.jhuapl.edu .NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory led the effort to build the CRISM instrument and operates CRISM in coordination with an international team of researchers from universities, government and the private sector. | |
This image is a still from a computer-generated animation showing NASA's Mars Exploration Rover inspecting the rock dubbed Stone Mountain with its instrument deployment device, or arm. | This image is a still from a computer-generated animation showing the Mars Exploration Rover inspecting the rock dubbed Stone Mountain with its instrument deployment device, or arm. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the floor of Kaiser Crater including dunes on Mars. The floor of the crater is visible between the dunes. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image was collected at the same time as yesterday's IR image of Kaiser Crater. The floor of the crater is visible between the dunes.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.1N, Longitude 19.7E. 22 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of northwestern Arabia Terra. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of northwestern Arabia Terra. The channels in the top part of the image are all unnamed. They are draining from the highlands of Arabia Terra into the lowlands of Acidalia Planitia.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: 85453 Latitude: 32.3047 Longitude: 347.214 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-03-20 12:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity combined images into this full-circle view of the rover's surroundings. Tracks from the rover's drive recede northward across dark-toned sand ripples in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. You need 3D glasses. | Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11812Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11812NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo, full-circle view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,803rd and 1,804th Martian days, or sols, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 18 and 19, 2009). South is at the center; north at both ends.This view combines images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera. It appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. The rover had driven 55 meters on Sol 1803 before beginning to take the frames in this view. Tracks from that drive recede northward. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches). The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This image acquired on August 17, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows Martian scallops. As the ice ablates away in some spots the surface dust collapses into the hole that's left. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionAbout a third of Mars has water ice just below the dusty surface. Figuring out exactly where is vital for future human explorers. One of the ways scientists do this is to look for landforms that only occur when this buried ice is present. These scallops are one of those diagnostic landforms.A layer of clean ice lies just below the surface in this image. As the ice ablates away in some spots the surface dust collapses into the hole that's left. These holes grow into the scallops visible here as more and more ice is lost.Between the scallops, the ice is still there, ready for some astronaut to come along and dig it up.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 24.8 centimeters [9.8 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 75 centimeters [30.0 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 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 82 shows the view south of the large crater dubbed 'Bonneville.' 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 82 shows the view south of the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." The rover will travel toward the Columbia Hills, seen here at the upper left. The rock dubbed "Mazatzal" and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. The rover's position is referred to as "Site 22, Position 32." This image was geometrically corrected to make the horizon appear flat. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of the plains 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 a portion of the plains in Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 7502 Latitude: -23.7229 Longitude: 31.4896 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-24 02:14Please 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 area located east of the major fracture system of Tempe Terra. The small ridges intersect to form polygons. | Context image for PIA10306Orthogonal RidgesThis VIS image is located east of the major fracture system of Tempe Terra. The small ridges intersect to form polygons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 35.7N, Longitude 295.9E. 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 Global Surveyor shows a cone-shaped hill, perhaps a remnant of a material that was once more laterally extensive across the area, on a textured plain in the Hyperboreus Labyrinthus region in the north polar region of Mars. | 10 July 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a cone-shaped hill, perhaps a remnant of a material that was once more laterally extensive across the area, on a textured plain in the Hyperboreus Labyrinthus region in the north polar region of Mars. The hill and its surroundings are covered with a blanket of solid carbon dioxide which imparts a roughly homogeneous-tone to the scene. Despite its shape, the feature is not a volcano; over the past 9 years, the MGS MOC investigation has found no unambiguous evidence for volcanic landforms in the north polar region.Location near: 79.5°N, 57.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring | |
This anaglyph, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Lander on Jun. 15, 2008, shows the largest rock informally called 'Midgard.' 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This anaglyph, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 21, the 21st Martian day of the mission (June 15, 2008), shows a stereoscopic 3D view of the Martian surface near the lander. The largest rock seen in this image is informally called "Midgard." The edge of Phoenix's deck is seen in the bottom right corner of the image.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. | Context imageToday's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The fossae are graben comprised of paired, parallel fractures with a down-dropped block of material between the fracture set. This morphology is created by extensional tectonic stresses. This image is located in a region of Tempe Terra that is complexly fractured. The complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long.Orbit Number: 80189 Latitude: 39.8621 Longitude: 286.175 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-01-12 02:09Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This portion of a picture acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera documents the delivery of soil to one of four Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL) cells on the 30th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | This portion of a picture acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera documents the delivery of soil to one of four Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL) cells on the 30th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Approximately one cubic centimeter of this soil was then introduced into the cell and mixed with water for chemical analysis. WCL is part of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) instrument suite on board the Phoenix lander.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 9 May 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a suite of frost-covered sand dunes in the north polar region of Mars in early spring, 2004. The dunes indicate wind transport of sand from left to right (west to east). These landforms are located near 78.1°N, 220.8°W. This picture is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. |
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