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Dark slope streaks mark the hill sides in Lycus Sulci as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDark slope streaks mark the hill sides in Lycus Sulci. These features are thought to be formed when a rock fall or other material slides down the steep face, removing the dust and revealing the darker surface below.Orbit Number: 52873 Latitude: 26.3584 Longitude: 228.223 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-11-14 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. | |
This pair of images from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity served as initial confirmation that the two-year-old rover was within sight of 'Victoria Crater,' which it has been approaching for more than a year. | Stretched View Showing 'Victoria'This pair of images from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity served as initial confirmation that the two-year-old rover is within sight of "Victoria Crater," which it has been approaching for more than a year. Engineers on the rover team were unsure whether Opportunity would make it as far as Victoria, but scientists hoped for the chance to study such a large crater with their roving geologist. Victoria Crater is 800 meters (nearly half a mile) in diameter, about six times wider than "Endurance Crater," where Opportunity spent several months in 2004 examining rock layers affected by ancient water.When scientists using orbital data calculated that they should be able to detect Victoria's rim in rover images, they scrutinized frames taken in the direction of the crater by the panoramic camera. To positively characterize the subtle horizon profile of the crater and some of the features leading up to it, researchers created a vertically-stretched image (top) from a mosaic of regular frames from the panoramic camera (bottom), taken on Opportunity's 804th Martian day (April 29, 2006). The stretched image makes mild nearby dunes look like more threatening peaks, but that is only a result of the exaggerated vertical dimension. This vertical stretch technique was first applied to Viking Lander 2 panoramas by Philip Stooke, of the University of Western Ontario, Canada, to help locate the lander with respect to orbiter images. Vertically stretching the image allows features to be more readily identified by the Mars Exploration Rover science team.The bright white dot near the horizon to the right of center (barely visible without labeling or zoom-in) is thought to be a light-toned outcrop on the far wall of the crater, suggesting that the rover can see over the low rim of Victoria. In figure 1, the northeast and southeast rims are labeled in bright green. Finally, the light purple lines and arrow highlight a small crater. | |
Very Fine Layers in Juventae Chasma | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002590_1765) shows a portion of the light-toned layered deposits in Juventae Chasma.Juventae Chasma is a large trough just north of the main part of Valles Marineris, and may have been the source region for giant floods long ago. There are currently several large hills of layered rock on the chasma floor, likely remnants of a deposit which was once more extensive. Among the possible origins of the layered deposits are lake sediments, volcanic material of various origins (possibly erupted under ice), or deposits of aeolian sand and dust.The subimage shows some extremely thin beds within one of the mounds (center). These are probably sheets of material lying nearly flat, and are some of the finest-scale layers observed on Mars. It is possible that in places layer boundaries are accentuated by variable amounts of dark wind-blown dust, which buries the layers in some parts of the image; nevertheless, some of the layering must be extremely thin.The layers are actually even more thin than they appear, since the slope of the mound makes them appear wider. The occurrence of many thin layers indicates many events or variations in deposition while this material was forming.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007Local Mars time: 3:43PMDegrees latitude (centered): -3.3°Degrees longitude (East): 298.3°Range to target site: 266.8 km (166.7 miles)Original image scale range: 26.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~80 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 2.4°Phase angle: 53.6°Solar incidence angle: 56°, with the Sun about 34° above the horizonSolar longitude: 183.7°, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This electron microscope image is a close-up of the center part of photo number S96-12301. | This electron microscope image is a close-up of the center part of photo number S96-12301. While the exact nature of these tube-like structures is not known, one interpretation is that they may be microscopic fossils of primitive, bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. A two-year investigation by a NASA research team found organic molecules, mineral features characteristic of biological activity and possible microscopic fossils such as these inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. The largest possible fossils are less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair in size while most are ten times smaller.A NASA research team of scientists at the Johnson Space Center and at Stanford University has found evidence that strongly suggests primitive life may have existed on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. The NASA-funded team found the first organic molecules thought to be of Martian origin; several mineral features characteristic of biological activity; and possible microscopic fossils of primitive, bacteria-like organisms inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. This array of indirect evidence of past life will be reported in the Aug. 16 issue of the journal Science, presenting the investigation to the scientific community at large to reach a future consensus that will either confirm or deny the team's conclusion. | |
The ridges on the floor of this crater on Mars are made of a more resistant material that their surroundings. Erosion is removing the less resistant material. This image was taken by NASA's Mars 2001 Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01315Resistant RidgesThe ridges on the floor of this crater are made of a more resistant material that their surroundings. Erosion is removing the less resistant material.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -19.4N, Longitude 66.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The impact crater observed in this NASA Mars Odyssey image taken in Terra Cimmeria suggests sediments have filled the crater due to the flat and smooth nature of the floor compared to rougher surfaces at higher elevations. | 3D Projection onto MOLA data The impact crater observed in this THEMIS image taken in Terra Cimmeria suggests sediments have filled the crater due to the flat and smooth nature of the floor compared to rougher surfaces at higher elevations. The abundance of several smaller impact craters on the floor of the larger crater indicate however that the flat surface has been exposed for an extended period of time. The smooth surface of the crater floor and rougher surfaces at higher elevations are observed in the 3-D THEMIS image that is draped over MOLA topography (2X vertical exaggeration).Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -22.9, Longitude 155.7 East (204.3 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows the eastern rim of a small crater which appears to have collapsed into a much larger crater. The larger crater has a large ice flow around its central peak. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows the eastern rim of a small 3.5-kilometer crater which appears to have collapsed into a much larger crater (about 14-kilometers wide). The larger crater has a large ice flow around its central peak, and is non-circular, with large blocks further suggesting structural collapse of the terrain due to what are called periglacial processes.Understanding the composition of this small crater may inform us of the ice content of the surrounding terrain.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 50.8 centimeters (20 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 152 centimeters (59.8 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the slope of 'Endurance Crater' where the rover cut three holes. | This panoramic camera image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been processed using a technique known as a decorrelation stretch to exaggerate the colors. The area in the image includes three holes created inside "Endurance Crater" by Opportunity's rock abrasion tool between sols 143 and 148 (June 18 and June 23, 2004). Because color variations are so subtle in the pictured area, stretched images are useful for discriminating color differences that can alert scientists to compositional and textural variations. For example, without the exaggeration, no color difference would be discernible among the tailings left behind after the grinding of these holes, but in this stretched image, the tailings around "London" (top) appear more red than those of the other holes ("Virginia," middle, and "Cobble Hill," bottom). Scientists believe that is because the rock abrasion tool sliced through two "blueberries," or spherules (visible on the upper left and upper right sides of the circle). When the blades break up these spherules, composed of mostly gray hematite, the result is a bright red powder. In this image, you can see the rock layers that made the team want to grind holes in each identified layer. The top layer is yellowish red, the middle is yellowish green and the lower layer is green. Another advantage to viewing this stretched image is the clear detail of the distribution of the rock abrasion tool tailings (heading down-slope) and the differences in rock texture. This image was created using the 753-, 535- and 432-nanometer filters. | |
This true-color image is the result of the first observation of a target selected autonomously by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity using newly developed and uploaded software named Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science, or AEGIS. | This view results from the first observation of a target selected autonomously by a spacecraft on Mars. During the 2,172nd Martian day, or sol, of its mission on Mars (March 4, 2010), NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used newly developed and uploaded software to choose a target from a wider-angle image and point its panoramic camera (Pancam) to observe the chosen target through 13 different filters. The imaging was part of a checkout of the new software, named Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science, or AEGIS. Images taken through three of the filters are combined into this approximately true-color view of the rock, which is about the size of a football.The component images are one-quarter subframe field of view, taken with the left camera of the stereo Pancam through filters admitting wavelengths of 600 nanometers, 530 nanometers and 480 nanometers.The rock in the target is close to a young crater called "Concepcion" and might have been thrown outward by the impact that excavated the crater. The wider-angle image that Opportunity analyzed to select this target was taken by the rover's navigation camera and is at PIA12973. | |
This daytime infrared image shows the large sand sheet on the floor of Charlier Crater on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The brightness is due to the warmth of the sand during the day. | Context image for PIA11908Charlier Cr. in IRThis daytime IR image shows the large sand sheet on the floor of Charlier Crater. The brightness is due to the warmth of the sand during the day.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -68.9N, Longitude 190.6E. 111 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 spacecraft is of a landing site that the flattest, safest place on Mars: part of Meridiani Planum, close to where the Opportunity rover landed. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionIn March 2016, the European Space Agency in partnership with Roscosmos will launch the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. This orbiter will also carry an Entry, Descent, and Landing Demonstration Module (EDM): a lander designed primarily to demonstrate the capability to land on Mars. The EDM will survive for only a few days, running on battery power, but will make a few environmental measurements.The landing site is the flattest, safest place on Mars: part of Meridiani Planum, close to where the Opportunity rover landed. This image shows what this terrain is like: very flat and featureless. A full-resolution sample reveals the major surface features: small craters and wind ripples. HiRISE has been imaging the landing site region in advance of the landing, and will re-image the site after landing to identify the major pieces of hardware: heat shield, backshell with parachute, and the lander itself. The distribution of these pieces will provide information about the entry, descent and landing.Click here for more information about ESA's ExoMars Programme.This is a stereo pair with ESP_034986_1785.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a view of the retreating seasonal south polar cap in the most recent spring in late 2003. Bright areas are covered with frost, dark areas are those from which the solid carbon dioxide has sublimed away. | 13 August 2004This red wide angle Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a view of the retreating seasonal south polar cap in the most recent spring in late 2003. Bright areas are covered with frost, dark areas are those from which the solid carbon dioxide has sublimed away. The center of this image is located near 76.5°S, 28.2°W. The scene is large; it covers an area about 250 km (155 mi) across. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. | |
In the best-selling novel 'The Martian' and the movie based on it, stranded astronaut Mark Watney's adventures take him to the rim of Mawrth Crater. This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the nature of this terrain. | In the best-selling novel "The Martian" and the movie based on it, stranded astronaut Mark Watney's adventures take him to the rim of Mawrth Crater. This image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the nature of this terrain.The crater rim is not very distinct, and from the Martian surface it would be quite difficult to tell that you are even on the rim of a crater. The terrain is hummocky and rolling, punctuated by smaller impact craters and wind-blown drifts of sand or dust.This view is one image product from HiRISE observation ESP_042252_1930, taken Aug. 1, 2015, at 12.6 degrees north latitude, 355.7 degrees east longitude.HiRISE is one of six instruments on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter and collaborates with JPL to operate it. | |
Sulfates are found overlying clay minerals in sediments within Columbus Crater, a depression that likely hosted a lake in the past in this image based on information from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Sulfates are found overlying clay minerals in sediments within Columbus Crater, a depression that likely hosted a lake in the past. Sulfate salt deposits ring the crater like a bathtub ring and were deposited after the clays, as the lake dried out. The image combines information from two instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars and the Context Camera. (Reference: Wray et al., 2011.) | |
This image comes from observations of Newton crater by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The features that extend down the slope during warm seasons are called recurring slope lineae. | 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 late spring to early summer of a Mars 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_021555_1380, at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_021555_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. All of the images in this sequence are from 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. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Inuvik Crater, located near the north polar cap. | Context imageToday's false color image shows Inuvik Crater, located near the north polar cap.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: 63267 Latitude: 78.5135 Longitude: 331.771 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-03-19 05:17Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The target of this observation as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a circular depression in a dark-toned unit associated with a field of cones to the northeast. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe target of this observation is a circular depression in a dark-toned unit associated with a field of cones to the northeast.At the image scale of a Context Camera image, the depression appears to expose layers especially on the sides or walls of the depression, which are overlain by dark sands presumably associated with the dark-toned unit. HiRISE resolution, which is far higher than that of the Context Camera and its larger footprint, can help identify possible layers.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a field of dark sand dunes trapped on the floor of a crater near Cerberus on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-458, 20 August 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a field of dark sand dunes trapped on the floor of a crater near Cerberus at 8.6°N, 190.9°W. The local winds within the crater have shaped these dunes such that they all reflect a general trend of sand transport toward the west and southwest (left/lower left). This image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/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: 92102 Latitude: -21.4397 Longitude: 243.244 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-18 22:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image released on July 8, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows dust carried aloft by the wind has settled out on every available surface creating sand dunes on Mars. | Released 8 July 2004The atmosphere of Mars is a dynamic system. Water-ice clouds, fog, and hazes can make imaging the surface from space difficult. Dust storms can grow from local disturbances to global sizes, through which imaging is impossible. Seasonal temperature changes are the usual drivers in cloud and dust storm development and growth. Eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the surface of Mars. Dust carried aloft by the wind has settled out on every available surface; sand dunes have been created and moved by centuries of wind; and the effect of continual sand-blasting has modified many regions of Mars, creating yardangs and other unusual surface forms. These dust devil tracks occur on the northern plains of Mars. The majority of the surface seen in the image has been affected by the passage of dust devils.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -54.6, Longitude 79.3 East (280.7 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. | |
The intersecting linear depressions in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Hephaestus Fossae. | Context imageThe intersecting linear depressions in this VIS image are part of Hephaestus Fossae.Orbit Number: 60373 Latitude: 21.9161 Longitude: 122.075 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-07-24 20:50Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Trouvelot Crater and other nearby craters. Dark blue tones in this version of color combination is often dark basaltic sands. | 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 Trouvelot Crater and other nearby craters. Dark blue tones in this version of color combination is often dark basaltic sands.Orbit Number: 71242 Latitude: 14.6817 Longitude: 346.517 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-01-05 05:07Please 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. | |
NASA's Perseverance rover wiggles one of its wheels in this set of images obtained by the rover's left Navigation Camera on March 4, 2021. | Click here for animationNASA's Perseverance rover wiggles one of its wheels in this set of images obtained by the rover's left Navigation Camera on March 4, 2021.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ | |
Most of the hills in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft have dark streaks thought to be where bright dust has been removed by sliding down the hillside. | Context imageMost of the hills in this image have dark streaks marking the sides. These dark marks are thought to be where bright dust has been removed by sliding down the hillside, perhaps started by a rock rolling from the rim that was dislodged by gravity.Orbit Number: 45096 Latitude: 23.1483 Longitude: 178.74 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-02-13 11:16Please 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 some of the platy flow material in the Zephyria region of Mars. The materials have impact craters in them, suggesting that they are composed of solid rock rather than ice. | 2 June 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the platy flow material in the Zephyria region of Mars. The materials have impact craters in them, suggesting that they are composed of solid rock rather than ice. Some investigators have proposed that these materials are part of a vast ice-covered lake or sea, but the impact craters formed in the material suggest that it is not ice. Other investigators have cited evidence for an origin by very fluid lavas; some of the evidence includes small volcanoes scattered throughout the region.Location near: 3.7°S, 195.5°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Winter | |
Approaching the Hills | Click on the image for Approaching the Hills (QTVR)
Figure 1
Spirit's Amazing Trek Continues (sol 190, July 16, 2004)
This view from where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit stood
on the rover's 149th martian day, or sol (June 3, 2004), shows terrain
the rover has crossed since then. The yellow line traces the path
Spirit has taken since arriving at the "Columbia Hills." Labels show
the informal names of rocks the rover has studied along the way.
Spirit is currently headed east, traversing the flanks of the hills en
route to an overlook above a steep valley that is out of view from
this perspective. Scientists hope to find more layered rocks that
will tell a story of ancient water on Mars. Spirit has traveled 498
meters (more than one-quarter of a mile) and ascended 20 meters
(66 feet) above the plains since arriving at the "Columbia Hills" on
sol 156 (June 11, 2004). It covered much of that distance driving
on only five of its six wheels.
The images used to make this approximately true-color mosaic were
taken with Spirit's panoramic camera from about 300 meters (984
feet) away from the base of the hills, using filters centered at
wavelengths of 600, 530 and 480 nanometers. | |
Holden Crater in southern Margaritifer Terra displays a series of finely layered deposits appearing beneath a cap of alluvial fan materials on its floor. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionHolden Crater in southern Margaritifer Terra displays a series of finely layered deposits on its floor (white and light purple in an enhanced color image). The layered deposits are especially well exposed in the southwestern section of the crater where erosion by water flowing through a breach in the crater rim created spectacular outcrops.In this location, the deposits appear beneath a cap of alluvial fan materials (tan to brown in this image). Within the deposits, individual layers are nearly flat-lying and can be traced for hundreds of meters to kilometers. Information from the CRISM instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests that at least some of these beds contain clays.By contrast, the beds in the overlying alluvial fan are less continuous and dip in varying directions, showing less evidence for clays. Collectively, the characteristics of the finely bedded deposits suggest they may have been deposited into a lake on the crater floor, perhaps fed by runoff related to formation of the overlying fans.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 25.9 centimeters (10.2 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 78 centimeters (30.7 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Viking Orbiter 2 is of the south Chryse basin Valles Marineris outflow channels on Mars. The scene shows on the southwest corner the chaotic terrain of the east part of Valles Marineris and two of its related canyons. | A color image of the south Chryse basin Valles Marineris outflow channels on Mars; north toward top. The scene shows on the southwest corner the chaotic terrain of the east part of Valles Marineris and two of its related canyons: Eos and Capri Chasmata (south to north). Ganges Chasma lies directly north. The chaos in the southern part of the image gives rise to several outflow channels, Shalbatana, Simud, Tiu, and Ares Valles (left to right), that drained north into the Chryse basin. The mouth of Ares Valles is the site of the Mars Pathfinder lander.This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 20 degrees S. to 20 degrees N. and from longitude 15 degrees to 53 degrees; Mercator projection.The south Chryse outflow channels are cut an average of 1 km into the cratered highland terrain. This terrain is about 9 km above datum near Valles Marineris and steadily decreases in elevation to 1 km below datum in the Chryse basin. Shalbatana is relatively narrow (10 km wide) but can reach 3 km in depth. The channel begins at a 2- to 3-km-deep circular depression within a large impact crater, whose floor is partly covered by a chaotic material, and ends in Simud Valles. Tiu and Simud Valles consist of a complex of connected channel floors and chaotic terrain and extend as far south as and connect to eastern Valles Marineris. Ares Vallis originates from discontinuous patches of chaotic terrain within large craters. In the Chryse basin the Ares channel forks; one branch continues northwest into central Chryse Planitia (Latin for plain) and the other extends north into eastern Chryse Planitia. | |
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 part of Coracis Fossae. | 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 Coracis Fossae.Orbit Number: 7556 Latitude: -36.334 Longitude: 272.193 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-28 12:59Please 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. | |
Since landing on Mars in August 2012, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has fired the laser on its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument more than 100,000 times at rock and soil targets up to about 23 feet (7 meters) away. | Since landing on Mars in August 2012, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has fired the laser on its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument more than 100,000 times at rock and soil targets up to about 23 feet (7 meters) away. This mosaic of images from ChemCam's remote micro-imager camera show the rock, called "Ithaca," that received the 100,000th zapping, and 299 others. The scale bar at upper right is 1 centimeter (0.4 inch). The target was 13 feet, 3 inches (4.04 meters) from the top of Curiosity's mast, where the laser and remote micro-imager are mounted, when the rock was inspected during the 439th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 30, 2013). The image shows scars from the 10 laser-targeted points labeled from point 1 to point 10. Each observation point received 30 laser shots. One of the 30 shots at point 1 was the 100,000th firing of the ChemCam laser. The vertical line of 10 points examined by ChemCam on Ithaca starts in a pitted lower coarser grained layer and crosses into a finer grained, smoother, upper layer. The chemical composition of the two layers appears to be very similar. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an eastward-moving dust storm on the plains north of Cydonia and western Arabia Terra on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-405, 28 June 2003Autumn on the martian northern plains means clouds and dust storms. As autumn got underway in early May 2003, large dust storms began to form on the northern plains and sweep their way eastward--and sometimes southward--bringing colder air down from the north polar cap, now shrouded in darkness and clouds. This early autumn view, assembled from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images, shows an eastward-moving dust storm on the plains north of Cydonia and western Arabia Terra. The storm is nearly as big as the continental United States are wide, from west to east. In this image, north is toward the top, east to the right, and sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a high resolution view of the floor and walls of a trough located west of the Elysium Mons volcano on Mars. The trough cuts through layered and dust-mantled rock. | 25 May 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a high resolution view of the floor and walls of a trough located west of the Elysium Mons volcano. The trough cuts through layered and dust-mantled rock. Large boulders and windblown ripples, mostly covered with a blanket of dust, can be seen on the trough floor.Location near: 21.2°N, 222.4°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows northern Terra Sabaea, on the topographic boundary between the highlands of Terra Sabaea and the lower elevations of Utopia Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image is located in northern Terra Sabaea, on the topographic boundary between the highlands of Terra Sabaea and the lower elevations of Utopia Planitia. Numerous channels and graben dissect this region.Orbit Number: 94023 Latitude: 33.809 Longitude: 67.6676 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-24 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Auqakuh Vallis located in northeastern Arabia Terra, an eroded, cratered highland terrain on Mars. The floor of the valley has several dozen large, windblown ripples on it. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-421, 14 July 2003Auqakuh Vallis located in northeastern Arabia Terra, an eroded, cratered highland terrain. Because erosion has removed hundreds of meters (or more) of material from the terrain surrounding Auqakuh Vallis, the valley today appears to be much shallower and wider than it was when it formed. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a shallow reach of the valley at its southernmost extent. The valley floor runs east-west (left-right) across the center of this picture. The floor of the valley has several dozen large, windblown ripples on it. The surrounding terrain has been eroded to form mesas and a few nearly-straight ridges known as dikes. This picture, acquired in July 2003, is located near 27.7°N, 298.0°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated from the lower left. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show long term winds have etched the surface in Memnonia Sulci. Partial cemented surface materials are easily eroded by the wind, forming linear ridges called yardangs. | Context imageLong term winds have etched the surface in Memnonia Sulci. Partial cemented surface materials are easily eroded by the wind, forming linear ridges called yardangs. The multiple direction of yardangs in this VIS image indicate that there were at least two different wind directions in this area.Orbit Number: 59217 Latitude: -8.33112 Longitude: 186.506 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-04-20 15:12Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Hebrus Valles is located in the Elysium Planitia region of the northern lowlands of Mars. This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows three sinuous tributaries of the channel system which carved up the surrounding plains. | (Released 3 June 2002)The ScienceHebrus Valles is located in the Elysium Planitia region of the northern lowlands of the planet. This image shows three sinuous tributaries of the channel system which carved up the surrounding plains. These individual tributaries are up to 3 km wide and have up to three terraces visible along their margins. These terraces may indicate separate flood events or may be the result of one flood plucking away at channel wall materials with varying strengths of resistance. It is not clear if these are separate rock layers or just the erosion of one type of material from rising and falling water levels. A streamlined island is visible in the lower third of the image. This feature indicates that flow was from the lower right to upper left in this region (the tail of the island points downstream). In places ripples, interpreted to be dunes, can also be seen along the interface of the channel floor with the walls. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other features of note in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion.The StoryMars was once the scene of some major floods that rushed out upon the land, carving all kinds of channels. These signs of ancient flooding have always been exciting to scientists who want to understand the history of water on the planet. Water is important to understanding the climate and geological history of Mars, as well as whether life could ever have developed there.While we can't tell much about the life question from pictures like this one, it does give some insights into the great flood itself. You can see three tributaries of a channel system that are up to two miles wide or so.The really interesting thing is that you can see terraces of land that step down from the sides of the tributaries. How did they form? Was there one massive flood that swept through, eroding materials with varying strengths of resistance? Or was it several, separate floods? And what could the answer tell us about the types of rocks and materials in this region? No one knows if these are separate rock layers or just one type of material that has eroded from rising and falling water levels.While these questions will continue to intrigue geologists, one thing that they can tell for sure is the direction the water flowed. Can you find the tear-drop shaped island in the now dry channel? On Earth, we see these islands created in rivers all the time. The "tail" of the island (the point on the teardrop) points downstream, so that means the flood rushed down the channel from the lower right to the upper left.Since the flood, there is some rippling evidence on the channel floor that dunes may have formed. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other interesting features in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion. | |
This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 3, 2013). | This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 3, 2013). The rover is positioned at a patch of flat outcrop called "John Klein," which was selected as the site for the first rock-drilling activities by Curiosity. The self-portrait was acquired to document the drilling site.The rover's robotic arm is not visible in the mosaic. MAHLI, which took the component images for this mosaic, is mounted on a turret at the end of the arm. Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images or portions of images used in the mosaic.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows exhumation of flow surfaces from beneath a material that was eroded by wind in the Cerberus/Zephyria region of Mars. | 13 March 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows exhumation of flow surfaces from beneath a material that was eroded by wind in the Cerberus/Zephyria region. The origin of the flow material has been a subject of debate among Mars scientists; it may have been very fluid lava or mud flows. In either case the material was buried for some time.Location near: 34.2°N, 207.9°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Summer | |
Small channels dissect this region near Nectaris Fossae on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03286Dissected SurfaceSmall channels dissect this region near Nectaris Fossae.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -22.9N, Longitude 17.4E. 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. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Gale Crater. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Gale Crater, the home of Curiosity Rover.Orbit Number: 52340 Latitude: -4.59603 Longitude: 137.402 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-10-01 13:32Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Dec 22, 2003 shows several interesting impact craters near Scamander Vallis that illustrate the dynamic nature of the Martian surface. | Released 22 December 2003Several interesting impact craters are observed in this THEMIS image taken near Scamander Vallis that illustrate the dynamic nature of the Martian surface. The smallest crater at the bottom of the image shows dark streaks running down the crater walls that are likely due to small dust avalanches. The larger nearby crater has a well developed central peak and fluidized ejecta material that covers part of the eroded crater to the top of the image. The morphology of the ejecta suggests the impact may have occurred in a volatile rich surface.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.3, Longitude 29.5 East (330.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned rock outcrops, possibly sedimentary rocks, in the Arsinoes Chaos region east of the Valles Marineris trough system. These rocky materials were once below the martian surface. | 23 October 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned rock outcrops, possibly sedimentary rocks, in the Arsinoes Chaos region east of the Valles Marineris trough system. These rocky materials were once below the martian surface. These features are located near 7.2°S, 27.9°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows many small craters over a larger degraded one in the northern lowlands. These small craters are smoother and shallower than their counterparts closer to the equator. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows many small craters over a larger degraded one in the northern lowlands. These small craters are smoother and shallower than their counterparts closer to the equator.Scientists believe this difference is a result of impact into a region with subsurface ice, which sublimates when exposed to the Martian atmosphere. This causes the crater to gradually expand and flatten after impact.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image acquired on September 13, 2021 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows an impact crater in the mid-latitudes filled with smooth material that is probably ice covered with a little dirt. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionWe've come to understand in recent years that about a third of Mars has ice just below the surface. Many impact craters in the mid-latitudes are filled with smooth material that is probably ice covered with a little dirt. Part of one of these filled craters appears in this HiRISE image and has an interesting feature about 250 meters (800 feet) across, near the image center.What looks like might have been a small impact crater now has a straight edge with a steep cliff on its southern side. This north-facing cliff appears to expose icy material that's similar to other pole-facing scarps showing buried ice elsewhere on the planet. These cliffs give us a cut-away view of the buried ice in that location and can help answer questions about what the Martian climate was like when this ice formed.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 60.4 centimeters [23.8 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 181 centimeters [71.3 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 anaglyph view of 'Stimpy', in the 'Rock Garden,' was produced by NASA's Mars Pathfinder's Imager camera. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | This view of "Stimpy," in the "Rock Garden," was produced by combining the "Super Panorama" frames from the IMP camera. Super resolution was applied to help to address questions about the texture of this rock and what it might tell us about its mode of origin.The composite color frames that make up this anaglyph were produced for both the right and left eye of the IMP. These composites consist of 7 frames in the right eye and 8 frames in the left eye, taken with different color filters that were enlarged by 500% and then co-added using Adobe Photoshop to produce, in effect, a super-resolution panchromatic frame that is sharper than an individual frame would be. These panchromatic frames were then colorized with the red, green, and blue filtered images from the same sequence. The color balance was adjusted to approximate the true color of Mars.The anaglyph view was produced by combining the left with the right eye color composite frames by assigning the left eye composite view to the red color plane and the right eye composite view to the green and blue color planes (cyan), to produce a stereo anaglyph mosaic. This mosaic can be viewed in 3-D on your computer monitor or in color print form by wearing red-blue 3-D glasses.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).The left eye and right eye panoramas from which this anaglyph was created is available atPIA02405 andPIA02406.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This anaglyph from the base of 'Burns Cliff' in the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater' combines several frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera during the NASA rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This stereo view from the base of "Burns Cliff" in the inner wall of "Endurance Crater" combines several frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera during the NASA rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). It is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. The cliff dominates the left and right portions of the image, while the central portion looks down into the crater. The "U" shape of this mosaic results from the rover's tilt of about 30 degrees on the sloped ground below the cliff. Rover wheel tracks in the left half of the image show some of the slippage the rover experienced in making its way to this point. The site from which this image was taken has been designated as Opportunity's Site 37. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large crater on Mars retaining its original bowl shaped interior and the radial surface pattern on the ejecta. Just to the south is a crater that has been infilled by ejecta from the larger crater. | In today's image the large crater retains its original bowl shaped interior and the radial surface pattern on the ejecta. Just to the south is a crater that has been infilled by ejecta from the larger crater. The overlapping of ejecta blankets can be used to get relative age relationships, in this case the smaller crater to the south formed first, and the larger crater formed sometime later.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 29.6, Longitude 96.3 East (263.7 West). 37 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 portion of Olympia Undae, a large dune field located near the north pole. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Olympia Undae, a large dune field located near the north pole. This image was collected during the northern spring season. Olympia Undae is the largest contiguous dune field on Mars, covering 470,000 square kilometers (181,468 square miles). For comparison, the state of California is 163,696 square miles.Orbit Number: 78451 Latitude: 80.7135 Longitude: 224.211 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-08-21 23:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two sets of fractures on Mars, part of Sirenum Fossae. Several graben (downdroped blocks bounded by faults) occur between the main fracture systems. | Context image for PIA09280Sirenum FossaeThe two sets of fractures in this image are part of Sirenum Fossae. Several graben (downdroped blocks bounded by faults) occur between the main fracture systems.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -30.5N, Longitude 209.7E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This illustration shows the instruments and subsystems of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on the Curiosity Rover of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project. SAM analyzes the gases in the Martian atmosphere. | This illustration shows the instruments and subsystems of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on the Curiosity Rover of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project. The suite consists of three instruments -- quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS), tunable laser spectrometer (TLS) and gas chromatograph (GC) -- and various subsystems including two wide range pumps (WRP), a sample manipulation system (SMS), a solid sample inlet tube (SSIT), a gas processing system and pyrolysis ovens. SAM analyzes the gases in the Martian atmosphere and those evolved from heating the solid samples of scooped soil and drilled rock material. It provides information about the composition, abundance and isotopes of the sample. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image, taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on the 14th Martian day of the mission (June 7, 2008), shows the cable that held the Robotic Arm's biobarrier in place during flight has snapped. | This image, taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on the 14th Martian day of the mission (June 7, 2008), shows the cable that held the Robotic Arm's biobarrier in place during flight has snapped. The cable's springs retracted to release the biobarrier right after landing.To the lower right of the image a spring is visible. Extending from that spring is a length of cable that snapped during the biobarrier's release. A second spring separated from the cable when it snapped and has been photographed on the ground under the lander near one of the legs. 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 complex dune forms located on the floor of Russell Crater. | Context imageThe complex dune forms in this VIS image are located on the floor of Russell Crater. The large ridge dune is unique to Russell Crater. Russell Crater is located in Noachis Terra and is 135km (83miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 91018 Latitude: -54.3869 Longitude: 13.2455 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-06-21 17:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The channels in this image are part of Ravi Vallis as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe channels in this VIS image are part of Ravi Vallis.Orbit Number: 52008 Latitude: -0.038353 Longitude: 320.536 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-09-04 07:50Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark, ridged surfaces, common in the central floors of Valles Marineris and elsewhere in the equatorial regions of Mars. | Are these dunes? One of the most puzzling findings of the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera investigation has been the discovery of many surfaces of sharp, parallel ridges and grooves that--at first glance--look like dunes, but upon closer inspection turn out to be something else. They aren't dunes because they occur too close together, their crests are too sharp, and their slopes are too symmetrical. In most places that they occur on Mars, they appear to be occurring within a specific layer of (usually) dark material. Exactly what processes make these ridges is a mystery, but it clearly involves some sort of erosion. Dark mesas in this picture of the floor of Melas Chasma in the Valles Marineris system are developing sharp, parallel troughs and pits that appear to eventually erode to become the fields of ridges seen throughout the rest of the image. Dark, ridged surfaces like this are common in the central floors of Valles Marineris and elsewhere in the equatorial regions of Mars, and present a type of surface that may need to be avoided by future Mars landers. This image, illuminated by sunlight from the left, covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide and 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) long. The scene is located near 8.8°S, 76.8°W and was acquired on March 22, 1999. | |
Located between Lycus Sulci and Acheron Fossae, the surface in this region has been modified by the wind. The bottom half of the image contains linear sand dunes on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09141 Wind WorkLocated between Lycus Sulci and Acheron Fossae, the surface in this region has been modified by the wind. The bottom half of the image contains linear sand dunes.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 36.9N, Longitude 225.9E. 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 Odyssey shows part of Angustus Labyrinthus. The intersecting ridges were most likely formed due to tectonic activity. | 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 Angustus Labyrinthus. The intersecting ridges were most likely formed due to tectonic activity. When this feature was first observed by the Mariner 9 orbiter, project scientists informally dubbed it "the Inca City."_x009d_ It is very common to 'see' familiar objects in unfamiliar images, akin to seeing a 'face' in a wall outlet. To the scientists the orthogonal shapes resembled buildings.Orbit Number: 67658 Latitude: -81.392 Longitude: 296.2 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-03-15 21:34Please 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 a crater on Mars located in Syrtis Major. The majority of craters appear as bright (warm) rings surrounding dark (cooler) centers. The crater rims providr a wind-shadow. | The majority of craters in this nighttime IR image appear as bright (warm) rings surrounding dark (cooler) centers. The dark "tails" of the craters are windstreaks. The crater rims are providing a wind-shadow, protecting the dust/fines on the downwind side of the crater. The wind has removed the dust cover from the surroundings, revealing the rockier/warmer surface. These craters are located in Syrtis Major.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 1.3, Longitude 68.8 East (291.2 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. | |
Dark slope streaks are common in Lycus Sulci, the complex ridged terrain surrounding the north and west side of Olympus Mons as seen in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDark slope streaks are common in Lycus Sulci, the complex ridged terrain surrounding the north and west side of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 51949 Latitude: 29.862 Longitude: 225.603 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-08-30 11:09Please 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. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Ausonia Montes. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters.l 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 images show part of Ausonia Montes.Orbit Number: 42503 Latitude: -28.1322 Longitude: 98.9668 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-07-14 23:09Please 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 pair of images shows two cylinders of rock the size of classroom chalk inside the drill of NASA's Perseverance rover from an outcrop called Wildcat Ridge in Mars' Jezero Crater. | This pair of images shows two cylinders of rock the size of classroom chalk inside the drill of NASA's Perseverance rover from an outcrop called "Wildcat Ridge" in Mars' Jezero Crater. The image of the rock core on the left, called "Hazeltop," was taken by Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument on July 25, 2022, the 509th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image on the right, of the rock core called "Bearwallow," was taken on Aug. 2, 2022, the 516th sol.Each core is about 0.5 inches, or 13 millimeters, in diameter and 2.4 inches, or 60 millimeters, long. They were taken from an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, a fan-shaped area where, billions of years ago, a river once flowed into a lake and deposited rocks and sediment. Scientists interpret these rocks to be fine-grained sedimentary rocks. They appear to have formed under saltwater conditions, possibly as water from the crater's ancient lake was evaporating. These rock cores have been sealed in ultra-clean sample tubes and stored in Perseverance's Sampling and Caching System as part of the mission's search for ancient signs of microbial life. The verification of ancient life on Mars carries an enormous burden of proof.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. 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 Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/For more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: mars.nasa.gov/msr | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unusual layer of smooth material covers the flanks of the volcano Peneus Patera just south of the Hellas Basin. | Context imageAn unusual layer of smooth material covers the flanks of the volcano Peneus Patera just south of the Hellas Basin. Though smooth on its upper surface, the layer is pitted by a process of erosion that produces steep scarps facing the south pole and more gentle slopes in the direction of the equator. The style of erosion of the smooth layer suggests that ice of some form plays a role in shaping this terrain.Orbit Number: 84434 Latitude: -58.8716 Longitude: 52.6886 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-12-26 13:56Please 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. | |
East Mareotis Tholus | Image PSP_001364_2160 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 10, 2006. The complete image is centered at 35.9 degrees latitude, 274.9 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 287.8 km (179.9 miles). At this distance the image scale is 57.6 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~173 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:22 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 48 degrees, thus the sun was about 42 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 133.5 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This lava channel is part of the Elysium Mons flows on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08491Lava ChannelThis lava channel is part of the Elysium Mons flows.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 13.9N, Longitude 145.8E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter extends vertically into place after being rotated outward from its horizontal position on the belly of the Perseverance rover on March 29, 2021. | NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter extends vertically into place after being rotated outward from its horizontal position on the belly of the Perseverance rover on March 29, 2021, the 38th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This image was taken by the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera on the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, located at the end of the rover's long robotic arm.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and is operated jointly by MSSS and JPL.The Mars helicopter technology demonstration activity is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.For more about Ingenuity: go.nasa.gov/ingenuity. | |
Although the largest volcanoes on Mars (and in the solar system) are located in the geologically young Tharsis region, there are many Martian volcanoes that display equally interesting features, such as Hadriaca Patera in this NASA Mars Odyssey image. | (Released 17 May 2002)The ScienceAlthough the largest volcanoes on Mars (and the solar system) are located in the geologically young Tharsis region, there are many other martian volcanoes that display equally interesting features, such as Hadriaca Patera, shown in this image. Hadriaca Patera is located to the northeast of the Hellas Planitia impact basin in the southern hemisphere. Unlike the Tharsis volcanoes, Hadriaca Patera has very low relief, standing only about 1-2 km above the surrounding plains. Many scientists believe that Hadriaca Patera and other patera volcanoes (e.g., Tyrrhena) had significant interaction with subsurface water that produced mostly explosive ash deposits (pyroclastic flows), rather than just lava flows. Nearby sources of water might have included Dao Vallis on the southern flank of the volcano. The upper portion of this image shows relatively smooth terrain located in the central caldera, which has been nearly filled in with late-stage lava flows. The lower half of the image shows lobate flows as well as furrows in the ash deposits that make up the volcano's southern flank; these erosional furrows may have formed by surface runoff or sapping by groundwater. Just below the center of the image, a few small sinuous troughs are visible, and may be collapsed lava tubes or collapse features related to subsurface water. The number of impact craters on a planetary surface is commonly used as a proxy for the age of the surface -- an old surface has had time to accumulate more craters than a young surface. The relatively small number of large craters in the image indicates that the surface in this area is younger than the nearby heavily cratered ancient terrains outside the Hellas basin, but there are more craters on this surface than would be found on the average volcanic surface in Tharsis (there are some very large old craters on the volcano's flank to the southeast of this image). Paterae in general are older than the Tharsis volcanoes. At the far right edge of the central portion of the image, an ovoid-shaped crater is visible. Such craters are believed to form by extremely low-angle impact events.The StoryIf you look at the context image to the right, you'll see a large round circle. That's the ancient mouth of the volcano, not a crater. This volcano is named Hadriaca Patera. Even though Mars is known as the home of the largest volcanoes in the solar system, this mile-high volcano isn't very tall compared to its cousins in a region of Mars called Tharsis.As a result, you might think that paterae volcanoes like this one are relatively undistinguished as Martian volcanoes go, but it turns out they are probably much older. The number of craters on the surface in the area tells us so. Older surfaces have had time to accumulate many more craters. Not all craters, however, are almost perfectly round. Look for the egg-shaped crater (far right edge of the central portion of the image). Crater shapes like this one are caused when an impacting body comes in toward the surface at an extremely low angle.More than being older, paterae volcanoes are really interesting to scientists because they may have interacted with subsurface water. With that "ingredient," these volcanoes spat out explosive ash deposits instead of just lava flows. Mars may look calm now, but wow! It sure wasn't in the past.There are many signs of the volcano's past activity. In the upper portion of the image, the mouth of the volcano has been filled in with late-stage lava flows. Down below, a layering of flows is further scored with erosional furrows formed either by surface runoff or when groundwater eroded the surface from underneath, causing it to sink. Near the center of the image, collapsed lava tubes (or other collapse features related to subsurface water) texture the surface as well. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover looks back toward its tracks on July 1, 2021, after driving autonomously 358 feet (109 meters), its longest autonomous drive to date. | NASA's Perseverance Mars rover looks back toward its tracks on July 1, 2021 (the 130th sol, or Martian day, of its mission), after driving autonomously 358 feet (109 meters) – its longest autonomous drive to date. Taken by one of the rover's Navigation Cameras, the image has been processed to enhance the contrast. Perseverance has been exploring the floor of Jezero Crater since it landed on Feb. 18, 2021.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).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.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.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA.For more information about the mission, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 | |
This GIF shows the order in which the 142 images that makeup the Mastcam-Z's first 360-degree panorama were taken. Mastcam-Z is a pair of zoomable cameras on the mast, or head, of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. | Click here for animationThis GIF shows the order in which the 142 images that make up Mastcam-Z's first 360-degree panorama were taken. Mastcam-Z is a pair of zoomable cameras on the mast, or "head," of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.Arizona State University in Tempe leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.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.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more information about the mission, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows some the sand dunes on the floor of Danielson Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows some the sand dunes on the floor of Danielson Crater.Orbit Number: 48086 Latitude: 8.34166 Longitude: 353.137 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-16 13:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This daytime infrared image of Kaiser Crater shows warm dunes on the crater floor on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA11923Richardson CraterThis VIS image of Richardson Crater was collected at the same time as yesterday's IR image. While the dunes appeared uniform in temperature in the IR, they are varied in appearance in the visible wavelengths. The sand is darker than the surrounding and covering dust.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -72.2N, Longitude 178.5E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
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 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. 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 vertical projection with geometric seam correction. | |
Layers in Galle Crater | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image shows part of a large mass of layered rock in Galle Crater, in the southern cratered highlands of Mars. At low resolution, layers appear as bands and swirls which are nearly horizontal. This causes them to interact dramatically with topography, producing the appearance of folds and loops wrapping around small hills much like lines on a contour map. Zooming in at higher resolution, some long cracks (hundreds of meters long) are cutting across the layers, generally trending northeast-southwest. At full resolution (PSP_002655_1280), details of the layers are often obscured by ripples of wind-blown dust or textured patterns of erosion now eroding the rock. In the best exposures, such as that in the cutout section, the layers are fractured into blocks. Some of the layers are relatively resistant, and appear as ridges or fins in the cutout, often with little material supporting them from below. Although this seems to indicate relatively strong, coherent material, few boulders are visible. The ridge-forming layers may be weak, but separated by material with virtually no cohesion. Polygonal fracture patterns in the dark regolith between distinct layers could be due to ground ice, or regional tectonic stresses. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007Local Mars time: 3:54 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -51.8°Degrees longitude (East): 330.0°Range to target site: 256.3 km (160.2 miles)Original image scale range: 25.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~77 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 2.8°Phase angle: 71.5°Solar incidence angle: 69°, with the Sun about 21° above the horizonSolar longitude: 186.6°, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image of the Mars Pathfinder Lander on the surface of Mars was imaged by NASA's Sojourner as it looks back. Sojourners tracks are visible in the foreground. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | This image of the Mars Pathfinder Lander on the surface of Mars was imaged by Sojourner as it looks back. Sojourners tracks are visible in the foreground.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows some of the many channels that make up Arda Valles. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows some of the many channels that make up Arda Valles.Orbit Number: 50123 Latitude: -20.3477 Longitude: 327.359 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-04-02 03:19Please 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 Gale Crater, including the large layered deposit on the crater floor. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Gale Crater, including the large layered deposit on the crater floor. This deposit has been heavily eroded, which exposed the layering. The Curiosity Rover is located in Gale Crater. Gale crater is 150km (90 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 92243 Latitude: -4.91547 Longitude: 137.678 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-09-30 13:20Please 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. | |
This image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the cover on an inlet that will receive powdered rock and soil samples for analysis. The image also shows sand and angular and rounded pebbles that were deposited on the rover deck when it landed. | This image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the cover on an inlet that will receive powdered rock and soil samples for analysis. It was taken by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on Curiosity's 36th Martian day, or sol, of operations on Mars (Sept. 11, 2012). MAHLI was about 8 inches (20 centimeters) away from the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) sample inlet when it took the picture. When the cover is open, Curiosity will be able to drop samples into the inlet so scientists can identify and quantify the minerals in the samples. The cover has a diameter of 2.67 inches (6.77 centimeters).The image also shows sand and angular and rounded pebbles that were deposited on the rover deck when it landed.Engineers and scientists have been using images like these to check out instruments since Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (Aug. 6, 2012 EDT). | |
This ridge of material on the northern end of Gordii Dorsum is being reduced in size by the erosive effect of the wind in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageThis ridge of material on the northern end of Gordii Dorsum is being reduced in size by the erosive effect of the wind.Orbit Number: 39703 Latitude: 9.45409 Longitude: 210.971 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-11-26 11:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This color-enhanced June 2017 view from the Pancam on NASA's Opportunity Mars rover shows the area just above 'Perseverance Valley' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | Toward the right side of this enhanced-color scene is a broad notch in the crest of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. Wheel tracks in that area were left by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity as it observed "Perseverance Valley" from above in the spring of 2017. The valley is a major destination for the rover's extended mission. It descends out of sight on the inner slope of the rim, extending down and eastward from that notch.Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) took the component images for this view from a position outside the crater during the span of June 7 to June 19, 2017, sols 4753 to 4765 of the rover's work on Mars. This scene includes features that might have been ancient channels from water, ice or wind moving toward the notch in the rim, which might have been a spillway. Perseverance Valley, just on the other side, was likely carved by action of some fluid, such as water, water-lubricated debris, or wind. The mission is investigating to learn more about that process from evidence in place.The panorama spans about three-fourths of a full-circle view, from southeastward on the left, through westward in the middle, to northeastward on the right. High points visible on the rim of Endeavour Crater include "Winnemucca" on the left and "Cape Tribulation" on the right. Winnemucca is part of the "Cape Byron" portion of the crater rim. The horizon at far right extends across the floor of Endeavour Crater, which is about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. Opportunity has been investigating sites on and near the western rim of Endeavour since 2011, following seven years of exploring smaller craters after its 2004 landing. Images showing more of the crater's rim, for context, are at PIA21496, PIA21490 and PIA17758.This view merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). Color is enhanced in this version to make differences in surface materials more easily visible.The rover team calls this the "Sprained Ankle" panorama because the images were collected during a driving moratorium while engineers diagnosed a temporary steering stall with one front wheel pointed outward more than 30 degrees. The team was able to straighten the wheel to point straight ahead, and then resumed driving.The location from which this scene was recorded is labeled as "Sol 4752" on a later traverse map. Opportunity subsequently entered the upper end of Perseverance Valley and returned views looking down the valley and back up toward the rim crest from the location it reached on July 7 (Sol 4782).Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA21722_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software. | |
The steep sided depressions in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are fault bounded tectonic features called graben. | Context imageThe steep sided depressions in this VIS image are fault bounded tectonic features called graben. These depressions are part of a large region of graben called Sacra Fossae. Sacra Fossae is located on the western margin of Lunae Planum.Orbit Number: 60829 Latitude: 18.2961 Longitude: 287.711 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-31 10:01Please 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. | |
Towards the top of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a 'T' shaped depression and two sections of narrow channel located on the northeast part of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. Fluids (like water, or lava) flow downhill. | Context imageTowards the top of this VIS image is a "T" shaped depression and two sections of narrow channel. Fluids (like water -- or in this case most likely lava) flow downhill. If the depression formed first, the channels would have flowed towards the depression from both sides and then emptied into the depression, likely forming a delta deposit on both sides. If the channel formed first, it was a single channel and the fluid creating it stopped flowing before the depression was formed. Analysis of this image finds that the channel was created before the depression. This image is located on the northeast part of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex.Orbit Number: 53550 Latitude: 26.5166 Longitude: 151.079 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-01-09 04:59Please 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 captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a candidate future landing site in the Nili Patera region. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThere have been several proposals to send people to Mars but not land them on the surface. Instead, they would either fly by Mars once and return to Earth, or orbit Mars for a period of time. Would they at least get spectacular naked-eye views of the Martian surface?Some parts of Mars would be interesting: for example the polar ice caps, and the bright (dust-covered) regions would be seen reasonably well, although the color is very uniform. The dark (low reflectance) regions of Mars are some of the most interesting and important regions studied by our orbiters and rovers, but they would appear very bland to humans outside of the planet's atmosphere. This is because the thin atmosphere of Mars is quite bright and dusty, so when looking at dark surface areas, most of what you would see is scattered light from the atmospheric dust, and the surface would have a very low contrast. It would also appear reddish, even if the surface materials are not reddish, from the scattered light.Here is an example from the Nili Patera region of Mars, a candidate future landing site. At the top is an approximation of the natural color as seen by people with normal color vision -- almost no surface detail is visible. In the middle is the standard HiRISE IRB color product, consisting of the infrared, red, and blue-green images displayed as red, green, and blue, respectively, and with a min-max stretch applied to each color. In other words, the darkest pixel in the entire image is set to black, the brightest pixel is set to white, and all others are linearly interpolated. At bottom is an enhanced color product, in which each bandpass is given a linear stretch for the local subimage, sometimes saturating a small percentage of data to black or white to give the rest of the scene more contrast, followed by color saturation enhancement. Now we can see a diversity of colors that distinguish different surface units: dust, sand, and rocks with different minerals.This is a stereo pair with PSP_007556_2010.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
Tithonium Chasma has numerous large landslide deposits, as shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The resistant material of the plateau surface forms the linear ridges of the canyon wall. | Context image Tithonium Chasma has numerous large landslide deposits. The resistant material of the plateau surface forms the linear ridges of the canyon wall. Large landslides have changed the walls and floor of the canyon. A landslide is a failure of slope due to gravity. They initiate due to several reasons. A lower layer of poorly cemented/resistant material may have been eroded, undermining the wall above which then collapses; earth quake seismic waves can cause the slope to collapse; and even an impact event near the canyon wall can cause collapse. As millions of tons of material fall and slide down slope a scalloped cavity forms at the upper part where the slope failure occurred. At the material speeds downhill it will pick up more of the underlying slope, increasing the volume of material entrained into the landslide. Whereas some landslides spread across the canyon floor forming lobate deposits, very large volume slope failures will completely fill the canyon floor in a large complex region of chaotic blocks. This VIS image shows the result of this type of landslide.Tithonium Chasma is at the western end of Valles Marineris. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long, wider than the United States. Tithonium Chasma is almost 810 kilometers long (499 miles), 50 kilometers wide and over 6 kilometers deep. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 175 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, and only 2 kilometers deep. The canyons of Valles Marineris were formed by extensive fracturing and pulling apart of the crust during the uplift of the vast Tharsis plateau. Landslides have enlarged the canyon walls and created deposits on the canyon floor. Weathering of the surface and influx of dust and sand have modified the canyon floor, both creating and modifying layered materials.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 71,000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 18239 Latitude: -4.4678 Longitude: 273.788 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-01-24 01:55Please 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. | |
Dark streaks mark the sides of this mesa where the movement of material has exposed the darker rock beneath. This mesa (or hill) is just one of hundreds in Tartarus Colles. This image was captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageDark streaks mark the sides of this mesa where the movement of material has exposed the darker rock beneath. This mesa (or hill) is just one of hundreds in Tartarus Colles.Orbit Number: 44484 Latitude: 22.9152 Longitude: 185.841 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-12-25 02:17Please 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 group of impact craters in Aonia Planum, Mars. Remarkably, two of the craters are approximately equal in size, however, they clearly differ in age. | 12 June 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a group of impact craters in Aonia Planum, Mars. Remarkably, two of the craters are approximately equal in size, however, they clearly differ in age. The left (west) crater has a well-defined rim and its ejecta blanket overlies part of the less pronounced crater to its immediate east. The one with the ejecta blanket is younger. Other circular depressions in this bouldery scene are also old, eroded impact craters.Location near: 59.5°S, 78.5°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reveals a rugged terrain with steep cliffs and no fresh impact craters via this 3D image in northern Terra Meridiani on Mars. | Extended Mission operations for the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) include opportunities that come up about 10 times a week to turn and point the MGS spacecraft so that MOC can photograph a feature of high scientific interest. Many of these images are targeted to the site of a previous MOC image, so that a stereoscopic (3-D) view can be obtained.The stereo view, which requires red (left-eye) and blue (right-eye) 3-D glasses to be seen, covers an area approximately 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide by 6.2 km (3.9 mi) long. The full-resolution view is seen at nearly 1.5 meters (5 ft) per pixel, a scale at which objects the size of airplanes and school buses might be seen.The landscape revealed by the 3-D view is a rugged terrain with steep cliffs and no fresh impact craters. This terrain seems most un-Mars-like compared to the typical cratered and dusty views MOC has provided since it began taking data in September 1997. In fact, one of the MOC science team members remarked, "If I'd seen this landscape used in a movie about Mars five years ago, I'd have said the director had no clue what Mars is supposed to look like." An irregular depression with a flat, mottled, light-toned floor dominates the scene. Small dark ridges on the depression floor near the top center of the image are dunes or drifts formed by wind transport of sandy sediment. The sharp buttes, mesas, and steep cliffs are all indicators that this terrain consists of a broad exposure of martian bedrock. North is up and sunlight illuminates each picture from the left/upper left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the red-green-blue rock called White Boat, light in color and more tabular shape compared to the dark, rounded rocks that surround it. | This is a composite red-green-blue image of the rock called White Boat. It is the first rock target that Spirit drove to after finishing a series of investigations on the rock Adirondack. White Boat stood out to scientists due to its light color and more tabular shape compared to the dark, rounded rocks that surround it. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the interplay of dust and ice in Mars' south polar region. | Context image for PIA10832THEMIS ART #87Is it just the interplay of dust and ice in the south polar region? It looks like a really nasty alien from the movies!Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -78.3N, Longitude 215.5E. 34 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 small portion of the northwest quadrant of Hellas Basin, or Hellas Planitia, on southern Mars; Hellas is one of the largest impact craters in the solar system. | This subimage from an observation by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers a small portion of the northwest quadrant of Hellas Basin, or Hellas Planitia, on southern Mars. With a diameter of about 2,200 kilometers (about 1,400 miles) and a depth reaching the lowest elevations on Mars, Hellas is one of the largest impact craters in the solar system. This area of Hellas Basin has a number of unusual features which are thought to be quite old because of the high crater density. Here a crater inside Hellas has been filled with material. This may be related to volcanic activity on the northwestern rim of Hellas.However, it might also be related to water and water ice. There is evidence elsewhere that the ground here is ice-rich. HiRISE is being used to investigate this in more detail when Hellas Basin is free from atmospheric dust.This image is a portion of the HiRISE observation catalogued as ESP_017196_1455, taken on March 28, 2010, and centered at 33.95 degrees south latitude, 48.50 degrees east longitude.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This 2001 Mars Odyssey image of Jeans Crater shows a sand sheet on Mars with dune forms and a layered region to the south of the sand sheet. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image of Jeans Crater shows a sand sheet with dune forms and a layered region to the south of the sand sheet.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -69.6N, Longitude 153.5E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The windstreaks in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the volcanic plains of Daedalia Planum. | Context imageThe windstreaks in this VIS image are located on the volcanic plains of Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 48054 Latitude: -13.2344 Longitude: 221.686 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-13 20:42Please 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. | |
This view combines information from two instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to map color-coded composition over the shape of the ground in a small portion of the Nili Fossae plains region of Mars' northern hemisphere. | This view combines information from two instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to map color-coded composition over the shape of the ground in a small portion of the Nili Fossae plains region of Mars' northern hemisphere.This site is part of the largest known carbonate-rich deposit on Mars. In the color coding used for this map, green indicates a carbonate-rich composition, brown indicates olivine-rich sands, and purple indicates basaltic composition.Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on early Mars reacted with surface rocks to form carbonate, thinning the atmosphere by sequestering the carbon in the rocks.An analysis of the amount of carbon contained in Nili Fossae plains estimated the total at no more than twice the amount of carbon in the modern atmosphere of Mars, which is mostly carbon dioxide. That is much more than in all other known carbonate on Mars, but far short of enough to explain how Mars could have had a thick enough atmosphere to keep surface water from freezing during a period when rivers were cutting extensive valley networks on the Red Planet. Other possible explanations for the change from an era with rivers to dry modern Mars are being investigated.This image covers an area approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) wide. A scale bar indicates 500 meters (1,640 feet). The full extent of the carbonate-containing deposit in the region is at least as large as Delaware and perhaps as large as Arizona. The color coding is from data acquired by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), in observation FRT0000C968 made on Sept. 19, 2008. The base map showing land shapes is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. It is one product from HiRISE observation ESP_010351_2020, made July 20, 2013. Other products from that observation are online at http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_032728_2020. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been using CRISM, HiRISE and four other instruments to investigate Mars since 2006. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, led the work to build the CRISM instrument and operates CRISM in coordination with an international team of researchers from universities, government and the private sector. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter and collaborates with JPL to operate it. | |
This night time image released on Nov 23, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a small fluvial channel located near Tinto Vallis, one of the larger volcanic complexs in the southern hemisphere of Mars. These channels are northeast of Tyrrhena Patera. | This night time IR image shows a small fluvial channel located near Tinto Vallis. These channels are northeast of Tyrrhena Patera and its related lava flows. Tyrrhena Patera is one of the larger volcanic complexs in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Small channels are easy to see in nighttime IR, with the cold channel floor (dark) contrasting from the warmer (bright) surroundings.NOTE: in nighttime images North is to the bottom of the image.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -24.6, Longitude 349.7 East (10.3 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. | |
Dark slope streaks are visible on the rim of this crater in Terra Sabaea in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. | Context imageDark slope streaks are visible on the rim of this crater in Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 37014 Latitude: 3.65483 Longitude: 26.1103 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-04-19 01:59Please 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. | |
The dark lines in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey are the tracks of dust devils in this region of Arcadia Plainitia. As the swirling winds move along the surface, they remove the dust cover, revealing the darker rock beneath. | Context imageThe dark lines in this VIS image are the tracks of dust devils in this region of Arcadia Plainitia. As the swirling winds move along the surface, they remove the dust cover, revealing the darker rock beneath.Orbit Number: 38206 Latitude: 57.1357 Longitude: 207.174 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-07-26 05:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This is the first image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). It was taken through a 'fisheye' wide-angle lens on one of the rover's rear left Hazard-Avoidance cameras. | This is the first image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). It was taken through a "fisheye" wide-angle lens on one of the rover's rear left Hazard-Avoidance cameras at one-quarter of full resolution. The camera is the left eye of a stereo pair positioned at the back left, or port, side of the rover.
The clear dust cover on the camera is still on in this view, and dust can be seen around its edge, along with three cover fasteners. One of the rover's wheels is in the lower right corner.
As planned, the rover's early engineering images are lower resolution. Larger color images are expected later in the week when the rover's mast, carrying high-resolution cameras, is deployed. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a cross section of Gale Crater, including part of the large layered deposit on the crater floor. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a cross section of Gale Crater, including part of the large layered deposit on the crater floor. This deposit has been heavily eroded. The Curiosity Rover is located in Gale Crater. Gale crater is 150km (90 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 86908 Latitude: -4.63872 Longitude: 137.343 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-07-18 07:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Troughs in the north polar cap reveal the layering of ice and dust, as shown in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageTroughs in the north polar cap reveal the layering of ice and dust.Orbit Number: 62789 Latitude: 82.9995 Longitude: 96.9578 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-02-08 20:23Please 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. | |
The linear and circular features in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft are all volcanic and are located at the base of the southern flank of Ascraeus Mons on Mars. | Context imageThe linear and circular features in today's VIS image are all volcanic and are located at the base of the southern flank of Ascraeus Mons.Orbit Number: 46404 Latitude: 8.22201 Longitude: 255.633 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-31 03:15Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the floor of Rabe 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 floor of Rabe Crater. Located in Noachis Terra, Rabe Crater is 108 km (67 miles) across. Dunes cover the majority of this image of Rabe Crater. As the dunes are created by wind action the forms of the dunes record the wind direction. Dunes will have a long low angle component and a short high angle side. The steep side is called the slip face. The wind blows up the long side of the dune. In this VIS image the slip faces are illuminated more than the longer side. In this part of the crater the winds were generally moving from the lower right corner of the image towards the upper left.Craters of similar size as Rabe Crater often have flat floors. Rabe Crater has some areas of flat floor, but also has a large complex pit occupying a substantial part of the floor. The interior fill of the crater is thought to be layered sediments created by wind and or water action. The pit is eroded into this material. The eroded materials appear to have stayed within the crater forming a large sand sheet with surface dune forms as well as individual dunes where the crater floor is visible. Several other craters in this region have complex floors with pits.Orbit Number: 83505 Latitude: -43.6272 Longitude: 34.5903 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-10-11 02:34Please 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 part of Chincoteague Crater. Chincoteague Crater is located in Utopia Planitia. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Chincoteague Crater. Chincoteague Crater is located in Utopia Planitia. The crater is 37km (23miles) across.Orbit Number: 78822 Latitude: 40.7151 Longitude: 123.929 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-09-21 12:42Please 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. | |
Gusev Crater, the designated landing site for the first Mars Exploration Rover mission was seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking Orbiter 1. | Released April 11, 2003The designated landing site for the first Mars Exploration Rover mission is Gusev Crater, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking images.Details of the Gusev Crater designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters. |
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