short_caption
stringlengths 3
255
| caption
stringlengths 31
10.7k
| image_url
stringlengths 61
61
|
|---|---|---|
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an impact crater on the martian northern plains. This crater is roughly the size of the famous Meteor Crater in Arizona on the North American continent. | 2 August 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an impact crater on the martian northern plains. This crater is roughly the size of the famous Meteor Crater in Arizona on the North American continent.Location near: 43.0°N, 231.7°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring | |
The steep northern wall of Tithonium Chasma crosses this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Landslide deposits from slope failure can be seen at the lower left corner of the image. | Context imageThe steep northern wall of Tithonium Chasma crosses this VIS image. Landslide deposits from slope failure can be seen at the lower left corner of the image.Orbit Number: 52610 Latitude: -4.11268 Longitude: 274.623 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-10-23 18:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This 360-degree three dimensional anaglyph view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit highlights Gusev crater on sol 147. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the 147th martian day of the rover's mission inside Gusev Crater, on June 1, 2004, was assembled from images taken by Spirit's navigation camera. The rover's position is Site A60. The view is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction. See PIA06033 for left eye view and PIA06034 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 58444 Latitude: -34.896 Longitude: 337.007 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-02-16 00:19Please 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 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Tinto Vallis (middle of image) and Palos Crater (top of image). | Context imageToday's VIS image shows Tinto Vallis (middle of image) and Palos Crater (top of image).Orbit Number: 51217 Latitude: -3.24903 Longitude: 110.809 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-01 03:49Please 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. | |
Researchers estimating the amount of carbon held in the ground at the largest known carbonate-containing deposit on Mars utilized data including physical properties from THEMIS (left) and mineral information from CRISM (right). | Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger annotated versionResearchers estimating the amount of carbon held in the ground at the largest known carbonate-containing deposit on Mars utilized data from three different NASA Mars orbiters.Each image in this pair covers the same area about 36 miles (58 kilometers) wide in the Nili Fossae plains region of Mars' northern hemisphere. The tally of carbon content in the rocks of this region is a key piece in solving a puzzle of how the Martian atmosphere has changed over time. Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on early Mars reacted with surface rocks to form carbonate, thinning the atmosphere. The image on the left presents data from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. The color coding indicates thermal inertia -- the property of how quickly a surface material heats up or cools off. Sand, for example (blue hues), cools off quicker after sundown than bedrock (red hues) does. The color coding in the image on the right presents data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. From the brightness at many different wavelengths, CRISM data can indicate what minerals are present on the surface. In the color coding used here, green hues are consistent with carbonate-bearing materials, while brown or yellow hues are olivine-bearing sands and locations with purple hues are basaltic in composition. The gray scale base map is a mosaic of daytime THEMIS infrared images. Annotations point to areas with different surface compositions. The scale bar indicates 20 kilometers (12.4 miles).In addition to data from THEMIS and CRISM, researchers estimating the amount of carbon in rocks of the Nili Fossae plains used data from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter, which operated from 1997 to 2006, and from two telescopic cameras on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: the Context Camera and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment.Arizona State University, Tempe, provided and operates THEMIS. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, provided and operates CRISM. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey projects for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiters and collaborates with JPL to operate them. | |
The lowland plains of Elysium Planitia contains a terrain that puzzles Mars scientists. Landforms in the region are the plates and ridges seen throughout most of this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | (Released 1 August 2002)The lowland plains of Elysium Planitia contains a terrain that puzzles Mars scientists. The most intriguing and debatable landforms in the region are the plates and ridges seen through out most of this image. The plates can be up to 7 km diameter and appear to have been rafted apart. The plates can be "jigsaw fitted" back in place. Various investigators have attributed the morphology of the plains material located on the floor of the Elysium basin to a wide range of geologic processes/landforms. Some researchers think that the plains are composed of low-viscosity flood lavas, while others argue for a fluvial origin (dried remnants of hyperconcentrated floods or mudflows). The plains surface exhibits a "crusty" appearance that some researchers have attributed to crusted over flood lavas and pressure ridges. However, dried mudflows can exhibit the same type of texture. The debate continues. Numerous small dark haloed craters and a buried 1 km diameter crater can also be seen in the upper third of the image. Near the bottom of the image older cratered highlands and plains are visible as are the margins of the younger platy material. | |
This engineering drawing shows the arm on NASA's Curiosity's rover in its 'ready-for-action' position, or 'ready out' as engineers say, in addition to the position it assumes to drop off samples. | This engineering drawing shows the arm on NASA's Curiosity's rover in its "ready-for-action" position, or "ready out" as engineers say, in addition to the position it assumes to drop off samples. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the large, circular feature Aram Chaos, an ancient impact crater on Mars filled with layered sedimentary rock that was later disrupted and eroded to form a blocky, 'chaotic' appearance. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-344, 28 April 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image mosaic was constructed from data acquired by the MOC red wide angle camera. The large, circular feature in the upper left is Aram Chaos, an ancient impact crater filled with layered sedimentary rock that was later disrupted and eroded to form a blocky, "chaotic" appearance. To the southeast of Aram Chaos, in the lower right of this picture, is Iani Chaos. The light-toned patches amid the large blocks of Iani Chaos are known from higher-resolution MOC images to be layered, sedimentary rock outcrops. The picture center is near 0.5°N, 20°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/upper left. | |
This composite image of Perseverance's first borehole on Mars was generated using multiple images taken by the rover's WATSON imager. | This composite image of the first borehole drilled by NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars was generated using multiple images taken by the rover's WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) imager. The borehole is 1.06 inches (2.7 centimeters) in diameter.A subsystem of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) instrument, WATSON can document the structure and texture within a drilled target, and its data can be used to derive depth measurements. The image was taken on the mission's 165th Martian day, or sol, at night in order to reduce self-shadowing within the borehole that can occur during daylight imaging. Some of WATSON's white LEDs illuminated the borehole.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego and is operated jointly by MSSS and JPL.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 | |
With the extensive amount of dust and sandy materials on Mars, dunes are a pervasive feature. Many dunes are small, like the ones in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The bright 'squiggles' in this image are small dunes. | Context imageWith the extensive amount of dust and sandy materials on Mars, dunes are a pervasive feature. Many dunes are small, like the ones in this VIS image. The bright "squiggles" in this image are small dunes. The large hill is actually part of a long, ridge system called Oenotria Scapuli.Orbit Number: 42604 Latitude: -5.89205 Longitude: 68.8747 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-07-23 06:03Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This NASA's Sojourner image, taken on Sol 70, shows rocks and rover-disturbed soil. Cleats on Sojourner's left front wheel are seen at lower left. The large rock in the distance is 'Yogi.' | This Sojourner image, taken on Sol 70, shows rocks and rover-disturbed soil. Cleats on Sojourner's left front wheel are seen at lower left. The large rock in the distance is "Yogi." Much of Yogi visible in this image cannot be seen from the perspective of the Pathfinder lander.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
The teardrop-shaped 'island' in this image was formed by the flow of fluid lava rather than liquid water on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09132 Marte VallisThe teardrop-shaped 'island' in this image was formed by the flow of fluid lava rather than liquid water.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 17.3N, Longitude 185.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a section of Granicus Valles, one of several channel systems that originate near the western margin of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. | Context image This VIS image shows a section of Granicus Valles, one of several channel systems that originate near the western margin of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex.Orbit Number: 69466 Latitude: 28.3145 Longitude: 130.729 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-08-11 21:30Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Steinheim Crater, located in Arcadia Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows Steinheim Crater, located in Arcadia Planitia. This is a relatively pristine crater with a double layer ejecta blanket and a minimally modified crater interior.Orbit Number: 63078 Latitude: 54.5451 Longitude: 190.581 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-03-03 15:25Please 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. | |
This image is a 360-degree view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's position outside the small crater 'Eagle Crater.' Plentiful ripples are seen on the plains and two depressions featuring bright spots. | This is the left-eye version of the first 360-degree view from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's new position outside "Eagle Crater," the small crater where the rover landed about two months ago. Scientists are busy analyzing Opportunity's new view of the plains of Meridiani Planum. The plentiful ripples are a clear indication that wind is the primary geologic process currently in effect on the plains. The rover's tracks can be seen leading away from Eagle Crater. At the far left are two depressions--each about a meter (about 3.3 feet) across---that feature bright spots in their centers. One possibility is that the bright material is similar in composition to the rocks in Eagle Crater's outcrop and the surrounding darker material is what's referred to as "lag deposit," or erosional remnants, which are much harder and more difficult to wear away. These twin dimples might be revealing pieces of a larger outcrop that lies beneath. The depression closest to Opportunity is whimsically referred to as "Homeplate" and the one behind it as "First Base." The rover's panoramic camera is set to take detailed images of the depressions today, on Opportunity's 58th sol. The backshell and parachute that helped protect the rover and deliver it safely to the surface of Mars are also visible near the horizon, at the left of the image. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera. | |
This is the left image of a stereo image pair showing NASA's Sojourner rover in the middle of the afternoon on Sol 66 (September 9). The rover has backed away from the rock 'Moe' after measuring its composition with the Alpha Proton X-Ray spectrometer. | This is the left image of a stereo image pair showing the Sojourner rover in the middle of the afternoon on Sol 66 (September 9). The rover has backed away from the rock "Moe" (to the right of the rover) after measuring its composition with the Alpha Proton X-Ray spectrometer. The next target for Sojourner, the rock "Stimpy," is in front of Moe.This image and PIA01562(right eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows some of the lava flows and leveed lava channels on the southeastern flank of Olympus Mons on Mars. These flows have been covered by a thick mantle of dust. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-453, 15 August 2003Olympus Mons is perhaps the largest volcano in the Solar System. It towers to more than 20 km above the martian datum--the elevation of 0 km--and it is wide enough to stretch east to west across the U.S. state of Arizona. This August 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the lava flows and leveed lava channels on the southeastern flank of Olympus Mons. These flows have been covered by a thick mantle of dust. The image is located near 14.4°N, 132.0°W and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across at 1.5 m (5 ft.) per pixel. The scene is illuminated from the lower left. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Boreum Cavus, at the interior end of Chasma Boreale. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Boreum Cavus, at the interior end of Chasma Boreale. The layered polar ice is easily identified in the upper part of the image. Boreum Cavus is an arcuate region where the polar ice thins, revealing the rockier surface of Chasma Boreale.Orbit Number: 63205 Latitude: 84.9422 Longitude: 342.822 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-03-14 02:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Ophir Chasma on Mars, a complex layered deposit with extensive erosion by wind and perhaps some erosion by water. | Context image for PIA09976Ophir ChasmaThe major Martian dust storm of 2007 filled the sky with dust and produced conditions that prevented the THEMIS VIS camera from being able to image the surface. With no new images being acquired, we've dug into the archive to highlight some interesting areas on Mars. The this week's region is Valles Marineris. This image of Ophir Chasma shows a complex layered deposit with extensive erosion by wind and perhaps some erosion by water.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.0N, Longitude 287.2E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on January 26, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the floor of Ius Chasma, part of Valles Marineris. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionSometimes Mars' surface is just beautiful as seen through the eyes of HiRISE.This is one example on the floor of Ius Chasma, part of Valles Marineris. The region has had a complex history of sediment deposition, deformation, erosion, and alteration.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 53.3 centimeters [21.0 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 160 centimeters [63.0 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a landslide located within an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria. | Context image for PIA10065LandslideThis landslide is located within an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -28.8N, Longitude 136.9E. 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. | |
One of the many branches of the Mangala Vallis channel system is seen in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The water that likely carved the channels emerged from a huge graben or fracture almost 1000 km to the south. | (Released 12 June 2002)The ScienceOne of the many branches of the Mangala Vallis channel system is seen in this image. The water that likely carved the channels emerged from a huge graben or fracture almost 1000 km to the south. The THEMIS image shows where one of the channels exits the cratered highlands terrain onto the lowland plains. A bright scarp marks the transition between the two terrain types and demonstrates that in this location the highlands terrain is being eroded back. Note how the floor of the main channel appears to be at the same level as the lowland terrain, suggestive of a base level where erosion is no longer effective. Most of the steep slope faces in the image display darker slope streaks that are thought to be dust avalanche scars and indicate that a relatively thick mantle of dust is present in this region. Wind-sculpted ridges known as yardangs cover many of the surfaces throughout the area as shown by images from the Mars Global Surveyor mission. Most of them are at the limit of resolution in the THEMIS image but some are evident on the floor of the main channel at the point at which a smaller side channel enters. In this location they appear to extend right up to the base of the channel wall, giving the appearance that they are emerging from underneath the thick pile of material into which the channel is eroded. This suggests a geologic history in which a preexisting landscape of eroded yardangs was covered over by a thick pile of younger material that is now eroding back down to the original level. Alternatively, it is possible that the yardangs formed more recently at the abrupt transition between the channel floor and wall. More analysis is necessary to sort out the story.The StoryThis channel system is named "Mangala," the word for Mars in Sanskrit, a language of the Hindus of India that goes back more than 4,000 years, with written literature almost as long. Great epic tales have been written in this language, and Odyssey is continuing in the spirit of those adventures with its daily discoveries.Long ago, many thousands of years before Sanskrit was spoken on the Earth, a rush of water emerged from a giant fracture in the Martian land, carving the channels seen above. Since this fracture is located almost 600 miles to the south of this picture, you can only image the force of the flood. Today, the only real movement is the tired fall of dust avalanches down the channel slopes, which leave long dark trickles down the side. It's a dry, dusty world now, with a thick layer of dust everywhere.This image was taken at a place of transformation on Mars, where the cratered highlands meet the smooth, lowland plains. You can see that especially well in the context image to the right. Erosion is working tirelessly over time to bring the highlands level with the lowland terrain, but that will take eons more time into the future. Erosion may be "deadly" to geological features, but it doesn't always happen quickly.If you want to look at one thing close up in this image, click on the above image and check out the floor of the main channel, just at the point where a smaller side channel enters (about a third of the way up). What you'll find are wind-sculpted ridges known as yardangs (some of them are almost triangular). What's interesting about these ridges is that they seem to have eroded long ago, then were covered by a thick pile of younger material, which is now itself eroding back, uncovering them once again.Yardangs are pretty common in this region of Mars, but if you have trouble finding them in many THEMIS images, don't worry, you're not alone. That's because the THEMIS camera is designed to take pictures of a larger area than its sister camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, so some smaller yardangs are barely detectable. The Mars Orbital Camera, however, takes more detailed pictures of a narrower slice of the Martian landscape, and has shown many yardangs in the area. The great thing is that the THEMIS and MOC cameras are very complementary to one another. It's important to get the larger context of the terrain, as well as the sharp details of a tinier area for the greatest understanding possible.For example, while the yardangs in this image seem to be emerging from a blanket of younger material, it's also possible that they formed more recently at the abrupt transition between the channel floor and the wall. More analysis - and more pictures from both cameras! - will be needed to sort out the story. | |
These linear fractures are part of Panchaia Rupes on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA08622Linear FracturesThese linear fractures are part of Panchaia Rupes.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 29.9N, Longitude 138.5E. 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 the floor of the huge de Vaucouleurs Crater. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the floor of the huge de Vaucouleurs Crater. This crater has a mix of features, including the chaotic terrain seen in this image.Orbit Number: 80942 Latitude: -14.7382 Longitude: 170.602 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-03-14 01:53Please 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 graph shows the relative abundances of sulfur (in the form of sulfur tri-oxide) and chlorine at three Meridiani Planum sites: soil measured in the small crater where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landedin 2004. | This graph shows the relative abundances of sulfur (in the form of sulfur tri-oxide) and chlorine at three Meridiani Planum sites: soil measured in the small crater where Opportunity landed; the rock dubbed "McKittrick" in the outcrop lining the inner edge of the crater; and the rock nicknamed "Guadalupe," also in the outcrop. The "McKittrick" data shown here were taken both before and after the rover finished grinding the rock with its rock abrasion tool to expose fresh rock underneath. The "Guadalupe" data were taken after the rover grounded the rock. After grinding both rocks, the sulfur abundance rose to high levels, nearly five times higher than that of the soil. This very high sulfur concentration reflects the heavy presence of sulfate salts (approximately 30 percent by weight) in the rocks. Chloride and bromide salts are also indicated. Such high levels of salts strongly suggest the rocks contain evaporite deposits, which form when water evaporates or ice sublimes into the atmosphere. | |
Dark streaks emanating from within impact crater walls show evidence for mass movement of materials in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Dark streaks emanating from within impact crater walls show evidence for mass movement of materials.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 Asimov 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 Asimov Crater. Asimov Crater is unique in that the crater floor has been completely filled with material to approximately the crater rim and then a series depressions have occurred near the crater rim.Orbit Number: 58181 Latitude: -46.4874 Longitude: 5.55839 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-01-25 08:32Please 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 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two diamond-shaped crater on the surface of Mars. | Context image for PIA09465Not Quite RoundThe two craters in this image are not circular, but instead are more diamond-shaped. Meteor Crater in Arizona is also more square than round. Meteor Crater formed in a limestone rock that had already been faulted in two directions. The preexisting faults controlled some of the stress induced by the impacting event, resulting in the crater not ending up perfectly round. The same thing likely occurred with the formation of the 20070823a.pngmartian craters -- a preexisting fault or fracture system in the rocks.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -20.6N, Longitude 161.5E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the caldera floor of Arsia Mons. It is not uncommon for calderas to have 'flat' floors after the final explosive eruption that empties the subsurface magma chamber. | Context image This THEMIS image shows part of the caldera floor of Arsia Mons. It is not uncommon for calderas to have "flat" floors after the final explosive eruption that empties the subsurface magma chamber. There may still be some magma or superheated rock left after the collapse that will fill in part of the depression. Additionally, over time erosion will work to level the topography. Within Arsia Mons there was renewed activity that occurred within the caldera along the alignment of the NE/SW trend of the three large volcanoes. This ongoing, low volume actitivity is similar to the lava lake in Kilauea in Hawaii. Small flows are visible throughout this image.Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes. It is 270 miles (450km) in diameter, almost 12 miles (20km) high, and the summit caldera is 72 miles (120km) wide. For comparison, the largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa. From its base on the sea floor, Mauna Loa measures only 6.3 miles high and 75 miles in diameter. A large volcanic crater known as a caldera is located at the summit of all of the Tharsis volcanoes. These calderas are produced by massive volcanic explosions and collapse. The Arsia Mons summit caldera is larger than many volcanoes on Earth. The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 19588 Latitude: -9.19485 Longitude: 239.276 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-05-15 03:33Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The Martian ionosphere is seen in this image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. | The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
The large dark feature is a classic Martian sand dune on Wirtz Crater as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe large dark feature is a classic Martian sand dune. Most sand on Earth is made from the mineral quartz, which is white and bright. On Mars, most sand is composed of dark basalt, a volcanic rock. For this reason, dunes on Mars are darker than those on Earth.The dunes in this observation, within Wirtz Crater, are known as "barchans."_x009d_ The steepest slope is on the eastern (right) side, partially in shadow, and represents the direction the dune is migrating as the sand is blown and transported by the wind. Small ripples are visible on much of the dune surface. The dark streaks on the dune are tracks left by passing vortices known to us as dust devils. These raise dust off the dune, revealing a darker substrate.This is a stereo pair with ESP_021893_1315.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 of Kaiser Crater from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a region of the dunes with varied appearances. The dune forms change from large long connected dunes, to large individual dunes, to the very small individual dunes. | Context image This VIS image of Kaiser Crater shows a region of the dunes with varied appearances. The different dune forms developed due to different amounts of available sand, different wind directions, and the texture of the crater floor. The dune forms change from the bottom to the top of the image - large long connected dunes, to large individual dunes, to the very small individual dunes at the top of the image.Kaiser Crater is located in the southern hemisphere in the Noachis region west of Hellas Planitia. Kaiser Crater is just one of several large craters with extensive dune fields on the crater floor. Other nearby dune filled craters are Proctor, Russell, and Rabe. Kaiser Crater is 207 km (129 miles) in diameter. The dunes are located in the southern part of the crater floor.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: 17686 Latitude: -46.6956 Longitude: 19.8394 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-12-09 13:25Please 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. | |
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 the region near Nili 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 the region near Nili Fossae.Orbit Number: 2319 Latitude: 21.9283 Longitude: 79.3321 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-06-23 12:32Please 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 was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after completing a two-location brushing on the rock dubbed 'Mazatzal.' A coating of fine, dust-like material was successfully removed from targets, revealing clean rock underneath. | This hazard-avoidance camera image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 79 after completing a two-location brushing on the rock dubbed "Mazatzal." A coating of fine, dust-like material was successfully removed from targets named "Illinois" (right) and "New York" (left), revealing clean rock underneath. In this image, Spirit's panoramic camera mast assembly, or camera head, can be seen shadowing Mazatzal's surface. The center of the two brushed spots are approximately 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) apart and were aggressively analyzed by the instruments on the robotic arm on sol 80. On sol 81, the rover drilled into the New York target to expose the original rock underneath. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows some of these on the slopes of Nectaris Montes within Coprates Chasma on Mars. Sand dunes in Valles Marineris can be impressive in size, with steep slopes that seem to climb and descend. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel.[The original image scale is 52.4 centimeters (20.6 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 157 centimeters (62.8 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows some of these on the slopes of Nectaris Montes within Coprates Chasma. Sand dunes in Valles Marineris can be impressive in size, with steep slopes that seem to climb and descend.The brighter bedforms are inactive while the bigger dunes move over the landscape, burying and exhuming the surface. This is a stereo pair with ESP_054029_1650.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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Mars' south polar scene, covered by bright, seasonal, carbon dioxide frost. The dark patches are areas where the frost has begun to sublime away. | 9 November 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a south polar scene, covered by bright, seasonal, carbon dioxide frost. The dark patches are areas where the frost has begun to sublime away.Location near: 80.0°S, 334.0°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Iani Chaos. Chaos terrain is typified by mesas and valleys. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Iani Chaos. Chaos terrain is typified by mesas and valleys. The initial breakup of the land is due to tectonic forces. With time and erosion the valleys widen and the mesas grow smaller. This image shows a cross section of Iani Chaos and the different scales of the mesas are readily visible.Orbit Number: 85965 Latitude: -2.34566 Longitude: 341.408 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-05-01 15:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows that dust avalanches, also called slope streaks, occur on many Martian terrains. These dust avalanches are located within a small crater inside Tikhonravov Crater. | Dust avalanches, also called slope streaks, occur on many Martian terrains. The deposition of airborne dust on surfaces causes a bright tone in the THEMIS VIS images. Any movement of the dust downhill, a dust avalanche, will leave behind a streak where the darker, dust-free surface is exposed. These dust avalanches are located within a small crater inside Tikhonravov Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 12.6, Longitude 37.1 East (322.9 West). 36 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the delta deposit on the floor of Eberswalde Crater. | Context imageOn the left side of today's VIS image is part of the delta deposit on the floor of Eberswalde Crater. Deltas are formed when sediment laden rivers slow down – either due to a flattening of topography, or entering a standing body of water. The reduction in velocity causes the sediments to be deposited. The main channel often diverges into numerous smaller channel that spread apart to form the typical fan shape of a delta. The Eberswalde Crater delta is one of the best preserved on Mars.Orbit Number: 84562 Latitude: -23.912 Longitude: 326.56 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-01-06 02:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The 'Columbia Hills' in Color | Figure 1
A Hillside View, released June 2, 2004This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a forward-looking view of a portion of the "Columbia Hills." This portion features "Husband Hill" to the left, "West Spur" in the center, and a talus (rock debris) slope to the right. West Spur is Spirit's planned first stop at the hills. Husband Hill measures approximately 90 meters (295 feet) tall from the base of the hills to its highest peak. Even in this distant shot, taken on sol 135 (May 20, 2004) from approximately 0.7 kilometers (0.4 miles) away from the base of the hills, large boulders can be seen on the hillside. These boulders are of great interest to scientists, as they may reveal clues about how these hills formed.
Based on these and past observations of the hills in comparison to hills on Earth and other celestial bodies, scientists theorize that the Columbia Hills may be one or a combination of the following: a portion of an eroded old crater rim, a wrinkle ridge, the remnants of a former interior crater deposit, a central peak or a volcano. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a cross section of Soffen Crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows a cross section of Soffen Crater. Located in Terra Cimmeria, Soffen Crater is 58km (36 miles) in diameter.Orbit Number: 81567 Latitude: -23.633 Longitude: 141.085 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-05-04 12:55Please 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. | |
Proposed MSL site in Xanthe/Hypanis Vallis | Click on image for larger versionHiRISE image (PSP_002919_1915) of proposed landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in Xanthe/Hypanis Vallis.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 3 March 2007Local Mars time: 3:42 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 11.4°Degrees longitude (East): 314.7°Range to target site: 279.9 km (179.4 miles)Original image scale range: 28.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~84 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 8.2°Phase angle: 50.5°Solar incidence angle: 59°, with the Sun about 31° above the horizonSolar longitude: 198.6°, 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. | |
Pot of Gold' Close-up | This false-color image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a close-up of the rock dubbed "Pot of Gold" (left), which is located near the base of the "Columbia Hills" in Gusev Crater. Scientists are intrigued by this unusual-looking, nodule-covered rock and plan to investigate its detailed chemistry in coming sols. This picture was taken on sol 159 (June 14, 2004). | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the floor of Huygens Crater. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows a small portion of the floor of Huygens Crater.Orbit Number: 7676 Latitude: -16.4613 Longitude: 54.4767 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-09-07 09:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows variation of dust content with time showing the growth of a storm on Mars. | Variation of dust content with time shows the growth of a storm. Opacities range from 0.15 (violet) to 1.25 (red). Orbit 25 is 10-21-1997, orbit 51 is 11-27-1997, and orbit 53 is 11-30-1997. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes within Proctor Crater. These dunes are composed of basaltic sand that has collected in the bottom of the crater. | Context imageThis image displays sand dunes within Proctor Crater. These dunes are composed of basaltic sand that has collected in the bottom of the crater. The topographic depression of the crater forms a sand trap that prevents the sand from escaping. Dune fields are common in the bottoms of craters on Mars and appear as dark splotches that lean up against the downwind walls of the craters. Dunes are useful for studying both the geology and meteorology of Mars. The sand forms by erosion of larger rocks, but it is unclear when and where this erosion took place on Mars or how such large volumes of sand could be formed. The dunes also indicate the local wind directions by their morphology. In this case, there are few clear slipfaces that would indicate the downwind direction. The crests of the dunes also typically run north-south in the image. This dune form indicates that there are probably two prevailing wind directions that run east and west (left to right and right to left).Orbit Number: 82145 Latitude: -47.5218 Longitude: 30.1064 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-06-21 03:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In this image it appears that the lava flow (top left) is relatively thin, and the material below is easily eroded by the wind on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA01865Wind and LavaIn this image wind seems to be the dominant process, but lava flows are still recognizable from the surface texture. It appears that the lava flow (top left) is relatively thin, and the material below is easily eroded by the wind.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 8.5N, Longitude 233.6E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 8 April 2004The Ariadnes Colles is a cluster of light-toned knobs, mesas, and hills in Terra Cimmeria near 35°S, 188°W. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example of these landforms. They might be the eroded remnants of material deposited in an extremely ancient impact basin. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Tharsis face of Mars in mid-June 2005. | 7 June 2005This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 230° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 230° occurs in mid-June 2005. The picture shows the Tharsis face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Location near: 20.8°S, 30.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Autumn/Southern Spring | |
This image taken on March 8, 2006 by NASA's Mars Exploratiion Rover Spirit shows layered rocks at 'Home Plate' revealing the individual sand-sized grains that make up these rocks. | For the past several weeks, Spirit has been examining spectacular layered rocks exposed at "Home Plate." The rover has been driving around the northern and eastern edges of Home Plate, on the way to "McCool Hill." Before departing, Spirit took this image showing some of the most complex layering patterns seen so far at this location.The layered nature of these rocks presents new questions for the rover team. In addition to their chemical properties, which scientists can study using Spirit's spectrometers, these rocks record a detailed history of the physical properties that formed them. In the center of this image, one group of layers slopes downward to the right. The layers above and below this group are more nearly horizontal. Where layers of different orientations intersect, other layers are truncated. This indicates that there were complex patterns of alternating erosion and deposition occurring when these layers were being deposited. Similar patterns can be found in some sedimentary rocks on Earth. Physical relationships among the various layers exposed at Home Plate are crucial evidence in understanding how these Martian rocks formed. Scientists suspect that the rocks at Home Plate were formed in the aftermath of a volcanic explosion or impact event, and they are investigating the possibility that wind may also have played a role in redistributing materials after such an event.Images like this one from panoramic camera (Pancam), which shows larger-scale layering, as well as those from the microscopic imager, which reveal the individual sand-sized grains that make up these rocks, are essential to understanding the geologic history of Home Plate.This view is an approximately true-color rendering that combines separate images taken through the Pancam's 753-nanometer, 535-namometer, and 432-nanometer filters during Spirit's 774th Martian day (March 8, 2006). | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the region near the south polar cap called Angustus Labyrinthus, which is defined by the linear ridges. | Context image Today's image shows the region near the south polar cap called Angustus Labyrinthus, which is defined by the linear ridges. The Odyssey spacecraft orbit is near the day/night terminator, which means looking at the surface near dawn and dusk. This image was taken in the late afternoon and the low sun angle casts shadows behind the taller peaks. The shadows show the topography of the ridges, which is hard to see from above.Orbit Number: 67658 Latitude: -81.3907 Longitude: 296.204 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 anaglyph from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was its first look inside 'Endurance Crater.' | This three-dimensional, 180-degree view from the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is the first look inside "Endurance Crater." The view is a cylindrical-perspective projection constructed from four images. The crater is about 130 meters (about 430 feet) in diameter.See PIA05861 for left eye view and PIA05862 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This panoramic view taken by NASA's Mars Pathfinder is a controlled mosaic of approximately 300 IMP images. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | Each of these panoramic views is a controlled mosaic of approximately 300 IMP images covering 360 degrees of azimuth and elevations from approximately 4 degrees above the horizon to 45 degrees below it. Simultaneous adjustment of orientations of all images has been performed to minimize discontinuities between images. Mosaics have been highpass-filtered and contrast-enhanced to improve discrimination of details without distorting relative colors overall.TOP IMAGE: Enhanced true-color image created from the "Gallery Pan" sequence, acquired on sols 8-10 so that local solar time increases nearly continuously from about 10:00 at the right edge to about 12:00 at the left. Mosaics of images obtained by the right camera through 670 nm, 530 nm, and 440 nm filters were used as red, green and blue channels. Grid ticks indicate azimuth clockwise from north in 30 degree increments and elevation in 15 degree increments.BOTTOM IMAGE: Anaglyphic stereoimage created from the "monster pan" sequence, acquired in four sections between about 8:30 and 15:00 local solar time on sol 3. Mosaics of images obtained through the 670 nm filter (left camera) and 530 and 440 nm filters (right camera) were used where available. At the top and bottom, left- and right-camera 670 nm images were used. Part of the northern horizon was not imaged because of the tilt of the lander. This image may be viewed stereoscopically through glasses with a red filter for the left eye and a cyan filter for the right eye.NOTE: original caption as published in Science magazineMars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Elator Vallis, the channel shown in image from NASA's Mars Odyssey, runs on the plains of Aurorae Planum. This portion of Elator Vallis parallels Ganges Chasma (shown in the top of the image). | Context imageElator Vallis, the channel shown in this VIS image, runs on the plains of Aurorae Planum. This portion of Elator Vallis parallels Ganges Chasma (shown in the top of the image).Orbit Number: 41148 Latitude: -8.78088 Longitude: 311.211 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-25 09:30Please 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 smooth surfaces of angular and rounded rocks seen in this image of the martian terrain may have been polished by wind-blown debris. The picture was taken by the panoramic camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. | The smooth surfaces of angular and rounded rocks seen in this image of the martian terrain may have been polished by wind-blown debris. The picture was taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 14 March 2004Layered rock outcrops are common all across Mars, and the Mars rover, Opportunity, has recently investigated some layered rocks in Meridiani Planum. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered sedimentary rocks in northern Terby Crater, located just north of the giant Hellas Basin near 27.5°S, 285.8°W. Hundreds of layers are exposed in a deposit several kilometers thick within Terby. A history of events that shaped the northern Hellas region is recorded in these rocks, just waiting for a person or robot to investigate. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left. | |
Clouds above the rim of 'Endurance Crater' in this image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity can remind the viewer that Mars, our celestial neighbor, is subject to weather. On Earth, clouds like these would be referred to as cirrus clouds. | Clouds in the martian sky above "Endurance Crater" in this image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity can remind the viewer that Mars, our celestial neighbor, is subject to weather. On Earth, clouds like these would be referred to as "cirrus" or theaptly nicknamed "mares' tails." These clouds occur in a region of strong vertical shear. The cloud particles (ice in this martiancase) fall out, and get dragged along away from the location where they originally condensed, forming characteristic streamers. Opportunity took this picture with its navigation camera during the rover's 282nd martian day (Nov. 8, 2004).The mission's atmospheric science team is studying cloud observations to deduce seasonal and time-of-day behavior of the clouds. This helps them gain a better understanding of processes that control cloud formation. | |
A microscopic image shows variability of grain size, medium-sized, well rounded and sorted, within a parallel-stratified portion of the 'Slickrock' area in the martian rock outcrop examined by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. | Figure 1A microscopic image shows variability of grain size within a parallel-stratified portion of the "Slickrock" area in the martian rock outcrop examined by NASA's Opportunity. Opportunity took this picture with its microscopic imager during the rover's 42nd sol on Mars (March 6, 2004), the sol before it took a similar picture PIA05520 at the same location. Most of the grains visible resemble medium-sized sand grains and are well-rounded and well-sorted.The dip from left to right is an artifact of the camera pointing angle. The grains in the rock define the fine layers, or laminae, and the variability in grain size along each lamina is small compared to the variability between laminae. Some of the fine layers have mostly smaller grains; others have mostly larger grains. Red arrows and labels (Figure 1) indicate the sizes of a representative large grain (0.8 millimeter or 0.03 inch) and a representative small grain (0.3 millimeters or 0.01 inch). | |
The two depression crossing this image are called Pavonis Fossae and are located just north of the volcano in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageThe two depression crossing this image are called Pavonis Fossae and are located just north of the volcano.Orbit Number: 45805 Latitude: 3.69234 Longitude: 249.534 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-04-11 19:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the margin of a lava flow on a cratered plain in the Athabasca Vallis region of Mars. Remarkably, the cratered plain in this scene is essentially free of bright, windblown ripples. | 3 April 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the margin of a lava flow on a cratered plain in the Athabasca Vallis region of Mars. Remarkably, the cratered plain in this scene is essentially free of bright, windblown ripples. Conversely, the lava flow apparently acted as a trap for windblown materials, illustrated by the presence of the light-toned, wave-like texture over much of the flow. That the lava flow surface trapped windblown sand and granules better than the cratered plain indicates that the flow surface has a rougher texture at a scale too small to resolve in this image.Location near: 10.7°N, 204.5°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
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 the floor of Vernal 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 Vernal Crater. Dark blue in this band configuration often indicates sand or basaltic materials.Orbit Number: 39099 Latitude: 5.48217 Longitude: 355.532 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-07 18:17Please 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 suite of wind-sculpted ridges on the plains northwest of the Tharsis volcano, Ascraeus Mons on Mars. Two circular features are old meteor impact craters. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-373, 27 May 2003This May 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a suite of wind-sculpted ridges on the plains northwest of the Tharsis volcano, Ascraeus Mons. The two circular features are old meteor impact craters. The ridges running from upper left toward lower right may have once been sand dunes. These dunes and the two craters were later covered by thick accumulations of dust or volcanic ash, and this fine material was later eroded by wind to form the somewhat triangular tails and markings that point toward the upper right. The area shown is 1.7 km (1.1 mi) wide and located near 16.0°N, 107.6°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image, taken by the Mastcam-Z camera aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Jan. 20, 2022, shows the rover successfully expelled the remaining large fragments of cored rock from a sample tube held in its drill. | This image taken by the Mastcam-Z camera aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Jan. 20, 2022, shows that the rover successfully expelled the remaining large fragments of cored rock from a sample tube held in the drill at the end of its robotic arm. The sample was originally collected by the rover on Dec. 29, 2021, from a rock the team calls "Issole."This image has been processed to enhance contrast.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).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 about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an old impact crater in southeastern Arabia Terra on Mars. The crater ejecta blanket is no longer visible and all of the terrain has been covered by a mantle of dust. | 6 October 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an old impact crater in southeastern Arabia Terra. The crater ejecta blanket is no longer visible and all of the terrain has been covered by a mantle of dust. The dark streaks on the crater wall are the result of dry avalanches of dust; the darker streaks formed more recently than the lighter-toned streaks. Indeed, the darkest streak is likely to be less than a few years old.Location near: 3.0°N, 315.6°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
Each image on this High Resolution Stereo Camera Image Composite (HRSC) mosaic is of the same location observed by Dawn's Framing Camera when it flew by Mars to complete the spacecraft's gravity assist maneuver on February 17, 2009. | Each image on this High Resolution Stereo Camera Image Composite (HRSC) mosaic is of the same location observed by Dawn's Framing Camera when it flew by Mars to complete the spacecraft's gravity assist maneuver on February 17, 2009.The Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Other scientific partners include Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Ariz.; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany; DLR Institute for Planetary Research, Berlin; Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome; and the Italian Space Agency. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., designed and built the Dawn spacecraft. | |
This region of the cratered highlands looks very ancient. A degraded channel snakes its way across the scene and enters what may be an older crater. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft in November 2003. | Released 3 November 2003This region of the cratered highlands looks very ancient. A degraded channel snakes its way across the scene and enters what may be an older crater. The channel then continues onward.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 1.8, Longitude 116.9 East (243.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
These are enhanced-color images of a rocky outcrop, taken by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance rover. | The image on the left is an enhanced-color image taken by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance rover of a rocky outcrop in the "Séítah" geologic unit of Jezero Crater. In the background, a portion of Jezero's ancient river delta can be made out. The image on the right is a mineral map created using Mastcam-Z's multispectral-imaging capability. Olivine is shown in red. Calcium-poor pyroxene is in green. Calcium-rich pyroxene in blue. Séítah rocks contain abundant olivine, and the regolith, or broken rock and soil, is diverse.The data for these images was taken on Oct. 19, 2021 (the 237th sol, or Martian day, of Perseverance's mission to Mars).The Mastcam-Z investigation is led and operated by Arizona State University in Tempe, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California, 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.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020nasa.gov/perseverance | |
This image suggests that the plains beyond the small crater where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity now sits are littered with the same dark grey material found inside the crater in the form of spherules or 'blueberries.' | This approximate true-color image suggests that the plains beyond the small crater where the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity now sits are littered with the same dark grey material found inside the crater in the form of spherules or "blueberries." Because Mars orbiters have observed the iron-bearing mineral hematite across these plains, scientists hypothesize that the blueberries are also made up of this mineral. This image was taken by the rover's panoramic camera on the 17th martian day, or sol, of its mission. Data from the camera's red, green and blue filters were combined to create this image. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's view shows the rover's tracks visible at the original spot where the rover attempted unsuccessfully to exit its landing site crater in 2004. | This is the left-eye version of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's view on its 56th sol on Mars, before it left its landing-site crater. To the right, the rover tracks are visible at the original spot where the rover attempted unsuccessfully to exit the crater. After a one-sol delay, Opportunity took another route to the plains of Meridiani Planum. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera. | |
The rounded knobs (arrows) up to 3 or 4 cm wide on 'Shark' and 'Half Dome' and in the foreground could be pebbles in a cemented matrix of clays, silts, and sands; such rocks are called conglomerates. Image captured by NASA's Sojourner Rover. | The rounded knobs (arrows) up to 3 or 4 cm wide on "Shark" (left; approximately 70 cm wide)) and "Half Dome" (upper right) and in the foreground could be pebbles in a cemented matrix of clays, silts, and sands; such rocks are called conglomerates. Well-rounded objects like these were not seen at the Viking sites.NOTE: original caption as published in Science magazine.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
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 Ius Chasma. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Ius Chasma.Orbit Number: 42235 Latitude: -7.00854 Longitude: 273.758 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-22 21:30Please 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 Slope Streak with Streak-Generated Topography | Click on image for larger versionThis is a portion of HiRISE image PSP_003542_2035 which shows a dark slope streak north of Olympus Mons, in a region was covered by Mars Orbital Camera image R09/00701. (This portion is rotated with south up so that the direction the streak flowed is towards the bottom of the frame).This image shows that the slope streak forming process altered the pre-existing surface both by excavating material and depositing it. The fine scalloped texture of the surrounding surface is not present within the streak, and there are low linear mounds within the streak that are not seen outside. Their absence outside the streak indicates that the formation of the mounds resulted from the streak formation process.There is a large boulder or knob within the streak near the top of the frame which the dark slope streak appears to have flowed around, leaving a light-toned patch of the surrounding surface material intact downstream of the boulder.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 4 April 2007Local Mars time: 3:22 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 23.3°Degrees longitude (East): 223.7°Range to target site: 285.3 km (178.3 miles)Original image scale range: 28.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~86 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 7.6°Phase angle: 71.6°Solar incidence angle: 65°, with the Sun about 25° above the horizonSolar longitude: 228.3°, 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. | |
Northern Meridiani Etched Terrain and Hematite Plains Contact | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_002324_1815) shows the contact between the Hematite Bearing Plains and Etched Terrain in Northern Meridiani Planum.The Hematite Bearing Plains (exposed at the bottom left of this image) are dark, smooth and full of dune fields. This unit is laterally extensive and the same unit that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is sitting on about 400 km to the southwest. Based on observations by Opportunity, this unit is interpreted to be a thin aeolian (wind-blown) mantle of basaltic sand and hematite concretions sitting on the Etched Terrain.The Etched Terrain in this image is split into two units. The darker unit at the top of the image is filling in a ~120 km NW-SE trending valley, while the brighter Etched Terrain in the middle of the image is stratigraphically and topographically higher than the lower Etched Terrain in the valley. This upper Etched Terrain is a plateau-forming unit with a geomorphic pattern that ranges from relatively flat plains to dissected plateaus and mesas. The lower Etched Terrain is flat with low albedo, and covered in dunes. It is in these Etched Terrains that CRISM, and previously OMEGA, have detected hydrated sulfates, which makes a sedimentary origin seems most likely for these layered deposits of Etched Terrain found in Meridiani.Observation GeometryAcquisition date: 1 January 2007Local Mars time: 3:41 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 1.6 °Degrees longitude (East): 359.8 °Range to target site: 271.2 km (169.5 miles) Original image scale range: 27.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~81 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 2.0 °Phase angle: 53.4 °Solar incidence angle: 55 °, with the Sun about 35 ° above the horizonSolar longitude: 172.1 °, Northern SummerNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a plethora of dark streaks created by spring and summer dust devil activity in Argyre Planitia on Mars. | 26 November 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a plethora of dark streaks created by spring and summer dust devil activity in Argyre Planitia.Location near: 47.3°S, 39.5°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a landscape that is pervasively eroded, right up to the tops of the ridges, with channels extending down into depositional fans much like alluvial fans in the Mojave Desert. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionStereo data from an anaglyph (or 3D) image shows that the landscape in this observation is pervasively eroded, right up to the tops of the ridges, with channels extending down into depositional fans much like alluvial fans in the Mojave Desert.This can be explained by something like rainfall, but this crater is geologically young, only a few hundred million years old, when Mars' atmosphere was thought to be too depleted to support rainfall. From the surrounding region we can see that only the Mojave ejecta is eroded, not adjacent landscapes. This suggests that the ejecta landed wet and itself initiated the erosion, rather than rainfall from clouds."Subsurface ice may have melted and mixed with the crater ejecta, which fell as a wet slurry of debris. But, that's just my favorite theory -- other geologists favor different interpretations." [Alfred McEwen]This is a stereo pair with ESP_039695_1875.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a target dubbed 'Campbell' on a rock called 'MacKenzie' in 'Endurance Crater.' Opportunity dug a hole into the target with its rock abrasion tool. | This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a target dubbed "Campbell" on a rock called "MacKenzie" in "Endurance Crater." Opportunity dug a hole into the target with its rock abrasion tool, then captured this picture with its microscopic imager on sol 184 (July 30, 2004). The image mosaic is about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) across. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows layered materials just off the south polar cap. | Context image Today's VIS image shows layered materials just off the south polar cap.Orbit Number: 67565 Latitude: -83.2999 Longitude: 326.31 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-03-08 05:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the summit caldera of Ascraeus Mons. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the summit caldera of Ascraeus Mons.Orbit Number: 52847 Latitude: 11.2919 Longitude: 255.561 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-11-12 08:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The linear depression in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of Galaxias Fossae. | Context imageThe linear depression in today's VIS image is part of Galaxias Fossae.Orbit Number: 60291 Latitude: 37.7156 Longitude: 141.63 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-07-18 03:27Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on May 6, 2007, shows Cape St. Vincent, one of the many promontories that jut out from the walls of Victoria Crater, Mars. | This image captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Cape St. Vincent," one of the many promontories that jut out from the walls of Victoria Crater, Mars. The material at the top of the promontory consists of loose, jumbled rock, then a bit further down into the crater, abruptly transitions to solid bedrock. This transition point is marked by a bright band of rock, visible around the entire crater. Scientists say this bright band represents what used to be the surface of Mars before it was impacted to form Victoria Crater. As Opportunity begins to descend into the crater in early July 2007, it will examine the band carefully at an accessible location with a gentle slope. These investigations might help determine if the band's brighter appearance is the result of ancient interactions with the Martian atmosphere.This image was taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera on sol 1167 (May 6, 2007). It is presented in approximately true color. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a crater and adjacent terrain that have been exhumed from beneath a wind-eroded material. The sharp, pointy ridges inside and immediately adjacent to the crater are evident. | 26 October 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a crater and adjacent terrain that have been exhumed from beneath a wind-eroded material. The sharp, pointy ridges inside and immediately adjacent to the crater are the remains of a material that once covered the entire scene. Wind has stripped these materials away, forming yardangs. Inside the crater, the erosion has revealed an older, eroded layered material. This smooth-surfaced layered feature inside the crater was already eroded to nearly its present shape before the yardang-forming material was deposited (and then eroded away).Location near: 7.2°N, 156.4°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Tinto Vallis bounded by steep walls on Mars. | Context image for PIA09989Tinto VallisThe major Martian dust storm of 2007 filled the sky with dust and produced conditions that prevented the THEMIS VIS camera from being able to image the surface. With no new images being acquired, we've dug into the archive to highlight some interesting areas on Mars. The this week's topic is medium sized channels. Tinto Vallis is bounded by steep walls so its sinuous course is easy to identify and trace from image to image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -3.6N, Longitude 111.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Tharsis face of Mars in mid-January 2006. | 4 January 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 357° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 357° occurs in mid-January 2006. The picture shows the Tharsis face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science SystemsSeason: Northern Winter/Southern Summer | |
Observations by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft show views of the polar regions of Mars in thermal neutrons (top) and epithermal neutrons (bottom). In these maps, deep blue indicates a low amount of neutrons and red indicates a high amount. | Observations by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show views of the polar regions of Mars in thermal neutrons (top) and epithermal neutrons (bottom). In these maps, deep blue indicates a low amount of neutrons, and red indicates a high amount. Thermal neutrons are sensitive to the presence of hydrogen and the presence of carbon dioxide, in this case "dry ice" frost. The red area in the upper right map indicates that about one meter (three feet) of carbon dioxide frost covers the surface around the north pole, as it does every Mars winter in the polar regions. An enhancement of thermal neutrons close to the south pole, seen as a light green color on the upper left map, indicates the presence of residual carbon dioxide in the south polar cap, even though the annual frost dissipated from that region during southern summer. Soil enriched with hydrogen is indicated by the deep blue colors on the epithermal maps (bottom), showing a low intensity of epithermal neutrons. The deep blue areas in the polar regions are believed to contain up to 50 percent water ice in the upper one meter (three feet) of the soil. The views shown here are of measurements made during the first three months of mapping using the neutron spectrometer instrument, part of the gamma ray spectrometer instrument suite. Topographic features are superimposed on the map for geographic reference.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson, and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. The gamma-ray spectrometer was provided by the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, which provided the high-energy neutron detector, and the Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico, which provided the neutron spectrometer. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Tectonics played the major role in shaping the surface of this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. This image contains arcuate fractures and isolated depressions containing chaos. | Context imageTectonics played the major role in shaping the surface of today's VIS image. This image contains arcuate fractures and isolated depressions containing chaos.Orbit Number: 45559 Latitude: -1.86812 Longitude: 171.73 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-03-22 12:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows small dunes on the floor of Bamberg 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 small dunes on the floor of Bamberg Crater. The smaller crater in the bottom half of the image is Gwash Crater.Orbit Number: 12607 Latitude: 39.1789 Longitude: 356.885 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-10-17 10:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The eastern floor of Holden Crater, which is located in region of the southern hemisphere called Noachis Terra and is 154 km in diameter, is seen in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | (Released 15 April 2002)The ScienceToday's THEMIS image covers territory on the eastern floor of Holden Crater, which is located in region of the southern hemisphere called Noachis Terra. Holden Crater is 154 km in diameter and named after American Astronomer Edward Holden (1846-1914). This image shows a mottled surface with channels, hills, ridges and impact craters. The largest crater seen in this image is 5 km in diameter. This crater has gullies and what appears to be horizontal layers in its walls.The StoryWith its beautiful symmetry and gullies radially streaming down to the floor, the dominant crater in this image is an impressive focal point. Yet, it is really just a small crater within a much larger one named Holden Crater. Take a look at the context image to the right to see just how much bigger Holden Crater is. Then come back to the image strip that shows the mottled surface of Holden Crater's eastern floor in greater detail, and count how many hills, ridges, channels, and small impact craters can be seen. No perfectly smooth terrain abounds there, that's for sure.The textured terrain of Holden Crater has been particularly intriguing ever since the Mars Orbital Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft found evidence of sedimentary rock layers there that might have formed in lakes or shallow seas in Mars' ancient past. This finding suggests that Mars may have been more like Earth long ago, with water on its surface. Holden Crater might even have held a lake long ago. No one knows for sure, but it's an exciting possibility. Why?If water was once on the surface of Mars long enough to form sedimentary materials, maybe it was there long enough for microbial life to have developed too. (Life as we know it just isn't possible without the long-term presence of liquid water.) The question of life on the red planet is certainly tantalizing, but scientists will need to engage in a huge amount of further investigation to begin to know the answer. That's why orbital images of Holden Crater like this one are so important. They continue to help scientists piece together the answers to their fundamental questions about the planet's environment and its potential as a past or present habitat for life. | |
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 the plains in Terra Sabaea. | 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 the plains in Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 43466 Latitude: -24.3218 Longitude: 44.5089 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-02 05:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
In the South Polar region of Mars this type of terrain may be covered by a seasonal polar cap composed of dry ice, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionGround that has a lot of water ice mixed with dirt tends to crack in polygonal patterns bounded by short straight channels. In the South Polar region of Mars this type of terrain may be covered by a seasonal polar cap composed of dry ice.In the spring as the seasonal cap sublimates gas is trapped underneath the seasonal ice layer until it can escape to an opening. At this site, faint rectangular channels in the surface are visible. The escaping carbon dioxide gas has exploited these channels and in the process, deepened them and added sinuosity to the formerly straight segments.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. | |
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 the plains of Terra Sirenum near Sirenum Fossae. | Context imageThe THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in mulitple 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 plains of Terra Sirenum near Sirenum Fossae.Orbit Number: 43011 Latitude: -32.8634 Longitude: 206.015 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-08-25 18:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small section of Hrad Vallis. Hrad Vallis originates on the northwest margin of the Elysium Volcanic complex and flows into Utopia Planitia. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small section of Hrad Vallis. Hrad Vallis originates on the northwest margin of the Elysium Volcanic complex and flows into Utopia Planitia. Hrad Vallis is 825 km (513 miles) long.Orbit Number: 85822 Latitude: 33.8698 Longitude: 141.725 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-19 21:35Please 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. | |
Mars Pathfinder Landing Site and Surroundings | NASA's Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, and continued operating until Sept. 27 of that year. The landing site is on an ancient flood plain of the Ares and Tiu outflow channels. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took an image on Dec. 21, 2006, that provides unprecedented detail of the geology of the region and hardware on the surface. HiRISE ImageThis is the entire image. The crater at center bottom was unofficially named "Big Crater" by the Pathfinder team. Its wall was visible from Pathfinder, located 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the north. The two bright features to the upper left of Big Crater are the "Twin Peaks," also observed by Pathfinder. The bright mound to the upper right of the Twin Peaks is "North Knob," seen in Pathfinder images as peaking over the horizon.At this scale there is no obvious geologic evidence of an ancient flood. Rather, impact craters dominate the scene, attesting to an old surface. The age is probably on the order of 1.8 billion to 3.5 billion years, when the Ares and Tiu floods are estimated to have occurred. Wind-formed linear ripples and dunes are seen throughout and are concentrated within craters. Sets of polygonal ridges of enigmatic origin are seen east of the Pathfinder lander. Rocks are visible over the entire image, with heavy concentrations near fresh-looking craters. Most of them are probably blocks tossed outward by crater-forming impacts.The complete image is centered at 19.1 degrees north latitude, 326.8 degrees east longitude. The range to the target site was 284.7 kilometers (177.9 miles). At this distance the image scale is 28.5 centimeters (11 inches) per pixel, so objects about 85 centimeters (33 inches) across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 centimeters (10 inches) per pixel. North is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:35 p.m., and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 52 degrees, thus the sun was about 38 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 154.0 degrees, the season on Mars is northern summer.Landing Site RegionThis is a close-up of the area in the vicinity of the Pathfinder landing site. Major features are named. The white box outlines the area of the image, discussed next, where hardware is seen.Hardware on the SurfaceThis image shows the Pathfinder lander on the surface. Zooming in, one can discern the ramps, science deck, and portions of the airbags on the Pathfinder lander. (See next image for closer view.) The back shell and parachute are to the south, and four features that may be portions of the heat shield are identified. Two of these were visible from Pathfinder. At the time of that mission, the nearest object was provisionally identified as the back shell. However, analysis of the HiRISE image and reinterpretation of Pathfinder images, plus an improved understanding of how hardware looks on the Martian surface based on ground-level and orbital images of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, indicate that the glint is bright enough that it may be insulating material from inside the heat shield. The back shell and parachute were out of sight behind a ridge from Pathfinder's ground view. One of the three bright features, identified as heat shield debris, was also identified during the Pathfinder mission.Annotated VersionUnannotated VersionTopographic Map of Landing Site RegionPortions of the HiRISE image are overlaid onto color-coded topographic maps constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey from stereo images acquired by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder on the lander. The white feature at the center is Pathfinder lander. The scales on the x and y axes are in meters, with the lander as the zero point. The color code for elevation relative to the lander is different in the left and right images, and shown in meters underneath each image. The correspondence between the overhead view revealed by HiRISE and the positions of topographic features inferred almost a decade ago from Pathfinder's horizontal view of the landscape is striking. The close-up on the right complements panoramas taken by the lander's camera, including the accompanying composite version showing the Sojourner rover at various locations it reached during the mission.Mars Pathfinder Gallery PanoramaThis version of the Gallery Panorama taken with the lander's Imager for Mars Pathfinder camera shows many of the locations where the mission's Sojourner rover ended a Martian day during the 12-week mission. (There was only one Sojourner. The image is a composite.) One annotation indicates the last known position of Sojourner, near the rock "Chimp," at the time of the final data transmission from the lander. The location labeled "Sojourner?" has been tentatively identified as the current position of the rover based on comparison of the ground-level view with the Dec. 21, 2006, image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. At the proposed current location of the rover, a feature can be discerned in the 2006 orbital image that is about the right size for Sojourner and wasn't present when the Gallery Panorama was taken. Some rocks and other features that can be identified in the orbiter's high-resolution view are labeled in this ground-level view. Topographic Perspective of Landing Site Region)This is a perspective view based on the topographic map and artificial color derived from Pathfinder and other data. The vertical scale is exaggerated by a factor of three, compared with horizontal dimensions. The white feature at center is the Pathfinder lander. It appears flat because the topographic map derived from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder data did not include the spacecraft itself. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Ius Chasma, at the western end of Valles Marineris, south of Tithonium Chasma. | Context imageIus Chasma is at the western end of Valles Marineris, south of Tithonium Chasma. Valles Marineris is over 4000 kilometers long, almost as wide as the United States. Ius Chasma is almost 850 kilometers long (528 miles), 120 kilometers wide and over 8 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. There are many features that indicate flowing and standing water played a part in the chasma formation. The rugged floor of Ius Chasma in this image is the result of many large landslides.Orbit Number: 91839 Latitude: -7.09251 Longitude: 272.604 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-28 06:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Danielson 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 Danielson Crater. This crater has deposits of material on the floor that have the appearance of wind erosion. The ridges and elongate hills are indications of wind direction. The dark blue material in this image is sand, most likely basaltic. The sand has formed dunes, but also can be seen filling small valleys to the upper right of the main dune.Orbit Number: 13206 Latitude: 7.82772 Longitude: 353.071 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-12-05 18:35Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small section of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra. This is just one of many channels dissecting the region. | Context imageThis VIS image shows a small section of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra. This is just one of many channels dissecting the region.Orbit Number: 78702 Latitude: -4.98861 Longitude: 352.581 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-09-11 15:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This engineering drawing shows various components needed to support tools at the end of the arm on NASA's Curiosity rover, including: calibration targets for helping instruments set their baseline levels. | This engineering drawing shows various components needed to support tools at the end of the arm on NASA's Curiosity rover, including: calibration targets for helping instruments set their baseline levels; spare bits for the rover's drill; a sample "playground" that gives the rover a place to drop off processed samples for observation by the APXS and MAHLI instruments; three inlet covers, which protect the SAM and CheMin instruments from atmospheric dust; and a set of five "organic check material" canisters, which provide a known chemical makeup blank that can be drilled and provided to SAM as a calibration material. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Dec 2, 2003 shows a heavily eroded crater just across Ares Vallis from Aram Chaos filled by material that is on its way out. | Released 2 December 2003Just across Ares Vallis from Aram Chaos lies a heavily eroded crater filled by material that is on its way out. This two-frame mosaic of THEMIS VIS images shows the floor of a crater that was filled by material of unknown origin. That material is now being eroded in a manner that is quite enigmatic. Note that the irregular depressions have varying depths across the scene. It appears that the crater fill material begins to erode through the formation of depressions that then deepen over time. Why the depressions form in the first place is a mystery.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 2.4, Longitude 343.6 East (16.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a pattern of polygons on the floor of a northern plains impact crater. These landforms are common on crater floors at high latitudes on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-357, 11 May 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows a pattern of polygons on the floor of a northern plains impact crater. These landforms are common on crater floors at high latitudes on Mars. Similar polygons occur in the arctic and antarctic regions of Earth, where they indicate the presence and freeze-thaw cycling of ground ice. Whether the polygons on Mars also indicate water ice in the ground is uncertain. The image is located in a crater at 64.8°N, 292.7°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an offset in layered rock caused by a fault located on the floor of Ius Chasma on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-415, 8 July 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a "text-book example" of an offset in layered rock caused by a fault. The offset is most easily seen near the upper right of the image. The martian crust is faulted, and the planet has probably experienced "earthquakes" (or, marsquakes) in the past. This scene is located on the floor of Ius Chasma near 7.8°S, 80.6°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.