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At right, NASA's Sojourner has traveled off the lander's rear ramp and onto the surface of Mars. The rock 'Barnacle Bill' and the rear ramp is to the left of Sojourner. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | At right, Sojourner has traveled off the lander's rear ramp and onto the surface of Mars. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. The rock Barnacle Bill and the rear ramp is to the left of Sojourner.The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. The IMP is a stereo imaging system with color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye.Click below to see the left and right views individually.LeftRight
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a long dune that extends from the side of a hill which looks like the beak of a humming bird. | Context imageDo you see what I see? A long dune extends from the side of a hill on the bottom left side of this image. It looks like the beak of a humming bird.Orbit Number: 17862 Latitude: -43.2867 Longitude: 343.409 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-12-24 01:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This cylindrical-projection view was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on May 12, 2004. The tracks show the path the rover had traveled so far on its way to the base of the 'Columbia Hills.' | This cylindrical-projection view was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 127 (May 12, 2004). Spirit is sitting at site 48. The tracks show the path the rover has traveled so far on its way to the base of the "Columbia Hills." In this image, the hills can be seen silhouetted against the horizon on the far left side. Spirit will reach the base of the hills by sol 160. | |
This graphic combines a perspective view from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of the 'Botany Bay' and 'Cape York' areas of the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars, and an inset with mapping-spectrometer data. | This graphic combines a perspective view of the "Botany Bay" and "Cape York" areas of the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars, and an inset with mapping-spectrometer data. Major features are labeled. In the perspective view, the landscape's vertical dimension is exaggerated five-fold compared with horizontal dimensions. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity examined targets in the Cape York area during the second half of 2011.The perspective view was generated by producing an elevation map from a stereo pair of images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, then draping one of the HiRISE images over the elevation model. Other image products from the HiRISE observations used in generating this view are at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_018701_1775 and http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_018846_1775. The inset presents data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In this CRISM observation, taken on March 29, 2011, and catalogued as FRT0001D86B, data were acquired using an oversampled gimbal motion in the spacecraft's along-track direction, producing an enhanced-resolution view in that direction. Data have been processed to 13 feet (4 meters) per pixel, compared with the instrument's usual 59 feet (18 meters) per pixel. Three different infrared wavelengths -- 2.52, 1.51 and 1.08 micrometers -- are presented as red, green and blue in the image.Thermal inertia estimates from observations by the Thermal Emission Imaging System on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter indicate that Botany Bay is a region with extensive outcrop exposures.The feature "Shoemaker Ridge" was given its informal name after one of the founding fathers of planetary geology, Eugene Shoemaker.HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson. The instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., led the effort to build the CRISM instrument and operates CRISM in coordination with an international team of researchers from universities, government and the private sector. 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 both orbiters. | |
This image released on Nov 12, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows collapse pits are found within graben surrounding Alba Patera on Mars. Alba Patera is an old volcano that has subsided after its magma chamber was evacuated. | We will be looking at collapse pits for the next two weeks. Collapse pits on Mars are formed in several ways. In volcanic areas, channelized lava flows can form roofs which insulate the flowing lava. These features are termed lava tubes on Earth and are common features in basaltic flows. After the lava has drained, parts of the roof of the tube will collapse under its own weight. These collapse pits will only be as deep as the bottom of the original lava tube. Another type of collapse feature associated with volcanic areas arises when very large eruptions completely evacuate the magma chamber beneath the volcano. The weight of the volcano will cause the entire edifice to subside into the void space below it. Structural features including fractures and graben will form during the subsidence. Many times collapse pits will form within the graben. In addition to volcanic collapse pits, Mars has many collapse pits formed when volatiles (such as subsurface ice) are released from the surface layers. As the volatiles leave, the weight of the surrounding rock causes collapse pits to form.These collapse pits are found within graben surrounding Alba Patera. Alba Patera is an old volcano that has subsided after its magma chamber was evacuated.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 43.1, Longitude 259.4 East (100.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows both linear and sinuous channel forms. | Context imageThis VIS image of Olympica Fossae shows both linear and sinuous channel forms. The linear depressions are most likely of tectonic origin (faulting); and the sinuous channels were probably formed by liquid flow. The liquid may have been lava, rather than water.Orbit Number: 62490 Latitude: 23.3832 Longitude: 243.728 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-01-15 04:58Please 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. | |
A small field of dunes on Mars is visible in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. | Context imageA small field of dunes is visible in this VIS image of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 47936 Latitude: 10.9975 Longitude: 358.363 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-10-04 05:28Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of the northern wall of Coprates Chasma, in Valles Marineris, was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on June 16, 2007. | This image of the northern wall of Coprates Chasma, in Valles Marineris, was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at 1227 UTC (8:27 a.m. EDT) on June 16, 2007, near 13.99 degrees south latitude, 303.09 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 20 meters (66 feet) across. The region covered is just over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide at its narrowest point.Valles Marineris is a large canyon system straddling Mars' equator, with a total size approximating the Mediterranean Sea emptied of water. It is subdivided into several interconnected "chasmata" each hundreds of kilometers wide and, in some cases, thousands of kilometers long. The walls of several of the chasmata, including Coprates Chasma, expose a section of Mars' upper crust about 5 kilometers (3 miles) in depth. Exposures like these show the layers of rock that record the formation of Mars' crust over geologic time, much as the walls of the Grand Canyon on Earth show part of our planet's history. The upper panel of this montage shows the location of the CRISM image on a mosaic from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), taken in longer infrared wavelengths than measured by CRISM. The CRISM image samples the base of Coprates Chasma's wall, including a conspicuous horizontal band that continues along the wall for tens of kilometers to the east and west, and a topographic shelf just above that. The middle two panels show the CRISM image in visible and infrared light. In the middle left panel, the red, green, and blue image planes show brightness at 0.59, 0.53, and 0.48 microns, similar to what the human eye would see. Color variations are subdued by the presence of dust on all exposed surfaces. In the middle right panel, the red, green, and blue image planes show brightness at 2.53, 1.51, and 1.08 microns. These three infrared wavelengths are the "usual" set that the CRISM team uses to provide an overview of infrared data, because dust has a less obscuring effect, and because they are sensitive to a wide variety of minerals. Layering is clearly evident in the wall rocks. The conspicuous band running along the base of the chasma wall appears slightly yellowish, and the scarp at the edge of the topographic bench appears slightly green.The bottom two panels use combinations of wavelengths to show the strengths of absorptions that provide "fingerprints" of different minerals. In the lower left panel, red shows strength of a 0.53-micron absorption due to oxidized iron in dust, green shows strength of an inflection in the spectrum at 0.6 microns that may be related to rock coatings, and blue shows strength of a 1-micron absorption due to the igneous minerals olivine and pyroxene. The conspicuous horizontal band appears slightly blue, indicating a stronger signature of olivine and/or pyroxene. In the lower right panel, red is a measure of an absorption particular to olivine, green is a measure of a 2.3-micron absorption due to phyllosilicates (clay-like minerals formed when rock was subjected to liquid water), and blue is a measure of absorptions particular to pyroxene. The conspicuous horizontal band is now resolved into an upper portion richer in pyroxene, underlain by material richer in olivine than the rest of the wall rock. Also, erosion-resistant material forming the topographic bench is underlain by phyllosilicate-containing material exposed on the scarp.Taken together, these data reveal a layer cake-like composition of the crustal material exposed in Coprates Chasma's wall. Most of the rock is rich in pyroxene, which is expected because much of Mars' crust consists of volcanic basaltic rock. However discrete layers are richer in olivine, and in some layers the presence of phyllosilicates indicates interaction of rock with liquid water. Because the phyllosilicate-containing layer is low on the walls and deeply buried, it likely represents an early period of Mars' history that was exposed when the canyon system formed.The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. | |
This map of Mars was created using images from NASA's Viking orbiters. It shows the original landing zone selected for the Mars Polar Lander. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. | This map of Mars was created using Viking images. It shows the original landing zone selected for the Mars Polar Lander. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West.Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land.Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface.Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.htmlTo view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a linear feature, part of Labeatis Fossae. | Context imageThe linear feature in this VIS image is part of Labeatis Fossae. Fossae are linear depressions, most often caused by extensional tectonic forces pulling the crust apart and allowing material to slide downward between bounding faults. In regions of volcanic flows, the depression may be caused by roof collapse into an underlying void left by a lava tube. As this feature is located in the Tharsis volcanic region, it is likely that this feature was primarily created by volcanic collapse rather tectonic stress.Orbit Number: 94403 Latitude: 22.828 Longitude: 266.725 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-03-27 10:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in Sept 2003, showing the northern rim of Hale Crater on Mars, located in Noachis Terra, heavily dissected by the enigmatic gullies whose origin has been attributed to snow melt, ground water discharge. | Released 2 September 2003The northern rim of Hale Crater, located in Noachis Terra, is heavily dissected by the enigmatic gullies whose origin has been attributed to snow melt, ground water discharge (springs), and even liquid CO2.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -34.6, Longitude 324 East (36 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-June 2006. | 27 June 2006This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 66° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 66° occurred in mid-June 2006. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn. Northern Spring/Southern Autumn | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops, common within the vast martian Valles Marineris trough system on Mars. | 28 August 2004Light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops are common within the vast martian Valles Marineris trough system. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a recent example from southern Melas Chasma at 1.5 m/pixel (5 ft/pixel) resolution. The image is located near 11.3°S, 73.9°W, and covers an area about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
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 some of the dunes located on the floor of Pettit 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 some of the dunes located on the floor of Pettit Crater.Orbit Number: 10953 Latitude: 11.7976 Longitude: 185.884 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-06-03 06:37Please 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 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 82 shows the view south of the large crater dubbed 'Bonneville.' 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 82 shows the view south of the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." The rover will travel toward the Columbia Hills, seen here at the upper left. The rock dubbed "Mazatzal" and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. The rover's position is referred to as "Site 22, Position 32." This image was geometrically corrected to make the horizon appear flat. | |
These lava flows are located to the northeast of Tharsis Tholus on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA09133 Lava FlowsThese lava flows are located to the northeast of Tharsis Tholus.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 17.1N, Longitude 271.5E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity taken Dec. 3, 2004, shows light rocks and dark rocks along the rim of 'Endurance Crater' on Mars. The pictured rock, 'Tipuna,' lies just under the dividing line, in the dark section. | On the way out of "Endurance Crater," NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been making observations along the crater wall, an intriguing and revealing geological path. One factor that immediately caught the eyes of scientists was a noticeable difference between light rocks and dark rocks along the crater rim. The pictured rock, "Tipuna," lies just under the dividing line, in the dark section. Opportunity's panoramic camera took this image during the rover's 306th martian day, or sol (Dec. 3, 2004). The image gives an up-close view of Tipuna, revealing complex layering that was likely caused by ancient flowing water or wind deposition. Scientists have used the rover's rock abrasion tool to expose interior material for analysis on both dark and light rocks near Tipuna. | |
Intrepid' crater on Mars carries the name of the lunar module of NASA's Apollo 12 mission, which landed on Earth's moon Nov. 19, 1969. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this stereo view on Nov. 11, 2010. 3D glasses are necessary. | "Intrepid" crater on Mars carries the name of the lunar module of NASA's Apollo 12 mission, which landed on Earth's moon Nov. 19, 1969. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this stereo view of the crater during the 2,417th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Nov. 11, 2010). The scene appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. It combines images from the left eye and right eye of Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam). Intrepid crater is about 20 meters (66 feet) in diameter. That is about the same size as the crater where Opportunity spent its first two months on Mars: Eagle crater. The rover's look-back image into Eagle crater after driving out of it in 2004 is at PIA05755.The rover science team uses a convention of assigning the names of historic ships of exploration as the informal names for craters seen by Opportunity. Apollo 12's lunar module Intrepid carried astronauts Alan Bean and Pete Conrad to the surface of Earth's moon while crewmate Dick Gordon orbited overhead in the mission's command and service module, Yankee Clipper. A view of Bean next to Intrepid on the moon is online at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo12/html/as12-46-6749.html. An image of Conrad inspecting robotic lander Surveyor 3, with Intrepid on the lunar horizon nearby, is online at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo12/html/as12-48-7133.html. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an old, eroded meteor impact crater in western Chryse Planitia on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-488, 19 September 2003This April 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an old, eroded meteor impact crater in western Chryse Planitia near 20.6°N, 50.8°W. This crater is located "downstream" of the ancient outflow channel system of Maja Valles; it is about half the distance between Maja Valles and the Viking 1 landing site, which occurs further "downstream" of this area toward the northeast (upper right). Much of the erosion that wore the crater's rims down to their present, rounded state might have occurred during the floods that are thought to have poured onto Chryse Planitia from Maja Valles. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left. | |
Gully and defrosting activity have been visible here along the edge of a dune field, along with blocks of frost. Observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of the same area help check for repeat activity. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionGully and defrosting activity have been visible here along the edge of a dune field, along with blocks of frost. Observations of the same area help us check for repeat activity, as well as measuring those meter-scale blocks that we've seen prior.In this case, we want to compare any possible changes with a previous observation, which we acquired in 2011. We've also seen images where carbon dioxide frost was the driving process in creating new gullies, so we know their formation is occurring to this day. Tracking for changes, especially when we look at the 1-kilometer enhanced color swath, can help us find more.This caption is based on the original science rationale. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a grouping of mesas created by pitting and erosion of a layered material north of Apollinaris Patera on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-501, 2 October 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a grouping of mesas created by pitting and erosion of a layered material north of Apollinaris Patera near 1.7°S, 187.0°W. The terrain is mantled by dust and the troughs between the mesas exhibit large, ripple-like, windblown bedforms. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the south polar cap. This image was taken at the end of southern summer. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. This image was taken at the end of southern summer. The cap was created over millions of years with deposition of ice and dust during different seasons, creating layers. The ice surface contains several different textures which can be seen in this image. The south polar cap is called Australe Planum.Orbit Number: 93170 Latitude: -86.9909 Longitude: 288.998 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-12-15 21:41Please 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 Global Surveyor image shows the remains of a once more laterally extensive layer overlying undulating terrain very near the south polar residual cap on Mars. | 25 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the remains of a once more laterally extensive layer overlying undulating terrain very near the south polar residual cap. Removal of the overlying layer has created "windows" through which are revealed topographic variations in the underlying material, predominantly manifested in the form of ridges which run diagonally, from the southwest (lower left) to the northeast (upper right), across the scene.Location near: 86.9°S, 196.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This full-circle, panorama shows the terrain around the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on part of a relatively flat, light-toned outcrop called 'Whitewater Lake.' The basin of Endeavour Crater is in the left half of the image. | This full-circle panorama shows the terrain around the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the 3,105th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 18, 2012). It was assembled from images taken by the rover's navigation camera. South is at the center. North is on both ends. Opportunity had driven about 61 feet (18.5 meters) westward earlier on Sol 3105 to reach this location, which is on the northern portion of "Matijevic Hill" on the "Cape York" segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The wheel tracks created by the drive are visible. For scale, the distance between the two parallel tracks is about 3.3 feet (1 meter). The basin of Endeavour Crater is in the left half of the image. Opportunity has been working on the western rim of Endeavour since mid-2011. The panorama is presented as a cylindrical projection. | |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observes a group of small gullies along a rock layer on the south wall of Liu Hsin Crater. At the foot of the gullies 'fans' of granular sediment have been deposited downhill from the gully formation. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionHere, we have a group of small gullies along a rock layer on the south wall of Liu Hsin Crater. At the foot of the gullies you can see the "fans" of granular sediment that have been deposited downhill from the gully formation.Nearby, there are much larger gullies. By comparing the gullies that are just 20 kilometers away, we may be able to determine the factors that affect their size.Liu Hsin (also spelled Xin) was a Chinese astronomer, historian, and editor during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 9 CE) and then the Xin Dynasty (9 to 23 CE).This caption is based in part on a public target suggestion from HiWish. (Note: the header image is non map-projected, so approximate north is down).The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This composite shows the view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in the direction of 'Victoria Crater,' on May 12, 2006. To reach Victoria Crater he rover had to navigate among the large ripples visible on the left and ahead in the distance. | This composite of three images from the navigation camera shows the view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity toward the southeast, in the direction of "Victoria Crater," on the rover's 817th Martian day, or sol (May 12, 2006). To reach Victoria Crater, still about 1,100 meters (two-thirds of a mile) from this location, the rover must navigate among the large ripples visible on the left and ahead in the distance.On this sol, Opportunity was preparing to deploy its arm instrument suite to analyze a rock on the outcrop pavement. At upper right is a small depression that was the target of further imaging on sols 825 and 826 (May 20 and 21, 2006). | |
Water ice mixed with dust form the residual north polar ice cap (brown color) in these images from NASA's Viking Orbiter 2. | Water ice mixed with dust form the residual north polar ice cap (brown color). Seasonal frost of relatively pure ice (white color) partly blankets the polar deposits. A large trough, which is occupied by linear sand dunes (dark band), exposes polar layered deposits. The layered deposits hold a partial record of the history of atmospheric activity and climate of Mars. Center of picture is at latitude 82 degrees N., longitude 84 degrees W. Viking Orbiter Picture Numbers 82B11-12 (violet), 82B15-16 (green), and 82B17-18 (red) at 53 m/pixel resolution. Picture width is 106 km. North is 6 degrees counter-clockwise from top. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Cerberus Fossae. Cerberus Fossae are located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Cerberus Fossae. Cerberus Fossae are located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. The linear features in the image are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Numerous sets of graben are visible in this THEMIS image, trending from north-northwest to south-southeast. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the east-northeast/west-southwest direction. The Cerberus Fossae graben are sources of both channels and significant volcanic flows. Cerberus Fossae cuts across features such as hills, indicating the relative youth of the tectonic activity.Orbit Number: 93945 Latitude: 8.24256 Longitude: 161.492 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-17 17:42Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This artist's impression Mars' Gale Crater depicts a cross section through the mountain in the middle of the crater, from a viewpoint looking toward the southeast. NASA's rover Curiosity will land in Gale Crater in August 2012. | This artist's impression Mars' Gale Crater depicts a cross section through the mountain in the middle of the crater, from a viewpoint looking toward the southeast. The rover Curiosity of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission will land in Gale Crater in August 2012. The landing area is on or near an alluvial fan indicated in blue. A key factor in selection of Gale as the mission's landing site is the existence of clay minerals in a layer near the base of the mountain, within driving range of the landing site. The location of the clay minerals is indicated as the green band through the cross section of the mountain. The image uses two-fold vertical exaggeration to emphasize the area's topography. The crater's diameter is 96 miles (154 kilometers). The image combines elevation data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, image data from the Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and color information from Viking Orbiter imagery. | |
This image is a composite view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) with its lights on, as seen by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) taken on Sept. 22, 2008. This composite image is not true color. | This image is a composite view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) with its lights on, as seen by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI). This image combines images taken on the afternoon of Phoenix's 116th Martian day, or sol (September 22, 2008). The RAC is about 8 centimeters (3 inches) tall.The SSI took images of the RAC to test both the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and cover function. Individual images were taken in three SSI filters that correspond to the red, green, and blue LEDs one at a time. When combined, it appears that all three sets of LEDs are on at the same time. This composite image is not true color. The streaks of color extending from the LEDs are an artifact from saturated exposure.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
The hills in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Avernus Colles. | Context imageThe hills in this VIS image are part of Avernus Colles.Orbit Number: 56128 Latitude: -1.54092 Longitude: 174.827 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-08-09 08:03Please 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. | |
Ius Chasma Tributary Valleys and Adjacent Plains | This image covers valley tributaries of Ius Chasma, as well as the plains adjacent to the valleys. Ius Chasma is one of several canyons that make up the Valles Marineris canyon system. Valles Marineris likely formed by extension associated with the growth of the large volcanoes and topographic high of Tharsis to the northwest. As the ground was pulled apart, large and deep gaps resulted in the valleys seen in the top and bottom of this HiRISE image. Ice that was once in the ground could have also melted to create additional removal of material in the formation of the valleys. HiRISE is able to see the rocks along the walls of both these valleys and also impact craters in the image. Rock layers that appear lower down in elevation appear rougher and are shedding boulders. Near the top of the walls and also seen in patches along the smooth plains are brighter layers. These brighter layers are not shedding boulders so they must represent a different kind of rock formed in a different kind of environment than those further down the walls. Because they are highest in elevation, the bright layers are youngest in age. HiRISE is able to see dozens of the bright layers, which are perhaps only a meter in thickness. Darker sand dunes and ripples cover most of the plains and fill the floors of impact craters. Image PSP_001351_1715 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 9, 2006. The complete image is centered at -8.3 degrees latitude, 275.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 254.3 km (158.9 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 25.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 101.8 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:32 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 59 degrees, thus the sun was about 31 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 133.0 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie at a location nicknamed Mary Anning after a 19th century English paleontologist. Curiosity snagged three samples of drilled rock at this site on its way out of the Glen Torridon region. | Figure 1NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie at a location nicknamed "Mary Anning" after a 19th century English paleontologist. Curiosity snagged three samples of drilled rock at this site on its way out of the Glen Torridon region, which scientists believe was a site where ancient conditions would have been favorable to supporting life, if it ever was present.Curiosity took the selfie using a camera called the Mars Hand Lens Imager located on the end of its robotic arm (videos explaining how Curiosity's selfies are taken can be found here). A close-up detail from within the selfie shows the three holes that a rock drill, also found on the end of Curiosity's arm, added to the surface. The three drill holes are named "Mary Anning," "Mary Anning 3" and "Groken," the last name coming from a site of geological interest in the Scottish countryside.Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. JPL manages Curiosity's mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.For more about Curiosity:mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/nasa.gov/msl | |
This observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a set of landforms that appears to form a nested 'chevron' pattern on a slope in Coloe Fossae. Interestingly, nearby surfaces on the same slope are all parallel. | This observation shows us a set of landforms that appears to form a nested "chevron" pattern on a slope in Coloe Fossae. Interestingly, nearby surfaces on the same slope are all parallel.How do these form? Are they bedforms created by the wind? Why do some slopes have these features and others do not?Further down the image, we see fretted terrain that's mostly likely the result of glacial processes. The valley floor offers a stark contrast to the upper slopes and its delicate rippled landforms.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Opportunity used the navigation camera (Navcam) on its mast to capture this southward facing scene along the eastern flank of 'Solander Point' during the 3,387 Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Aug. 3, 2013). | This view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows an area where a pale-toned geological unit called the "Burns Foundation," in the foreground, abuts a different geological unit. The darker unit, believed to be older, marks the edge of "Solander Point," a raised segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover team intends to study this geological contact area with Opportunity before driving the rover up onto Solander Point to examine rocks there. The point's north-facing slope offers an advantage for power output from rover's solar panels during the upcoming southern hemisphere winter.Opportunity used the navigation camera (Navcam) on its mast to capture this southward facing scene along the eastern flank of Solander Point during the 3,387 Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Aug. 3, 2013).The rock at the far right-hand side of the scene, informally named "Tick Bush," is about 1 foot (30 centimeters) across. In the week after this image was taken, Opportunity used tools on the rover's robotic arm to examine textures and composition of Tick Bush. The larger rock near the center of the image is informally named "Cheese Tree."NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.For more information about Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a sand sheet located on the floor of an unnamed crater just north of the edge of the South polar ice cap. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a sand sheet located on the floor of an unnamed crater just north of the edge of the South polar ice cap. The morphology of the dune is different from other sand dunes in lower latitudes. The difference is due to ice cementing the sand grains, making the movement of sand materials almost impossible. Only during the summer season the very surface loses this interstitial ice enough for small movements during windy conditions.Orbit Number: 92704 Latitude: -71.2469 Longitude: 144.353 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-11-07 12:42Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a meteor impact crater in northern Tharsis. This crater is a bit more than 2 kilometers wide, about twice the size of the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, USA. Many smaller craters are evident. | 7 November 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a meteor impact crater in northern Tharsis. This crater is a bit more than 2 kilometers wide -- about twice the size of the famous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, U.S.A. Many smaller craters can be seen superimposed upon the ~2 km diameter crater.Location near: 34.4°N, 118.8°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Terra Sabaea. | Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Terra Sabaea.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 87197 Latitude: 18.0891 Longitude: 77.0112 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-08-11 02:38Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes covering the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageSand dunes cover the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 37598 Latitude: -13.6581 Longitude: 125.037 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-06-06 02:09Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks located in Malea Planum. | Context image for PIA09446Dust Devil TracksThese dust devil tracks are located in Malea Planum.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -62.6N, Longitude 57.6E. 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 artist's concept shows a cutaway of Mars, along with the paths of seismic waves from two separate quakes in 2021. Detected by NASA's InSight mission, these seismic waves were the first ever identified to enter another planet's core. | This artist's concept shows a cutaway of Mars along with the paths of seismic waves from two separate quakes in 2021. These seismic waves, detected by NASA's InSight mission, were the first ever identified to enter another planet's core. InSight's seismometer allowed scientists to study these waves and gain an unprecedented look at the Martian core.The quakes were detailed in a paper published April 24, 2023, in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Occurring on Aug. 25 and Sept. 18, 2021, the two temblors were the first identified by the InSight team to have originated on the opposite side of the planet from the lander – so-called farside quakes. The distance proved crucial: The farther a quake happens from InSight, the deeper into the planet its seismic waves can travel before being detected. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages InSight for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supported spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors. | |
A large sandsheet with surface dune forms is shown in this image of Aonia Terra captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageA large sandsheet with surface dune forms is shown in today's image of Aonia Terra.Orbit Number: 43607 Latitude: -49.8517 Longitude: 293.215 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-10-13 20:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the view south of the large crater dubbed 'Bonneville.' The rock dubbed 'Mazatzal' and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. | This is the right-eye version of the 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic showing the view south of the martian crater dubbed "Bonneville." The image was taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. The rover will travel toward the Columbia Hills, seen here at the upper left. The rock dubbed "Mazatzal" and the hole the rover drilled in to it can be seen at the lower left. The rover's position is referred to as "Site 22, Position 32." This image was geometrically corrected to make the horizon appear flat. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows individual dunes comprising this dune field located on the floor of Herschel Crater. | Context image for PIA10334Herschel DunesIndividual dunes comprise this dune field located on the floor of Herschel Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -13.7N, Longitude 124.9E. 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 | 12 January 2004 One goal of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) extended mission is to examine middle- and polar-latitude gullies at the highest resolutions available to MOC. This image, at 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, shows several gullies carved into the material covering the wall of an old meteor impact crater near 46.7°S, 162.3°W. Large boulders that have come down the slopes are present among the gullies and their aprons. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear features which are tectonic graben. These graben are called Sirenum Fossae. | Context imageThe linear features in this VIS image are tectonic graben. These graben are called Sirenum Fossae. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. Several graben are visible in this THEMIS VIS image, trending from east to west. Because the faults defining the graben are formed parallel to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the north/south direction. The majority of the stresses that created Sirenum Fossae are aligned in the in a north-northwest to south-southeast direction. The Sirenum Fossae graben are 2735km (1700 miles) long.Orbit Number: 91772 Latitude: -27.9695 Longitude: 216.058 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-22 19:21Please 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 GIF shows NASA's Perseverance Mars rover collecting two samples of regolith – broken rock and dust – with a regolith sampling bit on the end of its robotic arm. | Click here for animationThis GIF shows NASA's Perseverance Mars rover collecting two samples of regolith – broken rock and dust – with a regolith sampling bit on the end of its robotic arm. The samples were collected on Dec. 2 and 6, 2022, the 634th and 639th Martian days, or sols, of the mission. The images were taken by one of the rover's front hazard cameras.One of the two regolith samples will be considered for deposit on the Martian surface in coming weeks as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. Studying regolith with powerful lab equipment back on Earth will allow scientists to better understand the processes that have shaped the surface of Mars and help engineers design future missions as well as equipment used by future Martian astronauts.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/ | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image on Dec. 24, 1997 of a small portion of the potential Mars Surveyor '98 landing zone. | On 1/16/1998 at shortly after 12:12 UTC SCET, the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took this high resolution image of a small portion of the potential Mars Surveyor '98 landing zone. For the purposes of planning MOC observations, this zone was defined as 75 +/- 2 degrees S latitude, 215 +/- 15 degrees W longitude. The location of the image was selected to try to cover a range of possible surface morphologies, reliefs, and albedos.The spacecraft was observing at approximately 75 degrees S, 213 degrees W. North is to the top of the image.The effects of ground fog, which obscures the surface features(left), has been minimize by filtering (right).Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
Many small channels are visible in this image of Arabia Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context imageMany small channels are visible in this VIS image of Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 54067 Latitude: 35.1164 Longitude: 7.39422 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-20 18:01Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows wind-sculpted remnants of layered sedimentary rock that once completely covered the northwestern floor of Henry Crater, an ancient impact basin on Mars. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-389, 12 June 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows wind-sculpted remnants of layered sedimentary rock that once completely covered the northwestern floor of Henry Crater, an ancient impact basin located at 11.7°N, 336.4°W. These landforms, shaped somewhat like inverted boat hulls, are "textbook examples" of a wind erosion form known as a yardang. The image covers an area 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the left. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its navigation camera to capture these dust devils swirling across Jezero Crater on July 20, 2021, the 148th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | Click here for animationNASA's Perseverance Mars rover used one of its navigation cameras to capture these dust devils swirling across Jezero Crater on July 20, 2021, the 148th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This GIF has been enhanced in order to show maximal detail, with some color distortion. The three images that have been included were taken about 15 seconds apart.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/ | |
This mosaic view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows textural characteristics and shapes of an outcrop called 'Point Lake.' The outcrop is about 20 inches (half a meter) high and pockmarked with holes. | Figure 1Figure 2Click on an individual image for full resolution figures imageThis mosaic view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows textural characteristics and shapes of an outcrop called "Point Lake." The outcrop is about 20 inches (half a meter) high and pockmarked with holes. Curiosity recorded the 20 component images for this mosaic on the mission's 302nd Martian day, or sol, (June 12, 2013), during a second approach to Point Lake. The rover used the Mastcam's right-eye camera, which has a telephoto lens. Point Lake first caught the interest of Curiosity's science team in October and November of 2012, when the outcrop stood out in images taken during the rover's trek eastward to "Yellowknife Bay." Point Lake is conspicuous in the right third of a scene from that time period at PIA16453. It consists of a relatively horizontal surface that ends in a steeper slope, shadowed in that 2012 view. The camera perspective made it look as if there are two steps, but they are actually at the same elevation as each other. Point Lake stood out for two reasons. First, it forms a small cliff. Geologists love cliffs because they offer a sense of how a rock unit differs from bottom to top. Second, as Curiosity drove closer to Point Lake on the route to Yellowknife Bay, images revealed that the outcrop is full of holes. Holes form in rocks by diverse mechanisms. Identifying which mechanism can provide understanding about the rock and its history. Curiosity parked near Point Lake in November and gained a good view of the top part (a href="https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16447">PIA16447), but not of the vertical face. Months later, while at the "John Klein" rock-drilling site in Yellowknife Bay, the rover recorded a face-on view of Point Lake (PIA17071). Still, the holes remained puzzling, so the science team decided to get a closer look at Point Lake after leaving Yellowknife Bay. The Sol 302 image is one result. This image shows that the upper and lower parts of Point Lake differ. The upper part has more holes and is more resistant to weathering. The holes range from smaller than pea size to larger than golf-ball size. They are circular to elliptical in shape. Some of the larger holes have raised rims, as if the material immediately around a hole is slightly more resistant than material farther from the hole. At the right-hand end of the outcrop are a few stones that look as if they could have fallen out of holes in the rock face. At least one of these looks like a thin, curved lining that could have coated the interior of a hole. Embedded nearby in the rock face is a larger rounded rock that has a rock lining around it.Curiosity's science team is considering diverse geological processes -- both igneous and sedimentary -- as explanations for the holes and other characteristics of Point Lake. Igneous rocks commonly have holes called vesicles, which are frozen gas bubbles left over from when the rock was molten or fluidized. However, it is also possible to create holes in sedimentary rocks. The easiest way is for pebbles or cobbles in the rock to fall out as the rock erodes, leaving holes in the remaining rock. This is more likely to occur if the pebbles or cobbles are much harder than the surrounding rock.Holes in either igneous of sedimentary rock can later be partly or wholly filled with secondary minerals delivered by fluids or gases. The secondary minerals that fill the holes are sometimes harder than the host rock, so that when the entire assemblage starts to erode, they remain behind as round nodules. Geodes are an example of this process. This view is presented in raw color, which shows the scene's colors under Mars lighting conditions as they would look in a typical smart-phone camera photo. Views with white-balanced color, which shows what the rocks would look if they were on Earth, are also available without (Figure 1) and with (Figure 2) scale bars for two different parts of the scene. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Columbia Hills' Oblique View | Figure 1: Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450This perspective view of a three-dimensional terrain model shows the shape of the "Columbia Hills" landscape where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been working since mid-2004. North is toward the lower left. "Husband Hill" is at the center, with the "Inner Basin" behind it. This view is from images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and processed into a three-dimensional terrain model by the U.S. Geological Survey. Spirit's Long Journey, Sol 450 More than 15 months after landing on Mars, NASA's Spirit rover is still going strong, having traveled a total of 4,276 meters (2.66 miles) as of martian day, or sol, 450 (April 8, 2005). This is a perspective view of the steepness of the "Columbia Hills," showing sites nicknamed "Tennessee Valley," "Larry's Lookout," "Inner Basin," "Home Plate," and the basin and summit beyond. This orbital view comprises images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and processed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a three-dimensional terrain model. | |
An exotic terrain of wind-eroded ridges and residual smooth surfaces is seen in images acquired October 18, 1997 by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and by the Viking Orbiter 1 twenty years earlier. | An exotic terrain of wind-eroded ridges and residual smooth surfaces are seen in one of the highest resolution images ever taken of Mars from orbit. The Medusae Fossae formation is believed to be formed of the fragmental ejecta of huge explosive volcanic eruptions. When subjected to intense wind-blasting over hundreds of millions of years, this material erodes easily once the uppermost tougher crust is breached. The crust, or cap rock, can be seen in the upper right part of the picture. The finely-spaced ridges are similar to features on Earth called yardangs, which are formed by intense winds plucking individual grains from, and by wind-driven sand blasting particles off, sedimentary deposits.The image was taken on October 30, 1997 at 11:05 AM PST, shortly after the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft's 31st closest approach to Mars. The image covers an area 3.6 X 21.5 km (2.2 X 13.4 miles) at 3.6 m (12 feet) per picture element--craters only 11 m (36 feet, about the size of a swimming pool) across can be seen. The best Viking view of the area (VO 1 387S34) has a resolution of 240 m/pixel, or 67 times lower resolution than the MOC frame.Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Granicus Valles, a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. | Context imageGranicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. The channel system is approximately 750km long. It is likely that both water and lava played a part in creating the channel.Orbit Number: 81068 Latitude: 28.2056 Longitude: 129.737 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-03-24 11:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the dunes that line the floor of 'Endurance Crater.' Small-scale ripples on top of the larger dune waves are evident. | This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the dunes that line the floor of "Endurance Crater." Small-scale ripples on top of the larger dune waves suggest that these dunes may have been active in geologically recent times. The image was taken by the rover's panoramic camera on sol 198 (August 14, 2004). | |
The surface beneath the south polar cap as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft at the highest latitude in Chasma Australe. | Context imageThe surface beneath the south polar cap is seen at the highest latitude in Chasma Australe, seen here in this VIS image.Orbit Number: 41990 Latitude: -85.1588 Longitude: 97.1401 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-02 17:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows part of the flank and margin of Ascraeus Mons on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03647Ascraeus MonsThis image shows part of the flank and margin of Ascraeus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 9.1N, Longitude 257.1E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Sand dunes are scattered across Mars and one of the larger populations exists in the Southern hemisphere, just west of the Hellas impact basin. as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionSand dunes are scattered across Mars and one of the larger populations exists in the Southern hemisphere, just west of the Hellas impact basin. The Hellespontus region features numerous collections of dark, dune formations that collect both within depressions such as craters, and among "extra-crater" plains areas.This image displays the middle portion of a large dune field composed primarily of crescent-shaped "barchan" dunes. Here, the steep, sunlit side of the dune, called a slip face, indicates the down-wind side of the dune and direction of its migration. Other long, narrow linear dunes known as "seif" dunes are also here and in other locales to the east.NB: "Seif" comes from the Arabic word meaning "sword."The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 25.5 centimeters (10 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 77 centimeters (30.3 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured on on sol 93. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. | This 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 93 (April 7, 2004). It reveals the martian view from Spirit's position during the four-sol flight software update that began on sol 94.See PIA05766 for left eye view and PIA05767 for right eye view of this 3-D cylindrical-perspective mosaic. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small channel entering the south side of Balvicar Crater. | Context image
A small channel enters the south side of Balvicar Crater.Orbit Number:
38664 Latitude: 16.215 Longitude: 306.716 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-09-01
22:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS
images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars
Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The
Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State
University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing.
The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State
University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the
Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are
conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California
Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image comes from observations of Newton crater by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; warm-season features might be evidence of salty liquid water active on Mars today. | Click on the image for the movieThis series of images shows warm-season features that might be evidence of salty liquid water active on Mars today. Evidence for that possible interpretation is presented in a report by McEwen et al. in the Aug. 5, 2011, edition of Science.These images come from observations of Newton crater, at 41.6 degrees south latitude, 202.3 degrees east longitude, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In time, the series spans from early spring of one Mars year to mid-summer of the following year. The images taken from oblique angles have been adjusted so that all steps in the sequence show the scene as if viewed from directly overhead.The features that extend down the slope during warm seasons are called recurring slope lineae. They are narrow (one-half to five yards or meters wide), relatively dark markings on steep (25 to 40 degree) slopes at several southern hemisphere locations. Repeat imaging by HiRISE shows the features appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fade in cold seasons. They extend downslope from bedrock outcrops, often associated with small channels, and hundreds of them form in rare locations. They appear and lengthen in the southern spring and summer from 48 degrees to 32 degrees south latitudes favoring equator-facing slopes. These times and places have peak surface temperatures from about 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit to 80 degree above zero Fahrenheit (about 250 to 300 Kelvin). Liquid brines near the surface might explain this activity, but the exact mechanism and source of the water are not understood.The series is timed to dwell two seconds on the first and last frames and one second on intermediate frames, though network or computer performance may cause this to vary. The legend on each image gives the exact HiRISE observation number so that additional image products from the observation and information about the observation can be found on the HiRISE website (e.g., the first image of the series is from ESP_011428_1380, at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_011428_1380). The legend also marks the Mars year and seasonal identifier (Ls) for each image. The Mars years begin with the first years of Mars exploration by robot spacecraft. This sequence includes images from Mars Year 29 and Mars Year 30. Ls stands for longitude of the sun, dividing the year into 360 degrees to mark the seasons. Ls = 180 is the beginning of southern spring, Ls = 270 is the beginning of southern summer, and Ls = 360 (or 0) is the beginning of southern autumn.Other imagery related to these new findings from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/gallery/gallery-index.html.HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
This large landslide is located within Ganges Chasma on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA02160LandslideThis large landslide is located within Ganges Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -7.6N, Longitude 315.8E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This illustration is a composite that creatively combines two previously released images from NASA's Mars Pathfinder for a sunset scene in Ares Valles in July 1997. | This illustration is a composite that creatively combines two previously released images from Mars Pathfinder for a sunset scene in Ares Valles in July 1997. The combined images are PIA01547 for the sky, and a portion of PIA01466 for the terrain. The sky image is a radiometrically correct, true-color sunset, with the sky near the Sun a pale blue color. The terrain image has been artistically adjusted to match the approximate time of day of the sky image (4:10 p.m. local solar time at the landing site) and to provide a seamless horizon. The two source images are composites of several frames from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder camera. Additional information is available in the captions for the original images.
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 Syrtis Major Planum. | 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 Syrtis Major Planum.Orbit Number: 45811 Latitude: 21.5691 Longitude: 78.9549 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-04-12 07:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This fascinating observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows us a dark-toned mound with pits inside an impact crater. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis fascinating observation shows us a dark-toned mound with pits inside an impact crater. Are these pits the result of sublimation?The crater itself is an ancient one, as evidenced by the eroded rim. For the mound inside, HiRISE resolution can give us a closer look at textural features that might help explain what we're looking at: layers in pit walls, or perhaps cracks from expansion?HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layering in terrain at the high southern latitudes of Mars. South polar layers are commonly assumed to consist of varying amounts of dust and ice. | 9 February 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layering in terrain at the high southern latitudes of Mars. South polar layers are commonly assumed to consist of varying amounts of dust and ice. An alternative explanation -- they may be exposures of ancient sedimentary rock.Location near: 78.9°S, 10.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Several tectonic fractures and collapse features, as well as lava flows, are visible in the image. | Context imageToday's image shows the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Several tectonic fractures and collapse features, as well as lava flows, are visible in the image. Ascraeus Mons is the northernmost of the three aligned Tharsis volcanoes and is the tallest at 18 km (11 miles).Orbit Number: 85868 Latitude: 11.0537 Longitude: 257.947 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-23 16:21Please 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 InSight retracted its robotic arm on Oct. 3, 2020, revealing where the spike-like mole is trying to burrow into Mars. In the coming months, the arm will scrape and tamp down soil on top of the mole to help it dig. | Click here for animationNASA's InSight lander retracted its robotic arm on Oct. 3, 2020, revealing the spot where the self-digging "mole" is attempting to burrow into the planet's surface. Attached to the mole is the copper-colored ribbon, which is laden with temperature sensors designed to measure the heat flow within Mars. In the months to come, the scoop seen on the end of the arm will be used to scrape and tamp down soil on top of the mole, in hopes of helping it dig.JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors.For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/insight. | |
As spring turns to summer, the frost cover has been removed from the south polar cap on Mars. The surface textures seen in this image are created by action of the sun on the icy cap as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA11882South Polar TexturesAs spring turns to summer, the frost cover has been removed from the south polar cap. The surface textures seen in this VIS image are created by action of the sun on the icy cap.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -86.9N, Longitude 354.6E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-560, 30 November 2003This October 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows sand dunes in the southern high latitudes of Mars. Unlike dunes at more northerly latitudes, south polar dunes tend to lack sharp, crisp features. Instead, they are often rounded, smoothed, and, in some cases (as toward the lower 1/3 of this image), flattened. These observations suggest that south polar dunes may be somewhat cemented and are presently (or fairly recently in the past) undergoing erosion. This dune field is located near 63.7°S, 201.2°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Gasa Crater, a small crater within a larger crater. | Context imageThis VIS image shows Gasa Crater, a small crater within a larger crater.Orbit Number: 59119 Latitude: -35.7834 Longitude: 129.522 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-04-12 13:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of the Martian surface was taken in the afternoon of NASA's Mars Pathfinder's first day on Mars. Taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP camera), the image shows a diversity of rocks strewn in the foreground. | This image of the Martian surface was taken in the afternoon of Mars Pathfinder's first day on Mars. Taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP camera), the image shows a diversity of rocks strewn in the foreground. A hill is visible in the distance (the notch within the hill is an image artifact). Airbags are seen at the lower right.The IMP is a stereo imaging system with color capability provided by 24 selectable filters -- twelve filters per "eye." It stands 1.8 meters above the Martian surface, and has a resolution of two millimeters at a range of two meters.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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Meridiani Planum, the designated landing site for the second Mars Exploration Rover mission was seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking Orbiter 1. | Released April 11, 2003The designated landing site for the second Mars Exploration Rover mission is Meridiani Planum, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking imagesDetails of the Meridiani Planum designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters. | |
This image, and many like it, are one way NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander measured trace amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere over far-northern Mars. | This image, and many like it, are one way NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is measuring trace amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere over far-northern Mars. Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) uses solar filters, or filters designed to image the sun, to make these images. The camera is aimed at the sky for long exposures.SSI took this image as a test on June 9, 2008, which was the Phoenix mission's 15th Martian day, or sol, since landing, at 5:20 p.m. local solar time. The camera was pointed about 38 degrees above the horizon. The white dots in the sky are detector dark current that will be removed during image processing and analysis.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA_x0092_s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
South Polar Cryptic Terrain in Early Spring | This image of the south polar region of Mars was taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at 1557 UTC (10:57 a.m. EST) on Feb. 10, 2007, near 77.55 degrees south latitude, 131.98 degrees east longitude. CRISM's image was taken in 544 colors covering 0.36-3.92 micrometers, and shows features as small as 30 meters (98 feet) across. The region covered is just over 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) wide at its narrowest point, and is one of several in which CRISM is monitoring the evaporation (or "sublimation") of the seasonal frost cap. The Martian south polar seasonal cap consists of carbon dioxide ice and frost, whose sublimation in the Martian spring creates a variety of features unlike anything in Earth's circumpolar regions. Part of the cap known as the "cryptic region" is so cold that it must be covered with carbon dioxide frost, but it is also unexpectedly low in brightness and exhibits a variety of unusual dark blotches. Many scientists believe that carbon dioxide gas trapped below the sublimating ice is released in bursts, which carry along dust that gradually darkens the ice. One idea is that geyser-like dust eruptions form the dark blotches, and that the blotches grow, coalesce, and eventually hide the frost under a thin layer of dust.This image was taken shortly after sunrise with the Sun only about five degrees above the horizon. The left version shows brightness of the surface at 1.3 micrometers. The right version shows strength of an absorption band due to carbon dioxide frost at 1.435 micrometers; brighter areas have a stronger absorption and more carbon dioxide frost. However, even the darkest areas still have frost. The correlation between brightness and carbon dioxide frost abundance is striking, supporting the idea that the frost is being darkened by dust. Frost in the upper right corner shows the expected dark blotches, whereas the frost over the rest of the image is more uniformly dark, hinting that another darkening process may be at work.CRISM's mission: Find the spectral fingerprints of aqueous and hydrothermal deposits and map the geology, composition and stratigraphy of surface features. The instrument will also watch the seasonal variations in Martian dust and ice aerosols, and water content in surface materials -- leading to new understanding of the climate.The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is one of six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Led by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the CRISM team includes expertise from universities, government agencies and small businesses in the United States and abroad. | |
This cylindrical projection was taken by the navigation camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The view is a region dubbed 'Fram Crater' located .3 miles from 'Eagle Crater' and roughly 820 feet from 'Endurance Crater' (upper right). | This cylindrical-perspective projection was constructed from a sequence of four images taken by the navigation camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It was taken with the camera's left eye.The images were acquired on sol 85 of Opportunity's mission to Meridiani Planum. The camera acquired the images at approximately 14:28 local solar time, or around 6:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, on April 20, 2004.The view is from the rover's new location, a region dubbed "Fram Crater" located some 450 meters (.3 miles) from "Eagle Crater" and roughly 250 meters (820 feet) from "Endurance Crater" (upper right).See PIA05783 for 3-D view and PIA05785 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the view ahead of the rover. Directly in front of the rover is the shallow depression dubbed 'Laguna Hollow,' where it dug a trench with one of its wheels. | This image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the view ahead of the rover on the 44th martian day, or sol, if its mission. Directly in front of the rover is the shallow depression dubbed "Laguna Hollow," where it dug a trench with one of its wheels. Further in the distance and to the right is the rock nicknamed "Humphrey," and even further up and to the right is another rock called "Hole Point." These three features line the path the rover is taking to the large crater dubbed "Bonneville." Listed on the picture are the sols on which the rover reached each of these milestones. | |
An enhanced color image from the eastern edge of Acidalia Planitia shows a heavily eroded landscape just south of the outflow channel called Mawrth Vallis. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft in October 2003. | Released 3 October 2003An enhanced color image from the eastern edge of Acidalia Planitia shows a heavily eroded landscape just south of the outflow channel called Mawrth Vallis. The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent "true color." Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 24.5, Longitude 338.4 East (21.6 West). 38 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 self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is a false color polar projection of the 360-degree 'McMurdo' panorama made from images taken by Spirit from April through October 2006. | This self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is a polar projection of the 360-degree "McMurdo" panorama made from images taken by Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam). This view of the rover and its surroundings is presented in exaggerated color to enhance color differences among rocks, soils and sand.From April through October 2006, Spirit stayed on a small hill known as "Low Ridge." There, the rover's solar panels were tilted toward the sun to maintain enough solar power for Spirit to keep making scientific observations throughout the winter on southern Mars.The Pancam began shooting component images of this panorama during the 814th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's work on Mars (April 18, 2006) and completed the part shown here on Sol 980 (Oct. 5, 2006).This is a red-green-blue, false-color composite generated from images taken through the Pancam's 600-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 480-nanometer filters. Some image mosaic seams and brightness variations in the sky as well as several other small areas of color mis-alignments or other mismatch problems have been smoothed over in image processing in order to simulate the view that a human would see if he or she were standing here and looking around.Spirit completed its three-month prime mission on Mars in April 2004, then continued operating in bonus extended missions into March 2010, when it ceased communicating. | |
This portion of the 360-degree gallery panorama shows NASA's Mars Pathfinder's forward ramp at center. The rocks 'Wedge,' 'Shark,' 'Flat Top,' and 'Half-Dome' are at right. | This portion of the 360-degree gallery panorama shows Pathfinder's forward ramp at center. The metallic object at lower left is a portion of the low-gain antenna. The rocks Wedge, Shark, Flat Top, and Half-Dome are at right. The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) over sols 8,9 and 10, using the red, green and blue filters.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). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
This anaglyph view of 'Half Dome,' 25 meters to the west of the Soujourner, was produced by NASA's Mars Pathfinder's Imager camera. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. | This view of the "Hippo," 25 meters to the west of the lander, was produced by combining the "Super Panorama" frames from the IMP camera. Super resolution was applied to help to address questions about the texture of this rock and what it might tell us about its mode of origin.The composite color frames that make up this anaglyph were produced for both the right and left eye of the IMP. These composites consist of more than 15 frames per eye (because multiple sequences covered the same area), taken with different color filters that were enlarged by 500% and then co-added using Adobe Photoshop to produce, in effect, a super-resolution panchromatic frame that is sharper than an individual frame would be. These panchromatic frames were then colorized with the red, green, and blue filtered images from the same sequence. The color balance was adjusted to approximate the true color of Mars.The anaglyph view was produced by combining the left with the right eye color composite frames by assigning the left eye composite view to the red color plane and the right eye composite view to the green and blue color planes (cyan), to produce a stereo anaglyph mosaic. This mosaic can be viewed in 3-D on your computer monitor or in color print form by wearing red-blue 3-D glasses.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).The left eye and right eye panoramas from which this anaglyph was created is available atPIA02405 andPIA02406.
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took images combined into this polar full-circle view of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and small exposures of lighter-toned bedrock during March 7-9, 2009. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this full-circle view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,820th to 1,822nd Martian days, or sols, of Opportunity's surface mission (March 7 to 9, 2009).This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction. North is at the top.The rover had driven 20.6 meters toward the northwest on Sol 1820 before beginning to take the frames in this view. Tracks from that drive recede southwestward. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and small exposures of lighter-toned bedrock. | |
This stereo panoramic view combines 14 images taken by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity during the mission's 120th Martian day, or sol (Dec. 7, 2012). You need 3D glasses. | This stereo panoramic view combines 14 images taken by the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity during the mission's 120th Martian day, or sol (Dec. 7, 2012). The scene appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left.The view spans from north-northwest at the left to south-southwest at the right, and is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection. The layered outcrop in the foreground is called "Shaler." NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl. | |
Terra Sirenum is the location of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The unnamed crater has dunes on its floor. | Context imageTerra Sirenum is the location of this image. The unnamed crater has dunes on its floor.Orbit Number: 43323 Latitude: -61.466 Longitude: 199.548 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-20 11:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This map shows the estimated location of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit within Gusev Crater, Mars. Engineers targeted Spirit for the center of the blue ellipse. | This map shows the estimated location of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit within Gusev Crater, Mars. Engineers targeted Spirit for the center of the blue ellipse. Measurements taken during the rover's descent by the Deep Space Network predicted its landing site to be the spot marked with a black dot. Later measurements taken on the ground by both the Deep Space Network and the orbiter Mars Odyssey narrowed the predicted landing site to a spot marked with a white dot. When initially choosing a landing site for the rover, engineers avoided hazardous terrain outlined here in yellow and red. This map consists of data from Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows layering and linear ridges in Cavi Angusti. This region is near the south polar cap. | Context imageThis VIS image shows layering and linear ridges in Cavi Angusti. This region is near the south polar cap.Orbit Number: 58476 Latitude: -80.6467 Longitude: 296.927 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-02-18 15:13Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover provided this contextual view of the vicinity of the location called 'John Klein,' selected as Curiosity's first drilling site. | Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover provided this contextual view of the vicinity of the location called "John Klein," selected as Curiosity's first drilling site. The distance from the camera to John Klein was about 16 feet (5 meters). The scale bar is 150 centimeters (59 inches) long.This mosaic was assembled from images acquired on Sol (or Martian day) 138 between 8:30 and 9:25 in the morning, local Mars solar time (on Dec. 25, 2012). It illustrates the diversity of rock types from which the rover team could choose to sample. The enlargements of rocks seen on the right, and denoted by letters and boxes within the left image, represent this diversity. Each box is about 9 inches (22 centimeters) square.Enlargement A shows a "bread-crusted" rock, whose surface is fractured in a polygonal pattern. This generally reflects a differential change in volume of a rock, with the outer part expanded relative to the interior. Enlargement B is representative of the material that will be sampled at the John Klein site, showing both light-toned veins and dark spots that show the relief of concretions. Enlargement C shows an exotic black rock that is similar in shape to more distant, dark rocks found higher in the local stratigraphy. That rock was probably emplaced here as part of material ejected by a crater-excavating impact. The image has been white-balanced to show what the rocks would look like if they were on Earth. | |
This panorama from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows details of 'Vera Rubin Ridge,' which stretches about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers), end-to-end, on the northwestern flank of lower Mount Sharp. | Click on the image for larger imageThis panorama from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows details of "Vera Rubin Ridge," which stretches about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers), end-to-end, on the northwestern flank of lower Mount Sharp.The view combines 112 images taken with the Mastcam's right-eye camera, which has a telephoto lens, on April 4, 2017, during the 1,657th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. It has been white-balanced so that colors of the rock and sand materials resemble how they would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. It spans from east-southeast on the left to south-southwest on the right, from a rover location about half a mile (0.8 kilometer) from the closest part of the ridge.Hematite, an iron-oxide mineral, has been detected in this ridge by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The ridge has been an identified destination for Curiosity since before the rover's August 2012 landing near the base of Mount Sharp, inside Gale Crater.The ridge was informally named in early 2017 in memory of Vera Cooper Rubin (1928-2016), whose astronomical observations provided evidence for the existence of the universe's dark matter.Figure 1 is an annotated version with scale bars indicating dimensions, in meters, at two distances from the rover. The nearer scale bar refers to features about 2,000 feet (610 meters) from the camera, near the base of the ridge. The farther scale bar refers to features about 2,300 feet (700 meters) from the camera, at the top of the ridge.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file for Figure 1 PIA21717_fig1_anno.tif and PIA21717_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small section of Cydonia Colles, a group of hills located in southeastern Acidalia Planitia. | 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 section of Cydonia Colles, a group of hills located in southeastern Acidalia Planitia.Orbit Number: 70032 Latitude: 40.3719 Longitude: 350.125 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-09-27 12:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The small unnamed channels in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the northeastern margin of Tempe Terra. | Context imageThe small unnamed channels in today's VIS image are located on the northeastern margin of Tempe Terra.Orbit Number: 46440 Latitude: 43.6262 Longitude: 302.739 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-06-03 02:10Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image of Rabe Crater on Mars illustrates the warming effect of the sun on sand as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA11904Rabe CraterThis daytime infrared image of Rabe Crater illustrates the warming effect of the sun on sand. The extensive sand sheet and dunes of Rabe crater appear bright in the infrared indicating they are warmer than the surrounding floor and plains materials.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -43.9N, Longitude 34.4E. 110 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. | |
Dusty Top of Alba Patera Volcano | This HiRISE image shows a small portion of the rim of the caldera at the top of the volcano Alba Patera. This volcano has shallower slopes than most of the other large volcanoes on Mars. Unfortunately, this image is not able to help us understand what is unique about Alba Patera because of the thick dust cover. Instead it shows that the dust has been carved into streamlined shapes by the wind, cut by small landslides. Interestingly, there are some isolated patches that appear smooth and undisturbed by the wind. Image PSP_001510_2195 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 22, 2006. The complete image is centered at 39.3 degrees latitude, 251.5 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 285.7 km (178.6 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 57.2 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) to 114.3 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:23 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 50 degrees, thus the sun was about 40 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 139.0 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This false-color image released on May 26, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey of a crater in Acidalia Planitia on Mars was acquired March 8, 2003, during northern summer. | Released 26 May 2004This image of a crater in Acidalia Planitia was acquired March 8, 2003, during northern summer.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 45.9, Longitude 6.1 East (353.9 West). 38 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. | |
A vast dune field lies near the northern polar cap of Mars. Seen here in summer, the dunes have partially buried an impact crater about 1,000 (3,300 feet) wide. This image is from NASA's Mars Odyssey. | A vast dune field lies near the northern polar cap of Mars. Seen here in summer, the dunes have partially buried an impact crater about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) wide.This image was taken in August 2010 by the Thermal Emission Imaging System instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter and posted in a special December 2010 set marking the occasion of Odyssey becoming the longest-working Mars spacecraft in history. The pictured location on Mars is 79.1 degrees north latitude, 245.5 degrees east longitude.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 a slope on which layered materials are exposed by erosion in the north polar region of Mars. Wind streaks are also evident in this summertime scene. | 13 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a slope on which layered materials are exposed by erosion in the north polar region of Mars. Wind streaks are also evident in this summertime scene. The layers that make up the material beneath the ice of the north polar residual cap are typically considered to be a mixture of some amount of dust and ice, but the proportions of these constituents are not known.Location near: 82.6°N, 298.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a small mesa surrounded by a plain of dust-mantled dunes and ripples on Mars. Large, house-sized boulders have tumbled down the mesa slopes. | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-381, 4 June 2003This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image was acquired during the first week of June 2003. It shows a small mesa surrounded by a plain of dust-mantled dunes and ripples near 5.9°S, 202.8°W. Large, house-sized boulders have tumbled down the mesa slopes. This one of the highest resolution images from Mars, each pixel covers an area of 1.5 meters (5 feet) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the rim of an unnamed crater on the floor of the much larger Schroeter 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 the rim of an unnamed crater on the floor of the much larger Schroeter Crater. These craters are located in Terra Sabaea.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 85900 Latitude: -2.28902 Longitude: 56.6146 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-26 07:31Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on March 4, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows gullies are common on steep slopes of many impact craters on Mars. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionGullies are common on steep slopes of many impact craters on Mars. When gullies were first observed, there was a lot of excitement surrounding them because similar features form on Earth through the action of liquid water.However, liquid water is currently unstable on the surface of Mars. Long-term observations have prompted many scientists to question a liquid water origin for the gullies, and alternative ideas have been suggested. These include flows of salt-rich (briny) water, as the salt would allow water to be liquid under lower temperatures than those for pure water. Also "dry" processes, which do not require the action of liquid water at all.Monitoring of gullies by HiRISE could help scientists better understand the conditions where the gullies are active, and in doing so, help understand how they form. The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 50.2 centimeters [19.8 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 151 centimeters [59.4 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The lava flows in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft most likely originated from Ascraeus Mons, one of the large Tharsis volcanos. | Context imageThe lava flows in this VIS image most likely originated from Ascraeus Mons, one of the large Tharsis volcanos.Orbit Number: 53958 Latitude: 15.8753 Longitude: 267.009 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-11 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. |
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