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This black and white image, taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's lander in 2004, shows a view of Gusev Crater as the lander descends to Mars. Numerous small impact craters can be seen on the surface of the planet. | This image, taken by the descent image motion estimation system camera located on the bottom of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's lander, shows a view of Gusev Crater as the lander descends to Mars. The picture is taken at an altitude of 1706 meters. Numerous small impact craters can be seen on the surface of the planet. These images help the onboard software to minimize the lander's horizontal velocity before its bridle is cut, and it falls freely to the surface of Mars. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows frosted craters of northern spring and southern autumn in Barnard Crater on Mars. | The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide angle system is used to monitor changes in martian weather and the seasonal coming and going of polar frost. These four wide angle pictures of craters in both the northern and southern middle and polar latitudes of Mars show examples of frost monitoring conducted by the MOC in recent months. It is spring in the northern hemisphere, and frost that accumulated during the most recent 6-month-long winter has been retreating since May. Examples of frost-rimmed craters include Lomonosov (top, left) and an unnamed crater farther north (top, right). The unnamed crater has a patch of frost on its floor that--based on how it looked during the 1970s Viking missions--is expected to persist through summer. It is autumn in the southern hemisphere, and frost was seen as early as August in some craters, such as Barnard (bottom, left); later the frost line moved farther north, and we began to see frost in Lowell Crater (bottom, right) in mid-October. For a view of what Lomonosov Crater looked like during northern winter, see "The Frosty Rims of Lomonosov Crater in Winter."This is a series of 4 images. Each image is a composite of two pictures obtained at the same time, a red wide angle view and a blue wide angle view. In each picture, north is toward the top and sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left (for southern hemisphere) or lower left (for northern hemisphere). | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the complex region at the start of the Hebrus Valles channel system. | Context imageLocated west of the Elysium Volcanic complex, Hebrus Valles is a channel system that flowed to the north. This VIS image shows the complex region at the start of the channel. The process that formed the channel system is unknown. Some of the channel features have the appearance of being formed by liquid flow. In other portions of the valles, there are pits and collapse features which appear to have formed by material falling into subsurface voids. This is a common feature in regions of volcanic activity where lava tubes run below the surface. Both water and lava probably contributed to the formation of Hebrus Valles. Hebrus Valles is located in southern Utopia Planitia and is 325km (202 miles) long.Orbit Number: 86147 Latitude: 17.8139 Longitude: 128.204 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-05-16 15:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This Mars Odyssey image shows the eastern part of the Proctor Crater dune field on Mars. | Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAToday's VIS image shows the same dunes in Proctor Crater as yesterday's IR image. The images were acquired at the same time.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.5N, Longitude 30.6E. 20 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft shows a terrain of relatively smooth region that transitions into sharp ridges called yardangs on Apollonaris Patera. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionWe see here a terrain with an incredible morphologic dichotomy: a relatively smooth region that transitions into sharp ridges. These ridges, aligned in the nearly same direction, are called yardangs. Yardangs are not unique to Mars. Many yardangs can be found on Earth, in very dry regions with strong prevailing winds.Yardangs are formed when a surface that is composed of materials of differing strengths (i.e., of both harder and softer materials) is shaped by the abrasive action of sand and dust carried by the wind. In this case, and given the proximity of the Apollonaris Patera volcanic center, we think that these wind-carved deposits are comprised of volcanic ash and pyroclastics that erupted from Apollonaris when it was last active in the not-too-distant geologic past.Over time, the softer materials (likely volcanic ash) were eroded away, leaving behind the harder materials in the form of elongated ridges that are parallel to the direction of the prevailing wind. The end result is a stunning, out-of-this-world display of yardangs, sculpted with the artistic chisel of the Martian wind. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image, taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager, documents the delivery of a soil sample from the 'Snow White' trench. A small pile of soil is visible on the lower edge of the second cell from the top of the deck-mounted lab. | This image, taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager, documents the delivery of a soil sample from the "Snow White" trench to the Wet Chemistry Laboratory. A small pile of soil is visible on the lower edge of the second cell from the top.This deck-mounted lab is part of Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA).The delivery was made on Sept. 12, 2008, which was Sol 107 (the 107th Martian day) of the mission, which landed on May 25, 2008.The Wet Chemistry Laboratory mixes Martian soil with an aqueous solution from Earth as part of a process to identify soluble nutrients and other chemicals in the soil. Preliminary analysis of this soil confirms that it is alkaline, and composed of salts and other chemicals such as perchlorate, sodium, magnesium, chloride and potassium. This data validates prior results from that same location, said JPL's Michael Hecht, the lead scientist for MECA.In the coming days, the Phoenix team will also fill the final four of eight single-use ovens on another soil-analysis instrument, the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. The team's strategy is to deliver as many samples as possible before the power produced by Phoenix's solar panels declines due to the end of the Martian summer.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of Olympia Undae. Compare this to previous images and notice how uniform the dunes are in this region. | Context imageToday's VIS image is part of Olympia Undae. Compare this to previous images and notice how uniform the dunes are in this region.Orbit Number: 54827 Latitude: 81.1656 Longitude: 217.246 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-24 06:46Please 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. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 25 June 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a series of pits running down the center of a broad, shallow trough called a graben. On Mars, many such troughs, and attendant pits, are the result of geologic forces that extended the crust as the Tharsis region of Mars bulged outward to form what is known as, well, the Tharsis Bulge. This graben and pit chain are located near the Rhabon Valles around 23.8°N, 92.3°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows three craters in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageToday's VIS image contains three craters. The crater at the very top of the image was created after the larger crater beneath it. The newer crater is not the usual round/bowl shape of impact craters. The top rim is extends towards the top of the image. Continuing the rim arc of the preceding crater, it crosses under the top rim of the crater in line with a large oval block of material. Impact events alter the rock beneath and around the crater — especially around the rim. The alteration of the rock by the older cratering event affected the later impact. The large oval of material is called a slump block. Slumps occur when material moves as a block downward along concave slip faces — like the rim of the old crater. The blocks often tilt backward, ending up looking like a turtle shell. Numerous gullies can be seen all around the inner rim of the younger crater. This image is located in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 83994 Latitude: -33.4635 Longitude: 150.893 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-11-20 08:19Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned, layered, sedimentary rocks in a crater in part of the Schiaparelli basin on Mars. The repetition of these horizontal layers suggests the sediments could have been deposited in an ancient crater lake. | 23 August 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned, layered, sedimentary rocks in a crater in the northwestern part of Schiaparelli basin. The repetition of these horizontal layers suggests the sediments could have been deposited in an ancient crater lake.Location near: 0.3°S, 345.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Autumn | |
At the edge of Mars' permanent North Polar cap, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter sees an exposure of the internal layers, each with a different mix of water ice, dust and dirt. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionAt the edge of Mars' permanent North Polar cap, we see an exposure of the internal layers, each with a different mix of water ice, dust and dirt. These layers are believed to correspond to different climate conditions over the past tens of thousands of years.When we zoom in closer, we see that the distinct layers erode differently. Some are stronger and more resistant to erosion, others only weakly cemented. The strong layers form ledges.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. | |
The steep feature in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is the margin of the north polar cap, called Olympia Rupes. | Context imageThe steep feature in this VIS image is the margin of the north polar cap, called Olympia Rupes. [Rupes means scarp.] The layering of the polar cap is visible in this image.Orbit Number: 60880 Latitude: 84.6789 Longitude: 214.002 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-04 15:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Minio Vallis. Minio Vallis is just one of many channels that flow northward thru Terra Sirenum to empty into Amazonis Planitia. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Minio Vallis. Minio Vallis is just one of many channels that flow northward thru Terra Sirenum to empty into Amazonis Planitia. Minio Vallis is 88km long (55miles), and is located west of the much larger Mangala Valles.Orbit Number: 79855 Latitude: -4.62787 Longitude: 208.183 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-12-15 13:52Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Two of the raised treads, called grousers, on the left middle wheel of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover broke during the first quarter of 2017, seen is the partially detached at the top of the wheel in this image from the MAHLI camera on the rover's arm. | Two of the raised treads, called grousers, on the left middle wheel of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover broke during the first quarter of 2017, including the one seen partially detached at the top of the wheel in this image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the rover's arm.This image was taken on March 19, 2017, as part of a set used by rover team members to inspect the condition of the rover's six wheels during the 1,641st Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. Holes and tears in the wheels worsened significantly during 2013 as Curiosity was crossing terrain studded with sharp rocks on the route from near its 2012 landing site to the base of Mount Sharp. Team members have used MAHLI systematically since then to watch for when any of the zig-zag shaped grousers begin to break. The last prior set of wheel-inspection images from before Sol 1641 was taken on Jan. 27, 2017, (Sol 1591) and revealed no broken grousers.Longevity testing with identical aluminum wheels on Earth indicates that when three grousers on a given wheel have broken, that wheel has reached about 60 percent of its useful life. Curiosity has driven well over 60 percent of the amount needed for reaching all the geological layers planned as the mission's science destinations, so the start of seeing broken grousers is not expected to affect the mission's operations. As with other images from Curiosity's cameras, all of the wheel-inspection exposures are available in the raw images collections at http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/. Curiosity's six aluminum wheels are about 20 inches (50 centimeters) in diameter and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. Each of the six wheels has its own drive motor, and the four corner wheels also have steering motors.MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 13, 2004 shows the surface of Mars during the southern fall season in Kaiser Crater. | Released 13 April 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.This daytime VIS image was collected on May 7, 2002 during the southern fall season in Kaiser Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -46.9, Longitude 19.3 East (340.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear features called Mareotis Fossae. | Context imageThe linear features in this VIS image are called Mareotis Fossae. They are part of a huge region of graben that comprise Tempe Terra. The graben of Mareotis Fossae trend to the northeast, parallel to the fossae of Alba Mons located just to the west of Tempe Terra. Graben and 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 northeast to southwest. 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 northwest/southeast direction. Mareotis Fossae is 1907km long (1185 miles).Orbit Number: 87676 Latitude: 47.3604 Longitude: 293.68 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-09-19 13:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The landslide deposit in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey is located in shallow extension of Tithonium Chasma, in the western part of Valles Marineris. | Context imageToday's VIS image is of an unnamed channel in Margaritifer Terra.Orbit Number: 41062 Latitude: -5.5277 Longitude: 272.626 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-18 07:32Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This is the first 360-degree panoramic view from NASA's Curiosity rover, taken with the Navigation cameras. Mount Sharp is to the right, and the north Gale Crater rim can be seen at center. The rover's body is in the foreground. | This is the first 360-degree panoramic view from NASA's Curiosity rover, taken with the Navigation cameras. Most of the tiles are thumbnails, or small copies of the full-resolution images that have not been sent back to Earth yet. Two of the tiles near the center are full-resolution. Mount Sharp is to the right, and the north Gale Crater rim can be seen at center. The rover's body is in the foreground, with the shadow of its head, or mast, poking up to the right.These images were acquired at 3:30pm on Mars, or the night of Aug. 7 PDT (early morning Aug. 8 EDT). Thumbnails are 64 by 64 pixels in size; and full-resolution images are 1024 by 1024 pixels. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover. This image was taken by the WATSON camera on the rover's robotic arm on April 6, 2021. | Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Click on images for larger versions
Click here for animation
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover in this image taken April 6, 2021, the 46th Martian day, or sol, of the mission by the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera on the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, located at the end of the rover's long robotic arm.Perseverance's selfie with Ingenuity is made up of 62 individual images stitched together once they are sent back to Earth; they were taken in sequence while the rover was looking at the helicopter, then again while it was looking at the WATSON camera. The Curiosity rover takes similar selfies using a camera on its robotic arm. Videos explaining how the rovers take their selfies can be found here.
There are several versions of this selfie. In addition to a full image showing the rover looking at the camera, there is a full image showing the rover looking down at the Ingenuity helicopter (Figure 1); an "over the shoulder" view of the rover looking at the camera (Figure 2); an "over the shoulder" view looking at the Ingenuity helicopter (Figure 3); a rover self-portrait (Figure 4); a GIF showing the sequence in which the 62 individual images that make up the selfie were taken (Figure 5); and an animated GIF showing the rover looking at the camera and then back at the Ingenuity helicopter.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of Perseverance and Ingenuity for the agency. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, and is operated jointly by MSSS and JPL.The Mars helicopter technology demonstration activity is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/For more about Ingenuity: go.nasa.gov/ingenuity | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | 26 June 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the most typical features of Isidis Planitia at full (1.5 meters -- 5 feet -- per pixel) resolution. The typical features are: (1) light-toned, ripple-like dunes and (2) mounds with summit pits. The dunes are formed by wind. The double-cone feature in the lower right quarter of the image is similar to many mounds and chains of mounds or cones found all across Isidis Planitia. These were seen at lower resolution in Viking orbiter images in the 1970s and were generally considered to be either small volcanoes or ice-cored mounds known as pingoes. With high resolution MOC images, it became apparent that many of these mounds may simply be the remnants of crater and pit chain floors, elevated above the surrounding plains as the layers of rock into which they formed were stripped away. Like much of Mars, there are more questions than answers. This image is located near 8.6°N, 268.2°W, and covers an area about 1.1 km (0.7 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/lower left. | |
This mosaic of images from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows surroundings of the rover's location following a drive on Sept. 16, 2010. The terrain includes light-toned bedrock and darker ripples of wind-blown sand. | This mosaic of images from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows surroundings of the rover's location following an 81-meter (266-foot) drive during the 2,363rd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (Sept. 16, 2010).The camera took the component images for this 360-degree panorama during sols 2363 to 2365. The terrain includes light-toned bedrock and darker ripples of wind-blown sand. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks in the right half of the image is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).This view is presented as a cylindrical projection. | |
The Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager took this image of the spacecraft's crumpled heat shield on Sept. 16, 2008. The heat shield lies about halfway between the spacecraft and its backshell/parachute. | The Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager took this image of the spacecraft's crumpled heat shield on Sept. 16, 2008, the 111th Martian day of the mission.The 2-1/2 meter (about 8-1/2 feet) heat shield landed southeast of Phoenix, about halfway between the spacecraft and its backshell/parachute. The backshell/parachute touched ground 300 meters (1,000 ft) to the south of the lander.The dark area to the right of the heat shield is the "bounce mark" it made on impact with the Red Planet. This image is the highest-resolution image that will likely be taken by the lander, and is part of the 1,500-image "Happily Ever After" panorama.The Phoenix mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft highlights the dune form/dune density aspects of Olypmia Undae. In the center there is a brighter, diagonal region of few dunes. | Context image This VIS image highlights the dune form/dune density aspects of Olypmia Undae. In the center there is a brighter, diagonal region of few dunes. These dunes are the arc or crescent shape of barchan dunes. As more sand becomes available the barchan dunes begin to merge into transverse dunes. The region of dunes surrounding the bright swath still have the underlying surface visible, and the transverse dunes have a lace-like layout. In the regions with a significant abundance of sand have developed the tightly packed transverse dunes with the wave-like distribution. Olympia Undae is a vast dune field in the north polar region of Mars. It consists of a broad sand sea or erg that partly rings the north polar cap from about 120° to 240°E longitude and 78° to 83°N latitude. The dune field covers an area of approximately 470,000 km2 (bigger than California, smaller than Texas). Olympia Undae is the largest continuous dune field on Mars. Olympia Undae is not the only dune field near the north polar cap, several other smaller fields exist in the same latitude, but in other ranges of longitude, e.g. Abolos and Siton Undae. Barchan and transverse dune forms are the most common. In regions with limited available sand individual barchan dunes will form, the surface beneath and between the dunes is visible. In regions with large sand supplies, the sand sheet covers the underlying surface, and dune forms are found modifying the surface of the sand sheet. In this case transverse dunes are more common. Barchan dunes "point" down wind, transverse dunes are more linear and form parallel to the wind direction. The "square" shaped transverse dunes in Olympia Undae are due to two prevailing wind directions. The density of dunes and the alignments of the dune crests varies with location, controlled by the amount of available sand and the predominant winds over time.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 71,000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 13238 Latitude: 80.7247 Longitude: 173.91 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2004-12-08 09:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dunes covered with a seasonally-deposited layer of solid carbon dioxide (CO2) in the north polar region of Mars. | 3 June 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dunes covered with a seasonally-deposited layer of solid carbon dioxide (CO2) in the north polar region of Mars. The dark spots indicate areas where the CO2 frost has begun to change, either by being sublimed away, or by becoming rougher or coarser-grained, such that it appears darker than surrounding frost. Over the course of the spring season, the frost will be completely removed and the dark sands that make up the dune field will be visible by summer.Location near: 77.7°N, 41.7°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring | |
NASA's Opportunity Mars rover passed near this small, relatively fresh crater in April 2017, during the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. The rover team chose to call it 'Orion Crater,' after the Apollo 16 lunar module. | NASA's Opportunity Mars rover passed near this small, relatively fresh crater in April 2017, during the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. The rover team chose to call it "Orion Crater," after the Apollo 16 lunar module. The rover's Panoramic Camera (Pancam) recorded this view, presented in enhanced color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible.The crater's diameter is about 90 feet (27 meters). From the small amount of erosion or filling that Orion Crater has experienced, its age is estimated at no more than 10 million years. It lies on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. For comparison, Endeavor is about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter and more than 3.6 billion years old. This view combines multiple images taken through three different Pancam filters. The selected filters admit light centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The component images were taken on April 26, 2017, during the 4,712th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. The rover's location on that sol, during its approach toward "Perseverance Valley" on the Endeavour rim, is indicated on a map at https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/mission/tm-opportunity/images/MERB_Sol4711_1.jpg as the endpoint of the Sol 4711 drive. Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke flew in the Orion lunar module to and from the first human landing in the lunar highlands while Ken Mattingly orbited the moon in the command module, Casper. On the moon, Young and Duke investigated Plum Crater, which is approximately the same size as Mars' Orion Crater.For more information about Opportunity's adventures on Mars, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mer. | |
NASA's Curiosity rover landed in the Martian crater known as Gale Crater, which is approximately the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. A green dot shows where the rover landed, well within its targeted landing ellipse, outlined in blue. | NASA's Curiosity rover landed in the Martian crater known as Gale Crater, which is approximately the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. A green dot shows where the rover landed, well within its targeted landing ellipse, outlined in blue.This oblique view of Gale, and Mount Sharp in the center, is derived from a combination of elevation and imaging data from three Mars orbiters. The view is looking toward the southeast. Mount Sharp rises about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) above the floor of Gale Crater.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. There is no vertical exaggeration in the image. | |
The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Coprates Chasma. | Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Coprates Chasma.Orbit Number: 52272 Latitude: -13.5675 Longitude: 297.001 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-09-25 23:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals meter-scale (yard-scale) surface textures of mesas and knobs in the Aureum Chaos region of Mars. Aureum Chaos is a wide region of plateaus, mesas, and knobs. | This image reveals meter-scale (yard-scale) surface textures of mesas and knobs in the Aureum Chaos region of Mars. Aureum Chaos is a wide region of plateaus, mesas, and knobs. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recorded this image on March 2, 2010. The target for this HiRISE observation was a suggestion submitted by James Secosky through the camera team's HiWish public-suggestion program. For more information about how to submit target suggestions, see http://uahirise.org/hiwish/.Most of the rocks in this area appear to have formed originally as laterally continuous layers through volcanic or sedimentary processes. Loss of groundwater or ground ice could have then caused the ground to collapse, forming the current surface features of deep valleys and isolated hills with sloped faces. Subtle layering of these rocks can be observed along the slope face seen here, jutting out from under a mantle of surface sediments. Also present along many slopes are dark-toned, discontinuous lineations. These are tracks left behind by boulders that rolled down the slopes. This image covers a swath of ground about 1 kilometer (about two-thirds of a mile) wide. It is a portion of HiRISE observation ESP_016869_1775, which is centered at 2.45 degrees south latitude, 332.15 degrees east longitude. The season on Mars is southern-hemisphere autumn. Other image products from this observation are available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_016869_1775.Color images from HiRISE combine information from detectors with three different color filters: red, infrared, and blue-green. Thus they include information from part of the spectrum human eyes cannot see and are not true color as the eye would see. The resulting false color helps to show differences among surface materials. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the 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, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera shows the view acquired on the martian afternoon Apr. 3, 2004 in the direction of the rover's future drive destination. In the distance are the eastern-lying 'Columbia Hills.' | This mosaic image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera shows the view acquired after the rover drove 50.2 meters (165 feet) on the martian afternoon of sol 89 (April 3, 2004). The view shows the direction of the rover's future drive destination. In the distance are the eastern-lying "Columbia Hills." This image was assembled from images in the panoramic camera's green (530 nanometer) filter.Anatolia was named after the Anatolian fault system in Turkey. | |
This dune field is located in an unnamed crater north of Antoniadi and Baldet craters as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey. | Context imageThis dune field is located in an unnamed crater north of Antoniadi and Baldet craters.Orbit Number: 37799 Latitude: 26.2742 Longitude: 63.1616 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-06-22 17:06Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on May 16, 2018 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows sand dunes in Melas Chasma, located within the Valles Marineris canyon system. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis color-infrared image shows sand dunes in Melas Chasma, located within the Valles Marineris canyon system. The dark-blue and purple colors indicate coarse-grained sands that are comprised of basalt, an iron and magnesium-rich volcanic rock that formed from cooled lava millions of years ago when volcanism was an active process on Mars.Migrating sand dunes often lead to the erosion and excavation of underlying material; regions where there are active dune fields are ideal places to search for exposed bedrock. Repeated imaging of dunes may also show changes that provide evidence for active surface processes related to wind patterns and climate. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 26.5 centimeters (10.4 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 79 centimeters (31.1 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
The Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its telephoto lens to capture Mount Sharp in the morning illumination on Oct. 13, 2019. | The Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its telephoto lens to capture Mount Sharp in the morning illumination on Oct. 13, 2019, the 2,555th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The panorama is composed of 44 individual images stitched together.Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam. A division of Caltech, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built the Curiosity rover and manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.The panorama has been white-balanced and additionally brightened so that the colors of the rock materials resemble how they would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth.For more information about Curiosity, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows many individual dunes, located in Kaiser Crater. | Context imageThis VIS image is located in Kaiser Crater and shows many individual dunes. The crater floor is visible between the dunes, indicating that there is a limited sand supply creating the dunes. Local winds continue to move the sand dunes across the crater floor. There are two sides to a dune, the low angle slope of the windward face and the high angle slope of the leeward side. The steep side is called the slip face. Wind blows sand grains up the low angle slope of the dunes which then "fall down" the slip face. In this way the whole dune moves towards the slip face. The winds blow from the windward to the leeward side of the dunes. In this image the slip faces are on the left side of the dune, so the dunes are slowly moving to the left side of this image. Kaiser Crater is located in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 83387 Latitude: -46.8031 Longitude: 19.7369 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-10-01 08:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on March 15, 2004 shows a 'pinwheel' pattern represents alternating warm and cool materials on Mars' surface. | Released 15 March 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.Infrared images taken during the nighttime exhibit only the thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. The effect of sun-facing versus non-sun-facing energy dissipates quickly at night. Thermophysical effects dominate as different surfaces cool at different rates through the nighttime hours. Rocks cool slowly, and are therefore relatively bright at night (remember that rocks are dark during the day). Dust and other fine grained materials cool very quickly and are dark in nighttime infrared images. This nighttime IR image was collected September 28, 2002 during the northern spring season. The "pinwheel" pattern represents alternating warm and cool materials.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 60.3, Longitude 271.9 East (88.1 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image acquired on November 14, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a crater in Xanthe Terra filled with material deposited by wind or water after the crater formed. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis crater in Xanthe Terra is filled with material deposited by wind or water after the crater formed. The material later fractured into discrete flat blocks.This fracturing may have occurred due to collapse over a subsurface cavity from where ground water evacuated, or under a sub-ice lake.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 53.0 centimeters [20.9 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 159 centimeters [62.6 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Lyell Crater. Lyell is one of the many craters in the souther hemisphere of Mars that has been filled with material after the formation of the crater. | Context image for PIA09272Slope FailureThis image shows a portion of Lyell Crater. Lyell is one of the many craters in the souther hemisphere of Mars that has been filled with material after the formation of the crater. Part of the fill material has been removed and the remainder has fractured and slumped downwards.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -69.8N, Longitude 346.9E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows layering in the south polar cap. The layers are formed over thousands of years of seasonal change, reflecting ice and dust surface deposition. | Context imageThis VIS image shows layering in the south polar cap. The layers are formed over thousands of years of seasonal change, reflecting ice and dust surface deposition. Where the layers appear close to each other are steep trough sides. The steeper the slope, the closer the layers. This image was collected during summer at the south polar cap.Orbit Number: 91750 Latitude: -85.7516 Longitude: 177.751 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-08-20 23:34Please 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. | |
Perseverance's Mastcam-Z imaging system captured this 360-degree panorama at Van Zyl Overlook, where the rover parked during Ingenuity helicopter's first flights. | Figure 1Click on image for full resolution version (93,060 X 20,652 pixels, 2.0 GB)NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z stereo imaging system to capture this 360-degree panorama of "Van Zyl Overlook," where the rover was parked for 13 days as the Ingenuity helicopter performed its first flights. The 2.4 billion-pixel panorama is made up of 992 individual right-eye Mastcam-Z images stitched together. The images were taken between April 15 and 26, 2021, or the 53rd and 64th Martian days, or sols, of the mission. View an interactive version of this image here.An additional version of the panorama has been provided as Figure 1 which includes the addition of the rover's deck as seen by its navigation cameras on March 20, 2021, the 31st sol of the mission.A few small patches of near-field sand had been covered by parts of Perseverance when the right-eye Mastcam-Z images were taken; those gaps were filled with images of the same sandy patches taken by the Mastcam-Z left-eye camera at the same time, or from the earlier navigation camera images. Imaging coverage of the sky has also been digitally smoothed and expanded based on the actual sky color observed as the panorama was being acquired on Mars.Arizona State University in Tempe leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.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. | |
This false-color image released on June 4, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey was collected March 12, 2003 during southern winter season. The image shows an area in the Coprates Chasma region on Mars. | Released 4 June 2004This image was collected March 12, 2003 during southern winter season. The local time at the image location was just past 5 pm. The image shows an area in the Coprates Chasma region.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 -13.3, Longitude 297.6 East (62.4 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 image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the floor of an unnamed crater east of Aram Chaos and Ares Vallis. There are two distinct elevations on the crater floor, which may indicate layered fill material. | Context imageThis VIS image shows the floor of an unnamed crater east of Aram Chaos and Ares Vallis. There are two distinct elevations on the crater floor, which may indicate layered fill material.Orbit Number: 45215 Latitude: 2.44278 Longitude: 343.953 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-02-23 06:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Spirit 360-Degree View, Sol 388 (vertical) | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on Spirit's 388th martian day, or sol (Feb. 4, 2005). Spirit had driven about 13 meters (43 feet) uphill toward "Cumberland Ridge" on this sol. This location is catalogued as Spirit's Site 102, Position 513. The view is presented in a vertical projection with geometric and brightness seam correction. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows | MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-577, 17 December 2003This September 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows six circular features, three of which exhibit concentric, or "bullseye," patterns within them. Each circular feature is the remains of a partly-buried, partly-eroded, and partly-filled meteor impact crater. These occur in northeastern Arabia Terra. Areas such as this, located near the middle latitudes of Mars, commonly have a "scabby" or roughened appearance. The cause of this "terrain roughening" texture is unknown, although some scientists have speculated that it might result from the erosion and removal (by way of sublimation) of ground ice. This idea remains highly speculative. These features are located near 28.4°N, 317.5°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
This image shows two flat-topped, layered rocks with angular edges almost side by side, except they are separated by a smaller rock and two thin channels of reddish-brown sand. The bare rock surfaces are a light blue-gray. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this false-color image at 11:48 local true solar time on Mars on the rover's 746th Martian day, or sol (Feb. 26, 2006), after using the rock abrasion tool to brush the surfaces of rock targets informally named "Stars" (left) and "Crawfords" (right). Small streaks of dust extend for several centimeters behind the small rock chips and pebbles in the dusty, red soils. Because the rover was looking southwest when this image was taken, the wind streaks indicate that the dominant wind direction was from the southeast. The targets Stars and Crawfords are on a rock outcrop located on top of "Home Plate." The outcrop is informally named "James 'Cool Papa' Bell," after a Negro Leagues Hall of Famer who played for both the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Kansas City Stars. To some science team members, the two brushed spots resemble the eyes of a face, with rocks below and between the eyes as a nose and layered rocks at the bottom of the image as a mouth.The image combines frames taken by Spirit's panoramic camera through the camera's 753-nanometer, 535-namometer, and 432-nanometer filters. It is enhanced to emphasize color differences among the rocks, soils and brushed areas. The blue circular area on the left, Stars, was brushed on 761 (Feb. 22, 2006). The one on the right, Crawfords, was brushed on sol 763 (Feb. 25, 2006). | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows wild patterns of dark streaks thought to have formed by the passage of many dust devils. The dust devils disrupt the dust coating the martian surface, leaving behind a streak. | 14 October 2004Many Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images exhibit wild patterns of dark streaks thought to have formed by the passage of many dust devils. The dust devils disrupt the dust coating the martian surface, leaving behind a streak. However, not all dust devils make streaks, and not all dust devil streaks are dark. Some are light---it simply depends upon which is darker, the substrate or the dust that the spinning vortex disrupts. The example of light-toned dust devil streaks shown here is located in southern Schiaparelli Basin near 5.3°S, 343.3°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across; sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/upper left. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this southward uphill view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of 'Solander Point' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this southward uphill view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of "Solander Point" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater.The view combines five frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera on the 3,463rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Oct. 21, 2013). Opportunity had begun climbing the hill on Sol 3451 (Oct. 8) and completed three additional uphill drives before reaching this point.The rover team is using the rover to investigate outcrops on the slope. The northward-facing slope will tilt the rover's solar panels toward the sun in the southern-hemisphere winter sky, providing an important energy advantage for continuing mobile operations through the upcoming winter.The scene extends from east-southeast on the left (with a glimpse across Endeavour Crater) to west-northwest on the right. It is presented as a seam-corrected cylindrical projection. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of a large unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of a large unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 61409 Latitude: -6.93691 Longitude: 118.806 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-10-18 04:10Please 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. | |
As seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, the dunes in this image are located on the western margin of Hellas Planitia. | Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are located on the western margin of Hellas Planitia.Orbit Number: 42380 Latitude: -38.7847 Longitude: 45.0097 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-07-04 20:11Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The rock 'Stimpy' is seen in this close-up image taken by NASA's Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 70 (September 13). Detailed texture on the rock, such as pits and flutes, are clearly visible. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997. | The rock "Stimpy" is seen in this close-up image taken by the Sojourner rover's left front camera on Sol 70 (September 13). Detailed texture on the rock, such as pits and flutes, are clearly visible.This image and PIA01571 (right eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998. | |
Numerous channels dissect the higher elevation material at the top of this image. This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in Noachis Terra. | Context image Numerous channels dissect the higher elevation material at the top of this image. This image is located in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 65679 Latitude: -25.5077 Longitude: 18.2562 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-10-03 20:51Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image shows the massive Olympus Mons on Mars flows at the basal escarpment as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. | Context image for PIA03633Olympus Mons FlowsThis image shows the massive Olympus Mons flows at the basal escarpment.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.9S, Longitude 229.1E. 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. | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity gained this view of its own heat shield on Dec. 22, 2004. The main structure from the shield is to the far left. Additional fragments of the heat shield are seen. The heat shield's impact mark is visible. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity gained this view of its own heat shield during the rover's 325th martian day (Dec. 22, 2004). The main structure from the successfully used shield is to the far left. Additional fragments of the heat shield lie in the upper center of the image. The heat shield's impact mark is visible just above and to the right of the foreground shadow of Opportunity's camera mast. This view is a mosaic of three images taken with the rover's navigation camera. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dunes on the floor of Melas Chasma on Mars. | Context imageThis VIS image shows dunes on the floor of Melas Chasma.Orbit Number: 46179 Latitude: -10.6298 Longitude: 290.765 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-05-12 12:54Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This mosaic from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, presented in a vertical projection, shows the rover's position after it dug itself to wheel-hub depth in a small elongated dune on April 26, 2005. | Figure 1: Coding for Information About Relative ElevationsThis mosaic of navigation-camera frames from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, presented in a vertical projection, shows the rover's position after it dug itself to wheel-hub depth in a small dune during its 446th martian day, or sol (April 26, 2005). In figure 1, the colors are coding for information about relative elevations in the surrounding area. Red areas are the highest in the image, green areas the lowest. The difference between red and green is about 70 centimeters (28 inches).The elongated dune, or ripple, is about one-third of a meter (one foot) tall and 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide.Opportunity had completed nearly 40 meters (131 feet) of a planned 90-meter (295-foot) drive that sol when its wheels began slipping. The rover was driving backwards at the time. The rover team frequently alternates between backwards and forwards driving to keep wheel lubrication well distributed. The wheels kept rotating enough times to have covered the rest of the distance if they hadn't been slipping, but the rover eventually barely inched forward. After a turn at the end of the planned drive, Opportunity sensed that it had not turned properly and stopped moving.The rover team spent more than a week designing and conducting tests under simulated Mars conditions on Earth before choosing the best way for Opportunity to drive out of the dune. | |
Ganges Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris trough system that stretches nearly 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) across the western equatorial region of Mars. This stereo anaglyph is from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. | Ganges Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris trough system that stretches nearly 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) across the western equatorial region of Mars. The stereo anaglyph shown here is a composite of two wide angle MOC images taken during Mars Global Surveyor's Geodesy Campaign in May-June 1999. The stereoscopic effect can be seen by viewing the image through red-blue "3-D" glasses. In this map-projected view, north is up and the sun's illumination is from the left.The center of Ganges Chasma sports a wedding cake-like stack of bright, layered rock. It has been known since the Mariner 9 mission that this bright material is piled nearly as high as the outside rims of the chasm. A smaller outcropping of bright rock is visible toward the lower right. No one yet knows what these layered materials are made of, but speculations over the years have included lake sediments, volcanic ash, and windblown dust. Others have suggested that the bright material is similar to the rock that makes up the walls of the chasm, but that these have been eroded differently or by somewhat different processes.The smooth floor of Ganges Chasma, particularly in the area south and west of the bright stack of layered material, is a thick, relatively flat sheet of dark, windblown sand. The jumbled troughs and depressions that run from the north side of Ganges Chasma toward the upper right corner of the image were caused by the removal of material beneath the surface, followed by collapse. In other words, these features suggest the presence of a large, partially collapsed cavern beneath the surface north of Ganges Chasma. These features might connect further northward with the Shalbatana Vallis outflow channel, but no one knows for sure. The picture covers an area that is 350 km (217 mi) wide. Ganges Chasma is approximately 3 to 5 kilometers (2-3 miles) deep.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
Slope Streak South of Olympus Mons | Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image (PSP_003239_1870) reveals slope streaks in an area south of Olympus Mons in the northern hemisphere of Mars.These features are found along the slopes of impact craters, buttes, knobs, ridges, and troughs on Mars. Streaks generally start at a point source and widen downslope, traveling over and sometimes around various obstacles.The subimage shows a very wide dark slope that has developed small fingers at its terminus. The dark slope streak does not appear to have relief and does not disturb the pre-existing surface leaving the underlying topography intact beneath its dark trail. This can be seen particularly well near the streak termination. There are also no observable deposits of displaced materials along the terminus. Surrounding the dark slope streak are multiple ~1 meter deep, triangular faceted scars left behind from avalanched slope materials. The high standing remnant surfaces on either side of the lower scarred surface are clearly visible. Avalanche scars are sometimes found in areas where slope streaks have formed but they are believed to be unrelated. The trail of the dark slope streak appears to cross over the avalanche scars suggesting that the slope streak formed more recently.Slope streak formation is among the few known processes currently active on Mars. While their mechanism of formation and triggering is debated, they are most commonly believed to form by downslope movement of extremely dry sand or very fine-grained dust in an almost fluidlike manner (analogous to a terrestrial snow avalanche) exposing darker underlying material. Other ideas include the triggering of slope streak formation by possible concentrations of near-surface ice or scouring of the surface by running water from aquifers intercepting slope faces, briny liquid flows, dry granular flow, mixed water-dust flows, and/or hydrothermal activity.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 4 April 2007Local Mars time: 3:35 PMDegrees latitude (centered): 7.1°Degrees longitude (East): 218.2°Range to target site: 274.5 km (171.6 miles)Original image scale range: 54.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~165 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is upMap-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAREmission angle: 4.2°Phase angle: 61.3°Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizonSolar longitude: 213.6°, Northern AutumnNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. | |
This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows of Solis Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows of Solis Planum.Orbit Number: 49551 Latitude: -20.2719 Longitude: 258.768 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-02-14 01:34 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows windstreaks located in Daedalia Planum. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows windstreaks located in Daedalia Planum. These streaks are formed by the wind interaction with positive topographic features (like craters), with the 'tail' located down wind of the crater. The streaks in this image indicate the prevailing wind was from the right to the left side of the image (east to west).Orbit Number: 80341 Latitude: -11.066 Longitude: 228.449 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-01-24 14:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of channels on the wall of Bakhuysen crater on Mars. These channels are the best examples of integrated drainage reminiscent of terrestrial systems. | Portion of channels on the wall of Bakhuysen crater (MOC 10605). These channels (22.1°S, 344.9°W) are the best examples of integrated drainage reminiscent of terrestrial systems. The pattern is topographically controlled; the relationships emphasized by light-colored sediments viewed in this low incidence angle (11.2°), nadir viewing (emission angle = 1.5°) image. The crater rim is marked by the escarpment running diagonally in the middle left to upper right of the image (downtrack scale = 8.4 m/pixel, crosstrack = 5.8 m/pixel). No channels outside the crater rim. This suggests that the source of the fluid was confined within the crater.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. | |
Data from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft's Martian radiation environment experiment show that the radiation dose equivalent at Mars is two to three times greater than that aboard the International Space Station. | Data from Odyssey's Martian radiation environment experiment show that the radiation dose equivalent at Mars is two to three times greater than that aboard the International Space Station. The differences are primarily due to the magnetic field surrounding the Earth, which provides considerable shielding to astronauts in orbit. Mars lacks a strong magnetic field and is therefore more exposed to the harshest elements of space radiation.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on Dec 17, 2003 shows steep walls of Juventae Chasma tower over the wide variety of landforms on the floor of the canyon. Fantastic dune patterns formed as wind swirled around the head of the canyon. | Released 17 December 2003The steep walls of Juventae Chasma tower over the wide variety of landforms on the floor of the canyon (see related image). Here, in the southernmost portion of the chasma, vast sheets of sand overlay one another and pile against the canyon walls. Fantastic dune patterns have formed as wind swirled around the head of the canyon.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.5, Longitude 297.2 East (62.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This is a frame from an animation that flips back and forth between views taken in 2010 and 2014 of a Martian sand dune at the edge of Mount Sharp, documenting dune activity. | UnannotatedAnnotatedClick on an individual image for larger animationThis animation flips back and forth between views taken in 2010 and 2014 of a Martian sand dune at the edge of Mount Sharp, documenting dune activity.The images are from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They cover an area about 740 feet (about 225 meters) wide, showing a site called "Dune 2" in the "Bagnold Dunes" dune field. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover will observe this dune up close on the rover's route up Mount Sharp.North is toward the top. The edge of the dune at the crescent-shaped slip face on the south edge advances slightly during the four-year period between the dates of the images. Figure A is an annotated version with an arrow indicating the location of this change. The lighting angle is different in the two images, resulting in numerous changes in shadows. The "before" image is part of HiRISE observation ESP_018854_1755, taken Aug. 4, 2010. The "after" image is part of HiRISE observation ESP_039280_1750, taken Dec. 13, 2014. An earlier example of dune activity elsewhere on Mars is documented can be seen at PIA15295.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
This sharp, close-up image taken by the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's instrument deployment device, or 'arm,' shows a rock target dubbed 'Robert E,' located on the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. | This sharp, close-up image taken by the microscopic imager on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's instrument deployment device, or "arm," shows a rock target dubbed "Robert E," located on the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. Scientists are studying this area for clues about the rock outcrop's composition. This image measures 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across and was taken on the 15th day of Opportunity's journey (Feb. 8, 2004). | |
This grid shows all 36 holes drilled by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover using the drill on the end of its robotic arm. The images in the grid were captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the end of Curiosity's arm. | NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has collected 36 powderized rock samples with the drill on the end of its robotic arm. This grid shows all 36 holes to date. The images in the grid were captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the end of Curiosity's arm.Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Mastcam.For more about Curiosity, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html. | |
At first glance, this NASA Mars Odyssey image showing impact craters and linear ridges and troughs is typical of the southern highlands. However, upon closer examination migrating sand dunes are observed within the troughs. | At first glance, this THEMIS image showing impact craters and linear ridges and troughs is typical of the southern highlands. However, upon closer examination migrating sand dunes are observed within the troughs. Sandy material can often accumulate in these narrow depressions and become mobilized by wind.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -34.7, Longitude 281,5 East (68.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. | |
This pair of images released on June 25, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a comparison of daytime and nighttime of part of Noctus Labyrinthus on Mars. | Released 25 June 2004This pair of images shows part of Noctus Labyrinthus.Day/Night Infrared PairsThe image pairs presented focus on a single surface feature as seen in both the daytime and nighttime by the infrared THEMIS camera. The nighttime image (right) has been rotated 180 degrees to place north at the top. Infrared image interpretationDaytime:Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details are visible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy than antisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly than rocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark. Nighttime:Infrared images taken during the nighttime exhibit only the thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. The effect of sun-facing versus non-sun-facing energy dissipates quickly at night. Thermophysical effects dominate as different surfaces cool at different rates through the nighttime hours. Rocks cool slowly, and are therefore relatively bright at night (remember that rocks are dark during the day). Dust and other fine grained materials cool very quickly and are dark in nighttime infrared images.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -9.6, Longitude 264.5 East (95.5 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this false color image on Oct. 21, 2008. The bluish-white areas seen in these trenches are part of an ice layer beneath the soil. Three trenches are seen: 'Dodo-Goldilocks,' 'Upper Cupboard,' and 'Stone Soup.' | The Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this false color image on Oct. 21, 2008, during the 145th Martian day, or sol, since landing. The bluish-white areas seen in these trenches are part of an ice layer beneath the soil.The trench on the upper left, called "Dodo-Goldilocks," is about 38 centimeters (15 inches) long and 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) deep. The trench on the right, called "Upper Cupboard," is about 60 centimeters (24 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) deep. The trench in the lower middle is called "Stone Soup."The Phoenix mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught this view of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Feb. 14, 2014. The red arrow points to Opportunity at the center of the image. Blue arrows point to tracks left by the rover in October 2013. | Unannotated VersionClick on the image for larger viewThe High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught this view of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Feb. 14, 2014. The red arrow points to Opportunity at the center of the image. Blue arrows point to tracks left by the rover since it entered the area seen here, in October 2013. The scene covers a patch of ground about one-quarter mile (about 400 meters) wide. North is toward the top. The location is the "Murray Ridge" section of the western rim of Endeavour Crater.Researchers built the commands in January 2014 for HiRISE to acquire this image. The stimulus for planning it was a pair of before-and-after images taken by Opportunity showing that a rock had appeared beside the rover in early January where that rock had not been present a few days earlier. Scientists considered from the start that the most likely explanation was that a rover wheel had moved the rock during a drive just before the "after" image. This new image from HiRISE was designed to check a less likely possibility, that a fresh crater-excavating impact had occurred and thrown the rock in front of the rover. The image shows no evidence of a fresh impact. Meanwhile, observations by Opportunity in February solved the mystery by finding where the rock had been struck, broken and moved by a rover wheel.As of Feb. 14, 2014, Opportunity had driven 24.07 miles (38.74 kilometers) since landing on Mars in January 2004. Murray Ridge is between "Solander Point" and "Cape Tribulation" on Endeavour's rim. For a wider-scale view of where it is in relation to Opportunity's full traverse, see PIA17558. 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 and Opportunity 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 view through a valley called 'Artist's Drive' from the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the terrain ahead of the rover as it makes its way westward. | This view from the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the terrain ahead of the rover as it makes its way westward through a valley called "Artist's Drive."The Navcam recorded the component images of this mosaic on April 10, 2015, during the 951st Martian Day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The valley is on the rover's route toward a higher site on Mount Sharp than the "Pahrump Hills" area the mission investigated at the base of the layered mountain.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and the rover's Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow — or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km – more than four times the size of Texas. Windstreaks in this image show unidirectional winds from the upper right corner towards the lower left corner.Orbit Number: 93001 Latitude: -12.3262 Longitude: 228.783 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-12-01 23:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a dune field located on the northwest margin of the Argyre Basin. | Context image for PIA09167Argyre DunesThis dune field is located on the northwest margin of the Argyre Basin.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -47.7N, Longitude 310.8E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Bahram Vallis. This channel is located in northern Lunae Planum, south of Kasei Valles. | Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Bahram Vallis. This channel is located in northern Lunae Planum, south of Kasei Valles. Bharam Vallis drains from the higher elevations of Lunae Planum towards the Chryse Planitia basin. This channel is over 300km long (186miles).Orbit Number: 88175 Latitude: 20.6178 Longitude: 302.162 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-30 15:19Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
A Martian shield volcano, ~25 miles across at the crater, photographed consecutively by NASA's Mariner 9 with the wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The summit crater and groves down the flank were produced by subsidence flowing subsurface movement of magma | A Martian shield volcano, approximately 25 miles across at the crater, photographed consecutively by Mariner 9 with the wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The summit crater and groves down the flank probably were produced by subsidence flowing subsurface movement of magma.Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The spacecraft was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by Mariners 6 and 7, and to map over 70% of the Martian surface from the lowest altitude (1500 kilometers [900 miles]) and at the highest resolutions (1 kilometer per pixel to 100 meters per pixel) of any previous Mars missionMariner 9 was launched on May 30, 1971 and arrived on November 14, 1971. | |
This map shows the route driven and route planned for NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from before reaching 'Dingo Gap' in upper right, to the mission's next science waypoint, 'Kimberley' (formerly referred to as 'KMS-9'), lower left. | This map shows the route driven and route planned for NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from before reaching "Dingo Gap" -- in upper right -- to the mission's next science waypoint, "Kimberley" (formerly referred to as "KMS-9") -- in lower left. The point labeled 547 on the route is where Curiosity finished a drive of 319 feet (100.3 meters) on the 547th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Feb. 18, 2014). The map's line to that point is the path actually traveled; the yellow line past that is a planned route. Curiosity entered the area covered by this map in late 2013 and passed through Dingo Gap on Sol 535 (Feb. 9, 2014). To see the traverse through Sol 546 (Feb. 17, 2014) in larger context to include earlier parts of the mission, see http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=6007.The base image for this map is a combination of images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. North is up.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover and Navcam.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. | |
This NASA's Mars Global Surveyor image shows several small, dark sand dunes and a small crater within a much larger crater (not visible in this image). The floor of the larger crater is rough and has been eroded with time. | This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows several small, dark sand dunes and a small crater (about 1 kilometer in diameter) within a much larger crater (not visible in this image). The floor of the larger crater is rough and has been eroded with time. The floor of the smaller crater contains windblown ripples. The steep faces of the dunes point to the east (right), indicating that the dominant winds blew from the west (left). This scene is located near 38.5°S, 347.1°W, and covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the landscape from the upper left. This southern autumn image was acquired on 1 July 2006. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the rim of an unnamed crater in Terra Sirenum. | Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the rim of an unnamed crater in Terra Sirenum. A group of channels dissect the rim in the center of the image. These channels are called gullies due to being on a steep slope rather than a flat river plain. In some images it is possible to see a boundary layer between the upper incised gully and a lower deposition region. The boundary marks a change in slope, the steep upper portion supports fast moving fluid that carves into the rim eroding materials. The change to a flatter slope causes the fluid to slow down and as it slows the materials carried by the fluid are deposited.Orbit Number: 92428 Latitude: -44.183 Longitude: 194.798 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-10-15 19:08Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this image of Bettys Rock on June 23, 2022, the 477th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | Click here for animationNASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this image of "Bettys Rock" on June 23, 2022, the 477th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.The animation is a video showing a pan/zoom view into the image.This rock is named after Bettys Rock in Shenandoah National Park.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 shows a group of four small hills surrounded by the larger mountains in the Cydonia region of Mars. | The recent motion picture, "Mission to Mars," takes as part of its premise that certain features in the Cydonia region of Mars were constructed as monuments by ancient Martians. This idea--widely popularized in books, magazines, tabloids and other news/infotainment media--has its origin in the chance observation (in 1976) by one of the Viking Orbiter spacecraft of a face-like hill. On April 5, 1998, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft performed a specially-planned maneuver to photograph the "Face on Mars." Having successfully imaged the "Face" on its first attempt, two additional maneuvers were used to observe other purported "artificial" features: the "City" (a cluster of small mountains west-southwest of the "Face") and the "City Square" (a group of four small hills surrounded by the larger mountains of the "City"). These special observations occurred during the Science Phasing Orbits period of the MGS mission, while the spacecraft was in a 12 hour, elliptical orbit. A year later, in March 1999, MGS attained its final, circular, polar Mapping Orbit, from which it has now subsequently observed the planet for a year. During this year of mapping, the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has continued to make observations within the Cydonia region whenever the MGS spacecraft has flown over that area. Click on Image for larger viewThe above figure shows the location of all high resolution (narrow angle) MOC images of the Cydonia region that have been obtained to date, including the first three taken in 1998 (PIA01240, PIA01241, AND PIA01440). These images are superimposed upon a mosaic of Viking images taken during the 1970's. Images acquired during the Science Phasing Orbit period of 1998 slant from bottom left to top right; Mapping Phase images (from 1999 and 2000) slant from lower right to upper left. Owing to the nature of the orbit, and in particular to the limitations on controlling the location of the orbit, the longitudinal distribution of images (left/right in the images above) is distinctly non-uniform. An attempt to take a picture of a portion of the "Face" itself in mid-February 2000 was foiled when the MGS spacecraft experienced a sequencing error and most of that day's data were not returned to Earth. Only the first 97 lines were received; the image's planned footprint is shown as a dashed box. This image is one in a series of eight. | |
View Northward from Spirit's Winter Roost | One part of the research program that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is conducting while sitting at a favorable location for wintertime solar energy is the most detailed panorama yet taken on the surface of Mars. This view is a partial preliminary product from the continuing work on the full image, which will be called the "McMurdo Panorama." Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam) began taking exposures for the McMurdo Panorama on the rover's 814th Martian day (April 18, 2006). The rover has accumulated more than 900 exposures for this panorama so far, through all of the Pancam mineralogy filters and using little or no image compression. Even with a tilt toward the winter sun, the amount of energy available daily is small, so the job will still take one to two more months to complete. This portion of the work in progress looks toward the north. "Husband Hill," which Spirit was climbing a year ago, is on the horizon near the center. "Home Plate" is a between that hill and the rover's current position. Wheel tracks imprinted when Spirit drove south from Home Plate can be seen crossing the middle distance of the image from the center to the right.This is an approximate true-color rendering combining exposures taken through three of the panoramic camera's filters. The filters used are centered on wavelengths of 750 nanometers, 530 nanometers and 430 nanometers. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity is from the edge of a football-field-size crater informally named 'Santa Maria.' The rover's upraised robotic arm, itself out of view, casts a dragon-shaped shadow in the foreground. 3D glasses are necessary. | Left-eye viewRight-eye viewClick on an individual image for full resolution figures imageNASA's Mars Rover Opportunity gained this stereo view during the 2,459th Martian day, or sol of the rover's work on Mars (Dec. 24, 2010) from the edge of a football-field-size crater informally named "Santa Maria."The scene appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. It combines images taken with the left eye and right eye of Opportunity's front hazard-avoidance camera.The rover's upraised robotic arm, itself out of view, casts a dragon-shaped shadow in the foreground. Opportunity's viewpoint for this scene is the position reached by a drive on Sol 2454. Drives on sols 2452 and 2454 brought Opportunity a few meters counterclockwise around the western side of the crater from the place where the rover first approached the crater on Sol 2451 (Dec. 16, 2010).NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft imaged Mars' surface and spies what looks like a bug. This image is part of the THEMIS as Art series. | Context imageDo you see what I see? Another bug!Orbit Number: 18352 Latitude: -8.38957 Longitude: 253.545 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-02-02 09:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows several layers of lava flows one on top of the other. | Context imageThis VIS image shows several layers of lava flows one on top of the other.Orbit Number: 43372 Latitude: -24.8511 Longitude: 235.23 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-09-24 11:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
The dark material in this image NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft of Danielson Crater are dunes at the foot of the fill material located on the southwestern end of the crater floor. | Context imageThe dark material in this VIS image of Danielson Crater are dunes at the foot of the fill material located on the southwestern end of the crater floor.Orbit Number: 42119 Latitude: 8.05191 Longitude: 353.118 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-13 10:10Please 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 from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the floor and walls of a small portion of Nirgal Vallis on Mars. The floor is covered by large windblown ripples. | 9 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the floor and walls of a small portion of Nirgal Vallis. The floor is covered by large windblown ripples. The valley wall near the center right exhibits a group of gullies, formed perhaps by a combination of mass movement and possibly seepage and runoff of groundwater.Location near: 28.2°S, 42.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer | |
A portion of the west rim of Endeavour crater sweeps southward in this color view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The rover's first destination on the rim, called 'Spirit Point' in tribute to Opportunity's now-inactive twin, Spirit. | A portion of the west rim of Endeavour crater sweeps southward in this color view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. This crater -- with a diameter of about 14 miles (22 kilometers) -- is more than 25 times wider than any that Opportunity has previously approached during the rover's 90 months on Mars. This view combines exposures taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) on the 2,678th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Aug. 6, 2011) before driving on that sol. The subsequent Sol 2678 drive covered 246 feet (75.26 meters), more than half of the remaining distance to the rim of the crater. Opportunity arrived at the rim during its next drive, on Sol 2681 (Aug. 9, 2011).Endeavour crater has been the rover team's destination for Opportunity since the rover finished exploring Victoria crater in August 2008. Endeavour offers access to older geological deposits than any Opportunity has seen before.The closest of the distant ridges visible along the Endeavour rim is informally named "Solander Point." Opportunity may investigate that area in the future. The rover's first destination on the rim, called "Spirit Point" in tribute to Opportunity's now-inactive twin, Spirit, is to the left (north) of this scene. The lighter-toned rocks closer to the rover in this view are similar to the rocks Opportunity has driven over for most of the mission. However, the darker-toned and rougher rocks just beyond that might be a different type for Opportunity to investigate.The ground in the foreground is covered with iron-rich spherules, nicknamed "blueberries," which Opportunity has observed frequently since the first days after landing. They are about 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) or more in diameter.This view combines images taken through three different Pancam filters admitting light with wavelengths centered at 753 nanometers (near infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). This "natural color" is the rover team's best estimate of what the scene would look like if humans were there and able to see it with their own eyes. Seams have been eliminated from the sky portion of the mosaic to better simulate the vista a person standing on Mars would see. | |
On an early fall afternoon in Ganges Chasma (Valles Marineris), NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft managed to capture a cluster of eight dust devils. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionOn an early fall afternoon in Ganges Chasma (Valles Marineris), we managed to capture a cluster of eight dust devils, five of them in the enhanced color strip. They're together on a dark sandy surface that tilts slightly to the north, towards the Sun.Both of these factors help warm the surface and generate convection in the air above. The surface is streaked with the faint tracks of earlier dust devils. A pair of dust devils appears together at top right, spaced only 250 meters apart. These two have quite different morphologies. The bigger one (on the right) is about 100 meters in diameter and is shaped like a doughnut with a hole in the middle. Its smaller companion is more compact and plume-like, but it too has a small hole in the center, where the air pressure is lowest. It may be that the smaller dust devil is younger than the larger one. A row of four dust devils are in the middle of the color strip, separated by about 900 meters from one another.This image might answer some interesting questions about the behavior of dust devils. Dust devils are theoretically expected to migrate uphill on a sloping surface, or migrate downwind when there is a breeze. Where they are found close together in pairs, they are expected to rotate in opposite directions. HiRISE color observations can be used to determine the direction of rotation and-for fast moving dust devils-the direction of their travel. This is because the different color observations (infrared, red, and blue) are taken at slightly different times. The differences between the earliest color observation and the last tell us about the changes that took place during that time interval.All this requires careful analysis, but if these dust devils are moving fast enough, and spaced closely enough, these here might display some interesting "social dynamics," possibly marching together and rotating in alternating directions.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. | |
The outlines of NASA's Mariner 9, Viking, and Mars Global Surveyor images are shown are shown in this image from MGS's wide angle context image. In the right figure, sections of each of the three images showing the crater Airy-0 are presented. | On Earth, the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England is defined as the "prime meridian," or the zero point of longitude. Locations on Earth are measured in degrees east or west from this position. The prime meridian was defined by international agreement in 1884 as the position of the large "transit circle," a telescope in the Observatory's Meridian Building. The transit circle was built by Sir George Biddell Airy, the 7th Astronomer Royal, in 1850. (While visual observations with transits were the basis of navigation until the space age, it is interesting to note that the current definition of the prime meridian is in reference to orbiting satellites and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) measurements of distant radio sources such as quasars. This "International Reference Meridian" is now about 100 meters east of the Airy Transit at Greenwich.)For Mars, the prime meridian was first defined by the German astronomers W. Beer and J. H. Mädler in 1830-32. They used a small circular feature, which they designated "a," as a reference point to determine the rotation period of the planet. The Italian astronomer G. V. Schiaparelli, in his 1877 map of Mars, used this feature as the zero point of longitude. It was subsequently named Sinus Meridiani ("Middle Bay") by Camille Flammarion.When Mariner 9 mapped the planet at about 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) resolution in 1972, an extensive "control net" of locations was computed by Merton Davies of the RAND Corporation. Davies designated a 0.5-kilometer-wide crater (0.3 miles wide), subsequently named "Airy-0" (within the large crater Airy in Sinus Meridiani) as the longitude zero point. (Airy, of course, was named to commemorate the builder of the Greenwich transit.) This crater was imaged once by Mariner 9 (the 3rd picture taken on its 533rd orbit, 533B03) and once by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978 (the 46th image on that spacecraft's 746th orbit, 746A46), and these two images were the basis of the martian longitude system for the rest of the 20th Century.The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has attempted to take a picture of Airy-0 on every close overflight since the beginning of the MGS mapping mission. It is a measure of the difficulty of hitting such a small target that nine attempts were required, since the spacecraft did not pass directly over Airy-0 until almost the end of the MGS primary mission, on orbit 8280 (January 13, 2001).In the left figure above, the outlines of the Mariner 9, Viking, and Mars Global Surveyor images are shown on a MOC wide angle context image, M23-00924. In the right figure, sections of each of the three images showing the crater Airy-0 are presented. A is a piece of the Mariner 9 image, B is from the Viking image, and C is from the MGS image. Airy-0 is the larger crater toward the top-center in each frame.The MOC observations of Airy-0 not only provide a detailed geological close-up of this historic reference feature, they will be used to improve our knowledge of the locations of all features on Mars, which will in turn enable more precise landings on the Red Planet by future spacecraft and explorers. | |
This false-color image taken on Nov. 22, 2006 by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a promontory called Cape Verde in Victoria Crater on Mars and the crater's deeply scalloped rim. | As part of its investigation of "Victoria Crater," NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity examined a promontory called "Cape Verde" from the vantage point of "Cape St. Mary," the next promontory clockwise around the crater's deeply scalloped rim. This view of Cape Verde combines several exposures taken by the rover's panoramic camera into an approximately false-color mosaic. The exposures were taken during mid-afternoon lighting conditions.The upper portion of the crater wall contains a jumble of material tossed outward by the impact that excavated the crater. This vertical cross-section through the blanket of ejected material surrounding the crater was exposed by erosion that expanded the crater outward from its original diameter, according to scientists' interpretation of the observations. Below the jumbled material in the upper part of the wall are layers that survive relatively intact from before the crater-causing impact.The images combined into this mosaic were taken during the 1,006th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's Mars-surface mission (Nov. 22, 2006). The panoramic camera took them through the camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters. The false color enhances subtle color differences among materials in the rocks and soils of the scene. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows dust devil tracks in this region of Noachis Terra that are found on the plains and within craters. | Context image for PIA09442Dust Devil TracksThe dust devil tracks in this region of Noachis Terra are found on the plains and within craters.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -50.9N, Longitude 18.1E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater southeast of Hellas Basin with an encroaching storm in the region. | Context image for PIA09285Clouds over CraterThe dust storm season in the southern hemisphere of Mars is well underway. This image of an unnamed crater southeast of Hellas Basin shows the encroachment of a storm in the region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -64.1N, Longitude 108.5E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. | |
Shown here is an oblique view of the polar region, as seen with NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft orbiting Mars over latitude 39 degrees north. | North polar ice cap of Mars, as seen during mid summer in the northern hemisphere. The reddish areas consist of eolian dust, bright white areas consist of a mixture of water ice and dust, and the dark blue areas consist of sand dunes forming a huge 'collar' around the polar ice cap. (The colors have been enhanced with a decorrelation stretch to better show the color variability.) Shown here is an oblique view of the polar region, as seen with the Viking 1 spacecraft orbiting Mars over latitude 39 degrees north. The spiral bands consist of valleys which form by a combination of the Coriolis forces, wind erosion, and differential sublimation and condensation. In high-resolution images the polar caps are seen to consist of thick sequences of layered deposits, suggesting that cyclical climate changes have occurred on Mars. Cyclical climate changes are readily explained by quasi-periodic changes in the amount and distribution of solar heating resulting from perturbations in orbital and axial elements. Variations in the Earth's orbit have also been linked to the terrestrial climate changes during the ice ages. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows streaks and small pedestal craters found among in the Memnonia region of Mars. | 2 September 2004This pair of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images shows changes in dark wind streak patterns that occurred between 5 April 1999 (image M00-00534) and 17 August 2004 (image R20-00901). Unlike the spaghetti-like streak patterns made by dust devils, these streaks all begin on their upwind ends as tapered forms that fan outward in the downwind direction, and they all indicate winds that blew from the same direction. In both cases, winds blew from the southeast (lower right) toward the northwest (upper left). These streaks and the small pedestal craters found among them occur in the Memnonia region of Mars near 5.9°S, 162.2°W. The 400 meter scale bar is about 437 yards long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. | |
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer instrument had been checked out and been approved to accept the sample from the location informally called 'Baby Bear.' | The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer instrument has been checked out and has been approved to accept the sample from the location informally called "Baby Bear." Although the doors did not fully open, tests have shown that enough sample will get in to fill the tiny oven. This image was taken on the eighth day of the Mars mission, or Sol 8 (June 2, 2008) by the Robotic Arm Camera aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an exhumed meteor impact crater in eastern Sinus Meridiani on Mars. Layered sedimentary rocks are seen within the crater and on the terrain outside the crater. | 6 October 2004This picture is a mosaic of three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images (E14-01679, M21-00388, M10-02183) and a lower resolution Mars Odyssey THEMIS VIS image (V09499005), showing details in an exhumed meteor impact crater in eastern Sinus Meridiani. Layered sedimentary rocks are seen within the crater and on the terrain outside the crater. This crater was once completely filled and buried within the martian bedrock. It was most likely encased in rock that is older than the strata being explored by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER-B), Opportunity, several hundred kilometers west of this area. Erosion has brought the old crater back to the surface of Mars. This landform is located near 0.7°N, 352.7°W. The 1 km scale bar is about 0.62 miles long. Sunlight illuminates the images from the left. | |
This image, acquired on July 21, 2019 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows steep walls of a crater, covered with slope streaks, formed by material falling down towards the crater's center. | Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis observation was originally intended to image the "contact" between two terrain types: a rocky ridge separates the rugged left from the smoother right side. But during planning, a targeting specialist chose to extend the image further north (to the top), to capture a nearby crater. (Extending images for some extra coverage is common practice when data volume allows.) That extension has given us a bonus beauty! The steep walls of the crater are covered with slope streaks formed by material falling down towards the crater's center. There are so many in this case that the crater is reminiscent of a delicate "dandelion clock."_x009d_ Looking closer, we can also see that the exposed layering gives us more information about the subsurface of Mars. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 27.8 centimeters [10.9 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 83 centimeters [32.7 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows some of the north polar dunes as they appeared in late winter in January 2004 on Mars. At the time, the dunes were covered with frost. | 14 April 2004The north polar cap of Mars is nearly surrounded by fields of dark sand dunes. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the north polar dunes as they appeared in late winter in January 2004. At the time, the dunes were covered with frost. The image is located near 77.8°N, 52.8°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. | |
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars in mid-August 2005. | 23 August 2005This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 269° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 269° occurred in mid-August 2005. The picture shows the Elysium/Mare Cimmerium face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.Season: last days of Northern Autumn/Southern Spring | |
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo view of the rover's surroundings on the 958th sol, or Martian day, of its surface mission (Oct. 4, 2006) | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo view of the rover's surroundings the 958th sol, or Martian day, of its surface mission (Oct. 4, 2006). This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction. | |
This view enhanced view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks back at the southern end of 'Cape Tribulation' from about two football fields' distance away. | NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity worked for 30 months on a raised segment of Endeavour Crater's rim called "Cape Tribulation" until departing that segment in mid-April 2017, southbound toward a new destination. This view looks back at the southern end of Cape Tribulation from about two football fields' distance away. In this version of the scene the landscape is presented in enhanced color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible.The component images were taken by the rover's Panoramic Camera (Pancam) on April 21, during the 4,707th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars.Wheel tracks can be traced back to see the rover's route as it descended and departed Cape Tribulation. For scale, the distance between the two parallel tracks is about 3.3 feet (1 meter). The rover drove from the foot of Cape Tribulation to the head of "Perseverance Valley" in seven drives totaling about one-fifth of a mile (one-third of a kilometer). An annotated map of the area is at PIA21496.The elevation difference between the highest point visible in this scene and the rover's location when the images were taken is about 180 feet (55 meters). This view looks northward. It merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). | |
This view of the three left wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). | This view of the three left wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). In the distance is the lower slope of Mount Sharp.The camera is located in the turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. The Sol 34 imaging by MAHLI was part of a week-long set of activities for characterizing the movement of the arm in Mars conditions. The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity, providing versatility for other uses, such as views of the rover itself from different angles. | |
Before and after images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter illustrate occurrence of new streaks on the slip face of a dark sand dune in the Nili Patera region of Mars. | Before and after images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter illustrate occurrence of new streaks on the slip face of a dark sand dune in the Nili Patera region of Mars. The slip face is on a dune's downwind side.The image on the left is from a June 30, 2007, observation (late autumn at the site). The one on the right is of the same ground observed 15 weeks later, on Oct. 13, 2007 (winter at the site). In each image, an inset box in the lower left holds a diagram of streaks discernible on the portion of the slip face within the inscribed box near the center of the image. The new streaks in the later image are interpreted as grainflow events, suggesting dune activity between late autumn and winter. White scale bars in each image are 20 meters (66 feet) long. North is toward the top.A locator map at PIA12857 shows the context for the area shown in these images. The inset box there labeled 5a-a' indicates the location of this pair. The site is field of dark sand dunes at 9 degrees north latitude, 67 degrees east longitude.This comparison is part of a study of whether wind-shaped bedforms on Mars -- dunes and ripples -- are actively migrating in present-day atmospheric conditions. It is from a presentation by S. Silvestro, L.K. Fenton and D.A. Vaz at the 41st Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference, March 2010, reporting that the bedforms at this Nili Patera site are actively migrating. The changes suggest that these dunes are not heavily cemented or crusted.Other products from the June 30, 2007, HiRISE observation of this dune field are available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_004339_1890. Other products from Oct. 13, 2007, observation are available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_005684_1890. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the 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, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the spacecraft development and integration contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. |
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