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The unnamed channels in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located southeast of Albor Tholus.

Context imageThe unnamed channels in this VIS image are located southeast of Albor Tholus.Orbit Number: 47606 Latitude: 12.9681 Longitude: 153.653 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-09-07 01:38Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the maze-like western part of Valles Marineris called Noctis Labyrinthus. Younger lava flows from the Tharsis volcanos have filled the low areas.

Context image for PIA09288Which Came First?The highstanding material in this image are old, fractured lava flows. The fracturing created the maze-like western part of Valles Marineris called Noctis Labyrinthus. Younger lava flows from the Tharsis volcanos have filled the low areas.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.0N, Longitude 250.4E. 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 view of Curiosity's left-front and left-center wheels and of marks made by wheels on the ground in the 'Yellowknife Bay' area comes from one of six cameras used on Mars for the first time more than six months after the rover landed.

This view of Curiosity's left-front and left-center wheels and of marks made by wheels on the ground in the "Yellowknife Bay" area comes from one of six cameras used on Mars for the first time more than six months after the rover landed. The left Navigation Camera (Navcam) linked to Curiosity's B-side computer took this image during the 223rd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (March 22, 2013). The wheels are 20 inches (50 centimeters) in diameter.Curiosity carries a pair of main computers, redundant to each other, in order to have a backup available if one fails. Each of the computers, A-side and B-side, also has other redundant subsystems linked to just that computer. Curiosity operated on its A-side from before the August 2012 landing until Feb. 28, when engineers commanded a switch to the B-side in response to a memory glitch on the A-side. One set of activities after switching to the B-side computer has been to check the six engineering cameras that are hard-linked to that computer. The rover's science instruments, including five science cameras, can each be operated by either the A-side or B-side computer, whichever is active. However, each of Curiosity's 12 engineering cameras is linked to just one of the computers. The engineering cameras are the Navigation Camera (Navcam), the Front Hazard-Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) and Rear Hazard-Avoidance Camera (Rear Hazcam). Each of those three named cameras has four cameras as part of it: two stereo pairs of cameras, with one pair linked to each computer. Only the pairs linked to the active computer can be used, and the A-side computer was active from before landing, in August, until Feb. 28.All six of the B-side engineering cameras have been used during March 2013 and checked out OK.NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project is using Curiosity and the rover's 10 science instruments to investigate the environmental history within Gale Crater, a location where the project has found that conditions were long ago favorable for microbial life. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 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 spacecraft of the south polar region on Mars was collected during the summer season. The markings of the pole are very diverse and easy to see after the winter frost has been removed.

Context image for PIA03092Southern SpotsThis VIS image of the south polar region was collected during the summer season. The markings of the pole are very diverse and easy to see after the winter frost has been removed.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 79.7S, Longitude 56.6E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image taken from orbit shows the path driven by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in the weeks around the rover's arrival at the rim of Endeavour crater.

Annotated versionClick on the image for larger viewThis image taken from orbit shows the path driven by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in the weeks around the rover's arrival at the rim of Endeavour crater. The sol number (number of Martian days since the rover landed on Mars) are indicated along the route. Sol 2674 corresponds to Aug. 2, 2011; Sol 2688 corresponds to Aug. 16, 2011.The route leads to a rock informally named "Tisdale 2," which is a block of material ejected by the excavation of a small crater called "Odyssey" on the Endeavour rim fragment called "Cape York." The next Endeavour rim fragment to the south is called "Sutherland Point," and a gap between Cape York and Sutherland Point is called "Botany Bay."The base image of the map is a portion of an image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, on July 23, 2010. Other image products from this observation are available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_018701_1775 . NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the spacecraft development and integration contractor for the project and built the spacecraft.

This image released on August 16, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Daedalia Planum, located south of Arsia Mons on Mars. Multiple lava flows and small craters are present.

Released August 16, 2004The THEMIS Image of the Day will be exploring the nomenclature of Mars for the next three weeks.Daedalia PlanumPlanum: plateau or high plainDaedalia: Daedalus was a famous inventor, architect, and craftsman. He designed the Labyrith at Knossos (the Minotaur's prison), and the wings that caused the death of his son, Icarus.Daedalia Planum is located south of Arsia Mons. Topographically, this area appeares to be a relatively featureless plain (as can be seen in the MOLA context image to the right). However, the daytime IR image shows multiple lava flows and small craters. The descriptor "fluctus" may be a better term to use now that we have better images of this region.Nomenclature Fact of the Day: Small craters on Mars are named for towns and villages from all over the world with populations less than 100,000.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -18.4, Longitude 231.9 East (128.1 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.

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 sol (or Martian day) 959 of its surface mission.

Left-eye view of a stereo pair for PIA01893Right-eye view of a stereo pair for PIA01893NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo view of the rover's surroundings on sol (or Martian day) 959 of its surface mission.This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction.

The pits, fractures and channel-like features captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the northern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Most of these features were created by collapse into lava tubes that existed below the surface.

Context imageThe pits, fractures and channel-like features in this image are located on the northern flank of Ascraeus Mons. Most of these features were created by collapse into lava tubes that existed below the surface.Orbit Number: 53284 Latitude: 13.1863 Longitude: 257.591 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-12-18 07:44Please 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.

Impact craters can have a variety of floor features. This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is a central peak/pit combination crater in Terra Cimmeria.

Context imageImpact craters can have a variety of floor features. Depending on the size of the meteorite and the material it is hitting the resultant crater can have a flat floor, a central peak or a central peak with a pit in it. The peak and peak/pit combination are formed by rebound of the surface material that has been melted and pulverized. Today's image is a central peak/pit combination crater in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 40978 Latitude: -38.0765 Longitude: 171.308 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-11 09:43Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the summit caldera on Arsia Mons.

Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the summit caldera on Arsia Mons.Orbit Number: 80977 Latitude: -9.5156 Longitude: 240.199 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-03-16 23:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a group of landslides located within Noctis Labyrinthus on Mars.

Context image for PIA10319Noctis LabyrinthusThis group of landslides is located within Noctis Labyrinthus.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -13.0N, Longitude 262.9E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This true-color image of Victoria crater is looking north from Duck Bay towards the dramatic promontory called Cape Verde. This is an enhanced false color rendering of images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Sept. 28, 2006.

This view of Victoria crater is looking north from "Duck Bay" towards the dramatic promontory called "Cape Verde." The dramatic cliff of layered rocks is about 50 meters (about 165 feet) away from the rover and is about 6 meters (about 20 feet) tall. The taller promontory beyond that is about 100 meters (about 325 feet) away, and the vista beyond that extends away for more than 400 meters (about 1300 feet) into the distance. This is an approximately true color rendering of images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 952nd sol, or Martian day, (Sept. 28, 2006) using the camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters.

This mosaic image taken by the navigation camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been reprocessed to project a clear overhead view of the rover on the surface of Mars.

This mosaic image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been reprocessed to project a clear overhead view of the rover on the surface of Mars.

Silica-Rich Soil Found by Spirit

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has found a patch of bright-toned soil so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. The silica-rich patch, informally named "Gertrude Weise" after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was exposed when Spirit drove over it during the 1,150th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's Mars surface mission (March 29, 2007). One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. Most patches of disturbed, bright soil that Spirit had investigated previously are rich in sulfur, but this one has very little sulfur and is about 90 percent silica.This image is a approximately true-color composite of three images taken through different filters by Spirit's panoramic camera on Sol 1,187 (May 6). The track of disturbed soil is roughly 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, which can assess a target's mineral composition from a distance, examined the Gertrude Weise patch on Sol 1,172 (April 20). The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a decision to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's robotic arm. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer collected data about this target on sols 1,189 and 1,190 (May 8 and May 9) and produced the finding of approximately 90 percent silica.Silica is silicon dioxide. On Earth, it commonly occurs as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass. The Martian silica at Gertrude Weise is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz.In most cases, water is required to produce such a concentrated deposit of silica, according to members of the rover science team. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acidic steam produced by volcanic activity. Another could have been from water in a hot spring environment.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows depressions, called graben, which form by the down drop of material between two parallel faults.

Context imageThe linear depressions in this VIS image are part of Sirenum Fossae. These depressions are called graben, which form by the down drop of material between two parallel faults. The faults are caused by tectonic stresses in the region. The Sirenum Fossae graben are 2735km (1700 miles) long.Orbit Number: 82052 Latitude: -37.4717 Longitude: 191.302 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-06-13 11:16Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Many prominent rocks near the Sagan Memorial Station are featured in this image, from NASA's Mars Pathfinder. 'Flat Top' and 'Little Flat Top' are at center. 3-D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

A lander petal and the forward ramp are featured in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail. There are several prominent rocks, including Wedge at left; Shark, Half-Dome, and Pumpkin in the background; and Flat Top and Little Flat Top at center.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.Click below to see the left and right views individually.LeftRight Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows where Ares Vallis starts (top of image) from Iani Chaos (bottom of image).

Context imageToday's VIS image shows where Ares Vallis starts (top of image) from Iani Chaos (bottom of image).Orbit Number: 45240 Latitude: 0.091826 Longitude: 342.661 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-02-25 07:52Please 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.

This mosaic image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) shows an extreme close-up of round, blueberry-shaped formations in the martian soil near a part of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum called Stone Mountain.

This mosaic image shows an extreme close-up of round, blueberry-shaped formations in the martian soil near a part of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum called Stone Mountain. Scientists are studying these curious formations for clues about the area's past environmental conditions. The image, one of the highest resolution images ever taken by the microscopic imager, an instrument located on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's instrument deployment device or "arm."

NASA's Opportunity rover captured an image of this rock nicknamed, Jornada del Muerto, while in Perseverance Valley.

NASA's Opportunity rover used its Microscopic Imager to take a picture of this rock nicknamed "Jornada del Muerto" while in Perseverance Valley. The wind-carved streaks along its face were very similar to rocks seen at the rim of Endeavour Crater earlier in Opportunity's mission.This scene is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide. "Jornada del Muerto" (roughly translated: "Dead Man's Journey") was one of the stops along the El Camino Real route used for centuries by Spanish and Mexican colonists to reach New Mexico from Mexico, and used by the Opportunity team to name rocks and features in Perseverance Valley.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Opportunity, visit https://www.nasa.gov/rovers and https://mars.nasa.gov/mer.

As on the Earth, many processes can move material down a Martian slope. This graphic compares seven different types of features observed on Mars that appear to result from material flowing or sliding or rolling down slopes.

As on the Earth, many processes can move material down a Martian slope. This graphic compares seven different types of features observed on Mars that appear to result from material flowing or sliding or rolling down slopes.Processes that explain one type of downslope feature may be irrelevant to another type. Some processes depend on the presence of a fluid, some are driven by seasonal changes in the environment, and others occur randomly when gravity is able to pull down unstable slope material. These different processes can generate a wide range of feature shapes, though sometimes different processes can yield similar-looking results. Thus, to figure out how a feature may have formed, more must be considered than its shape. For example, researchers examining images from Mars orbiters have found differences in   1. the season when the features are formed or are active (e.g., the features called "recurring slope lineae" or RSLs appear       during late spring and summer, but linear gullies are active only during early spring);   2. the features' sizes (e.g., slope streaks can extend for miles or kilometers, but dark frost streaks on dunes extend only up to       100 yards, or meters); and   3. the types of terrain on which a feature is found (e.g., gullies with an alcove-channel-apron shape are found both on rocky       slopes and on sandy slopes, but linear gullies are only found on sandy slopes; dark frost streaks are formed on frozen dune       slopes, but RSLs are formed on dark, warm slopes).Scientists consider all of these factors -- and more -- when trying to form a complete picture about a feature's formation history and in figuring out what the presence of that feature means about the environment.The seven images of different types of downslope features come from three different NASA Mars orbiters. The image of a landslide comes from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images of alcove-channel-apron gullies and of slope streaks come from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The other images come from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates THEMIS. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, operated MOC. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, has managed the Mars orbiter projects for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows several of the graben (fault bounded depression) that are part of Acheron Catena.

Context imageThis VIS image shows several of the graben (fault bounded depression) that are part of Acheron Catena. Most of the lava flows in the image originated at Alba Mons and predate the graben.Orbit Number: 53871 Latitude: 35.0865 Longitude: 258.1 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-04 14:55Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image released on July 30, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows a decorrelation stretch near Hesperia Planum. Pink/magenta colors usually represent basaltic dunes, cyan indicates the presence of water ice clouds, while green can represent dust.

Released July 30, 2004This image shows two representations of the same infra-red image in Hesperia Planum, west of Herschel Crater. On the left is a grayscale image showing surface temperature, and on the right is a false-color composite made from 3 individual THEMIS bands. The false-color image is colorized using a technique called decorrelation stretch (DCS), which emphasizes the spectral differences between the bands to highlight compositional variations. The two primary compositions that cover most of Mars - dust and basalt (probably in the form of sand) - are well represented in this image. In this image, the dust is green in color and the basalt is pink/magenta. The strongest basaltic signatures appear in the bottoms of craters, which act as topographic traps for the sand. Green dust streaks appear behind many of the smaller craters. The topographic relief of the crater prevents the wind from cleansing the dust from the surface. These features enable the determination of the prevailing wind direction in the region.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -16.6, Longitude 119.3 East (240.7 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the western flank of Pavonis Mons. The linear features are faults. Faulting usually includes change of elevation, where blocks of material slide down the fault.

Context image This image shows part of the western flank of Pavonis Mons. The linear features are faults. Faulting usually includes change of elevation, where blocks of material slide down the fault. Paired faults are call graben. The large depression is a graben, whereas most of the other faults are not paired. The rougher looking materials perpendicular to the faults are lava flows. "Down hill" is to the upper left corner of the image.Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. The four Tharsis volcanoes are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mars. All four are shield type volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. The Hawaiian islands on Earth are shield volcanoes. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the four volcanoes, rising 14km above the mean Mars surface level with a width of 375km. It has a complex summit caldera, with the smallest caldera deeper than the larger caldera. Like most shield volcanoes the surface has a low profile. In the case of Pavonis Mons the average slope is only 4 degrees.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 14857 Latitude: 1.4859 Longitude: 245.996 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-04-20 17:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image released on July 1, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey was taken during mid-spring near Mars' north pole. The linear water-ice clouds are now regional in extent and often interact with neighboring cloud system.

Released 1 July 2004The atmosphere of Mars is a dynamic system. Water-ice clouds, fog, and hazes can make imaging the surface from space difficult. Dust storms can grow from local disturbances to global sizes, through which imaging is impossible. Seasonal temperature changes are the usual drivers in cloud and dust storm development and growth. Eons of atmospheric dust storm activity has left its mark on the surface of Mars. Dust carried aloft by the wind has settled out on every available surface; sand dunes have been created and moved by centuries of wind; and the effect of continual sand-blasting has modified many regions of Mars, creating yardangs and other unusual surface forms. This image was acquired during mid-spring near the North Pole. The linear water-ice clouds are now regional in extent and often interact with neighboring cloud system, as seen in this image. The bottom of the image shows how the interaction can destroy the linear nature. While the surface is still visible through most of the clouds, there is evidence that dust is also starting to enter the atmosphere.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 68.4, Longitude 258.8 East (101.2 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.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows Ceraunius Tholus, a volcano in the Tharsis region on Mars. Several channels run down the slope of the Ceraunius Tholus volcano. The deepest of those channels ends in an elliptical crater.

11 December 2004Today's Mars Picture of the Day features two images. The top picture is a mosaic of Viking orbiter images acquired in the late 1970s. The lower image is a high resolution picture from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC). The Viking mosaic shows Ceraunius Tholus, a volcano in the Tharsis region that was first viewed in images obtained by Mariner 9 in 1972. Several channels run down the slope of the Ceraunius Tholus volcano. The deepest of those channels ends in an elliptical crater. The elliptical crater was formed by a very oblique meteor impact. Where the channel meets the floor of the elliptical crater, there is a small mound of material. Presumably, this material was deposited in the elliptical crater after running down through the channel on the volcano's northwest flank. Near the top/center of the mound in the elliptical crater is a small, circular depression. Some have speculated for years that this depression is related to volcanism, others thought that it may be an impact crater. The MGS MOC image (lower of the two images) shows that crater. It is not the source of lava flows or any other volcanic features. Most likely, it is an old impact crater. This feature is located near 25.2°N, 97.7°W. The MOC image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the lower left.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra.Orbit Number: 79850 Latitude: -5.14669 Longitude: 352.509 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-12-15 03:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The collapse valleys in this portion of the floor of Bernard Crater were likely caused by the formation of Memnonia Fossae, a system of tectonic graben, that passes through the region. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey.

Context imageThe collapse valleys in this portion of the floor of Bernard Crater were likely caused by the formation of Memnonia Fossae, a system of tectonic graben, that passes through the region.Orbit Number: 40328 Latitude: -22.3231 Longitude: 205.059 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-01-16 21:10Please 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.

Mojave Crater Floor and Central Uplift

Figure 1Click on image for larger versionThe HiRISE sub-image (figure 1) shows a portion of the central uplift structure in Mojave Crater.Central uplifts are a typical feature of large impact craters on the Earth, the Moon and Mars; craters larger than 6 or 7 kilometers in diameter on Mars typically form this mountain-like peak in the central portion of the crater interior.This peak consists of rocks originating from several kilometers beneath the pre-impact surface. Mojave has a very prominent central uplift as it has a diameter of 60 kilometers (37 miles). In this image, boulders as large as 15 meters (50 feet) across have been eroded from the massive uplifted rock and have rolled downslope. Fine-grained debris has also collected in the topographic lows, and has been shaped by the wind into dunes and ripples.Notably absent from this image are the striking drainage channels and alluvial fans that are abundant on the wall-terraces and ejecta of Mojave Crater. These features were likely formed by surface runoff of liquid water, which may have been released from the subsurface during the impact event that formed Mojave.Previously, it had been suggested that a brief, torrential downpour over Mojave Crater delivered the water. However, Mars Orbiter Camera's (MOC) images of Mojave's central uplift have previously shown no evidence for surface runoff, and the higher resolution of this HiRISE image confirms that this part of the crater appears untouched by liquid water.So the question remains: by what means was the water, in the form of runoff, supplied to Mojave? This question, in addition to several others regarding this phenomenon, is currently being investigated by the HiRISE team and their collaborators.The full HiRISE image shows that the crater floor south of the central uplift is densely pitted and fractured. These pits, many of which are partially filled with dark sand, lack raised rims and a circular form. This suggests that they are not impact craters. In fact, very few definite impact craters are seen on the floor and walls of Mojave, implying that it is incredibly young and relatively well preserved for a crater of its size.HiRISE images covering Mojave crater and the surrounding region are yielding new insights into impact processes on Mars. Observation GeometryImage PSP_002101_1875 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on 07-Jan-2007. The complete image is centered at 7.5 degrees latitude, 327.1 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 277.0 km (173.1 miles). At this distance the image scale is 27.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 03:37 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 54 degrees, thus the sun was about 36 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 162.7 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. Located in Xanthe Terra, Shalbatana Vallis is an outflow channel carved by massive floods of escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image. Shalbatana Vallis is over 1300 km long (808 miles). This channel, and all others in this region, drain into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 85529 Latitude: 9.26895 Longitude: 317.915 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-03-26 18:26Please 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 sequence of images from takeoff to landing was taken by the downward-looking navigation camera of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its ninth flight on Mars on July 5, 2021.

Click here for animationThis sequence of images from takeoff to landing was taken by the downward-looking navigation camera of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its ninth flight on Mars on July 5, 2021. The flight was the helicopter's longest in duration and distance to date – 2 minutes, 46 seconds and 2,051 feet (625 meters), respectively. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

This image acquired on February 2, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the inside of an impact crater on the northern plains of Mars.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis image covers the inside of an impact crater on the northern plains of Mars. It was intended to provide a baseline image of sand dunes on the crater floor, which could be monitored for potential motion in future pictures.Much more than sand is visible. The dark, undulating dunes sit atop a colorful surface of exposed bedrock. Based on the crater's diameter of roughly 25 kilometers, these rocks may have been previously buried over a mile beneath the surface. The varying colors likely reflect diverse mineral compositions. (The CRISM instrument, also on MRO, has detected different minerals in the neighboring larger Micoud Crater, whose rim lies about 50 kilometers east-southeast of this image.) Excavated by impact, the colorful rocks here remain visible in part thanks to the winds that shape the overlying sand dunes, which help to sweep the crater's center clear of surface dust.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 30.6 centimeters [12.0 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 92 centimeters [36.2 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a sand sheet with surface dune forms on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.

Context image Today's VIS image shows a sand sheet with surface dune forms on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Orbit Number: 67171 Latitude: -64.7606 Longitude: 158.647 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-02-03 18:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows evidence for ancient fluid flow along fractures in Mars' Meridiani Planum region

Figure 1Annotated ImageNo AnnotationFigure 2Annotated ImageNo AnnotationThis image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows evidence for ancient fluid flow along fractures in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. The scene includes pervasive signs of ancient fluid flow in the form of bleached and cemented features, called halos, along fractures within the layered deposits of Meridiani. This site is approximately 375 kilometers (233 miles) northeast of "Victoria Crater." The view is a portion of image PSP_002324_1815 in the camera's catalog. The image scale is 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) per pixel. Illumination is from the upper left. Smaller portions of the scene [Figure 1 and Figure 2] are pulled out to highlight examples of the halos. The high-resolution camera acquired this image on Jan. 24, 2007.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this detail shot of the sandy foreground, a hill nicknamed Orinoco within the sulfate-bearing unit, and upper Mount Sharp in the distance.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture geologic details within "Paraitepuy Pass," a sandy, hill-lined area the rover traversed to reach the "sulfate-bearing unit" in August 2022. In the this scene is a hill nicknamed "Orinoco" within the sulfate region, and upper Mount Sharp in the distance. This image was taken on Aug. 15, 2022, the 3,564rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.This scene is made up of three individual images that were stitched together once they were sent back to Earth. The color has been adjusted to match the lighting conditions as the human eye would perceive them on Earth.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.

Scalloped Terrain

Image PSP_001331_2260 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 8, 2006. The complete image is centered at 45.6 degrees latitude, 93.7 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 298.4 km (186.5 miles). At this distance the image scale is 29.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~90 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:19 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 49 degrees, thus the sun was about 41 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 132.2 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.

This is a three-dimensional stereo anaglyph of an image taken by the front hazard-identification camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, showing the rover's arm in its extended position. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This is a three-dimensional stereo anaglyph of an image taken by the front hazard-identification camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, showing the rover's arm in its extended position. The arm, or instrument deployment device, was deployed on the ninth martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover, now sitting 1 meter (3 feet) away from the lander, can be seen in the foreground.

The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was used to check the composition of gray tailings from the hole in rock target 'Cumberland' that the rover drilled on May 19, 2013.

The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was used to check the composition of gray tailings from the hole in rock target "Cumberland" that the rover drilled on May 19, 2013. This image taken by the rover's Mast Camera during the mission's 281st Martian day, or sol, (May 21, 2013) shows a row of small pits created by firing the ChemCam's laser at the tailings. The pits are near the drill hole, which has a diameter of about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters).Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.

The windstreak in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located on Tharsis volcanic lava flows east of Olympus Mons.

Context imageThe windstreak in this VIS image is located on Tharsis volcanic lava flows east of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 54009 Latitude: 20.7725 Longitude: 237.425 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-15 23:33Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera.

Figure 1Click on the image for larger viewThis color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed on Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (Aug. 6, 2012 EDT). This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera.This image of the crater wall is north of the landing site, or behind the rover. Here, a network of valleys believed to have formed by water erosion enters Gale Crater from the outside. This is the first view scientists have had of a fluvial system -- one relating to a river or stream -- from the surface of Mars. Known and studied since the 1970s beginning with NASA's Viking missions, such networks date from a period in Martian history when water flowed freely across the surface. The main channel deposit seen here resembles a dirt road ascending into the mountains, which are actually the north wall and rim of Gale Crater. The colors in a second version (Figure 1) have been modified as if the scene were transported to Earth and illuminated by terrestrial sunlight. This processing, called "white balancing," is useful for scientists to be able to recognize and distinguish rocks by color in more familiar lighting.Although Curiosity is about 11 miles (18 kilometers) away from this area and the view is obscured somewhat by dust and haze, the image provides new insights into the style of sediment transport within this system. Curiosity has no current plans to visit this valley system, since the primary objective of the rover is south of the landing site. But images taken later and with the 100-millimeter Mastcam are likely to allow scientists to study the area in significantly more detail. The images in this mosaic were acquired by the 34-millimeter MastCam over about an hour of time on Aug. 8, 2012 PDT (Aug. 9, 2012 EDT), each at 1,200 by 1,200 pixels in size. JPL manages the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

Magnetic anomalies on Mars are seen in this image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows outcrops of light-toned, layered rock exposed in the central peak of Oudemans Crater, near the Labyrinthus Noctis of the western Valles Marineris complex on Mars.

27 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows outcrops of light-toned, layered rock exposed in the central peak of Oudemans Crater, near the Labyrinthus Noctis of the western Valles Marineris complex. The rocks in this August 2005 image were once below the ground and flat-lying. Now they are tilted on edge-a product of the impact that formed Oudemans Crater. Their regular layering and light tone suggest these might be ancient sedimentary rocks.Location near: 10.0°S, 92.1°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Southern Spring

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows right angle intersections from some of the graben that form Sacra Fossae. The fossae are located on the margin of Lunae Planum near the beginning of Kasei Valles.

Context imageThe right angle intersections in this VIS image are some of the graben that form Sacra Fossae. The fossae are located on the margin of Lunae Planum near the beginning of Kasei Valles. Graben are depressions caused by parallel faults where a block of material drops down along the fault face.Orbit Number: 72616 Latitude: 18.1066 Longitude: 287.915 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-28 09:42Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

In this part of the Tharsis region on Mars, old lava flows have been fractured. Younger lava flows are unfractured (flow at bottom) as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA01358Flow and FractureIn this part of the Tharsis region, old lava flows have been fractured. Younger lava flows are unfractured (flow at bottom).Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 9.3N, Longitude 282.2E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Which Way to the Top?

This digital elevation map shows the topography of the "Columbia Hills," just in front of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Colors indicate the slopes of the hills, with red areas being the gentlest and blue the steepest. Rover planners are currently plotting the safest route for Spirit to climb the front hill, called "West Spur." The direct path straight up through the blue area may be too steep. Data from the Mars Orbital Camera on the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor were used to create this 3-D map.

This image taken by the front hazard-identification camera onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows the rover's robotic arm, or instrument deployment device.

This image taken by the front hazard-identification camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows the rover's robotic arm, or instrument deployment device. The arm was deployed from its stowed position beneath the "front porch" of the rover body early Friday morning. This is the first use of the arm to deploy the microscopic imager, one of four geological instruments located on the arm. The instrument will help scientists analyze and understand martian rocks and soils by taking very high resolution, close-up images.

This vertically exaggerated view shows scalloped depressions in Mars' Utopia Planitia region, prompting the use of ground-penetrating radar aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to check for underground ice.

This vertically exaggerated view shows scalloped depressions in Mars' Utopia Planitia region, one of the area's distinctive textures that prompted researchers to check for underground ice, using ground-penetrating radar aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.More than 600 overhead passes with the spacecraft's Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument provided data for determining that about as much water as the volume of Lake Superior lies in a thick layer beneath a portion of Utopia Planitia. These scalloped depressions on the surface are typically about 100 to 200 yards or meters wide. The foreground of this view covers ground about one mile (1.8 kilometers) across. The perspective view is based on a three-dimensional terrain model derived from a stereo pair of observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. One was taken on Dec. 25, 2006, the other on Feb. 2, 2007. The vertical dimension is exaggerated fivefold in proportion to the horizontal dimensions, to make texture more apparent in what is a rather flat plain. Similar scalloped depressions are found in portions of the Canadian Arctic, where they are indicative of ground ice.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Big Crater' is actually a relatively small Martian crater to the southeast of NASA's Mars Pathfinder landing site. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

The "Big Crater" is actually a relatively small Martian crater to the southeast of the Mars Pathfinder landing site. It is 1500 meters (4900 feet) in diameter, or about the same size as Meteor Crater in Arizona. Superimposed on the rim of Big Crater (the central part of the rim as seen here) is a smaller crater nicknamed "Rimshot Crater." The distance to this smaller crater, and the nearest portion of the rim of Big Crater, is 2200 meters (7200 feet). To the right of Big Crater, south from the spacecraft, almost lost in the atmospheric dust "haze," is the large streamlined mountain nicknamed "Far Knob." This mountain is over 450 meters (1480 feet) tall, and is over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the spacecraft. Another, smaller and closer knob, nicknamed "Southeast Knob" can be seen as a triangular peak to the left of the flanks of the Big Crater rim. This knob is 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast from the spacecraft.The larger features visible in this scene - Big Crater, Far Knob, and Southeast Knob - were discovered on the first panoramas taken by the IMP camera on the 4th of July, 1997, and subsequently identified in Viking Orbiter images taken over 20 years ago. The scene includes rocky ridges and swales or "hummocks" of flood debris that range from a few tens of meters away from the lander to the distance of South Twin Peak. The largest rock in the nearfield, just left of center in the foreground, nicknamed "Otter," is about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) long and 10 meters (33 feet) from the spacecraft.This view of Big Crater was produced by combining 6 individual "Superpan" scenes from the left and right eyes of the IMP camera. Each frame consists of 8 individual frames (left eye) and 7 frames (right eye) taken with different color filters that were enlarged by 500% and then co-added using Adobe Photoshop to produce, in effect, a super-resolution panchromatic frame that is sharper than an individual frame would be.The anaglyph view of Big Crater was produced by combining the left and right eye mosaics (above) by assigning the left eye view to the red color plane and the right eye view to the green and blue color planes (cyan), to produce a stereo anaglyph mosaic. This mosaic can be viewed in 3-D on your computer monitor or in color print form by wearing red-blue 3-D glasses.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The IMP was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.Click below to see the left and right views individually.LeftRight Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a very small portion of Kasei Valles. There are several streamlined islands near the center of the image.

Context imageThis VIS image shows a very small portion of Kasei Valles. There are several streamlined islands near the center of the image. The wider part of the island is to the left and the narrowing of the 'tail' it to the right, indicating that the flow of the liquid that formed these islands ran from west to east. These features are located near the region where Kasei Valles empties into Chryse Planitia.Orbit Number: 62101 Latitude: 25.0071 Longitude: 308.382 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-12-14 04:04Please 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.

Late in the summer season, the numerous polar layers on Mars are free of frost and easily visible as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA03288Polar LayersLate in the summer season, the numerous polar layers are free of frost and easily visible.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -84.9N, Longitude 135.9E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image, taken on Mars, shows the view from the front hazard avoidance cameras onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after the rover had backed up 25 centimeters (10 inches) and turned 45 degrees clockwise.

This image, taken on Mars, shows the view from the front hazard avoidance cameras on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after the rover has backed up 25 centimeters (10 inches) and turned 45 degrees clockwise. This maneuver is the first step in a 3-point turn that will rotate the rover 115 degrees to face the rear direction and drive off a rear side lander petal. Note that the view in this image matches that of the image taken during rehearsal of this maneuver in the JPL testbed.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows gullies on a south crater wall which appear as if they are the product of a 'weeping layer,' a porous layer of rock through which a liquid such as water may have percolated until it came to the martian surface.

20 September 2006When it was launched in 1996, the plan was that Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) would wrap up its mission in 2000. Damage to a hinge connected to a solar panel slowed the orbit insertion aerobraking process by a year, so in 1997 the spacecraft team determined that MGS's mission would end in early 2001. However, the spacecraft and its instruments remained healthy, and its mission was extended. And extended. And extended again. And again. MGS has now been orbiting the red planet for just over nine years. Throughout the mission, data from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) have emphasized details about some of the very oldest and the very newest features exposed on the planet's surface.The very ancient and the modern come together in this small, approximately 3 km by 3 km (1.9 mi by 1.9 mi) area on the floor of an unnamed impact crater in western Arabia Terra. Old are the light-toned, layered mounds scattered across the image. The layers form stair-steps leading to the top of each mound. In most cases, the 'steps' are not clean, but are instead covered with debris eroded from the next layer, or step, above. The mounds are remnants of layered rock that once covered the entire scene. They were deposited as sediment in the large, unnamed crater in which these landforms occur. Their regular thickness and repeated character suggest that episodic, or perhaps cyclic, processes brought sediment to the crater floor. If the crater contained water at the time the sediments were deposited, then they represent lakebed materials. The processes that (a) brought sediment to this site, (b) cemented the sediment to form rock, and (c) eroded the sediment to form the mounds we see today, all occurred at some time in the distant past.New are the dark-toned sand dunes and intermediate-toned ripples. The dark dunes were formed of sand that in relatively recent times has been blown by wind from the northeast (upper right) toward the southwest (lower left). The dunes have slowly encroached upon the older, light-toned, layered mounds. Surrounding each mound is a suite of intermediate-toned ripples. These are large ripples, relative to counterparts on Earth, and are most likely made up of grains somewhat coarser than sand, typically of several millimeters in size. The ripples form a pattern that is generally radial to each mound, indicating that they formed in winds that interacted with these topographic obstacles. The dark dunes are generally younger than the ripples, as dark sand has encroached upon and over-ridden some of the ripples.This image is one of the favorites of the MOC operations team at Malin Space Science Systems, because it is not only pretty, it also emphasizes aspects of both the ancient and modern sedimentary processes and materials on Mars. Sediments, sedimentary rocks, and the environments in which they were deposited have been a key theme of the MOC science investigation from the beginning, more than 20 years ago, when MOC was selected by NASA to be built and sent to Mars. The first MOC was aboard Mars Observer when it was lost in 1993; the second MOC was built for MGS and is still operating today.Location near: 8.8°N, 1.2°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lines indicative of flow in a valley floor on Mars cut across similar lines in a slightly smaller valley, indicating both that material flowed along the valley floor.

Released 9 May 2003Lines indicative of flow in a valley floor (east to west) cut across similar lines in a slightly smaller valley (southeast to northwest), indicating both that material flowed along the valley floor (as opposed to across it) and that relative flow ages may be determined from crosscutting relationships.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 39.6, Longitude 31.1East (328.9). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Noctis Labyrinthus. Noctis Labyrinthus is a network of tectonic graben and collapse valleys on the western margin of Valles Marineris.

Context image Today's VIS image shows a small portion of Noctis Labyrinthus. Noctis Labyrinthus is a network of tectonic graben and collapse valleys on the western margin of Valles Marineris.Orbit Number: 65633 Latitude: -12.6383 Longitude: 264.142 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-09-30 01:59Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Spirit's West Valley Panorama (False Color)

NASA'S Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this westward view from atop a low plateau where Sprit spent the closing months of 2007.After several months near the base of the plateau called "Home Plate" in the inner basin of the Columbia Hills range inside Gusev Crater, Spirit climbed onto the eastern edge of the plateau during the rover's 1,306th Martian day, or sol, (Sept. 5, 2007). It examined rocks and soils at several locations on the southern half of Home Plate during September and October. It was perched near the western edge of Home Plate when it used its panoramic camera (Pancam) to take the images used in this view on sols 1,366 through 1,369 (Nov. 6 through Nov. 9, 2007). With its daily solar-energy supply shrinking as Martian summer turned to fall, Spirit then drove to the northern edge of Home Plate for a favorable winter haven. The rover reached that northward-tilting site in December, in time for the fourth Earth-year anniversary of its landing on Mars. Spirit reached Mars on Jan. 4, 2004, Universal Time (Jan. 3, 2004, Pacific Standard Time). It landed at a site at about the center of the horizon in this image.This panorama covers a scene spanning left to right from southwest to northeast. The western edge of Home Plate is in the foreground, generally lighter in tone than the more distant parts of the scene. A rock-dotted hill in the middle distance across the left third of the image is "Tsiolkovski Ridge," about 30 meters or 100 feet from the edge of Home Plate and about that same distance across. A bump on the horizon above the left edge of Tsiolkovski Ridge is "Grissom Hill," about 8 kilometers or 5 miles away. At right, the highest point of the horizon is "Husband Hill," to the north and about 800 meters or half a mile away.This view combines separate images taken through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers, 535 nanometers and 432 nanometers. It is presented in a false-color stretch to bring out subtle color differences in the scene.

This image shows a selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Sol 2291 (January 15) at the 'Rock Hall' drill site, located on Vera Rubin Ridge.

A selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Sol 2291 (January 15) at the "Rock Hall" drill site, located on Vera Rubin Ridge.This was Curiosity's 19th drill site. The drill hole is visible to the rover's lower-left; the entire scene is slightly dustier than usual due to a regional dust storm affecting the area.The selfie is composed of 57 individual images taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm. The images are then stitched together into a panorama. MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech 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 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the western rim of a well-preserved 8.5-kilometer (about 5 miles) diameter impact crater.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows the western rim of a well-preserved 8.5-kilometer (about 5 miles) diameter impact crater.The wall features a slumped terrace that extends all the way around the crater diameter (the adjacent image shows the rest of the terrace). This slumped terrace, a result of the crater formation process, gives the crater a concentric ringed appearance.Terraces are an expected feature in Martian craters of this size or larger, as the material strength of the surface is overcome by the force of all-of-the-sudden-missing mass. Blocks of rock slump down the steep crater walls and slide inward (by contrast, terraces in smaller craters are often the product of an impact of an object into a surface with layers of differing material strength. See PIA17631).HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in Aeolis Mensae, east of Gale Crater.

Context imageToday's VIS image is located in Aeolis Mensae, east of Gale Crater. The linear ridge/valley system near the center of the image was formed by unidirectional winds eroding poorly cemented material. This feature is called yardangs.Orbit Number: 64265 Latitude: -5.37213 Longitude: 145.043 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-06-09 09:32Please 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.

A delta deposit sits on the floor of this unnamed crater in Arabia Terra, as shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The channel that created the delta dissects the crater rim.

Context imageA delta deposit sits on the floor of this unnamed crater in Arabia Terra. The channel that created the delta dissects the crater rim.Orbit Number: 54354 Latitude: 31.1307 Longitude: 12.3785 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-03-16 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 acquired on December 8, 2018 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows erosion of the surface revealing several shades of light toned layers, likely sedimentary deposits.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe geologic history of a planet is written in its layers. Erosion of the surface reveals several shades of light toned layers, likely sedimentary deposits. The most recent geologic features are the narrow sand dunes snaking across the top of all the rock. The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 26.0 centimeters (10.2 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 78 centimeters (30.7 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, 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 gullies on northern wall of a south mid-latitude crater on Mars.

13 May 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows gullies on northern wall of a south mid-latitude crater. Location near: 35.8°S, 220.9°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Spring

The rippled surface of the first Martian sand dune ever studied up close fills this view of 'High Dune' from the Mastcam on NASA's Curiosity rover. This site is part of the 'Bagnold Dunes' field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp.

Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger viewDownload the full resolution annotated TIFF fileThe rippled surface of the first Martian sand dune ever studied up close fills this view of "High Dune" from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity rover. This site is part of the "Bagnold Dunes" field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The dunes are active, migrating up to about one yard or meter per year.The component images of this mosaic view were taken on Nov. 27, 2015, during the 1,176th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. The annotated version includes superimposed scale bars of 30 centimeters (1 foot) in the foreground and 100 centimeters (3.3 feet) in the middle distance. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Curiosity's Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, built the rover and manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a relief model of the topography of the South Polar Region on Mars showing the form of the ice cap and its surroundings.

Relief model of the topography of the South Polar Region showing the form of the ice cap and its surroundings. The circular area at the pole has not yet been mapped.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this view in 2004 of 'Burns Cliff' after driving right to the base of this southeastern portion of the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater.'

Click on the image for 'Burns Cliff' Color Panorama (QTVR)NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this view of "Burns Cliff" after driving right to the base of this southeastern portion of the inner wall of "Endurance Crater." The view combines frames taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera between the rover's 287th and 294th martian days (Nov. 13 to 20, 2004). This is a composite of 46 different images, each acquired in seven different Pancam filters. It is an approximately true-color rendering generated from the panoramic camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters. The mosaic spans more than 180 degrees side to side. Because of this wide-angle view, the cliff walls appear to bulge out toward the camera. In reality the walls form a gently curving, continuous surface.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Olympica Fossae. Olympica Fossae is located on volcanic plains between Alba Mons and Olympus Mons.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a small portion of Olympica Fossae. Olympica Fossae is located on volcanic plains between Alba Mons and Olympus Mons. The linear margins and uniform width are controlled by faulting; this feature is called a graben.Orbit Number: 61317 Latitude: 26.0058 Longitude: 248.318 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-10-10 14:31Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the termination (end) of a group of layers in the north polar region of Mars, where they have been buried by younger, smoother-surfaced material.

6 September 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the termination (end) of a group of layers in the north polar region of Mars, where they have been buried by younger, smoother-surfaced material. The layers are the banded features at the right/lower right. They are emerging by erosion from beneath the smoother material that dominates the scene. As the smooth material erodes, its margins become rough and rugged. No one knows the composition of the layered materials of the north polar region; most believe that they are a mixture of various proportions of ice, dust, and in some places, sand.Location near: 81.3°N, 293.1°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the two summit calderas of Pavonis Mons. The surface in the majority of the image is the floor of the larger caldera.

Context image This image shows part of the two summit calderas of Pavonis Mons. The surface in the majority of the image is the floor of the larger caldera. The smaller caldera occupies the bottom of the image. In both calderas the floor is predominately flat. The final summit flow would have pooled in the caldera and cooled forming the flat floor.Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. The four Tharsis volcanoes are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mars. All four are shield type volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. The Hawaiian islands on Earth are shield volcanoes. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of the four volcanoes, rising 14km above the mean Mars surface level with a width of 375km. It has a complex summit caldera, with the smallest caldera deeper than the larger caldera. Like most shield volcanoes the surface has a low profile. In the case of Pavonis Mons the average slope is only 4 degrees.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 17590 Latitude: 1.13446 Longitude: 247.411 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2005-12-01 17:26Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image of Moreux Crater from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the central peak and fields of sand dunes on the crater floor surrounding the peak. This image illustrates the abundance of sand dunes located on the floor of the crater.

Context image This image of Moreux Crater shows part of the central peak and fields of sand dunes on the crater floor surrounding the peak. This image is just north of the previous image and illustrates the abundance of sand dunes located on the floor of the crater. The lower elevations of the central peak are visible on the left side of the image, with the highest elevations just off the image edge. The part of the peak with a pitted surface texture has been interpreted to be created by glacial flows. Moreux Crater is located in northern Arabia Terra and has a diameter of 138 kilometers.The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!Orbit Number: 36739 Latitude: 41.7743 Longitude: 44.8774 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-03-27 10:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this mound of rock nicknamed East Cliffs on May 7, 2022, the 3,466th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Figure AFigure BFigure CFigure DNASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this mound of rock nicknamed "East Cliffs" on May 7, 2022, the 3,466th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door. These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars.Curiosity is currently investigating a region on Mount Sharp that may hold evidence of a major change from wetter to drier conditions in Mars' early history.The main panorama included here was stitched together using 113 images from Mastcam's left lens. The image is processed to approximate the color and brightness of the scene as it would look to the human eye under normal daytime conditions on Earth.Figure A is the same scene as the main panorama but captured using 114 images from the right lens and showing the top of the mound more thoroughly. The "door" has been circled in this image.Figure B is the same right-lens view panorama as Figure A, but as a 3D anaglyph viewable with red-blue glasses.Figure C is zoomed in on the "dog door"-shaped open fracture, as a 3D anaglyph.Figure D is the same 3D anaglyph as Figure C, but with annotations indicating the approximate width, height, and depth of the open fracture.Curiosity was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which 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.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html.

Lava channels east of Olympus Mons as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows lava channels east of Olympus Mons.Orbit Number: 47466 Latitude: 22.9817 Longitude: 231.877 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-26 13:03Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this stereo 180-degree view on March 5, 2009. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11846Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11846NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this full-circle view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,818th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (March 5, 2009). South is at the center; north at both ends. This view combines images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera. It appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. The rover had driven 80.3 meters (263 feet) southward earlier on that sol. Tracks from the drive recede northward in this view. The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a dark-rimmed, nearly-filled impact crater on the northern plains of Mars.

11 April 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a nearly-filled impact crater on the northern plains.Location near: 47.3°N, 294.0°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 29, 2004 shows crater walls on the martian surface at Hale Crater.

Released 29 April 2004This image was taken by the Mercury Mine 5th grade MSIP team in order to answer the question -- Is there water erosion on crater walls? It is located at Hale Crater, lat. 33.1S and long. 324.4E. It shows a crater wall with smaller craters and groves.This MSIP team consists of 22 5th graders at Mercury Mine Elementary in the Paradise Valley school district. Our instructor is Mr. Collins. We started the program in early October 2003 and went to ASU in March of 2004. All in all we had a GREAT time! Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -33.7, Longitude 324.4 East (35.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.NASA and Arizona State University's Mars Education Program is offering students nationwide the opportunity to be involved in authentic Mars research by participating in the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP). Teams of students in grades 5 through college sophomore level have the opportunity to work with scientists, mission planners and educators on the THEMIS team at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility, to image a site on Mars using the THEMIS visible wavelength camera. For more information go to the MSIP website: http://msip.asu.edu.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit taken in Aug 27, 2005 shows its solar panels still gleaming in Martian sunlight and carrying only a thin veneer of dust two years after the rover landed and began exploring the red planet.

The most recent self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the solar panels still gleaming in the Martian sunlight and carrying only a thin veneer of dust two years after the rover landed and began exploring the red planet. Spirit's panoramic camera took this mosaic of images on the 586th sol, or Martian day, of exploration (Aug. 27, 2005), as part of a mammoth undertaking that resulted in the largest panorama ever acquired by Spirit ( http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20051205a.html; https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03610). This image is a subset of that panorama, showing just the rover. The vertical projection used here produces the best view of the rover deck itself, though it distorts the ground and antennas somewhat.This image is an approximate true-color rendering that combines images taken through the camera's 600-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 480-nanometer filters.

This image acquired on November 22, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows terrain composed of coalescing pits and smooth-topped mesas, forming part of what is known as the Residual South Polar Cap (RSPC) of Mars.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThis intriguing, almost cartoon-like terrain is composed of coalescing pits and smooth-topped mesas, forming part of what is known as the Residual South Polar Cap (RSPC) of Mars.The RSPC is a permanent deposit of carbon dioxide (dry) ice that is several kilometers thick and overlies a much larger water ice cap. This part of the RSPC lies at an elevation of about 6.5 kilometers. The mesas are several kilometers long while the pits range in diameter up to several hundred meters. The dark regions surrounding the mesas are thought to be exposed water ice. This image was taken during southern summer when the brighter-appearing dry ice cap sublimates (evaporates directly from ice to vapor) exposing the darker, underlying water ice cap. Understanding the seasonal and yearly volumes of carbon dioxide exchange between the surface and the atmosphere provides important insights into Mars' climate.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 24.6 centimeters [9.7 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 74 centimeters [29.1 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 Reconnaissance Orbiter is of Saheki Crater, about 84 kilometers across, and located in the Southern highlands of Mars, to the north of Hellas Planitia.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is of Saheki Crater, about 84 kilometers across, and located in the Southern highlands of Mars, to the north of Hellas Planitia. It's filled with beautiful alluvial fans that formed when water (likely melting snow) carried fine material, such as sand, silt and mud, from the interior crater rim down to the bottom of the crater.Two smaller craters impacted into the alluvial fan surface in Saheki, excavating holes that allow us to see what the fans look like beneath the surface. Exposed along the crater's interior walls, we can see that the fan is made up of multiple individual layers (white and purple tones in the enhanced color image) that were deposited on the floor (the green and brown tones). The brown, circular shapes on the fan layers are small impact craters. This is a stereo pair with ESP_049528_1585.The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 26.2 centimeters (10.3 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 78 centimeters (30.7 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This view combines hundreds of images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain on Mars. The landing was on May 25, 2008.

This view combines hundreds of images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 68.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars. The landing was on May 25, 2008.The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible in the right half of the image. The spacecraft's meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky portion of the panorama. Other Phoenix instruments, the lander's deck, and its two solar arrays are also visible. The robotic arm is not in the scene.This view comprises more than 100 different camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection.The Phoenix Mars Lander mission was led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission was by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development was by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.

On Nov. 18, 2010, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this true-color image showing portions of the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to record this eastward view of the horizon on the 2,424th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Nov. 18, 2010).Portions of the rim of Endeavour Crater, several kilometers or miles in the distance, are visible at the left, middle and far-right of the image, rising above the Meridiani plain. Endeavour Crater is about 22 kilometers (14 miles) in diameter. The portion of the rim visible on the left in this image is at the northern edge of Endeavour. The portion in the middle of the image is on the crater's eastern edge of the crater. The portion at the far right is on the Endeavour's western rim, closer to Opportunity. An orbital view at PIA11837 offers context. The rover team chose Endeavour Crater as a long-term destination for Opportunity in mid-2008, after the rover had investigated the much-smaller Victoria Crater for two years. More than a year later, the goal became even more alluring when observations with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, found clay minerals exposed on Endeavour's western rim. James Wray of Cornell University, and co-authors, reported observations of those minerals in Geophysical Research Letters in 2009. Clay minerals, which form under wet and relatively neutral pH conditions, have been found extensively on Mars from orbit but have not been examined on the surface. Additional observations with that spectrometer are helping the rover team choose which part of Endeavour's rim to visit first with Opportunity. This view is presented in approximately true color by combining exposures taken through three of the panoramic camera's filters, admitting wavelengths of 752 nanometers, 535 nanometers and 432 nanometers.Opportunity completed its three-month prime mission in April 2004 and has continued working in mission extensions since then.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the south polar cap.

Context imageThis VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. The cap was created over millions of years with deposition of ice and dust during different seasons, creating the layering seen in the image. This image was taken during the summer season at the south pole. The south polar cap of Mars is called Australe Planum.Orbit Number: 83764 Latitude: -84.2566 Longitude: 154.375 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-11-01 10:09Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons on Mars.

Context image for PIA10883Ascraeus MonsThis VIS image shows the eastern flank of Ascraeus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.1N, Longitude 258.8E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image, part of an images as art series from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on March 23, 2004 shows Arabia Terra Crater during the northern summer season. The material inside of this crater is of unknown origin, but may possibly be volcanic.

Released 23 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.This daytime VIS image was collected on March 8, 2003 during the northern summer season. The material inside of this crater is of unknown origin, but may possibly be volcanic.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 30.5, Longitude 32.3 East (327.7 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 black and white image shows a rocky view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit taken on Nov 8, 2005. A superimposed computer image of the rover is seen to help scientist and engineers to plan a path for the rover.

The black-and-white base image in this view was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit with its navigation camera during the rover's 658th Martian day, or sol (Nov. 8, 2005). The location is on the eastern side of "Husband Hill." The superimposed colored lines and computer image of the rover indicate Spirit's path ahead and the intended position at the end of the drive. Rover-team scientists and engineers use this type of simulated image as a help in planning activities for succeeding sols.

This type of feature is termed an inverted channel. One theory of how these features form is that rocky debris accumulates in channels of flowing water beneath glaciers. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA09123Ridge or ChannelYour eyes do not deceive you, this is a positive relief feature - a ridge. However, it does have a channel in its past. This type of feature is termed an inverted channel. One theory of how these features form is that rocky debris accumulates in channels of flowing water beneath glaciers. When the glacial ice is all removed the rocky channel bottom is left as a positive relief feature. On Earth such features are called eskers.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 0.9N, Longitude 7.6E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This false-color image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Antoniadi Crater, taken during Mars' northern spring season.

The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.This false color image shows part of the floor of Antoniadi Crater. This image was collected during the Northern Spring season.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 37, Longitude 62.6 East (297.4 West). 35 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.

Many craters in the northern plains look like the one in this image -- interior filled almost to the rim, narrow and steep ejecta surrounding the rim, little or no remaining distant ejecta on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA01707Northern CraterMany craters in the northern plains look like the one in this image -- interior filled almost to the rim, narrow and steep ejecta surrounding the rim, little or no remaining distant ejecta. It is assumed that the climate in the region has affected the appearance of these craters.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 52.5N, Longitude 186.3E. 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 image of Holden Crater shows some of the small dark dunes located on the floor of the crater on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA11906Holden CraterThis VIS image of Holden Crater shows some of the small dark dunes located on the floor of the crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -25.2N, Longitude 326.6E. 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 image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Terra Sirenum. The bright linear feature at the bottom of the image is the crest of a ridge.

Context imageThis VIS image is located in Terra Sirenum. The bright linear feature at the bottom of the image is the crest of a ridge. The multiple channel features toward the top of this image were created by liquid flow running down slope from the ridge.Orbit Number: 74452 Latitude: -40.0299 Longitude: 226.894 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-09-26 15:06Please 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.

The nodule in the center of this image from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows individual grains of sand and (on the right) laminations from the sandstone deposit in which the nodule formed.

The nodule in the center of this image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows individual grains of sand and (on the left) laminations from the sandstone deposit in which the nodule formed. The site is an exposure of knobbly textured sandstone of the Stimson geological unit on Curiosity's onramp to "Naukluft Plateau." The image was taken on March 10, 2016, during the 1,277th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. This nodule is about one inch (two centimeters) across. It appears within wider context in the left foreground of a Sol 1276 view (PIA20322) from Curiosity Mast Camera (Mastcam). 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Reull Vallis.

Context image Today's VIS image shows a small portion of Reull Vallis. Reull Vallis is one of the major channels entering eastern Hellas Planitia.Orbit Number: 66499 Latitude: -39.1457 Longitude: 111.246 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-12-10 10:06Please 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Mars' north polar region with a long dune formation. The dunes appear bright due to their warm temperature rather than the actual color of the material.

Context image for PIA11253Polar DunesThis IR image of the north polar region shows a long dune formation. The dunes in this image appear bright due to their warm temperature rather than the actual color of the material.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 80.5N, Longitude 308.9E. 110 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from the Deuteronilus Mensae region shows an interesting portion of the martian dichotomy. It appears that the crater in the upper part of the image is being re-exposed after burial on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA09048ErosionThis image from the Deuteronilus Mensae region shows an interesting portion of the martian dichotomy. It appears that the crater in the upper part of the image is being re-exposed after burial. The cliff margin with the mulitude of small channels overlies the ejecta of the crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 46.3N, Longitude 18.8E. 19 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image shows the final landing location of NASA's InSight lander in this annotated image of the surface of Mars, taken by the THEMIS camera on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter in 2015.

Annotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe red dot marks the final landing location of NASA's InSight lander in this annotated image of the surface of Mars, taken by the THEMIS camera on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter in 2015.A version with latitude and longitude is also available. The landing ellipse on this map covers an area within which the spacecraft had about a 99 percent chance of landing when targeted for the center of the ellipse. It is about 81 miles (130 kilometers) long, generally west to east, and about 17 miles (27 kilometers) wide.The base map is a mosaic of daytime thermal images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS was developed and is operated by Arizona State University, Tempe.JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this cylindrical projection 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on March 8, 2005 at Vostok Crater. Much of the crater is buried in sand.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 399th martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (March 8, 2005). Opportunity drove 35 meters (115 feet) that sol and reached the edge of "Vostok Crater" before taking the images. Sand has buried much of the crater. This location is catalogued as Opportunity's site 50. The view is presented in a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on April 28, 2004 shows an area with many craters of different sizes and types on the martian surface.

Released 28 April 2004We are the 6th grade MSIP team from Mercury Mine. During our trip to ASU, we took a picture of an area with many craters of different sizes and types (preserved, modified, and destroyed) to help us answer our question: Is there a difference between a crater formed by an impact on Mars and a force from beneath the planet's surface forming a mountain or volcano; and if so, what? Our image was taken at the latitude of 35.73 S and the longitude of 236.2 E, 695.6 seconds after the THEMIS passed the equator (while descending). Downloading our image was perhaps the best part of our trip to ASU.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -35.8, Longitude 236.2 East (123.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.NASA and Arizona State University's Mars Education Program is offering students nationwide the opportunity to be involved in authentic Mars research by participating in the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP). Teams of students in grades 5 through college sophomore level have the opportunity to work with scientists, mission planners and educators on the THEMIS team at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility, to image a site on Mars using the THEMIS visible wavelength camera. For more information go to the MSIP website: http://msip.asu.edu.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 fine-scale textures around a crater southwest of Athabasca Vallis. These fine scale ridges are most likely the remnants of older flood eroded layered rocks and not longitudinal grooves carved out of the landscape.

Released 19 May 2003This image shows fine-scale textures around a crater southwest of Athabasca Vallis. These fine scale ridges are most likely the remnants of older flood eroded layered rocks and not longitudinal grooves carved out of the landscape by flooding. These features are ridges and not grooves. Also note the layers visible on the southeast side of the island.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 9.6, Longitude 155.9 East (204.1). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the central peak of Oudemans Crater on Mars containing light-toned, layered rock that has been uplifted and severely tilted.

24 July 2004The central peak of Oudemans Crater, located near 10.0°S, 92.1°W, contains light-toned, layered rock that has been uplifted and severely tilted. When seen from overhead, as in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, the dipping layered rocks form a banded pattern on the landscape. These rocks were once in the ground beneath the present floor of Oudemans Crater. The impact which produced the crater brought these rocks to the surface. They are light-toned and very similar to some of the varieties of sedimentary rock outcrops found in portions of the vast Valles Marineris trough system. Oudemans Crater sits on the edge of the Valles Marineris, near the intersection of the Labyrinthus Noctis and Ius Chasma. The image is illuminated by sunlight from the left/upper left. The 180 meter scale bar is equal to about 197 yards.

Located at the eastern end of Vallis Marineris is the region of chaos called Aurorae. This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is from the northern part of Aurorae Chaos and contains mesas separated by complex low lying regions.

Context imageLocated at the eastern end of Vallis Marineris is the region of chaos called Aurorae. Today's VIS image is from the northern part of Aurorae Chaos and contains mesas separated by complex low lying regions.Orbit Number: 38527 Latitude: -5.04156 Longitude: 325.171 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-08-21 13:58Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is completely dominated by dunes in the north polar region of Mars. Sand seas on Earth are often called ergs, an Arabic name for dune fields.

Our topic for the weeks of April 4 and April 11 is dunes on Mars. We will look at the north polar sand sea and at isolated dune fields at lower latitudes. Sand seas on Earth are often called "ergs," an Arabic name for dune field. A sand sea differs from a dune field in two ways: 1) a sand sea has a large regional extent, and 2) the individual dunes are large in size and complex in form.This VIS image was taken at 81 degrees North latitude during Northern spring. This region of the north polar erg is dominated by a different form of dunes than yesterday's image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 81.4, Longitude 121.9 East (238.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This graphic depicts the environmental conditions at Jezero Crater from the day NASA's Perseverance Mars rover landed through Sol 600.

This graphic depicts the environmental conditions at Jezero Crater from the day NASA's Perseverance Mars rover landed there – on Feb. 18, 2021, the first Martian day, or sol, of the mission – through Sol 600. The black line indicates a climatological model of atmospheric opaqueness (a measurement known as "tau") over a Martian year. The expected daily insolation, or the amount of Sun's rays reaching the solar panel, is illustrated by the green dotted line. While a year on Earth lasts 365 days, on Mars a year lasts 668 sols.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dunes located on the floor of Herschel Crater. The wind is blowing southward across the two small craters at the top of the image.

Context image for PIA10295Herschel DunesThe dunes in this VIS image are located on the floor of Herschel Crater. The wind is blowing southward across the two small craters at the top of the image. The turbulent vortex in the lee of the craters keeps the surface free of sand and sand dunes.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -15.5N, Longitude 131.9E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This pair of images shows two cylinders of rock the size of classroom chalk inside the drill of NASA's Perseverance rover from an outcrop called Skinner Ridge in Mars' Jezero Crater.

This pair of images shows two cylinders of rock the size of classroom chalk inside the drill of NASA's Perseverance rover from an outcrop called "Skinner Ridge" in Mars' Jezero Crater. The image of the rock core on the left, called "Swift Run," was taken by Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument on July 6, 2022, the 490th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image on the right, of the rock core called "Skyland," was taken on July 11, 2022, the 495th sol of the mission.Each core is about 0.5 inches, or 13 millimeters, in diameter and 2.4 inches, or 60 millimeters, long. They were taken from an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, a fan-shaped area where, billions of years ago, a river once flowed into a lake and deposited rocks and sediment. Scientists believe these rock samples contain materials transported by water from potentially hundreds of miles outside of Jezero Crater. These rock cores have been sealed in ultra-clean sample tubes and stored in Perseverance's Sampling and Caching System as part of the mission's search for signs of ancient microbial life. The verification of ancient life on Mars carries an enormous burden of proof.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/For more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: mars.nasa.gov/msr