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This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows this unnamed crater has gullies along the inner rim and dunes on the crater floor.

Context imageThis unnamed crater has gullies along the inner rim and dunes on the crater floor.Orbit Number: 55306 Latitude: 63.6919 Longitude: 292.265 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-06-02 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey is located near Zephyria Planum. Winds of two different directions have excavated a poorly cemented surface into linear ridge features called yardangs.

Context imageThis VIS image is located near Zephyria Planum. Winds of two different directions have excavated a poorly cemented surface into linear ridge features called yardangs. Examining the structure of the ridges, it appears that winds first blew from the upper left of the image. Then perhaps after a change in climate, winds blew toward the upper right, carving a new pattern on top of the older one. The ridges are not perpendicular, but intersect at a wider angle.Orbit Number: 72496 Latitude: -4.75332 Longitude: 154.461 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-18 12:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Perseverance rover took these zoomed-in images of a layered outcrop nicknamed Artuby on June 17, 2021, from a little more than a third of a mile (615 meters) away.

Figure 1Figure 2Click on images for larger versionsNASA's Perseverance rover took these zoomed-in images of a layered outcrop (just below center of image) nicknamed "Artuby" on June 17, 2021 (the 116th sol, or Martian Day, of its mission), from a little more than a third of a mile (615 meters) away. This mosaic is made up of three images taken by the Remote Microscopic Imager (RMI), part of the rover's SuperCam instrument. Each circular image has a field of view of 37.73 feet (11.50 meters) at this distance. The images were combined using an algorithm that weights the image centers. The outcrop shows evidence of being formed in an ancient lake. The feature is in the 'Verdon' quadrangle of Mars' Jezero Crater, south of the landing site. Artuby is the name of a river in southern France.One version (Figure 1) uses a Gaussian color stretch to make it easier to see differences among the colors. Another version (Figure 2) shows natural color, simulating the approximate view that we would see with our own eyes if we were on Mars.Perseverance has been exploring the floor of Jezero Crater since it landed on Feb. 18, 2021.SuperCam is led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where the instrument's Body Unit was developed. That part of the instrument includes several spectrometers as well as control electronics and software.The Mast Unit, including the RMI used for these images, was developed and built by several laboratories of the CNRS (the French research center) and French universities under the contracting authority of Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES, the French space agency).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 in Southern California built and manages operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the extensive lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the extensive lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum.Orbit Number: 51637 Latitude: -20.9792 Longitude: 240.989 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-08-04 17:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the summit caldera of Pavonis Mons.

Context imageThis VIS image shows the summit caldera of Pavonis Mons.Orbit Number: 56113 Latitude: 0.510887 Longitude: 247.192 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-08-08 02:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows

November 13, 2003Details in a fan-shaped deposit discovered by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter provide evidence that some ancient rivers on Mars flowed for a long time, not just in brief, intense floods.The apron of debris filling the middle of this picture from the spacecraft's Mars Orbiter Camera is a hardened and eroded distributory fan, a type of geological feature that includes river deltas and alluvial fans. Sediments transported through valleys by water on early Mars formed the 13-kilometer-long (8-mile) deposit in the distant past, when it was still possible for liquid water to flow across the martian surface.Mars Orbiter Camera team members published discovery of this feature in the online edition of the journal Science. What is important about it? First, it provides unequivocal evidence that some valleys on Mars experienced persistent flow over considerable periods of time, as rivers do on Earth. Second, because the fan is today a deposit of sedimentary rock, it demonstrates that some sedimentary rocks on Mars were deposited in a liquid environment. Third, the fan's general shape, the pattern of its channels, and its low slopes provide circumstantial evidence that the feature was an actual delta -- that is, a deposit made when a river or stream enters a body of water. If so, this landform is a strong indicator that some craters and basins on Mars once held lakes. Hundreds of other locations on Mars where valleys enter craters and basins have been imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera, but none has shown landforms like those presented here.The picture is a mosaic of images acquired between August 2000 and September 2003. The area covered 14 kilometer (8.7 miles) by 19.3 kilometers (12 miles). North is up. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left. The spacecraft's narrow-angle camera takes grayscale images; the color added is based on information from a camera on Mars Odyssey. The fan is in an unnamed crater that is 64 kilometers (40 miles) in diameter, at 24.3 degrees south latitude, 33.5 degrees west longitude. The crater lies northeast of a larger one named Holden Crater.The fan is a fossil landform. That is, it is an eroded remnant of a somewhat larger and thicker deposit. The originally loose sediment was turned to rock and then eroded over time to present the features seen today. The channels through which sediment was transported are no longer present. Instead, only their floors remain, and these have been elevated by erosion so that former channels now stand as ridges. The floors of former channels became inverted in this way because they were more resistant to the forces of erosion, indicating they either were more strongly cemented than surrounding materials, or they have more coarse grains (which are harder to remove), or both.Closer looks at two portions of the fan show observations critical to the story. White boxes overlaid on the image show the locations of those two areas.Click on image for larger viewA region near the center of the fan has a loop, the inverted floor of a former meandering stream that was cut off as the channel adjusted its course. Meanders and cut-off meanders are the prime evidence for persistent flow of water through this area sometime early in martian history.Click on image for larger viewA region near the southeast edge of the fan shows inverted channels at different levels within the sedimentary deposit, indicating a long and complex history of water-related processes. One ridge crosses over another just left of the center of this frame. The top of the lower ridge is the former floor of a channel that was transporting water and sediment toward the lower right. The top of the upper ridge was once the floor of a channel that moved material toward the right or upper right. The lower ridge is the older channel. It was completely filled and buried beneath the surface when the upper channel formed.Click on image for larger viewA regional context image shows the location of the fan with a white box. West of the fan are several valleys that fed water and sediment to the crater holding the fan (labeled "Holden NE" Crater). This map is a mosaic of daytime infrared images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System on Mars Odyssey. The contours are topography relative to Mars' zero-elevation level, derived from observations by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on Mars Global Surveyor. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The 10-kilometer scale bar is about 6.2 miles across.Click on image for larger viewAdditional information about Mars Global Surveyor is online at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Global Surveyor mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. JPL's industrial partner is Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, which built and operates the spacecraft.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the very eastern margin of Ophir Chasma. Ophir Chasma is approximately 317km long (197 miles) and is part of the Valles Marineris system of canyons.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows the very eastern margin of Ophir Chasma. Ophir Chasma is approximately 317km long (197 miles) and is part of the Valles Marineris system of canyons.Orbit Number: 90796 Latitude: -4.92716 Longitude: 290.059 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-06-03 10:45Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the gullied wall of a pit in the south polar region of Mars. The dark area is a patch of windblown and wind-eroded sand.

9 December 2005This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the gullied wall of a pit in the south polar region of Mars. The dark area is a patch of windblown and wind-eroded sand.Location near: 71.4°S, 357.7°W Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer

The dunes in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Olympia Undae, a huge dune field near the north polar cap.

Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are part of Olympia Undae, a huge dune field near the north polar cap.Orbit Number: 54817 Latitude: 80.5695 Longitude: 147.52 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-04-23 11:00Please 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.

These streamers of clouds cross over a small crater on Mars without deflection as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA08092CloudsThese streamers of clouds cross over a small crater without deflection.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 34.7N, Longitude 351.7E. 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 released on August 19, 2004 from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows Tantalus Fluctus on Mars, comprised of multiple lava flows.

Released August 19, 2004The THEMIS Image of the Day will be exploring the nomenclature of Mars for the next three weeks.Tantalus FluctusFluctus: flow terrainTantalus: son of Zeus; King of Sipylos. He cut up and stewed the flesh of his son to serve at a feast with the gods. For this crime his family was cursed for five generations.The Tantalus Fluctus region of Mars is comprised of multiple lava flows. The margin of one of these flows is indicated by red arrows on the VIS image above.Nomenclature Fact of the Day: Three landform types that do not use a descriptor as part of their name are craters, eruptive centers, and large ring features.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 33.9, Longitude 261.1 East (98.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned sedimentary rocks exposed by erosion in the Iani Chaos region of Mars.

23 February 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned sedimentary rocks exposed by erosion in the Iani Chaos region of Mars.Location near: 4.2°S, 18.7°W Image width: ~1 km (~0.6 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Winter

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows small dunes located in an unnamed crater in southern Noachis Terra.

Context imageThe small dunes in this VIS image are located in an unnamed crater in southern Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 82059 Latitude: -56.2948 Longitude: 353.028 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-06-14 01:00Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The dunes in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey are located on the floor of Kaiser Crater.

Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are located on the floor of Kaiser Crater.Orbit Number: 41108 Latitude: -46.7453 Longitude: 19.4249 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-03-22 02:40Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the summit caldera of Apollinaris Patera, an old volcano on Mars that has undergone extensive erosion.

Context image for PIA09983Apollinaris PateraThe major Martian dust storm of 2007 filled the sky with dust and produced conditions that prevented the THEMIS VIS camera from being able to image the surface. With no new images being acquired, we've dug into the archive to highlight some interesting areas on Mars. The this week's region is Apollinaris Patera. Apollinaris Patera is an old volcano that has undergone extensive erosion. This volcano is located north of Gusev Crater, the home of the rover called Spirit. Part of the summit caldera is shown in this image.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -8.6N, Longitude 174.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image on June 4, 1998. Thick white clouds are seen above an orange martian surface showing portions of the Kasei Valles outflow channel.

Cold and cloudy mornings; cool, hazy afternoons. High winds aloft and weather fronts moving slowly to the east. It is winter in the Martian northern hemisphere. One of the many reasons to study Mars is that, at times, its weather is very "Earth-like." At this time of the Martian year, clouds are abundant, especially in the morning and especially in the high northern latitudes. Clouds and fogs are also observed in low-lying areas farther to the south, in some lowlands they are as far south as the equator.The above color composite images, obtained by Mars Global Surveyor's camera on June 4, 1998, illustrate this Martian "weather report." Most of the thick, white clouds seen here occur north of latitude 35°N (roughly equivalent to Albuquerque NM, Memphis TN, and Charlotte, NC). Fog (seen as bright orange because it is lighter than the ground but some of the ground is still visible) occupies the lowest portions of the Kasei Valles outflow channel around 30°N and at 25°N.Several different types of cloud features are seen. The repetitious, wash-board pattern of parallel lines are "gravity wave clouds". These commonly form, in the lee--downwind side-- of topographic features such as mountain ranges (on Earth) or crater rims (on Mars), under very specific atmospheric conditions (low temperatures, high humidity, and high wind speeds). In this area, the wave clouds are lower in the atmosphere than some of the other clouds. These other clouds show attributes reflecting more the regional weather pattern, occasionally showing the characteristic "slash" shape (southwest to northeast) of a weather front. These clouds probably contain mostly crystals of water ice but, depending on the temperature at high altitude (and more likely closer to the pole), some could also contain frozen carbon dioxide ("dry ice").MOC images 34501 (the red wide angle image) and 34502 (the blue wide angle image) were obtained on Mars Global Surveyor's 345th orbit about the planet. The pictures were taken around 5: 34 p.m. PDT on June 4, 1998. Winter in the northern hemisphere began in mid-February, 1998, and continues to mid-July, 1998.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Hyblaeus Fossae. Hyblaeus Fossae is located southwest of Elysium Mons.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of Hyblaeus Fossae. Hyblaeus Fossae is located southwest of Elysium Mons and is just one of many tectonic graben located around the entire Elysium volcanic complex. Hyblaeus Fossae is 375 km (233 miles) long.Orbit Number: 85610 Latitude: 20.057 Longitude: 139.715 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-02 10:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This scene in enhanced color from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks upward at 'Knudsen Ridge' on the southern edge of 'Marathon Valley' from inside the valley.

This scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks upward at "Knudsen Ridge" on the southern edge of "Marathon Valley" from inside the valley.In this version of the scene the landscape is presented in enhanced color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible. Reddish rock, such as within and between the knobs near the top of the scene, is what the rover team calls "red zone" material. Red zone locations in Marathon Valley correspond to locations of clay minerals mapped from orbit. Another view of Marathon Valley red zone material is at PIA19820.An approximately true color version of the Knudsen Ridge scene is at PIA20318. A stereo version is at PIA20320.The informal name Knudsen Ridge was chosen by the Opportunity science team to honor the memory of Danish astrophysicist and planetary scientist Jens Martin Knudsen (1930-2005), a founding member of the team.The view combines multiple images taken with the panoramic camera (Pancam) on Opportunity's mast on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, 2015, during the 4,182nd and 4,183rd Martian days, or sols, of the rover's work on Mars. By February 2016, the rover ascended slopes of about 30 degrees onto the flank of Knudsen Ridge, headed for targets of red zone material to examine there. Color in the scene comes from component images taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). The view spans from southeast on the left to southwest on the right. Marathon Valley cuts generally east-west through the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The valley's name refers to the distance Opportunity drove from its 2004 landing site to arrival at this location in 2014. The valley was a high-priority destination for the rover mission because observations from orbit detected clay minerals there. For more about Opportunity's mission, see http://mars.nasa.gov/mer.

This composite from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor daily global images acquired this image showing the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars.

8 March 2005 This picture is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 176° during a previous Mars year. This month, Mars looks similar, as Ls 176° occurs in mid-March 2005. The picture shows the Acidalia/Mare Erythraeum face of Mars. Over the course of the month, additional faces of Mars as it appears at this time of year are being posted for MOC Picture of the Day. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn. Season: Northern Summer/Southern Winter

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows most of the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. Sand dunes are visible on the crater floor.

Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows most of the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. Sand dunes are visible on the crater floor. Dark blue tones in this filter combination indicate basaltic sand.Orbit Number: 79163 Latitude: -3.81361 Longitude: 12.2472 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-19 14:21Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Olympia Undae at the start of north polar spring.

Context imageThis VIS image of Olympia Undae was collected at the start of north polar spring. The dune crests have not yet lost the winter frosts, which still cover the dark sand beneath. The density of dunes and the alignments of the dune crests varies with location, controlled by the amount of available sand and the predominant winds over time.Olympia Undae is a vast dune field in the north polar region of Mars. It consists of a broad sand sea or erg that partly rings the north polar cap from about 120° to 240°E longitude and 78° to 83°N latitude. The dune field covers an area of approximately 470,000 km2 (bigger than California, smaller than Texas). Olympia Undae is the largest continuous dune field on Mars. Olympia Undae is not the only dune field near the north polar cap, several other smaller fields exist in the same latitude, but in other ranges of longitude, e.g. Abolos and Siton Undae. Barchan and transverse dune forms are the most common. In regions with limited available sand individual barchan dunes will form, the surface beneath and between the dunes is visible. In regions with large sand supplies, the sand sheet covers the underlying surface, and dune forms are found modifying the surface of the sand sheet. In this case transverse dunes are more common. Barchan dunes "point" down wind, transverse dunes are more linear and form parallel to the wind direction. The "square" shaped transverse dunes in Olympia Undae are due to two prevailing wind directions.Orbit Number: 93875 Latitude: 81.2131 Longitude: 213.454 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-11 23:53Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This 360 degree 'monster' panorama was taken by NASA's Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. All three petals, the perimeter of the deflated airbags, deployed rover Sojourner, forward and backward ramps and prominent surface features are visible.

This 360 degree "monster" panorama was taken by the deployed Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 3. All three petals, the perimeter of the deflated airbags, deployed rover Sojourner, forward and backward ramps and prominent surface features are visible. The IMP stands 1.8 meters over the Martian surface. The curvature and misalignment of several sections are due to image parallax.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.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera (Pancam) to capture this false-color view of the rim of Endeavour crater, the rover's destination in a multi-year traverse along the sandy Martian landscape.

Context ViewClick on the image for larger versionNASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera (Pancam) to capture this view of the rim of Endeavour crater, the rover's destination in a multi-year traverse along the sandy Martian landscape. The image was taken during the 2,226 Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (April 28, 2010).Endeavour is 21 kilometers (13 miles) in diameter, about 25 times wider than Victoria crater, the last major crater Opportunity visited. This image shows an outcrop of rocks at the foot of the rover and beyond these rocks rippled dunes, which are about 20 centimeters (8 inches) tall. The west rim of Endeavour, about 13 kilometers (8 miles) away, appears on the left on the horizon. The rim of smaller, more-distant Iazu crater, which is 7 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter and about 35 kilometers (22 miles) away, is on the far right. On the horizon in between is a blanket of material ejected from the impact that created Iazu crater, and darker features that are portions of the west and southwest rim of Endeavour. Opportunity began a marathon from Victoria to Endeavour in September 2008 after spending two years exploring Victoria. The intended route, about 19 kilometers (12 miles) long, has headed south before turning east in order to bypass potentially hazardous sand ripples to the east, larger than the ripples in this image. This view is presented in false color, which is used to emphasize differences in surface materials. It combines three exposures taken through filters admitting wavelengths of 750 nanometers, 530 nanometers and 430 nanometers.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows some of the extensive wind etched terrain in Memnonia Sulci, located southwest of Olympus Mons.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows some of the extensive wind etched terrain in Memnonia Sulci, located southwest of Olympus Mons. The linear ridges are called yardangs and form by wind removal of semi-cemented material. The ridges are parallel to wind direction, so the predominate winds that created the yardangs in this image blew NW/SE.Orbit Number: 81216 Latitude: -7.99809 Longitude: 185.052 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-05 15:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This vertical-projection mosaic was created from images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired May 6, 2004. Continuing its trek toward the 'Columbia Hills,' Spirit broke its record for the longest distance traveled in one Martian day.

This vertical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired on sol 121 (May 6, 2004). Continuing its trek toward the "Columbia Hills," Spirit drove 96.8 meters (318 feet) -- half of which was performed in auto-navigation mode -- and broke its record for the longest distance traveled in one sol. That drive brought the mission total to 1,669 meters (1.04 miles), flipping the rover's odometer over the one-mile mark.

This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a portion of the heat shield that the spacecraft jettisoned shortly before landing. This flank piece broke off from the main piece of the heat shield upon impact.

This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a portion of the heat shield that the spacecraft jettisoned shortly before landing. This flank piece broke off from the main piece of the heat shield upon impact. The crater created by the impact of the heat shield can be seen in the upper right of the image. Rover tracks appear across the top of the image. Opportunity took this image with its navigation camera during the rover's 331st martian day, or sol (Dec. 28, 2004).

This image acquired on April 26, 2020 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the crisp detail of a crater rim.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionMost craters are round, because a high-velocity impact acts like a powerful explosion that expands in all directions. This crater is an exception because the northern rim is almost perfectly straight.One possibility is that there was a zone of joints or faults in the crust that existed before the impact. When the impact happened, the crater formed along the straight line of these faults. Something similar happened to Meteor Crater in Arizona. Our image doesn't show any faults, but they could be beneath the surface.Perhaps some sort of uneven collapse changed the shape of the crater. There are piles of material on the crater's floor, especially in the northwest and northeast corners. If those piles fell down from the rim, why did it happen there and not in other places? This crater is near the size where larger craters start to show wall slumping and terraces, so this type of collapse could be occurring unevenly.Our image reveals the crisp detail of the crater rim, with individual boulders around the outside and on the inner walls. That indicates that this crater probably isn't very old, so it hasn't been heavily modified. So somehow this odd shape probably happened when it first formed, although we still don't know exactly why.The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 51.0 centimeters [20.1 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 153 centimeters [60.2 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.

More dunes are encountered surrounding the north polar cap by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context imageMoving even further north than yesterday's image, dunes are still encountered surrounding the north polar cap.Orbit Number: 44986 Latitude: 80.3827 Longitude: 132.682 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-02-04 09:38Please 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.

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover drilled this hole to collect sample material from a rock target called 'Buckskin' on July 30, 2015, during the 1060th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. The diameter is slightly smaller than a U.S. dime.

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover drilled this hole to collect sample material from a rock target called "Buckskin" on July 30, 2015, during the 1060th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. The diameter is slightly smaller than a U.S. dime. Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, Universal Time (evening of Aug. 5, PDT). The rover took this image with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera, which is mounted on the same robotic arm as the sample-collecting drill. Rock powder from the collected sample was subsequently delivered to a laboratory inside the rover for analysis. The rover's drill did not experience any sign during this sample collection of an intermittent short-circuiting issue that was detected earlier in 2015. The Buckskin target is in an area near "Marias Pass" on lower Mount Sharp where Curiosity had detected unusually high levels of silica and hydrogen. 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/.

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-10 quadrangle, Lanae Palus region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1.

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-10 quadrangle, Lanae Palus region of Mars. The western part is dominated by lava flows of the Tharsis region. The central part includes ridged terrain of Lunae Planum. The west and north borders of Lunae Planum are dissected by the large, relatively young outflow channel, Kasei Vallis, which terminates in Chryse Planitia. Latitude range 0 to 30 degrees, longitude range 45 to 90 degrees.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum. These flows originated at Arsia Mons.

Context imageThis VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum. These flows originated at Arsia Mons.Orbit Number: 58691 Latitude: -24.3187 Longitude: 237.76 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-03-08 07:47Please 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 rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface. The HiRISE camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover.

NASA's Curiosity rover and its parachute were spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descended to the surface on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT). The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this image of Curiosity while the orbiter was listening to transmissions from the rover. Curiosity and its parachute are in the center of the white box; the inset image is a cutout of the rover stretched to avoid saturation. The rover is descending toward the etched plains just north of the sand dunes that fringe "Mt. Sharp." From the perspective of the orbiter, the parachute and Curiosity are flying at an angle relative to the surface, so the landing site does not appear directly below the rover.The parachute appears fully inflated and performing perfectly. Details in the parachute, such as the band gap at the edges and the central hole, are clearly seen. The cords connecting the parachute to the back shell cannot be seen, although they were seen in the image of NASA's Phoenix lander descending, perhaps due to the difference in lighting angles. The bright spot on the back shell containing Curiosity might be a specular reflection off of a shiny area. Curiosity was released from the back shell sometime after this image was acquired.This view is one product from an observation made by HiRISE targeted to the expected location of Curiosity about one minute prior to landing. It was captured in HiRISE CCD RED1, near the eastern edge of the swath width (there is a RED0 at the very edge). This means that the rover was a bit further east or downrange than predicted.The image scale is 13.2 inches (33.6 centimeters) per pixel.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 NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of an unnamed channel. This channel starts within Claritas Fossae and empties down hill into Icaria Planum.

Context imageThis VIS image shows a section of an unnamed channel. This channel starts within Claritas Fossae and empties down hill into Icaria Planum.Orbit Number: 75343 Latitude: -39.1537 Longitude: 257.791 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-12-08 23:49Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Twilight at Gusev

Here is the martian twilight sky at Gusev crater, as imaged by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit around 6:20 in the evening of the rover's 464th martian day, or sol (April 23, 2005). Spirit was commanded to stay awake briefly after sending that sol's data to Mars Odyssey at sunset. This small panorama of the western sky was obtained using camera's 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer color filters. This filter combination allows false color images to be generated that are similar to what a human would see, but with the colors exaggerated. In this image, the bluish glow in the sky above where the Sun had just set would be visible to us if we were there, but the redness of the sky farther from the sunset is exaggerated compared to the daytime colors of the martian sky.These kinds of images are beautiful and evocative, but they also have important scientific purposes. Specifically, twilight images are occasionally acquired by the science team to determine how high into the atmosphere the martian dust extends, and to look for dust or ice clouds. Other images have shown that the twilight glow remains visible, but increasingly fainter, for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. The long martian twilight compared to Earth's is caused by sunlight scattered around to the night side of the planet by abundant high altitude dust. Similar long twilights or extra-colorful sunrises and sunsets sometimes occur on Earth when tiny dust grains that are erupted from powerful volcanoes scatter light high in the atmosphere. These kinds of twilight images are also more sensitive to faint cloud structures, though none were detected when these images were acquired. Clouds have been rare at Gusev crater during Spirit's 16-month mission so far.

At the southern end of Echus Cansma on Mars this dissected surface and mega-gullies occur as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA03290Surface DissectionAt the southern end of Echus Cansma this dissected surface and mega-gullies occur.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -1.1N, Longitude 278.8E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows sand dunes located on the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.

Context image for PIA10336DunesSand dunes are located on the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -12.6N, Longitude 123.8E. 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.

Two parallel tracks left by the wheels of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover cross rugged ground in this portion of an observation by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Dec. 11, 2013. The rover itself does not appear in this image.

Click on the image for larger close-up versionTwo parallel tracks left by the wheels of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover cross rugged ground in this portion of a Dec. 11, 2013, observation by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rover itself does not appear in this part of the HiRISE observation.Curiosity has been on the move. By the time this image was taken, it had driven about 2.86 miles (4.61 kilometers) since its August 2012 landing in Gale Crater. This enhanced color image shows where the rover zigzagged to avoid steep slopes and other obstacles on its route toward its long-term destination on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Curiosity is progressing from a bright dust-covered area to a region with a darker surface, where windblown sand scours the surface relatively free of dust. For scale, the two parallel lines of the wheel tracks are about 10 feet (3 meters) apart.The image is one product from HiRISE observation ESP_034572_1755. Other image products from this observation are available at http://uahirise.org/ESP_034572_1755.HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small unnamed crater in northern Acidalia Planitia.

Context imageToday's VIS image covers a small unnamed crater in northern Acidalia Planitia. The crater rim has several gullies and a sand deposit is located on the crater floor.Orbit Number: 79346 Latitude: 61.5548 Longitude: 308 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-11-03 16:41Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This NASA Mars Global Surveyor image shows a relatively flat plain in Acidalia Planitia. The circular feature near the left (west) edge is the surface manifestation of a buried impact crater, a common feature observed on the northern plains of Mars.

3 May 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a relatively flat plain in Acidalia Planitia. The circular feature near the left (west) edge is the surface manifestation of a buried impact crater, a common feature observed on the northern plains of Mars. The darker feature is a younger, fresher impact crater -- but, it too, has been somewhat buried beneath a mantle of material.Location near: 53.1°N, 32.6°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows dust devil tracks located in the south polar region, just east of Daly Crater.

These dust devil tracks are located in the south polar region, just east of Daly Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -65.6N, Longitude 340.4E. 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.

Juncture of Valleys with Lineated Fill

Image PSP_001438_2160 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 16, 2006. The complete image is centered at 35.5 degrees latitude, 56.6 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 291.6 km (182.2 miles). At this distance the image scale is 29.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~88 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 3:25 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 136.3 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 2001 Mars Odyssey image shows sand that has been trapped in several depressions in this region of Terra Cimmeria near the Thyles Rupes on Mars.

Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLASand has been trapped in several depressions in this region of Terra Cimmeria near the Thyles Rupes. The dunes are bright in the daytime infrared due to the warmer temperature of the sand compared to the surrounding materials.Image information: IR instrument. Latitude -67.0N, Longitude 139.1E. 112 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 graphic maps locations of the sites where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover collected its rock and soil samples for analysis by laboratory instruments inside the vehicle.

This graphic maps locations of the sites where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover collected its rock and soil samples for analysis by laboratory instruments inside the vehicle. It also presents images of the drilled holes where 21 rock-powder samples were acquired.The diameter of each drill hole is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters), slightly smaller than a U.S. dime. The images used here are raw color, as recorded by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera. Notice the differences in color of the material at different drilling sites.For the map, north is toward upper left corner. The scale bar represents 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). The base map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.

The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. Data from different filters can be combined in many ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Rabe Crater.

Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the floor of Rabe Crater, including part of the dune field. Rabe Crater is located in Noachis Terra.Orbit Number: 59559 Latitude: -43.4216 Longitude: 35.1526 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-05-18 19:16Please 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.

Looking East to 'Tyrone'

Annotated VersionThis is a portion of an image, called the "McMurdo Panorama," taken by the panoramic camera on the Spirit rover during its winter campaign. The view is looking toward the east, at "Tyrone," the light-toned soils exposed by the rover's wheels. The Tyrone area proved difficult for Spirit to get through, so the rover was commanded to traverse to "Low Ridge," the site of the winter campaign. Note the light-toned material in the wheel tracks generated as the rover drove to the site. Several rock and soil targets are shown that were investigated with instruments on the rover's robotic arm. The McMurdo Panorama PIA01907 was acquired over several months while Spirit was on "Low Ridge." It required all of the camera's geology filters and covered 360 degrees in azimuth. This view is in false color, with blue, green and red representing data collected through 430-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 750-nanometer filters, respectively.

This image taken at Meridiani Planum, shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's wheels in their stowed configuration. As January 28, 2004, the rover had deployed its wheels and completed the first half of the stand-up process.

This image from the rear hazard-identification camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the spacecraft's rear point of view before the rear lander petal was hyperextended. This was one of the steps taken to successfully tilt the lander forward in preparation for egress, or rolling off the lander, at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The rover will roll north off the lander, opposite this viewpoint.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a large trough in Maunder Crater on Mars. The floor of Maunder Crater has been filled by a significant amount of material.

Context image for PIA09453Maunder CraterOne of the most interesting features of Maunder Crater is the large trough seen in this image. The crater rim is in the bottom portion of the image and the floor is to the top of the image. The floor of Maunder Crater has been filled by a significant amount of material. At some time after the filling event, the large trough developed. How and why the trough came to be is unknown.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -50.1N, Longitude 2.1E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft samples the excellent bedrock exposures north of Terby Crater, which lies on the northern rim of the giant Hellas basin.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image samples the excellent bedrock exposures north of Terby Crater, which lies on the northern rim of the giant Hellas basin.An enhanced-color cutout shows a sample of this bedrock, which has a variety of colors and textures. The warm-colored bedrock probably contains hydrated minerals such as clays, whereas the blue-green bedrock is dominated by unaltered mafic minerals. These may be some of the oldest rocks exposed at the Martian surface. Such ancient rocks are extremely rare on Earth. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in mid-November 2015, approaching examples of dunes in the 'Bagnold Dunes' dune field.

This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in mid-November 2015, approaching examples of dunes in the "Bagnold Dunes" dune field. The traverse line covers drives completed through the 1,165rd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Nov. 15, 2015).The base image for this map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. North is up. The dark ground south of the rover's route is the Bagnold Dunes of dark, wind-blown material at the foot of Mount Sharp. The scale bar at lower right represents two kilometers (1.2 miles). For broader-context images of the area, see PIA17355, PIA16064 and PIA16058.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

This cylindrical-projection mosaic was assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 107 (April 21, 2004) at a region dubbed 'site 32.' Spirit is sitting east of 'Missoula Crater' on the outer plains.

This cylindrical-perspective projection was assembled from images taken by the right navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 107 (April 21, 2004) at a region dubbed "site 32." Spirit is sitting east of "Missoula Crater," no longer in the crater's ejecta field, but on outer plains. Since landing, Spirit has traveled almost exclusively over ejecta fields. This new landscape looks different with fewer angular rocks and more rounded, vesicle-filled rocks. Spirit will continue another 1,900 meters (1.18 miles) along this terrain before reaching the western base of the "Columbia Hills."See PIA05809 for 3-D view and PIA05811 for left eye view of this right eye cylindrical-perspective projection.

Gullies are relatively common features in the steep slopes of crater walls, possibly formed by dry debris flows, movement of carbon dioxide frost, or perhaps the melting of ground ice, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionGullies are relatively common features in the steep slopes of crater walls, possibly formed by dry mass movement, movement of carbon dioxide frost, or perhaps the melting of ground ice.This example shows a section of crater wall from the rocky crater rim at the far left of the image, down to the dark dusty dunes on the crater floor in the bottom right. (North is to the left.) The rock of the crater walls shows up deep orange, and the sandy deposits on the crater floor and the base of the crater walls appear blue. The sand isn't really blue; the different colors in this image represent different material compositions.The gullies in this image have two main sections: a scalloped alcove at the top of the gully (left/center), and defined channel sections further down the crater wall (right/center). Material from the alcove will have traveled down the channel to the crater floor. This normally forms a third section to a typical gully, a debris fan. Fans commonly visible at the base of gullies are not obvious in this example however, as the wind blown sediments (blue) have covered the crater floor after gully formation.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 figure derived from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the first ever atmospheric temperature profile measured from the top of the Mars atmosphere all the way to the surface.

This figure shows the first ever atmospheric temperature profile measured from the top of the Mars atmosphere all the way to the surface. It was made using the combination of a temperature measurements derived from the Mars Global Surveyor thermal emission spectrometer (lines) and temperature measurements from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer instrument (dots). The orbiter's instrument can measure the temperature downward from the top of the atmosphere, but cannot see accurately all the way to the ground. From its position on the martian surface, the rover's instrument can measure the temperature looking upward, but can only see to about 6 kilometers (4 miles) high. The region where these two measurements cross (about 4 to 6 kilometers or 2.5 to 4 miles above the martian surface) match very closely. The region also provides the first ever profile that extends from about 60 kilometers (37 miles) above the surface all the way down to the surface. Temperatures are indicated in degrees Kelvin.

The landslide deposits in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in Valles Marineris and are called Coprates Labes.

Originally released on Oct. 16, 2013Context imageToday's VIS image was collected at the same time as yesterday's IR image. The ridge at the top of this image was the source of some of the landslides in the IR image.Orbit Number: 51935 Latitude: -12.5409 Longitude: 291.998 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-08-29 05:46Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity focuses on a target called 'Goal 5' a wind-rippled spot on the upper part of the crater, higher in hematite content compared to other soils within the crater.

This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's front hazard-avoidance camera focuses on a target called "Goal 5." Goal 5, examined during the "Eagle Crater" soil survey, is a wind-rippled spot on the upper part of the crater, which the miniature thermal emission spectrometer shows is higher in hematite content compared to other soils within the crater. The light soil in the center of the image is referred to as "Lanikai" -- an inspiration from the white sand beaches of Hawaii. The dark soil is referred to as "Punaluu" after the black sand Hawaiian beaches.

Sand dunes and large rocks are revealed in this panorama picture of Mars, the first photograph taken by NASA's Viking 1's Camera 1 on July 23, 1976. The horizon is approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) away.

Sand dunes and large rocks are revealed in this panorama picture of Mars, the first photograph taken by Viking l's Camera 1 on July 23. The horizon is approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) away. The left and right thirds of this picture are the same areas that were photographed on July 20 (Sol O) by Camera 2 and provide stereo coverage. The middle third reveals a part of the Martian surface not seen on the July 20 panorama. The late afternoon sun is high in the sky over the left side of the picture. The support struts of the S-band high-gain antenna extend to the top of the picture. The American flags are located on the two RTG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) wind screens. In the middle third of the picture, the rocky surface is covered by thick deposits of wind-blown material, forming numerous dunes. At the center of the picture on the horizon are two low hills which may be part of the rim of a distant crater. Two very large rocks are visible in the middleground; the nearer one is 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter and is 8 meters (25 feet) from the spacecraft. A cloud layer is visible halfway between the horizon and the top of the picture. The meteorology boom is located right of center. Behind it, the 'White Mesa' is visible, which could be seen on the far left side of the Sol O Camera 2 panorama. In the near ground are numerous rocks about 10 cm (4 inches) across, with horseshoe-shaped scour marks on their upwind side and wind tails in their lee. The fine-grained material in front of them contains small pits formed by impact of material kicked out by the Lander spacecraft's rocket engines.

The dunes in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the margin of Meroe Patera.

Context imageThe dunes in this VIS image are located on the margin of Meroe Patera.Orbit Number: 48870 Latitude: 6.65402 Longitude: 68.131 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-12-20 02:01Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the part of the NE flank of Arsia Mons where it meets the plains. The flank of the volcano is comprised of long flows. Collapse features are present at the flank margin.

This VIS image shows the part of the NE flank of Arsia Mons where it meets the plains. The flank of the volcano is comprised of long flows. Collapse features are present at the flank margin.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -7.9, Longitude 241.9 East (118.1 West). 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 from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the Kasei Vallis complex on Mars which contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia.

Kasei Vallis is our topic for the weeks of April 18 and 25. Originating on the margin of Lunae Planum, the Kasei Vallis complex contains two main channels that run east-west across Tempe Terra and empty into Chryse Planitia. During the week of April 18th we will concentrate on the northern branch of Kasei Vallis. The week of April 25 will be devoted to the southern branch.The formation of Kasei Vallis is still being studied and several theories exist. It is thought that volcanic subsurfaceing heating in the Tharsis/Lunae Planum region resulted in a release of water, which carved the channels and produced the landforms seen within the channels. One theory is that this was a one-time catastropic event, another theory speculates that several flooding events occurred over a long time period. Others have proposed that some of the landforms (especially scour marks and teardropshaped "islands") are the result of glacial flow rather than liquid flow. Teardrop shaped islands are common in terrestrial rivers, where the water is eroding material in the channel. A glacial feature called a drumlin has the exact sameshape, but is formed by deposition beneath continental glaciers.This three-image mosaic illustrates the variety of features and textures within Kasei Vallis. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 24.5, Longitude 297.5 East (62.5 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows lava flows of Alba Mons and windstreaks behind craters in the area. Windstreak tail directions indicate winds from the East and East-Northeast.

Context imageThis VIS image shows lava flows of Alba Mons and windstreaks behind craters in the area. Windstreak tail directions indicate winds from the East and East-Northeast.Orbit Number: 39053 Latitude: 32.2875 Longitude: 246.438 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-03 23:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Pathfinder rover Sojourner is seen traversing near 'Half Dome' in this image, taken on Sol 59, 1997 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP).

Sojourner Rover is seen traversing near "Half Dome" in this image, taken on Sol 59 by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The rover's Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is the cylindrical object extending from the back of the rover.This image and PIA01559 (right eye) make up a stereo pair.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows a small horizontal depression by the robotic scraping bland during its first test dig and dump on June 1, 2008. The test sample shown was taken from the digging area informally known as 'Knave of Hearts.'

This image, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 7, the seventh day of the mission (June 1, 2008), shows the so-called "Knave of Hearts" first-dig test area to the north of the lander. The Robotic Arm's scraping blade left a small horizontal depression above where the sample was taken.Scientists speculate that white material in the depression left by the dig could represent ice or salts that precipitated into the soil. This material is likely the same white material observed in the sample in the Robotic Arm's scoop. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.

The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Renaudot Crater.

Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Renaudot Crater.Orbit Number: 3206 Latitude: 41.8113 Longitude: 62.0611 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2002-09-04 12:48Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of the flank of Olympus Mons on Mars. Many flows have a central channel with raised edges and are fairly narrow.

This is a VIS image of the same location on the flank of Olympus Mons as the IR images of the past two days. At the higher resolution of the visible imager it is easy to see individual lava flows. Note that many flows have a central channel with raised edges and are fairly narrow, this is due to the slope of the volcano that the flow is running down.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 17.1, Longitude 230.2 East (129.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Medusae Fossae formation, seen in this NASA Mars Odyssey image, is an enigmatic pile of eroding sediments that spans over 5,000 km (3,107 miles) in discontinuous masses along the Martian equator.

Released 15 April 2003The Medusae Fossae formation is an enigmatic pile of eroding sediments that spans over 5000 km in discontinuous masses along the martian equator. The yardang ridges, formed from the scouring action of windblown sand, are a characteristic feature of this formation. In this image, there is evidence for a period of erosion when winds scoured the surface at nearly right angles to the prominent yardang direction.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -5.1, Longitude 184.4 East (175.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

The layered and wind eroded deposits occur on the floor of Chandor Chasma on Mars as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA03598Canyon Floor DepositsThe layered and wind eroded deposits seen in this VIS image occur on the floor of Chandor Chasma.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 5.2S, Longitude 283.4E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. Flank flows are extensive in this part of the volcano and the channels and collapse features are all related to volcanic activity.

Context image for PIA11325Volcanic FeaturesThis image shows part of the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. Flank flows are extensive in this part of the volcano and the channels and collapse features are all related to volcanic activity.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -4.9N, Longitude 243.2E. 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.

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in August 2003, showing knobby terrain and an eroded impact crater in the Eumenides Dorsum region on Mars; evidence the surface has been heavily modified and stripped over time.

Released 19 August 2003The knobby terrain and eroded impact crater observed in this THEMIS image of the Eumenides Dorsum region are evidence to a surface that has been heavily modified and stripped over time. Variable layering of material within the impact crater suggest a succession of events which eroded the surface and exposed possibly different units. Slope streaks and dust avalanches are also observed within the impact crater and point to recent and continued modification of the surface.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 4.9, Longitude 203.6 East (156.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This topographic map shows four semifinalist sites located close together in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars; the mission InSight will study the Red Planet's interior to advance understanding of the processes that formed and shaped the rocky planets.

Click on the image for larger view of unannotated versionRight-click here to download full resolution image NASA's InSight mission will land in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars. InSight -- an acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport -- will study the deep interior of Mars to improve understanding of the processes that formed and shaped rocky planets, including Earth and its Moon. The location of the landing site for InSight is indicated on this near-global topographic map of Mars, which also indicates landing sites of current and past NASA missions to the surface of Mars. The location of Elysium Planitia close to the Martian equator meets an engineering requirement for the stationary InSight lander to receive adequate solar irradiation year-round on its photovoltaic array. The location also meets an engineering constraint for low elevation, optimizing the amount of atmosphere the spacecraft can use for deceleration during its descent to the surface. The topographic map uses data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's now inactive Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The color coding on this map indicates elevation relative to a reference datum, since Mars has no "sea level." The lowest elevations are presented as dark blue; the highest as white. The difference between green and orange in the color coding is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) vertically. InSight will deploy a heat-flow probe designed to hammer itself 10 to 16 feet deep and monitor heat coming from the planet's interior. The mission will also use a seismometer and radio science. JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, 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. For more information about InSight, visit: http://insight.jpl.nasa.gov. Additional information on the Discovery Program is available at: http://discovery.nasa.gov. Photojournal Note: This caption was updated on Oct. 31, 2018.

Scientists believe the circular feature in this image to be a crater near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The rover landed at Meridiani Planum on Mars at approximately 9:05 p.m. PST on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Scientists believe the circular feature in this image to be a crater near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The rover landed at Meridiani Planum on Mars at approximately 9:05 p.m. PST on Saturday, Jan. 24. This image was taken at an altitude of 1,690 meters (5,545 feet) by the descent image motion estimation system camera located on the bottom of the rover. The image spans approximately 1.4 kilometers (7/8 of a mile) across the surface of Mars.

NASA's Sojourner Rover image of rounded 4-cm-wide pebble (lower center) and excavation of cloddy deposit of 'Cabbage Patch' at lower left. Note the bright wind tails of drift material extending from small rocks. Sol 1 began on July 4, 1997.

Sojourner Rover image of rounded 4-cm-wide pebble (lower center) and excavation of cloddy deposit of "Cabbage Patch" at lower left. Note the bright wind tails of drift material extending from small rocks and the wheel track from upper right to lower left.Well-rounded objects, like the one in this image, were not seen at the Viking sites. These are thought to be pebbles liberated from sedimentary rocks composed of cemented silts, sands and rounded fragments; such rocks are called conglomerates.NOTE: original caption as published in Science magazineMars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

Taken from NASA's Mars rover Sojourner's forward camera, this image features a rover's-eye view of the Sagan Memorial Station; Sojourner's tracks are shown leading away from the spacecraft.

Taken from Sojourner's forward camera, this image features a rover's-eye view of the Sagan Memorial Station. Areas of billowing airbags can be seen surrounding the lander, and the rear deployment ramp is seen at center. The rock Barnacle Bill is just to the right of the ramp, and Sojourner's tracks are shown leading away from the spacecraft. The lander's high-gain antenna is at the left of the lander's main electronics array, appearing as a small grey disc.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.

NASA's Spirit rover took this image from the summit of 'Husband Hill,' where three dust devils are clearly visible in the plains of Gusev Crater.

In this time of year when Mars is most likely to be covered by global dust storms, NASA's Spirit rover has been experiencing relative calm. In fact, the martian winds have been quite beneficial, clearing dust from the rover's solar panels and increasing the solar energy available for driving to new places and conducting scientific experiments.Another thing the martian wind has done is send hundreds of dust devils spinning across the surface of the planet. From Spirit's high perch approximately 90 meters (295 feet) above the surrounding plains, as shown in this image taken from the summit of "Husband Hill," three dust devils are clearly visible in the plains of Gusev Crater. Planetary Scientist Ron Greeley of Arizona State University, Tempe, describes the whirling vortices of wind and dust as "vacuum cleaners" that were first seen in images from the Viking Orbiter in 1985, though their existence was predicted as early as 1964.The most prominent dust devil in this image, visible on the left side of the 360-degree panorama, is one of the closest seen by Spirit. It is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the rover, about 90 meters (295 feet) in diameter at its widest point, and 275 meters (902 feet) tall. Its flux is about 1 kilogram per second, meaning it is picking up about 2 pounds of sediment each second and moving it around.The smaller dust devil just to the right of the largest one is 2.5 to 3 kilometers (1.6 to 1.9 miles) away and is churning up about 0.5 kilograms (1 pound) per second. Both are north of the rover's position and are moving in an east-southeast direction. On the right side of the mosaic shown here is a third dust devil.Greeley has calculated that if the number and frequency of dust devils Spirit has encountered are similarly spaced throughout Gusev Crater, the crater probably experiences about 90,000 dust devils per martian day, or sol. Collectively, the whirlwinds lift and redeposit an estimated 4.5 million kilograms (9.9 million U.S. pounds) of sediment per sol.Spirit took this mosaic of images with its navigation camera on sol 581 (Aug. 22). Straight ahead, just east of the rover, is the summit of "Husband Hill." The 360-degree field of view is presented in a vertical projection with geometrical seam correction.

The HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to capture this image of the final location of the heat shield that helped protect NASA's Perseverance rover during its landing on the surface of Mars.

The High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was able to capture this image of the final location of the heat shield that helped protect NASA's Perseverance rover during its landing on the surface of Mars. The image was taken on Feb. 19, 2021.It is a close-up version of a larger image showing several parts of the Mars 2020 mission landing system that got the rover safely on the ground, PIA24333.These close-ups of Mars 2020 hardware were processed to make them easier to see.MRO's mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona provided and operates HiRISE.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Gorgonum Chaos.

Context image The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of Gorgonum Chaos.Orbit Number: 50315 Latitude: -37.785 Longitude: 189.412 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-04-17 22:37Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of northern Arabia Terra. Arabia Terra is one of the oldest surface regions on Mars and contains a large variety of surface features.

Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of northern Arabia Terra. Arabia Terra is one of the oldest surface regions on Mars and contains a large variety of surface features. The region is dissected with numerous unnamed channels of all sizes and complexities, as well as numerous pits of unknown origin.The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation.Orbit Number: 85790 Latitude: 32.1208 Longitude: 345.196 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-04-17 06:20Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Cerberus Fossae.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Cerberus Fossae. The narrow linear features are graben, formed by a block of material moving downward along paired faults.Orbit Number: 63541 Latitude: 10.3232 Longitude: 156.633 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-04-10 18:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image montage features a two-dimensional radar cross section of Mars' north polar cap collected by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (top), and a color image mosaic of the polar cap from NASA's Viking project (bottom).

Unannotated ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image montage features a two-dimensional radar cross section of Mars' north polar cap collected by the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (at top), and a color image mosaic of the polar cap from NASA's Viking project (at bottom).By analyzing radar images like the one at top, scientists discovered evidence for a past ice age in the northern polar ice cap of Mars. The top 330 to 980 feet (100 to 300 meters) of layered ice in the polar deposits reveal a stark change in properties between layers representing an ice age and a subsequent inter-glacial period. In the radar image, layers below the blue line show migration of spiral features in the polar cap, toward the left. Above the blue line, those features disappear or reverse their migration direction -- an indication of changes in accumulation rate and wind patterns associated with climate change. In other regions of the polar cap, the blue line is associated with widespread erosion -- an event that corresponded with an ice age.A blue line across the Viking map indicates the ground track of the radar cross section. Vertical height in the radar image has been exaggerated to improve the visibility of the layers.SHARAD was provided by the Italian Space Agency. Its operations are led by Sapienza University of Rome, and its data are analyzed by a joint U.S.-Italian science team. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft.

Mound of South Polar Layered Deposits

Click on image for larger versionThe south polar layered deposits are a stack of layered ice up to 3000 meters (9800 feet) thick which is similar to terrestrial ice sheets. In places, this stack extends up to 1100 kilometers (680 miles) from the pole and many of the impact craters surrounding this ice-sheet appear to be filled with mounds of similar icy material and also sand dunes.This image shows the material within one of these near-polar craters. The crater is about 44 kilometers (27 miles) across and contains a mound of material about 23 kilometers (14 miles) across and 300 meters (1000 feet) thick on its northern (south facing) wall. The dark material at the top (north) of the image shows the northern wall of the crater, the bright material that begins near the image top and extends toward the bottom is the surface of the mound.This surface is covered with sand dunes that appear bright as they are still covered by seasonal carbon dioxide frost. Smaller dunes and ripples can be seen on the surfaces of the larger linear dunes. In the low lying areas between dunes, one can see a network of cracks that are reminiscent of the surface of the polar layered deposits, indicating that this mound is probably mostly ice with a thinner and incomplete covering of dunes. The dark spots in the frost cover are characteristic of how this terrain defrosts, and are commonly observed in these locations during this season.This HiRISE image is PSP_002345_1095.Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 1 January 2007Local Mars time: 10:00 PMDegrees latitude (centered): -70.2°Degrees longitude (East): 159.0°Range to target site: 248.4 km (155.3 miles) Original image scale range: 49.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~149 cm across are resolvedMap-projected scale: 50 cm/pixelMap-projection: POLAR STEREOGRAPHICEmission angle: 0.4°Phase angle: 83.9°Solar incidence angle: 84°, with the Sun about 6° above the horizonSolar longitude: 173.0°, NNASA'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 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the southern flank of Pavonis Mons. Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes.

Context image This image shows part of the southern flank of Pavonis Mons. The linear and sinuous features mark the locations of lava tubes and graben that occur on both sides of the volcano along a regional trend that passes thru Pavonis Mons, Ascreaus Mons (to the north), and Arsia Mons (to the south). The majority of the features are believed to be lava tubes where the ceiling has collapsed into the free space below. This often happens starting in a circular pit and then expanding along length of the tube until the entire ceiling of material has collapsed into the bottom of the tube. 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: 7245 Latitude: -0.895004 Longitude: 246.225 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-02 22:23Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image of the floor of Jezero Crater was taken by one of the Navcam imagers aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Feb. 5, the 698th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

This image of the floor of Jezero Crater was taken by one of the Navcam imagers aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Feb. 5, 2023, the 698th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.The rover's tracks can be seen disappearing into the distance. The flat-topped hill that the science team refers to as "Kodiak," a remnant of Jezero Crater's river delta, is in the upper right of image, about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away.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.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

NASA's rover Curiosity uses its calibration target for the Mastcam to approximate colors we would see on Mars, using the known colors of materials on the target.

This image of terrain inside Mars' Gale Crater and the inset of the calibration target for the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity illustrate how the calibration target aids researchers in adjusting images to estimate "natural" color, or approximately what the colors would look like if we were to view the scene ourselves on Mars, using the known colors of materials on the target. This scene includes a layered outcrop called "Shaler." The Mastcam took this image during the 71st Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Oct. 17, 2012).NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of Arnus Vallis, a valley in northern Syrtis Major. Windblown sand has accumulated in the valley, forming dunes that are of a slightly lighter tone (higher albedo) than the surrounding terrain.

27 October 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, acquired in October 2004, shows a portion of Arnus Vallis, a valley in northern Syrtis Major. Windblown sand has accumulated in the valley, forming dunes that are of a slightly lighter tone (higher albedo) than the surrounding terrain. This image is located near 15.1°N, 289.0°W. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.

This image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover shows track marks from a successful drive to the scour mark known as Goulburn, an area of bedrock exposed by thrusters on the rover's descent stage.

This image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover shows track marks from a successful drive to the scour mark known as Goulburn, an area of bedrock exposed by thrusters on the rover's descent stage. The scour mark cannot be seen in this view. This is a full-resolution image from the rover's Navigation camera. In Curiosity's second drive, it rotated about 90 degrees, drove about 16 feet (5 meters), then rotated back about 120 degrees to face roughly the same direction from which it startedJPL 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.

Temperature information from the miniature thermal emission spectrometer on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is overlaid onto a view of the site from Spirit's panoramic camera indicating rates of change in surface temperatures during a martian day.

Rates of change in surface temperatures during a martian day indicate differences in particle size in and near "Bonneville Crater." This image is the second in a series of five with color-coded temperature information from different times of day. This one is from 11:49 a.m. local solar time at the site where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is exploring Mars. Temperature information from Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer is overlaid onto a view of the site from Spirit's panoramic camera.In this color-coded map, quicker reddening during the day suggests sand or dust. (Red is about 270 Kelvin or 27 degrees Fahrenheit.) An example of this is in the shallow depression in the right foreground. Areas that stay blue longer into the day have larger rocks. (Blue indicates about 230 Kelvin or minus 45 Degrees F.) An example is the rock in the left foreground.See PIA05927 for a sequence of all five frames.

Holden Crater Megabreccia: A Telltale Sign of a Sudden and Violent Event

Figure 1Click on image for larger versionThis HiRISE image covers the southwest portion of the terraces and floor of Holden Crater situated in southwest Margaritifer Terra. The HiRISE sub-frame (figure 1) shows the most clearly-evident image of a megabreccia on Mars. Breccia is a rock typically consisting of rock fragments of various sizes and shapes that have been broken, tumbled and cemented together in sudden geologic event (e.g., a landslide, a flashflood or even an impact-cratering event). If it were not for the dark sandy dunes dispersed through out the sub-image, this image could easily fool an expert into thinking that this image is actually a photograph of a hand sample of an impact breccia. The prefix "mega" implies that the breccia in the sub-image consists of clasts, or rock fragments, that are typically larger than a large house or a building. The rectangular megaclast near the center of the image is a colossal 50 x 25 meters (~150 X 75 feet). As mentioned in the transition image caption for Holden crater (TRA_000861_1530), the crater likely experienced extensive modification by running water, which is supported by observations of drainage and deposition into the crater from a large channel (Uzboi Valles) breaching Holden's southwest rim. While it is possible that the megabreccia formed from a catastrophic release of water into the crater, a more likely possibility is that it formed from the impact that created the approx. 150 km-in-diameter Holden crater. Popigai Crater, a terrestrial crater of half the size of Holden, possesses a similar occurrence of megabreccia with a similar range in megaclast size to the Holden crater example. An impact-generated megabreccia deposit, as observed in terrestrial craters, typically lies beneath the crater floor, so the exhumation of the megabreccia may be the result of down-cutting and erosion of water that once flowed through Uzboi Valles. Image PSP_001666_1530 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on December 4, 2006. The complete image is centered at -26.8 degrees latitude, 325.3 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 260.1 km (162.6 miles). At this distance the image scale is 26.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~78 cm across are resolved. The image shown here [below] has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:41 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 68 degrees, thus the sun was about 22 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 145.1 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.

The objective of this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to determine the nature of a group of what appears to be channels that trend in a west-east direction.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThe objective of this observation is to determine the nature of a group of what appears to be channels that trend in a west-east direction. There is also a mound with a mantle that appears to have layers.Also visible in a Context Camera image, pictures like this can help us understand the fluvial and climate history of ancient Mars. HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a large field of small craters clustered together in northeastern Arabia Terra on Mars. Crater clusters usually result from the secondary impact of debris thrown from a much larger impact.

27 May 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a large field of small craters clustered together in northeastern Arabia Terra. Crater clusters usually result from the secondary impact of debris thrown from a much larger impact or from the break-up and impact of fragments of a large meteor. Each crater has subsequently been partially filled by material that erodes to form a rugged crater floor surface, and the general appearance of each crater has been somewhat eroded and modified, as well. The image is located near 34.7°N, 314.7°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.

This crater on Mars has a layered ejecta blanket. This image was taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey.

Context image for PIA02698Multi-layer EjectaThis crater has a layered ejecta blanket.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 17.9N, Longitude 272.3E. 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 captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows streamlined islands are located in the channel of Mangala Valles, a portion of which is shown in the image.

Context imageToday's VIS image was collected at the same time as yesterday's IR image. Streamlined islands are located in the channel of Mangala Valles, a portion of which is shown in the image.Orbit Number: 51226 Latitude: -14.5365 Longitude: 209.862 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2013-07-01 21:39Please 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 frost-free floor of this crater located in the southern hemisphere of Mars.

Context image for PIA10255End of SummerAutumn has begun in the southern hemisphere of Mars. As the sun retreats northward frost will begin to accumulate. The frost-free floor of this crater, with it's intricate texture, will soon be hidden. Due to Mars' orbit, the seasons are twice as long as on Earth - so it will be a full earthyear before this crater floor is exposed again.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -76.9N, Longitude 84.2E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The ridges and infilling lava flows make up the region termed Gordii Sulci on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA09146 Gordii SulciThe ridges and infilling lava flows make up the region termed Gordii Sulci.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 19.6N, Longitude 233.9E. 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 image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft shows numerous branching ridges with various degrees of sinuosity. These branching forms resemble tributaries funneling and draining into larger channel trunks towards the upper portion.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows numerous branching ridges with various degrees of sinuosity. These branching forms resemble tributaries funneling and draining into larger channel trunks towards the upper portion of the scene.The raised relief of these branching ridges suggests that these are ancient channels are inverted due to lithification and cementation of the riverbed sediment, which made it more resistant to erosion than the surrounding material. Wind-blown bedforms are abundant and resemble small ridges that are aligned in an approximately north-south direction.This is a stereo pair with PSP_007474_1745.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of Kasei Valles. The plateau in the center of the image is called Lunae Mensa.

Context imageToday's image shows a portion of Kasei Valles. The plateau in the center of the image is called Lunae Mensa.The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image.Orbit Number: 60604 Latitude: 24.2802 Longitude: 297.794 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-12 21:22Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows several channels located in Terra Sabaea.

Context imageThis VIS image shows several channels located in Terra Sabaea. The flow was from the top of the image towards the bottom. These channels are located north of Hellas Planum and are following the topographic gradient down into the Hellas basin. None of these channels have been named.Orbit Number: 81919 Latitude: -17.5776 Longitude: 65.3522 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-06-02 12:33Please 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 image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey. THEMIS ART IMAGE #61 With an impact crater for an eye - this layer of material resembles a large fish.

Context image for PIA08505THEMIS ART #61Back by popular demand: THEMIS ART IMAGE #61 With an impact crater for an eye - this layer of material resembles a large fish.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -69.4N, Longitude 8.6E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Observations by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft show a global view of Mars in low energy, or thermal, neutrons. Thermal neutrons are sensitive to the presence of hydrogen and the presence of carbon dioxide, in this case 'dry ice' frost.

Observations by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show a global view of Mars in low energy, or thermal, neutrons. Thermal neutrons are sensitive to the presence of hydrogen and the presence of carbon dioxide, in this case "dry ice" frost. The red area at the top of the map indicates that about one meter (three feet) of carbon dioxide frost covers the surface, as it does every Mars winter in the polar regions. Soil enriched by hydrogen is indicated by the deep blue colors on the map, which show a low intensity of thermal neutrons. An enhancement of thermal neutrons close to the south pole, seen as a light green color, indicates the presence of residual carbon dioxide in the south polar cap, even though the annual frost dissipated from that region during southern summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson, and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. The gamma-ray spectrometer was provided by the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, which provided the high-energy neutron detector, and the Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico, which provided the neutron spectrometer. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows about two dozen circular depressions, each with a circular mesa on its floor. These were once meteor impact craters on Mars.

13 September 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows about two dozen circular depressions, each with a circular mesa on its floor. These were once meteor impact craters. The craters were filled with layered material, buried, and then exhumed and eroded. The dark, elliptical feature in the lower left (southwest) corner of the image is a butte composed of the layered rock that once completely covered the craters in this image. These landforms are located in a depression eroded into the floor of a much larger, partially-filled impact crater located near 35.1°S, 356.5°W. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left.

This unnamed crater in northern Terra Cimmeria has a small channel that created a delta feature. Such features are important indicators of liquid water in Mars' past as shown in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey.

Context imageThis unnamed crater in northern Terra Cimmeria has a small channel that created a delta feature. Such features are important indicators of liquid water in Mars' past.Orbit Number: 40094 Latitude: -4.77563 Longitude: 117.942 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-12-28 14:39Please 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 combines photographs taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) at three different distances from the first Martian rock that NASA's Curiosity rover touched with its arm.

This image combines photographs taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) at three different distances from the first Martian rock that NASA's Curiosity rover touched with its arm. The three exposures were taken during the 47th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 23, 2012). The team has named the target rock "Jake Matijevic." The scale bar is 4 centimeters (1.6 inches).MAHLI imaged Jake Matijevic from distances of about 10 inches, or 25 centimeters (context image); about 2 inches, or 5 centimeters (larger white box); and about 1 inch, or 2.5 centimeters (smaller white box). The series nested into this one image takes advantage of MAHLI's adjustable focus.MAHLI reveals that the target rock has a relatively smooth, gray surface with some glinty facets reflecting sunlight and reddish dust collecting in recesses in the rock. Jake Matijevic is a dark, apparently uniform rock that was selected as a desirable target because it allowed the science team to compare results of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument and the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument, both of which provide information about the chemical elements in a target. APXS, like MAHLI, is on the turret at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. It is placed in contact with a rock to take a reading. ChemCam shoots laser pulses at a target from the top of the rover's mast. Jake Matijevic was also the first rock target for MAHLI, which was deployed to document the APXS and ChemCam analysis areas.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.

This enhanced color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows eroded bedrock on the floor of a large ancient crater.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on image for larger versionThe map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel.[The original image scale is 51.3 centimeters (20.2 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 154 centimeters (60.6 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.This enhanced color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows eroded bedrock on the floor of a large ancient crater.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.