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The floor of a 75 km diameter crater in the Amenthes region of Mars displays lobate flow features in the center of this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

(Released 11 July 2002)The floor of a 75 km diameter crater in the Amenthes region of Mars displays lobate flow features in the center of this THEMIS image. It is possible that the flows are lava but there is no sign of the source vent. Note how the material has spread out across the floor of the crater and surrounds a peninsula of higher terrain in the lower 1/3 of the image. Wherever the flow encounters elevated topography it fails to lap up onto it and instead produces a distinct margin that in some places looks thicker than the rest of the flow. These are the features of a viscous material like lava but a dense mudflow could also produce such features. Viking and MOC wide angle images of this crater show a stubby channel entering from the southern rim, with the east side just visible in the bottom left of the THEMIS image. It is possible that a mudflow could have emerged from this channel, perhaps even multiple times, to produce the features we see today.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a section of Scamander Vallis. Scamander Vallis is located in northern Terra Sabaea.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a section of Scamander Vallis. Scamander Vallis is located in northern Terra Sabaea. The channel is 269km (167 miles) long.Orbit Number: 85539 Latitude: 16.1834 Longitude: 28.5207 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-03-27 14:14Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Close-up of 'Tetl' Layers

Figure 1Alternating layers of more-resisant and less-resistant material make up this portion of a rock called "Tetl," on the west spur of the "Columbia Hills" on Mars. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this picture with its microscopic imager on the rover's 272nd martian day (Oct. 7, 2004). The view covers an area about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) wide. The layers that are less resistant to eroding away recede in comparison to the more-resistant layers. Granules of apparently harder material can be seen eroding out of some layers. Several possible origins could account for this type of layering. One that scientists are considering for Tetl and similarly layered rocks is from multiple events of volcanic ash falling from the sky or flowing across the land. Another is from episodes of sediment precipitating from a body of water.

The surface textures observed in this NASA Mars Odyssey image of Ascraeus Mons are due to different volcanic flow types. Textural variations can be produced under a variety of different conditions such as varying cooling and flow rates.

Released 16 April 2003The surface textures observed in this THEMIS image of Ascraeus Mons are due to different volcanic flow types. Textural variations can be produced under a variety of different conditions such as varying cooling and flow rates. Also observed in the image are linear chains of craters that could be windows into lava tubes or secondary impact craters.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 11.1, Longitude 256.3 East (103.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of the region between Terra Cimmeria and Aeolis Planum.

Context imageThe THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of the surface not easily identified in a single band image. Today's false color image shows part of the region between Terra Cimmeria and Aeolis Planum. The bottom half of the image is a surface that has been etched by wind action. To form the fine scale grooves, the surface material must be easy to erode. In the hills at the top of the image the same fine scale groove features don't exist. In this region the hills are partially surrounded by material that is blue in this false color combination. Dark blue is interpreted to be basaltic sand. It is possible that the sand in the top of the image was scoured from the surface in the bottom of the image.Orbit Number: 68393 Latitude: -7.61871 Longitude: 150.994 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-05-15 11:31Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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

Context imageThis VIS image shows a portion of Buvinda Vallis. This channel is located near the northeastern flank of Hecates Tholus.Orbit Number: 63067 Latitude: 33.0264 Longitude: 152.008 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2016-03-02 17:34Please 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.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars with wild patterns of criss-crossing dark streaks. Many of these streaks are straight and narrow, others exhibit curly arcs, twists, and loops.

PIA02376PIA02377Dark streaks, everywhere! Many Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images of the middle latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars show wild patterns of criss-crossing dark streaks. Many of these streaks are straight and narrow, others exhibit curly arcs, twists, and loops. They often cross over hills, run straight across dunes and ripples, and go through fields of house-sized boulders. The two examples shown above were acquired in the last three months. Both pictures are illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. The first picture (left), showing dark streaks on the rippled flats of Argyre Planitia, covers an area 3 km by 5 km (1.9 by 3.1 miles) at a latitude of 51°S. The second picture (right) shows an area approximately 3 km by 5 km in Promethei Terra at a latitude of 58°S.For many months the MOC science team was seeing streaks such as these, but were uncertain how they formed. One speculation was that they might result from the passage of dust devils. Each dust devil would leave a dark streak by removing bright dust from the terrain in its path, revealing a darker surface underneath. An image described by the MOC team in July 1998 showed examples of streaks that were, at the time, speculated to be caused by dust devils.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the Mars Polar Lander landing site noon-time temperatures in January, 1998.

The Mars Polar Lander will arrive at Mars on December 3, 1999. TES analysis of data from the pre-mapping phase demonstrate the spacecraft is expected to land on bare ground, free of -128°C (-200°F) dry ice that completely covered this region during the winter. This image shows the noon-time temperatures of data within the landing site in January, 1998, almost exactly one Martian year prior to MPL landing. The plus sign marks the landing site. The thick white line shows the location of the polar layered deposits. Temperatures are given in Kelvin. The temperature of CO2 frost (dry ice) on Mars is 145K (-128°C), approximately -200°F. Temperatures above 200K show the absence of CO2 frost.

This non-circular pit seen in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is due to a low angle impact from an asteroid or comet. The raised plateau west of the crater was where most of the impact debris landed.

This non-circular pit is due to a low angle impact from an asteroid or comet. The raised plateau west of the crater was where most of the impact debris landed.This debris protected the material underneath, but else where this material was slowly removed by the wind and the debris-covered area was left behind as this high-standing and interestingly-shaped plateau.(Note: the wallpaper images have been rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise for better effect).HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows channels and streamlined islands, part of Hebrus Valles on Mars.

Context image for PIA10348Hebrus VallesThis image shows a portion of Hebrus Valles. See also yesterday's image for more of Hebrus Valles.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 19.1N, Longitude 126.8E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows small dark dunes located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Tyrrhena Terra.

Context image for PIA11285DunesThese small dark dunes are located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Tyrrhena Terra.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -9.9N, Longitude 98.1E. 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 stereo vista from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity catches 'Pillinger Point,' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, in the foreground. You need 3-D glasses to view this image.

This stereo vista from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity catches "Pillinger Point," on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, in the foreground. The image combines views from the left eye and right eye of the Pancam to appear three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses with the red lens on the left.The eastern rim of the crater is on the distant horizon. Endeavour Crater is 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter.The vista spans from north-northwest, at the left, to south-southwest, at the right. It combines several Pancam exposures taken on the 3,663rd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (May 14, 2014).Opportunity's international science team chose Pillinger Point as the informal name for this ridge as a tribute to Colin Pillinger (1943-2014). Pillinger was the British principal investigator for the Beagle 2 project, which attempted to set a lander on Mars a few weeks before Opportunity's January 2004 landing.The site became a destination for Opportunity to examine because observations from orbit indicated the presence of a clay mineral named montmorillonite, which forms under wet conditions. JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.Photojournal Note: Also available is the full resolution TIFF file PIA18395_full.tif. This file may be too large to view from a browser; it can be downloaded onto your desktop by right-clicking on the previous link and viewed with image viewing software.

This image, part of an images as art series from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey released on March 25, 2004 shows part of the Auqakuh Vallis region on Mars. The image shows the presence of liquid or ice carved channels and some dunes.

Released 25 March 2004The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars.The channel shown on the image is part of the Auqakuh Vallis region. It was collected December 4, 2002 during northern summer season. The local time is 5pm. The image shows liquid or ice carved channels and some dunes are also present on it.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 31.8, Longitude 61.4 East (298.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Patches of Martian sandstone visible in this view from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover have a knobbly texture due to nodules apparently more resistant to erosion than the host rock in which some are still embedded.

Scaled VersionClick on the image for larger viewDownload the full resolution annotated TIFF filePatches of Martian sandstone visible in the lower-left and upper portions of this view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover have a knobbly texture due to nodules apparently more resistant to erosion than the host rock in which some are still embedded.The site is at a zone on lower Mount Sharp where mudstone of the Murray geological unit -- visible in the lower right corner here -- is exposed adjacent to the overlying Stimson unit. The exact contact between Murray and Stimson here is covered with windblown sand. Most other portions of the Stimson unit investigated by Curiosity have not shown erosion-resistant nodules. Curiosity encountered this unusually textured exposure on the rover's approach to the "Naukluft Plateau." The Naukluft Plateau location is indicated on a map at PIA20166 showing the rover's traverse path since its 2012 landing.This view is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the scene would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. It combines six images taken with the left-eye camera of Mastcam on March 9, 2016, during the 1,276th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. About midway up the scene, the area that is shown spans about 10 feet (3 meters) across. Figure A includes a scale bar of 30 centimeters (12 inches). The images were taken to show the work area within reach of the rover's arm. Targets in the work area were subsequently examined with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the end of the arm. Resulting close-ups from MAHLI -- at PIA20323 and PIA20324 -- show how the nodules are made up of grains of sand cemented together.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover's Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover. More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Daedalia Planum, an extensive volcanic plain comprised of flows from Arsia Mons.

Context image This VIS image shows a portion of Daedalia Planum, an extensive volcanic plain comprised of flows from Arsia Mons. Different flow surface textures help delineate different flows.Orbit Number: 66856 Latitude: -18.933 Longitude: 242.941 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2017-01-08 20:07Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows multiple channel systems located in northern Terra Sabaea.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows multiple channel systems located in northern Terra Sabaea. Two of the channels are named: Hypsas Vallis and Clanis Valles, visible in the lower half of the image. Clanis Valles is 54km long (33 miles), while Hypsas Vallis is only 33km long (20 miles).Orbit Number: 93967 Latitude: 33.912 Longitude: 58.1199 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-02-19 13:57Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Chemistry and Camera instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover examined a freshly brushed area on target rock 'Christmas Cove' and found spectral evidence of hematite, an iron-oxide mineral.

The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover examined a freshly brushed area on target rock "Christmas Cove" and found spectral evidence of hematite, an iron-oxide mineral.ChemCam sometimes zaps rocks with a laser, but can also be used, as in this case, in a "passive" mode. In this type of investigation, the instrument's telescope delivers to spectrometers the sunlight reflected from a small target point. The upper-left inset of this graphic is an image from ChemCam's Remote Micro-Imager with five labeled points that the instrument analyzed. The image covers an area about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide, and the bright lines are fractures in the rock filled with calcium sulfate minerals. The five charted lines of the graphic correspond to those five points and show the spectrometer measurements of brightness at thousands of different wavelengths, from 400 nanometers (at the violet end of the visible-light spectrum) to 840 nanometers (in near-infrared). Sections of the spectrum measurements that are helpful for identifying hematite are annotated. These include a dip around 535 nanometers, the green-light portion of the spectrum at which fine-grained hematite tends to absorb more light and reflect less compared to other parts of the spectrum. That same green-absorbing characteristic of the hematite makes it appear purplish when imaged through special filters (see PIA22066) of Curiosity's Mast Camera and even in usual color images (see PIA22067). The spectra also show maximum reflectance values near 750 nanometers, followed by a steep decrease in the spectral slope toward 840 nanometers, both of which are consistent with hematite.This ChemCam examination of Christmas Cove was part of an experiment to determine whether the rock had evidence of hematite under a tan coating of dust. The target area was brushed with Curiosity's Dust Removal Tool prior to these ChemCam passive observations on Sept. 17, 2017, during the 1,819th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars.ChemCam is one of 10 instruments in Curiosity's science payload. The U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, developed ChemCam in partnership with scientists and engineers funded by the French national space agency (CNES), the University of Toulouse and the French national research agency (CNRS). More information about ChemCam is available at http://www.msl-chemcam.com.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows linear depressions that are some of the graben that comprise Cerberus Fossae.

Context imageThe linear depressions at the top of the VIS image are some of the graben that comprise Cerberus Fossae. Graben form where extensional tectonic forces allows blocks of material to subside between paired faults. Cerberus Fossae is located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. These graben were also the source of significant volcanic flows, creating the flow features to the top and the bottom of the graben. These flows are called Athabasca Valles. Water may have also been released from the graben, creating a complex history for channel forms in this region.Orbit Number: 79108 Latitude: 10.0044 Longitude: 157.144 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-15 01:44Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the edge of the Martian South Polar layered deposit. The stack of fine layering is highlighted by the rays of the polar sun.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image shows the edge of the Martian South Polar layered deposit. The stack of fine layering is highlighted by the rays of the polar sun.These layers show the pervasive red coloring of Mars which have built up over the ages. While this is a polar deposit, no ice or frost is visible on these layers, as they face the sun. However, if you look beyond the rim of the layered slope at the 'top' of the deposit, you can see that red rock and dust are covered with frost, as well as small radial channels that are evidence of polar spider networks.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.

False Color Image of North Polar Layered Deposits in Head Scarp of Chasma Boreale

Figure 1Click on image for larger versionThe false-color subframe (figure 1) shows the north polar layered deposits at top and darker materials at bottom exposed in a scarp at the head of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon eroded into the layered deposits. The polar layered deposits appear red because of dust mixed within them, but are ice-rich as indicated by previous observations. The water ice in the layered deposits is probably responsible for the pattern of fractures seen near the top of the scarp. The darker material below the layered deposits may have been deposited as sand dunes, as indicated by the cross-bedding (truncation of curved lines) seen near the middle of the scarp. It appears that brighter, ice-rich layers were deposited between the dark dunes in places. Image PSP_001334_2645 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 8, 2006. The complete image is centered at 84.4 degrees latitude, 343.5 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 317.4 km (198.4 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 31.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 63.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). The image shown here [below] has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 1:38 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 67 degrees, thus the sun was about 23 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 132.3 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 mosaic of images from the Mast Camera onboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows a series of sedimentary deposits in the Glenelg area of Gale Crater, from a perspective in Yellowknife Bay looking toward west-northwest.

Annotated VersionClick on the image for larger versionThis mosaic of images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows a series of sedimentary deposits in the Glenelg area of Gale Crater, from a perspective in Yellowknife Bay looking toward west-northwest.Curiosity's science team has estimated that the "Cumberland" rock that the rover drilled for a sample of the Sheepbed mudstone deposit (at lower left in this scene) has been exposed at the surface for only about 80 million years. The estimate is based on amounts of certain gases that accumulate in a rock when it is close enough to the surface to be bombarded by cosmic rays. An explanation for that unexpectedly young exposure age comes from improved understanding of how the layers are eroding to expose underlying layers. The explanation proposes that the mudstone is being exposed by abrasion by windblown sand, indicated by arrows. The role for wind is strongly suggested by the undercutting of the Sheepbed layer below the Gillespie Lake sandstone. The pattern here suggests that the Yellowknife Bay outcrop is being exposed by wind-driven scarp retreat -- the sideways erosion of a vertical face. Mastcam took the images for this mosaic during the 188th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 14, 2013). The 100-centimeter scale bars are about 39 inches long. A rock ledge about 8 inches (20 centimeters) high at the bottom of the scene -- where the Gillespie Lake layer meets the Sheepbed layer -- is about 50 feet (about 15 meters) from the rover's location when the images were taken. The midfield escarpment called "Point Lake" is about 118 feet (36 meters) from the rover's location. The outcrop on the near horizon, marked with a white X, is about 43 feet (13 meters) higher in elevation than the Sheepbed-Gillespie contact and at a distance of about 780 feet (240 meters).The image has been white-balanced to show what the rocks would look like if ther were on Earth.Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a close-up look at the surface of a rock called 'Wopmay,' inside 'Endurance Crater,' highlighting crevices and spherical concretions on Mars.

A close-up look at the surface of a rock called "Wopmay," inside "Endurance Crater," shows crevices and spherical concretions. The view combines four frames taken by the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 259th martian day (Oct. 15, 2004). The area shown is about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) across. This location on Wopmay was given the informal target name "Twin Otter."

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 Ceti Mensa in Candor Chasma.

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 Ceti Mensa in Candor Chasma.Orbit Number: 5159 Latitude: -5.5447 Longitude: 283.522 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-02-12 05:18Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows

10 May 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows outcroppings of light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock within Aram Chaos, an ancient, partly-filled impact crater located near 3.2°N, 19.9°W. This 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel picture is illuminated by sunlight from the left and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Samara Valles.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows a portion of Samara Valles.Orbit Number: 44005 Latitude: -24.6753 Longitude: 341.146 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-11-15 14:24Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a group of north polar dunes in late spring, just before the final patches of wintertime frost sublimed away. The dunes beneath the frost are dark because they contain minerals rich in reduced (unoxidized) iron.

22 December 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a group of north polar dunes in late spring, just before the final patches of wintertime frost sublimed away. The dunes beneath the frost are dark because they contain minerals rich in reduced (unoxidized) iron. The dune slip faces (the steepest slopes on the dunes) point toward the upper right (northeast), indicating that the dominant winds involved in sand transport in this region blow from the lower left (southwest). These dunes are located near 76.3°N, 261.1°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a sand dune field in western Lowell Crater on Mars.

9 December 2004A century ago, the name Percival Lowell and the planet Mars were intimately linked through his popular writings about canals built by intelligent beings on the fourth planet. Today, a crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars is named for Lowell, who usually observed the planet from a hilltop in Flagstaff, Arizona. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image, acquired in October 2004, shows a portion of a sand dune field in western Lowell Crater. The dunes are located near 51.3°S, 82.5°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's rock abrasion tool, known informally as the 'Rat,' has nibbled seven holes into the slope of 'Endurance Crater.'

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's rock abrasion tool, known informally as the "Rat," has nibbled seven holes into the slope of "Endurance Crater." This image from the rover's navigation camera was released previously (PIA06716) without the Rat holes labeled so that viewers could try to find the holes themselves. Here, the holes have been identified. Starting from the uppermost pictured (closest to the crater rim) to the lowest, the Rat hole targets are: "Tennessee," "Cobblehill," "Virginia," "London," "Grindstone," "Kettlestone," and "Drammensfjorden." These holes were drilled on sols 138 (June 13, 2004), 143 (June 18), 145 (June 20), 148 (June 23), 151 (June 26), 153 (June 28) and 161 (July 7), respectively. Each hole is 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter.

This anaglyph from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, shows the rover's lander and, in the background, the surrounding martian terrain. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This 3-D stereo image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's navigation camera shows the rover's lander and, in the background, the surrounding martian terrain.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a crater west of Claritas Fossae containing internal fractures that have been partially filled by a later deposit.

Context image for PIA10272EmbaymentThis crater west of Claritas Fossae contains internal fractures that have been partially filled by a later deposit. This embayment indicates that the fracturing occurred prior to the deposition of the layer of material.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -35.5N, Longitude 245.2E. 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.

Gusev on the Horizon

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took the images that make up this mosaic with its panoramic camera on sol 161 (June 16, 2004). The view is looking southward and shows the etched terrain that makes up this landscape. The wall of Gusev Crater appears light gray and can be seen rising up against the horizon. This image was taken with the panoramic camera's blue (750-nanometer) filter. Its contrast was stretched.

Located to the northeast of Olympus Mons, Cyane Sulci is a complexly fractured region of material inundated on its margins by volcanic flows. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey on Oct. 24, 2010.

Context imageLocated to the northeast of Olympus Mons, Cyane Sulci is a complexly fractured region of material inundated on its margins by volcanic flows.Orbit Number: 39303 Latitude: 23.3508 Longitude: 232.667 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-24 13:20Please 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 was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, in one of the regions on Mars well-known for its viscous flow features (VFF), which are massive flowing deposits believed to be composed of a mixture of ice and dust.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis image was taken in one of the regions on Mars well-known for its viscous flow features (VFF), which are massive flowing deposits believed to be composed of a mixture of ice and dust similar to glaciers on Earth.In this particular region, an impact event occurred creating ejecta deposits that also appear to flow (probably because of their similarly ice-rich composition), and interact with the flows from the VFF. Looking closer, we can see that the VFF deposits (on the right) appear to be rougher in appearance than those of the impact ejecta.We will need to study this image in more detail to understand how these flows have interacted with each other and what they can tell us about their composition and their flowing behavior properties.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows

4 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a mesa and two hills-each of them a remnant of formerly more extensive layered material--in the south polar region of Mars. The dark streaks were formed by passing dust devils. This picture is located near 64.6°S, 340.5°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a channel dissecting a crater rim, flowing from the interior of a large crater into a smaller crater on the large crater's floor.

Context imageToday's VIS image has a channel dissecting a crater rim, flowing from the interior of a large crater into a smaller crater on the large crater's floor. The two craters are unnamed and located in northern Terra Sabaea.Orbit Number: 77664 Latitude: 25.6553 Longitude: 56.6781 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-06-18 04:02Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey is south of Alba patera. This volcanic vent is the source of the lava flows surrounding it.

Context image for PIA10803Volcanic VentLocated south of Alba patera, this volcanic vent is the source of the lava flows surrounding it. The fractures and graben related to Alba patera may have provided the way for lava to easily reach the surface in this area.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 20.0N, Longitude 249.3E. 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 taken by NASAs Mars Pathfinder on July 5, 1997 (Sol 2), is of the smaller rock Barnacle Bill, and the larger rock nicknamed Yogi.

Several possible targets of study for rover Sojourner's Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument are seen in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 2. The smaller rock at left has been dubbed "Barnacle Bill," while the larger rock at right, approximately 3-4 meters from the lander, is now nicknamed "Yogi." Barnacle Bill is scheduled to be the first object of study for the APXS. Portions of a petal and deflated airbag are also visible at lower right.Mars Pathfinder was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a large sand sheet with surface dune forms, located on the complex floor of Rabe Crater.

Context imageThe large sand sheet with surface dune forms seen in this VIS image is located on the complex floor of Rabe Crater. The sand is likely derived by erosion into the deposit that fills most of the crater floor, creating a pit which hosts the dunes. This crater morphology is unique to Rabe Crater. Rabe Crater is located in Noachis Terra and is 108km in diameter (67 miles).Orbit Number: 83505 Latitude: -43.6272 Longitude: 34.5903 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-10-11 02:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed channel in Terra Sabaea.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows an unnamed channel in Terra Sabaea. The channel is flowing into the crater just visible in the upper left portion of the image.Orbit Number: 81221 Latitude: 6.14616 Longitude: 38.9585 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2020-04-06 01:20Please 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 vista of the Endeavour Crater rim was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera on April 18, 2014, from the southern end of 'Murray Ridge' on the western rim of the crater.

This vista of the Endeavour Crater rim was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity from the southern end of "Murray Ridge" on the western rim of the crater. It combines several exposures taken by the rover's panoramic camera (Pancam) on the 3,637th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (April 18, 2014). The view extends from the east-southeast on the left to southward on the right. It encompasses the far rim of Endeavour Crater on the left and the crater's western rim on the right. Endeavour is 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. The small impact crater visible in the distance on the slopes of the far rim is about 740 feet (about 225 meters) in diameter and is 13 miles (21 kilometers) away. The high peak in the distance on the right is informally named "Cape Tribulation" and is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) to the south of Opportunity's position when this view was recorded. The rim curves off to the left from Cape Tribulation in a series of peaks towards the far southern crater rim. The floor of Endeavour crater is filled with dark sand, brighter dust, and, in the distance, dusty haze. Outcrops here on the western rim are crater ejecta covered in the foreground by dark sand ripples. On Sol 3662 (May 13, 2014), Opportunity approached the dark outcrops about halfway down on the right side of the image.The view merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). It is presented in approximately true color. A stereo anaglyph of this image is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18096. JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.

This mosaic of four images from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the freshly exposed interior of a rock dubbed 'Lion Stone' after the rover's rock abrasion tool ground away a circular patch of the rock's surface.

This mosaic of four images from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the freshly exposed interior of a rock dubbed "Lion Stone" after the rover's rock abrasion tool ground away a circular patch of the rock's surface. The circle is 45.5 millimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter. Opportunity took the images during its 108th sol (martian day) on Mars, on May 13, 2004.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small protion of Zephyris Planum, a region south of Elysium Planitia. Winds have scoured the region removing loose materials and scultping the rocks.

Context image for PIA10029Zephyr = WindThis image shows a small protion of Zephyris Planum, a region south of Elysium Planitia. Winds have scoured the region removing loose materials and scultping the rocks.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -5.5N, Longitude 156.1E. 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.

North Polar Scarp

Image PSP_001341_2650 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 8, 2006. The complete image is centered at 85.0 degrees latitude, 150.4 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 318.8 km (199.3 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 63.8 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) to 127.6 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 1:30 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 67 degrees, thus the sun was about 23 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 132.6 degrees, the season on Mars is Northern Summer.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Aram Chaos. There are several layers of material in this region.

Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Aram Chaos. There are several layers of material in this region.Orbit Number: 47637 Latitude: 3.30549 Longitude: 338.529 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-09-09 14:55Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows ejecta surrounding small craters on Mars that look like interlocking gears.

Context imageDo you see what I see? The ejecta surrounding the small craters near the bottom of this image look like interlocking gears.Orbit Number: 18303 Latitude: 15.3895 Longitude: 201.395 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2006-01-29 10:15Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image on March 31, 2004 before driving 36 meters (118 feet) on sol 87 toward its future destination, the Columbia Hills. The large hill on the horizon is Grissom Hill.

Annotated ImageNASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image on sol 86 (March 31, 2004) before driving 36 meters (118 feet) on sol 87 toward its future destination, the Columbia Hills. This is probably the last panoramic camera image that Spirit will take from the high rim of "Bonneville" crater, and provides an excellent view of the ejecta-covered path the rover has journeyed thus far. The lander can be seen toward the upper right of the frame and is approximately 321 meters (1060 feet) away from Spirit's current location. The large hill on the horizon is Grissom Hill. The Colombia Hills, located to the left, are not visible in this image.

This image shows where Earth would set on the martian horizon from the perspective of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit if it were facing northwest atop its lander at Gusev Crater.

This image shows where Earth would set on the martian horizon from the perspective of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit if it were facing northwest atop its lander at Gusev Crater. Earth cannot be seen in this image, but engineers have mapped its location. This image mosaic was taken by the hazard-identification camera onboard Spirit.

This image is located in the Tyrrhena Terra region. The cause of the bright markings/material is unknown. It is possible that the formation of the channels are exposing a series of bright layered material on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA08649Bright and Dark>This image is located in the Tyrrhena Terra region. The cause of the bright markings/material is unknown. It is possible that the formation of the channels are exposing a series of bright layered material.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -30.9N, Longitude 83.0E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs.

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 Ariadnes Colles. The term colles means hills or knobs. In this false color combination the hills stand out against the darker surrounding plains. This difference is due to the amount of dust covering the hills versus the plains.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: 91474 Latitude: -34.2924 Longitude: 174.12 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2022-07-29 06:26Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The image on Mars was taken by NASA's Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 8, 1997. The rover Sojourner has traveled to an area of soil and several rocks. Its tracks are clearly visible in the soft soil seen in the foreground.

The image was taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 4. The rover Sojourner has traveled to an area of soil and several rocks. Its tracks are clearly visible in the soft soil seen in the foreground, and were made in part by the rover's material abrasion experiment. Scientists were able to control the force of the rover's cleated wheels to help determine the physical properties of the soil. In this image, Sojourner is using its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to study an area of soil. Sunlight is striking the area from the left, creating shadows under Sojourner and at the right of local rocks. The large rock "Yogi" can be seen at upper right.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. Photojournal note: Sojourner spent 83 days of a planned seven-day mission exploring the Martian terrain, acquiring images, and taking chemical, atmospheric and other measurements. The final data transmission received from Pathfinder was at 10:23 UTC on September 27, 1997. Although mission managers tried to restore full communications during the following five months, the successful mission was terminated on March 10, 1998.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows Avernus Colles, on the margin with Elysium Planitia.

Context imageCalled Avernus Colles, these broken blocks and arcuate fractures mark the transition region between the southern highlands and the northern lowlands of Mars north of Apollinaris Mons, on the margin with Elysium Planitia.Orbit Number: 88167 Latitude: 1.23136 Longitude: 175.576 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-29 23:24Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the margin of Olympia Undae.

Context imageToday's VIS image shows part of the margin of Olympia Undae.Orbit Number: 55190 Latitude: 78.4215 Longitude: 197.221 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-05-24 03:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Seasonal flows called recurring slope lineae (RSL) grow down warm slopes in the summer, fade when they become inactive, then re-form the following year when the slopes warm up again from the Sun. This observation is from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionSeasonal flows called recurring slope lineae (RSL) grow down warm slopes in the summer, fade when they become inactive, then re-form the following year when the slopes warm up again from the Sun.We see many of these RSL over the steep equator-facing slopes of the troughs within Asimov Crater, as illustrated in this cutout. However, just a few days later HiRISE imaged another steep equator-facing slope in Asimov crater, and no RSL are visible at all (ESP_040551_1330). These two slopes are very similar in slope angle, rockiness, and other properties seen by HiRISE.Why are RSL present in one place but not another that appears so similar? RSL activity must be controlled by something that HiRISE can't detect, such as the presence of salts or groundwater. It is also possible that in future years, the RSL activity will appear or disappear on each slope.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben.

Context imageToday's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. This image is located in a region of Tempe Terra that is complexly fractured, with multiple crossing directions. The variety in trends indicates several different periods of tectonic activity. The complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long.Orbit Number: 94465 Latitude: 31.588 Longitude: 276.769 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2023-04-01 13:25Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The crater in this image has affected the flow of lava around it, creating a streamlined 'island' on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA08693Crater IslandThe crater in this image has affected the flow of lava around it, creating a streamlined "island."Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 16.5N, Longitude 185.0E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows small valleys in the martian cratered highlands are often quite old and have been modified by erosion and wind action. The valleys shown here are located on a crater rim in Terra Tyrrhena.

Small valleys in the martian cratered highlands are often quite old and have been modified by erosion and wind action. The valleys shown here are located on a crater rim in Terra Tyrrhena. MOC took this picture in April 1999.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey was acquired of Candor Chasma within Valles Marineris and shows the effects of erosion on a sequence of dramatically layered rocks.

This image from the camera system on NASA.s Mars Odyssey was acquired of Candor Chasma within Valles Marineris, centered near 5 degrees south latitude, 283 degrees west longitude. This visible color image shows the effects of erosion on a sequence of dramatically layered rocks. These layers were initially deposited within Candor Chasma and have subsequently been eroded by a variety of processes, including wind and down-slope motion due to gravity. Relatively dark materials appear to mantle some areas of the layered deposits; these dark materials are likely sand. Few impact craters of any size can be seen in this image, indicating that the erosion and transport of material is occurring at a relatively rapid rate, so that any craters that form are rapidly buried or eroded. This image was acquired using the thermal infrared imaging system.s visible bands 1 (centered at 420nanometers), 2 (centered at 550 nanometers), and 3 (centered at 650nanometers), and covers an area approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) in width by 50 kilometers (50 miles) in length.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL.

The unusual shallow, scalloped depressions in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the margin Peneus Patera, south of Hellas Planitia. It may be that volatiles, such as ice, are involved in the formation of these depressions.

Context imageThe unusual shallow, scalloped depressions in this image are located on the margin Peneus Patera, south of Hellas Planitia. It may be that volatiles, such as ice, are involved in the formation of these depressions.Orbit Number: 42130 Latitude: -57.2771 Longitude: 54.233 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2011-06-14 06:17Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This enhanced-color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows gullies in the northern wall of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The banked, sinuous shape of the gully channels suggest that water was involved in their formation.

Map Projected Browse ImageClick on the image for larger versionThis enhanced-color image of gullies in the northern wall of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia covers an area of approximately 750 by 1100 meters. The banked, sinuous shape of the gully channels suggest that water was involved in their formation. The source of this water however is a subject of debate. Hypotheses include melting of snow or near-surface ground ice.Other features also suggest the past (and possibly present) presence of snow or ground ice in this region. For example, the "mantle" deposit on the crater wall displays polygonal fractures. Polygons on Earth are associated with periglacial activity. This refers to processes that occur from the presence of ground ice, which interacts with surface and subsurface materials, as well as the Martian atmosphere as a function of climate and seasons). The mantle itself may be the remains of a dusty snowpack deposited in Mars' recent past.At the base of the mantle are fractures associated with the slumping of these deposits under their own weight and Martian gravity. The largest gullies cut into these mantling deposits, and in some places obscure the underlying fractures at the base of the crater wall. This indicates that the largest gullies are younger than both the mantle and the fractures.The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows some of the light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops in northern Terby Crater. Terby is located along the north edge of Hellas Planitia on Mars.

27 January 2006This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows some of the light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops in northern Terby Crater. Terby is located along the north edge of Hellas Planitia. The sedimentary rocks might have been deposited in a greater, Hellas-filling sea -- or not. Today, the rocks are partly covered by dark-toned sediment and debris.Location near: 27.2°S, 285.3°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit casts a shadow over the trench that the rover dug with its left front wheel and is examining with tools on its robotic arm.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit casts a shadow over the trench that the rover is examining with tools on its robotic arm. Spirit took this image with its front hazard-avoidance camera on Feb. 21, 2004, during the rover's 48th martian day, or sol. It dug the trench with its left front wheel the preceding sol. Plans call for Spirit to finish examining the trench on sol 50.

Carbonate-Olivine Relationship in Nile Fossae, Mars

The color coding on this composite image of an area about 3 kilometers (2 miles) across on Mars is based on infrared spectral information interpreted as evidence of various minerals present. Carbonate (green) and olivine-bearing rocks (yellow) occupy the same level in the stratigraphy, and it is thought that the carbonate formed by involvement of water in altering olivine-bearing rocks.The scene is eroded terrain in the Nili Fossae region of northern Mars. Beneath a rough-textured capping rock unit (purple) lie banded olivine-bearing layers (yellow), which in some places have been partially or wholly altered to carbonate (green). Beneath the olivine-and-carbonate unit are rocks with iron-magnesium smectite clays (light blue). Olivine is also found in sand dunes (near bottom right corner, for example), and it probably eroded from the nearby rocks.The image overlays the color-coded spectral information from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) onto a grayscale image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. CRISM and HiRISE are two of the six science instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.The infrared spectral information comes from a CRISM image catalogued as FRT00003E12. The composite view here was made using 2.38-micrometer-wavelenghth data as red, 1.80 micrometer as green and 1.15 micrometer as blue.The base black-and-white image is catalogued as PSP_002888_2025 by the HiRISE team.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory led the effort to build the CRISM instrument and operates CRISM in coordination with an international team of researchers from universities, government and the private sector. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the 'Lily Pad' bounce-mark area at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The green spectra is from the undisturbed surface and the red spectra is from the airbag bounce mark. Image Credit:

The color image on the lower left from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the "Lily Pad" bounce-mark area at Meridiani Planum, Mars. This image was acquired on the 3rd sol, or martian day, of Opportunity's mission (Jan.26, 2004). The upper left image is a monochrome (single filter) image from the rover's panoramic camera, showing regions from which spectra were extracted from the "Lily Pad" area. As noted by the line graph on the right, the green spectra is from the undisturbed surface and the red spectra is from the airbag bounce mark.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a portion of a dune field on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra on Mars.

Context imageCredit: NASA/JPL/MOLAThis VIS image shows a portion of a dune field on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -52.2N, Longitude 26.4E. 22 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 is an image of Mars taken from orbit by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Red Planet's polar ice-cap is in the middle of the image and the Phoenix Lander is shown as a small white dot.

This is an image of Mars taken from orbit by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Mars Color Imager (MARCI). The Red Planet's polar ice-cap is in the middle of the image. Captured in this image is a 37,000 square-kilometer (almost 23,000 miles) dust storm that moved counter-clockwise through the Phoenix landing site on Oct 11, 2008, or Sol 135 of the mission.Viewing this image as if it were the face of a clock, Phoenix is shown as a small white dot, located at about 10 AM. The storm, which had already passed over the landing site earlier in the day, is located at about 9:30 AM.Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. The crater is relatively young, with several different structures on the floor and rim still visible.

Context imageThis VIS image shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. The crater is relatively young, with several different structures on the floor and rim still visible. The inner rim of the crater has series of concentric benches, formed by collapse of the impacted surface into the bowl shaped interior. The crater floor is not flat, with several mounds created by rebound of melted material inside the crater. One of the more interesting features is that the crater is not round, as would be expected. The straight rims likely mean the there was a pre-existing tectonic fracture system, where the forces of the blast aligned with the fractures.Orbit Number: 72453 Latitude: -19.7034 Longitude: 317.572 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-14 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.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the western margin of Mt. Sharp. The large channel from past images enters the frame in the center and then veers to the northwest. A large region of sand and sand dunes covers the crater floor.

Context imageDuring the month of April Mars will be in conjunction relative to the Earth. This means the Sun is in the line-of-sight between Earth and Mars, and communication between the two planets is almost impossible. For conjunction, the rovers and orbiting spacecraft at Mars continue to operate, but do not send the data to Earth. This recorded data will be sent to Earth when Mars moves away from the sun and the line-of-sight between Earth and Mars is reestablished. During conjunction the THEMIS image of the day will be a visual tour of Gale Crater, the location of the newest rover Curiosity. This image shows the western margin of Mt. Sharp. The large channel from past images enters the frame in the center and then veers to the northwest. A large region of sand and sand dunes covers the crater floor.Orbit Number: 39120 Latitude: -5.05204 Longitude: 137.134 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2010-10-09 09:52 Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The linear depression in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a volcanic vent in the lava plains east of Pavonis Mons.

Context imageThe linear depression in today's VIS image is a volcanic vent in the lava plains east of Pavonis Mons.Orbit Number: 47440 Latitude: 2.33255 Longitude: 258.741 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-24 09:04Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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

Our topic for the weeks of April 4 and April 11 is dunes on Mars. We will look at the north polar sand sea and at isolated dune fields at lower latitudes. Sand seas on Earth are often called "ergs," an Arabic name for dune field. A sand sea differs from a dune field in two ways: 1) a sand sea has a large regional extent, and 2) the individual dunes are large in size and complex in form.Our final look at the north polar erg was taken at 80 degrees North latitude during Northern summer. This image is of lower resolution than the previous images, but covers a much larger area. The dunes have very little remaining frost cover. Note the large extent of coverage, and the different dune forms.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 80.8, Longitude 184.6 East (175.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured this image in September 2003, showing Arkhangelsky crater, just to the northeast of the giant Argyre impact basin in the southern hemisphere of Mars. A few dark barchan dunes are seen on the floor of this crater.

Released 12 September 2003Arkhangelsky crater is just to the northeast of the giant Argyre impact basin in the southern hemisphere of Mars. This THEMIS visible image shows the floor of this crater with a few dark barchan dunes. Dunes form when wind blows sand across a surface. The barchan dunes shown here form when there isn't a whole lot of sand to start with. If there were, other dune forms would be visible.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -41.2, Longitude 334.9 East (25.1 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This view from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows tracks left by backing out of a wind-formed ripple after the rover's wheels had started to dig too deeply into the dust and sand of the ripple.

This view from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows tracks left by backing out of a wind-formed ripple after the rover's wheels had started to dig too deeply into the dust and sand of the ripple.The frames combined into this view were taken on the 1,867th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (April 25, 2009). The scene spans 120 degrees, from southeastward on the left to westward on the right. Two sols earlier, Opportunity drove 94.55 meters (310 feet) south-southwestward before stopping when the rover detected that its wheels were slipping more than the limit that engineers had set for the drive. That Sol 1865 (April 23, 2009) drive created the tracks that enter this scene from the left and ended with wheels on the left side of the rover partially embedded in the ripple. On Sol 1866, Opportunity began to back away from this potential trap, but moved only about 28 centimeters (11 inches). On Sol 1867, the rover backed up 3.7 meters (12 feet) before taking this picture. Subsequently, Opportunity proceeded on a path avoiding the ripple where the wheel slippage occurred.For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches). This view is presented as a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.

This is the Opportunity panoramic camera's 'Erebus Rim' panorama, acquired on sols 652 to 663 (Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, 2005 ), as NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was exploring sand dunes and outcrop rocks in Meridiani Planum.

Click on the image for On the Rim of 'Erebus' (QTVR)This is the Opportunity panoramic camera's "Erebus Rim" panorama, acquired on sols 652 to 663 (Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, 2005 ), as NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was exploring sand dunes and outcrop rocks in Meridiani Planum. The panorama originally consisted of 635 separate images in four different Pancam filters, and covers 360 degrees of terrain around the rover and the full rover deck. Since the time that this panorama was acquired, and while engineers have been diagnosing and testing Opportunity's robotic arm, the panorama has been expanded to include more than 1,300 images of this terrain through all of the Pancam multispectral filters. It is the largest panorama acquired by either rover during the mission.The panorama shown here is an approximate true-color rendering using Pancam's 750 nanometer, 530 nanometer and 430 nanometer filters. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection. Image-to-image seams have been eliminated from the sky portion of the mosaic to better simulate the vista a person standing on Mars would see. This panorama provides the team's highest resolution view yet of the finely-layered outcrop rocks, wind ripples, and small cobbles and grains along the rim of the wide but shallow "Erebus" crater. Once the arm diagnostics and testing are completed, the team hopes to explore other layered outcrop rocks at Erebus and then eventually continue southward toward the large crater known as "Victoria."

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 an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.

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 an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria. Note the landslide deposit on the inner rim and floor of the crater.Orbit Number: 7348 Latitude: -27.7193 Longitude: 152.033 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2003-08-11 10:01Please 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.

These fractures and graben are part of Gordii Fossae, a large region on Mars that has undergone stresses which have cracked the surface as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA03084Fractured SurfaceThese fractures and graben are part of Gordii Fossae, a large region that has undergone stresses which have cracked the surface.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 16.6S, Longitude 234.3E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Perseverance rover collected rock samples for possible return to Earth in the future from two locations seen in this image of Mars' Jezero Crater: Wildcat Ridge and Skinner Ridge.

Figure AThis image shows two locations in Mars's Jezero Crater where NASA's Perseverance rover collected rock samples for possible return to Earth in the future: "Wildcat Ridge" (lower left) and "Skinner Ridge" (upper right). These two outcrops are within about 70 feet (20 meters) of each other. The rover cored two cylinders of rock the size of classroom chalk (about 0.5 inches, or 13 millimeters, in diameter and 2.4 inches, or 60 millimeters, long) from each location.The two sites are in the delta, a fan-shaped area where, billions of years ago, a river once flowed into a lake in Jezero Crater and deposited rocks and sediment. Scientists consider the sedimentary rocks preserved in the delta one of the best places on Mars to search for potential signs of ancient microbial life. The verification of ancient life on Mars carries an enormous burden of proof.Figure A, an annotated version of the image, indicates the locations of Wildcat Ridge and Skinner Ridge.A light-colored, circular patch of abraded rock can be seen in the lower-left corner of the image, next to areas where Perseverance used its drill to extract the rock-core samples. The abrasion patch to the right of one of the holes is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter. The samples taken from these areas were sealed inside ultra-clean sample tubes, which are currently stored inside Perseverance.The multiple images that make up this mosaic were acquired by Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument on Aug. 4, 2022, the 518st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission. The color bands of the image have been processed to improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences.A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Neils Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/For more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: mars.nasa.gov/msr

Spirit's View on Sol 148 (Left Eye)

This is the left-eye view of a stereo pair showing a 360-degree view of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the 148th martian day of the rover's mission inside Gusev Crater, on June 2, 2004. It was assembled from images taken by Spirit's navigation camera. The rover's position is Site A61. The view is presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometrical seam correction.See PIA06037 for 3-D view and PIA06039 for right eye view of this left eye cylindrical-perspective projection.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two landslides occurring along the margin of Solis Planum.

Context image for PIA09426Dual LandslidesThe two landslides in this image occur along the margin of Solis Planum.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -30.7N, Longitude 281.3E. 17 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows the relative high land of Lunae Planum. The Kasei Valles channel is just below. Also shown is an eroded surface that forms an island in the channel. The surface of the island has been modified by the flow of water

Context imageToday's VIS image is located near the beginning of Kasei Valles. At the top of the image is the relative high land of Lunae Planum. The Kasei Valles channel is just below. The bottom part of the image is an eroded surface that forms an island in the channel. The surface of the island has been modified by the flow of water. The linear features forming right angle intersections were caused by tectonic forces in the region.Orbit Number: 72404 Latitude: 18.9511 Longitude: 286.59 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-04-10 22:34Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the western summit region of Olympus Mons on Mars featuring a lava flow that was cut by the pit walls when the caldera collapse occurred.

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-455, 17 August 2003Olympus Mons is considered to be the largest and tallest volcano in the Solar System. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows the western summit region of Olympus Mons. This area is at an elevation just over 20 km (12 mi) above the 0 km martian datum. The bright feature on the right (east) side of the image is the uppermost wall of the caldera (collapse pit) at the top of the volcano. This image shows a lava flow that was cut by the pit walls when the caldera collapse occurred. Below (south of) the lava flow is a narrow channel formed by lava at some time in the distant past. This view of the summit region of Olympus Mons is located near 10.6°N, 134.0°W. The area shown is about 7.9 km (4.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the right.

The small mounds with summit depressions in the northern part of this NASA Mars Odyssey image have an unknown origin. Some scientists think they may be cinder cones, while others think they may be pseudocraters, formed by the interaction of lava and ice.

The small mounds with summit depressions in the northern portion of this image have an unknown origin. Some scientists think they may be cinder cones, while others think they may be pseudocraters, formed by the interaction of lava and ice. These features are also observed in other areas of Mars' northern plains, such as Isidis Planitia.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 XX, Longitude XX East (XX West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

This is an image of NASA's rover Sojourner at the feature called Mermaid Dune at the MPF landing site. Mermaid is thought to be a low, transverse dune ridge, with its long (approximately 2 meters) axis transverse to the wind.

This is an image of the rover Sojourner at the feature called Mermaid Dune at the MPF landing site. Mermaid is thought to be a low, transverse dune ridge, with its long (approximately 2 meters) axis transverse to the wind, which is thought to come from the lower left of the image and blow toward the upper right. The rover is facing to the lower left, the "upwind" direction. The rover's middle wheels are at the crestline of the small dune, and the rear wheels are on the lee side of the feature. A soil mechanics experiment was performed to dig into the dune and examine the sediments exposed.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 managed 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.

This anaglyph from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Spirit Mound' overlooking the floor of Endeavour Crater. You need 3-D glasses to view this image.

This stereo scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Spirit Mound" overlooking the floor of Endeavour Crater. The mound stands near the eastern end of "Bitterroot Valley" on the western rim of the crater, and this view faces eastward.The image combines views from the left eye and right eye of the rover's panoramic camera (Pancam) to appear three-dimensional when seen through blue-red glasses with the red lens on the left. The component images were taken on Sept. 21, 2016, during the 4,501st Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on MarsFor scale, the two rocks at lower center are each about 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) across. At the mound's crest line, the image covers an area about 28 feet (about 8.5 meters) wide.The informal name the rover's science team chose for this feature refers to Spirit Mound in South Dakota. The team is using names of sites visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition as informal names for features in Mars' Bitterroot Valley (named for a valley that the expedition visited in Montana).JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the results of an oblique meteor impact on Mars.

7 April 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the results of an oblique meteor impact near 4.4°S, 10.1°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the crater, Terby, and its vicinity in December 2004. Located north of Hellas, this region on Mars can be covered with seasonal frost and ground-hugging fog, even in the afternoon.

This somewhat oblique blue wide angle Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the 174 km (~108 mi) diameter crater, Terby, and its vicinity in December 2004. Located north of Hellas, this region can be covered with seasonal frost and ground-hugging fog, even in the afternoon, despite being north of 30°S. The subtle, wavy pattern is a manifestation of fog.Location near: 28°S, 286°WIllumination from: upper left Season: Southern Winter

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the summit of Ascraeus Mons.

Context image for PIA09995Ascraeus MonsThis VIS image was collected during the major Martian dust storm of 2007. The amount of dust filled atmosphere was thinner over the high altitude summits of the Tharsis volcanoes. This image shows the summit of Ascraeus Mons.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.4N, Longitude 255.3E. 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.

The depressions in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are graben that make up part of Labeatis Fossae.

Context imageThe depressions in this VIS image are graben that make up part of Labeatis Fossae. Graben are tectonic features comprised of a fault bounded depression where the central block of material has been downdropped between the two faults.Orbit Number: 53970 Latitude: 27.2178 Longitude: 282.723 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2014-02-12 18:29Please 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.

Classic catastrophic flood morphology (streamlined hills and longitudinal grooves) is captured in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey of Lunae Planum on Mars.

Released 16 May 2003Classic catastrophic flood morphology (streamlined hills and longitudinal grooves) is captured in this image of Lunae Planum. Similar features (although much smaller in size) are seen in terrestrial catastrophic flood regions such as Channeled Scabland of Washington state and in Iceland.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 14.8, Longitude 301.8East (58.2). 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 a dust covered frosty crater rim on Mars and the bluer sand dunes of the north polar region. Ice/frost will appear as bright blue in color; dust mantled ice will appear in tones of red/orange.

The theme for the weeks of 1/17 and 1/24 is the north polar region of Mars as seen in false color THEMIS images. Ice/frost will typically appear as bright blue in color; dust mantled ice will appear in tones of red/orange. Our final image combines the features of the past two days, with a dust covered frosty crater rim and the bluer sand dunes of the north polar region.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 70.1, Longitude 351.8 East (8.2 West). 40 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 shows some of the eroded, layered crater fill material within Terby Crateron Mars as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context image for PIA11884Terby CraterThis VIS image shows some of the eroded, layered crater fill material within Terby Crater.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -27.5N, Longitude 74.2E. 18 meter/pixel resolution.Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of Moreux Crater.

Context imageThis VIS image shows part of Moreux Crater.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: 61012 Latitude: 41.89 Longitude: 44.6951 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-09-15 11:49Please 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.

A fine channel networks on Mars. This scene shows heavily cratered highlands dissected by dendritic open channel networks that dissect steep slopes of impact crater walls, as seen by NASA's Viking spacecraft.

A color image of fine channel networks on Mars; north toward top. The scene shows heavily cratered highlands dissected by dendritic open channel networks that dissect steep slopes of impact crater walls.This image is a composite of Viking high-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 9 degrees S. to 5 degrees S. and from longitude 312 degrees to 320 degrees; Mercator projection.The dendritic pattern of the fine channels and their location on steep slopes leads to the interpretation that these are runoff channels. The restriction of these types of channels to ancient highland rocks suggests that these channels are old and date from a time on Mars when conditions existed for precipitation to actively erode rocks. After the channels reach a low plain, they appear to end. Termination may have resulted from burial by younger deposits or perhaps the flows percolated into the surface materials and continued underground.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows landslide in this image originating from the steep escarpment which surrounds the Olympus Mons volcano on Mars. This landslide is located on the northern side of the volcano.

The landslide in this VIS image originated from the steep escarpment which surrounds the Olympus Mons volcano on Mars. This landslide is located on the northern side of the volcano.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 23.2, Longitude 223.9 East (136.1 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered sedimentary rock outcrops exposed by erosion in southern Melas Chasma on Mars, one of the major Valles Marineris troughs.

04 August 2004This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered sedimentary rock outcrops exposed by erosion in southern Melas Chasma, one of the major Valles Marineris troughs. Such outcrops are common in southern Melas; they resemble the rock outcrops seen in some of the chaotic terrains and other Valles Marineris chasms. This image is located near 11.9°S, 74.6°W, and is about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.

A volcanic vent has created a small construct (a volcano) in this region of Tharsis east of Arsia Mons. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context imageA volcanic vent has created a small construct (a volcano) in this region of Tharsis east of Arsia Mons.Orbit Number: 47329 Latitude: -5.10435 Longitude: 247.335 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-15 04:37Please 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.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows craters with wind streaks in Acidalia Planitia on Mars.

8 April 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows craters with wind streaks in Acidalia Planitia. The winds responsible for the streaks blew from the upper right (northeast).Location near: 37.1°N, 36.8°W Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer

This synthetic image of NASA's Spirit Mars Exploration Rover in the 'Columbia Hills' was produced using 'Virtual Presence in Space' technology.

This synthetic image of the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover in the "Columbia Hills" was produced using "Virtual Presence in Space" technology. Developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., this technology combines visualization and image-processing tools with Hollywood-style special effects. The image was created using a photorealistic model of the rover and an image taken by the Spirit navigation camera during the rover's 438th Martian day, or sol (March 27, 2005); see PIA07829). The size of the rover in the image is approximately correct and was based on the size of the rover tracks in the navigation-camera image. Because this synthesis provides viewers with a sense of their own "virtual presence" (as if they were there themselves), such views can be useful to mission teams in planning exploration by enhancing perspective and a sense of scale.

NASA's Opportunity had driven 62.5 meters (205 feet) that sol, southward away from an outcrop called 'Penrhyn,' which the rover had been examining for a few sols, and toward a crater called 'Adventure.' This is a vertical projection.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree view of the rover's surroundings on the 1,850th Martian day, or sol, of its surface mission (April 7, 2009). Opportunity had driven 62.5 meters (205 feet) that sol, southward away from an outcrop called "Penrhyn," which the rover had been examining for a few sols, and toward a crater called "Adventure." In preceding drives, the drive motor for the right-front wheel had been drawing more current than usual, so engineers drove Opportunuity backward on Sol 1950, a strategy to redistribute lubricant and reduce friction in the wheel.North is at the top of the image; south at the bottom. Opportunity's position on Sol 1850 was about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) south-southwest of Victoria Crater. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).This view is presented as a vertical projection with geometric seam correction.

Dark slope streaks are common on the ridges of Lycus Sulci. These markings are thought to be formed by the removal of the brighter dust when material is shed from the top of the ridge. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Context imageDark slope streaks are common on the ridges of Lycus Sulci. These markings are thought to be formed by the removal of the brighter dust when material is shed from the top of the ridge.Orbit Number: 47504 Latitude: 18.5875 Longitude: 215.514 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2012-08-29 16:08Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The sharpest view of Mars ever taken from Earth was obtained by the recently refurbished NASA Hubble Space Telescope. This stunning portrait was taken with the HST Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 on March 10, 1997.

The sharpest view of Mars ever taken from Earth was obtained by the recently refurbished NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This stunning portrait was taken with the HST Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC2) on March 10, 1997, just before Mars opposition, when the red planet made one of its closest passes to the Earth (about 60 million miles or 100 million km).At this distance, a single picture element (pixel) in WFPC2's Planetary Camera spans 13 miles (22 km) on the Martian surface.The Martian north pole is at the top (near the center of the bright polar cap) and East is to the right. The center of the disk is at about 23 degrees north latitude, and the central longitude is near 305 degrees.This view of Mars was taken on the last day of Martian spring in the northern hemisphere (just before summer solstice). It clearly shows familiar bright and dark markings known to astronomers for more than a century. The annual north polar carbon dioxide frost (dry ice) cap is rapidly sublimating (evaporating from solid to gas), revealing the much smaller permanent water ice cap, along with a few nearby detached regions of surface frost. The receding polar cap also reveals the dark, circular sea of sand dunes that surrounds the north pole (Olympia Planitia).Other prominent features in this hemisphere include Syrtis Major Planitia, the large dark feature seen just below the center of the disk. The giant impact basin Hellas (near the bottom of the disk) is shrouded in bright water ice clouds. Water ice clouds also cover several great volcanos in the Elysium region near the eastern edge of the planet (right). A diffuse water ice haze covers much of the Martian equatorial region as well.The WFPC2 was used to monitor dust storm activity to support the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Missions, which are currently en route to Mars. Airborne dust is most easily seen in WFPC2's red and near-infrared images. Hubble's "weather report" from these images in invaluable for Mars Pathfinder, which is scheduled for a July 4 landing. Fortunately, these images show no evidence for large-scale dust storm activity, which plagued a previous Mars mission in the early 1970s.The WFPC2 was used to observe Mars in nine different colors spanning the ultraviolet to the near infrared. The specific colors were chosen to clearly discriminate between airborne dust, ice clouds, and prominent Martian surface features. This picture was created by combining images taken in blue (433 nm), green (554 nm), and red (763 nm) colored filters.This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu/.

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft takes a look at THEMIS image as art. Many science-fiction writers have postulated many life forms on Mars. Looks kind of like something George Jetson would drive.

Welcome to another brief interval of THEMIS Images as Art. For two weeks, we will be showcasing images for their aesthetic value rather than their science content. Portions of these images resemble things in our everyday lives, from animals to letters of the alphabet. We hope you enjoy our fanciful look at Mars!Looks kind of like something George Jetson would drive, I think...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.