View allAll Photos Tagged MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of snow on sand dunes on Mars. The snow is frozen carbon dioxide, not frozen water (H2O).
A portion of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon incised into Mars' north polar ice cap. Computer models suggest this canyon was carved by extremely cold air flowing at high speeds off the ice cap, which over millenia have cut deep into the ice. In this location Chasma Boreale is about 1.5 km (4600 ft) deep.
Erosion has exposed internal layers of the ice cap, which are thought to record hundreds of thousands or millions of years of climate variation. These layers contain varying levels of dust, corresponding to different stages of the Martian climate cycle. Several sequences of layers, which are deposited on previous sequences at an angle, likely record previous canyons eroded into the ice cap, or major meltbacks of the cap.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 12, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT00002FA6 and CTX observation P01_001386_2649_XI_84N357W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
An isolated mound of light-toned sediment located on the largely sand-covered floor of the Ganges Chasma canyon system. This mount is likely an isolated remnant of the Ganges Mensa deposit, a 100 x 50 km wide plateau of layered sulfate-bearing sediments located a short distance to the west. The soft nature of this rock has caused the formation of aerodynamic, wind-sculpted landforms called yardangs.
Minerals are more easily identified in infrared light than with visible light. This false color image uses much of the near infrared spectrum to highlight differences in mineralogy. The brown/red color of sandy regions in this image indicate unaltered volcanic minerals, primarily olivine, which is typical for Martian sand.The whitish/pale pink colors are typical of sulfate minerals, which are bland in the wavelengths of infrared light used to construct this image.
This image combines a 40 m/px false color CRISM hyperspectral image (2.53 micron, 1.51 micron, and 1.08 micron as RGB channels, respectively) with a 5 m/px monochrome CTX image. The CRISM image was collected on November 3, 2011, and the CTX image was collected on January 9, 2014.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / MSSS / JHU / APL / Justin Cowart
A small portion of Athabasca Valles imaged by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Estimated to have formed at most 20 million years ago, this flood channel is one of the youngest features on the Martian surface.This channel originates from the Cerberus Fossae fault system, which NASA's Insight mission recently determined to still be seismically active. One possibility is that tectonic activity ruptured a ice-capped pressurized aquifer, releasing vast amounts of water onto the surface.
Lots of fine layers are also seen in the streamlined forms. These are probably not layers that were originally present and eroded into by floodwaters. Instead, they probably represent sediments carried by the floodwaters and which were deposited downstream of flow obstructions with small erosional benches carved into this sediments as the flooding subsided.
Small cones are also present, which resemble permafrost structures called pingoes. These form as freezing ice expands in the subsurface, pushing up the surrounding loose sediment. It's possible that these formed as water-saturated flood sediments froze after the formation of the flood channels.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 28, 2007. It uses CRISM observation HRL000040A2 and CTX observation P03_002371_1888_XI_08N204W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
Natural color image of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon carved into the edge of Mars' north polar ice cap. The large cliff at image center is 1.4 km (4,600 feet) high, and exposes alternating layers of ice and dust that have accumulated over tens of thousands of years. Computer models suggest that this canyon is formed by cold air flowing off the polar cap during winter, creating gusty winds that favor the removal of material. Some evidence for this can be seen in the large dune field filling the canyon floor.
This natural color was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 28, 2006. It uses CRISM observation HRL0000330c and CTX observation P01_001593_2635_XI_83N241W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
"Western Mawrth Vallis Phyllosilicates"
3d Model created in Blender - Orthoimage combined with 3d model in 3ds Max
Acquisition date
29 April 2008
Local Mars time
15:07
Latitude (centered)
24.418°
Longitude (East)
338.875°
Spacecraft altitude
287.1 km (178.4 miles)
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Oribter image of volcanic cones in the Cydonia Colles region of Mars. Color/processing variant.
1.87 Gigapixels
33,546 x 55,636 pixels
Explore this image with full zoom and pan here: viewer.gigamacro.com/view/9tDej5d8K2OrANDm?x1=-5206.56&am...
Acquisition date
07 February 2018
Local Mars time
15:22
Latitude (centered)
-35.706°
Longitude (East)
129.404°
Spacecraft altitude
253.1 km (157.3 miles)
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_054062_1440
Light-toned clay bearing rocks located along the southern rim of Mawrth Vallis. These rocks are part of a thick sequence of extremely ancient rocks which have been exposed through the incision of the Mawrth Vallis canyon system. The channel running through the top portion of the image is a small tributary valley to Mawrth Vallis. The diversity of rocks within this region made it a finalist candidate landing site for the Curiosity rover, and a semifinalist landing site for the Perseverance rover.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 5, 2007. It uses CRISM observation FRT00003BFB and CTX observation P03_002074_2027_XI_22N018W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Aster Cowart
A fresh impact site in the Tharsis region. This area bears witness to a violent impact event that likely occurred within the last two decades. A 100 meter wide crater records the collision of a small (1-3 m wide) asteroid with the surface. A larger halo of disturbed material shows the extent of an airblast that accompanied the impact, which scoured the surface of dust within a 5 kilometer zone surrounding the impact site. Impacts of this size occur somewhere on Mars every few months.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 3, 2007. It uses CRISM observation FRT00003E33 and CTX observation P03_002183_1972_XI_17N113W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Aster Cowart
Light-toned clay bearing rocks located along the northern rim of Mawrth Vallis. These rocks are part of a thick sequence of extremely ancient rocks which have been exposed through the incision of the Mawrth Vallis canyon system. The diversity of rocks within this region made it a finalist candidate landing site for the Curiosity rover, and a semifinalist landing site for the Perseverance rover.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 4, 2008. It uses CRISM observation FRT0000D3D0 and CTX observation B03_010671_2082_XI_28N019W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Aster Cowart
Tectonically deformed terrain near the southeastern boundary of Archeron Fossae (36.5 N, 229.1E). This heavily faulted terrain is likely related to two large volcanoes, Olympus Mons and Alba Mons. The immense weight of these two volcanoes presses down on the Martian mantle underneath, causing the mantle and crust to bulge elsewhere to conserve volume, a process called 'isostasy'. The faults of Archeron Fossae point back in the general direction of Alba Mons (the summit of which is ~1000 km away), but are also curved circumferentially to Olympus Mons (the summit of which is ~1100 km away). The likely explanation is that the isostatic force from the two volcanoes is amplified in this region, leading to the complex terrain seen today.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 10, 2007. It uses CRISM observation HRL00003D61 and CTX observation P03_002144_2165_XI_36N130W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
PictionID:54475453 - Catalog:Atlas 5 AV-007 - Title:Array - Filename:Atlas 5 AV-007-21.jpg - Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
full resolution image - Focusing on the Dune's Detail.... (Bacterial / Biological footprints perhaps)
Explore this image here with full zoom and pan: viewer.gigamacro.com/view/KACAqPYeEk6Ap7b8?x1=12434.64&am...
Acquisition date
01 October 2020
Local Mars time
14:30
Latitude (centered)
56.717°
Longitude (East)
350.838°
Spacecraft altitude
309.8 km (192.6 miles)
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_066476_2370
Natural color image of the Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater. This region was explored by the Spirit rover between 2004 to 2010. The mission landing site was chosen with the expectation that the flat terrain of Gusev Crater were sediments deposited in a lake fed by Ma'adim Vallis, a large canyon system that empties into Gusev. However, it became clear soon after landing that the crater is filled by a vast lava plain. Although lake sediments are probably present in Gusev, they are buried by these lava flows. A greater of diversity of rocks were seen in the Columbia Hills, many of which appeared to be sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks. This has led some researchers to suggest that the Columbia Hills represent an exposure of lakebed sediments that were folded towards the surface along a thrust fault (one of several in Gusev).
This natural color was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image wast taken on December 12, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT000035d0 and CTX observation P02_001777_1653_XI_14S184W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
Natural color image of layered deposits in southwestern Candor Chasma, a side canyon in the central Valles Marineris. These layered deposits, which are several kilometers thick in places, are finely layered and have an unclear origin. They may have been deposited by volcanic airfall, wind, or deep lakes once filling the canyon. The layering here is heavily faulted and distorted, suggesting that tectonic activity has twisted the rocks. Fault analysis suggests that most faults (including the large dark fault running top-bottom at center right) parallel the canyon walls, implying that the faults are related to the formation of the canyon.
This false color was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on December 2, 2006. It uses CRISM observation HRL000033B7 and CTX observation CTX_P02_001641_1734_XI_06S075W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
A portion of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon incised into Mars' north polar ice cap. In this location Chasma Boreale is about 1.5 km (4600 ft) deep.
Computer models suggest this canyon was carved by extremely cold air flowing at high speeds off the ice cap, which over millenia have cut deep into the ice. Sand dunes formed by the high winds can be seen at lower left.
Erosion has exposed internal layers of the ice cap, which are thought to record hundreds of thousands or millions of years of climate variation. These layers contain varying levels of dust, corresponding to different stages of the Martian climate cycle. Several sequences of layers, which are deposited on previous sequences at an angle, likely record previous canyons eroded into the ice cap, or major meltbacks of the cap.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 11, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT00002FA6 and CTX observation P01_001386_2649_XI_84N357W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
"Western Mawrth Vallis Phyllosilicates"
3d Model created in Blender - Orthoimage combined with 3d model in 3ds Max
Acquisition date
29 April 2008
Local Mars time
15:07
Latitude (centered)
24.418°
Longitude (East)
338.875°
Spacecraft altitude
287.1 km (178.4 miles)
A dunefield in the 98 km wide Pettit Crater, located in the lowlands of Utopia Planitia. It appears to be the source is the source of a dark streak extending several hundred kilometers downwind. It is likely that this crater once acted as a sand trap for dunes migrating across the largely flat surface of Utopia Planitia. The modern wind pattern are now favorable for sand to climb the relatively shallow southern rim of the crater, allowing the sand to escape and resume its migration across the surrounding plains.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on December 21, 2006. It uses CRISM observation HRL0000379F and CTX observation P02_001882_1920_XI_12N174W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
The Nili Fossae region contains some of the best exposures of ancient bedrock on Mars.
Acquisition date
27 March 2012
Local Mars time
15:05
Latitude (centered)
22.398°
Longitude (East)
77.882°
Spacecraft altitude
280.6 km (174.4 miles)
Original image scale range
from 28.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 56.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)
Source:
This Central Crop of the fullsize image shows a stack of nearly horizontal layers. These layers might record how the environment on ancient Mars changed over time, and would be a good site for future exploration by a rover.
Ancient bedrock can be tilted, folded, and generally complicated and difficult to understand
A portion of the Eberswalde Crater delta system, which formed where a highlands valley network drained into the 63 km wide Eberswalde Crater. The complex topography here records several delta-building phases, and spectacularly preserves features that were present within the delta, like meandering channels. This site was a close runner-up to Gale Crater for the landing site of the Curiosity rover. Although considered for the Mars 2020 landing site, its star had faded relative to the delta in Jezero Crater, which boasts more diverse mineralogy as seen from orbit.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 23, 2006. It uses CRISM observation HRL00003207 and CTX observation P01_001534_1559_XI_24S033W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Aster Cowart
This image covers a 26-kilometer-wide impact crater northeast of the Hellas impact basin.
The crater exposes large blocks of bedrock (called “megabreccia”) in both the central uplift and in the walls of the crater.
Acquisition date
01 April 2014
Local Mars time
15:24
Latitude (centered)
-24.463°
Longitude (East)
87.527°
Spacecraft altitude
255.0 km (158.5 miles)
Original image scale range
53.8 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~161 cm across are resolved
Source data : www.uahirise.org/ESP_035998_1555
Central Uplift of a Crater near Dichotomy Boundary
Acquisition date
10 November 2010
Local Mars time
15:33
Latitude (centered)
28.197°
Longitude (East)
71.057°
Spacecraft altitude
284.6 km (176.9 miles)
Source data: hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_020109_2085
The lower slopes of the northern Ganges Chasma rim. A thick pile of sediment eroded from the steep canyon rim has accumulated along the canyon walls, forming a relatively flat surface that gently slopes towards the center of the canyon. Water flowing out of the narrow rim canyons incised into this plain, forming shallow, terraced valleys. This water may have originated as meltwater during the retreat of glaciers that formerly occupied many of the canyon wall valleys.
This image combines two 40 m/px natural color CRISM hyperspectral images (600 nm, 530 nm, and 440 nm as RGB channels, respectively) with a 5 m/px monochrome CTX image. The CRISM images were collected on February 1, 2010 and June 13, 2007, and the CTX image was collected on December 19, 2013
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / MSSS / JHU / APL / Justin Cowart
An Oblique View of Uplifted Rocks (Mars) From the HiRISE instrument.
Quote Source
"This image shows part of the central uplifted region of an impact crater more than 50 kilometres wide. That means that the bedrock has been raised from a depth of about 5 kilometres, exposing ancient materials."
Acquisition date
02 March 2011
Local Mars time
15:23
Latitude (centred)
-13.751°
Longitude (East)
113.430°
Spacecraft altitude
258.4 km (160.6 miles)
Original image scale range
59.6 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~179 cm across are resolved
Source data : uahirise.org/ESP_021545_1660
Central Uplift of Crater in Syrtis Major (Mars)
Acquisition date
13 February 2019
Local Mars time
14:01
Latitude (centered)
14.776°
Longitude (East)
66.015°
Spacecraft altitude
275.9 km (171.5 miles)
Original image scale range
27.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved
Source data : www.uahirise.org/ESP_058825_1950
Crop 2 from the full resolution JP2000 image from NASA
Focusing on the "Mound" in the north of the image and the exposed Quartzite, Olivine or similar? (North when map orientated)
Acquisition date
01 October 2020
Local Mars time
14:30
Latitude (centered)
56.717°
Longitude (East)
350.838°
Spacecraft altitude
309.8 km (192.6 miles)
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_066476_2370
False color infrared image of layered fill deposits in an unnamed 26 km (16 mi) diameter crater in the highlands of Tyrrhena Terra (at 15 S, 89 E). This region of the highlands has been extensively resurfaced by water and volcanic activity. Many of the most ancient craters in this region have been completely or nearly completely filled in by these processes. Here, crater fill materials have been scoured by wind to form aerodynamically shaped ridges.This image covers the infrared spectrum between between 800 nm and 2000 nm, where mineral colors that are difficult to distinguish in visible light become much easier to tell apart. This region of the spectrum shows that the surface has a more diverse composition than implied by the visible color image.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 21, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT0000315E and CTX observation P01_001503_1646_XI_15S270W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
This is the first image of Mars I ever targeted for the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Context Camera (CTX).
The picture shows of a cluster of pits with landslides on the southern flank of Arsia Mons, the southernmost of the three large volcanoes of the Tharsis Montes. The image was taken at a resolution of 6 m/pixel and has been downsized for Flickr viewing. Since arriving at Mars in 2006, the CTX camera has covered ~43% of Mars at 6 m/pixel resolution (as of the date I posted this) and is able to cover up to 9390 km^2 (3625.5 mi^2) in a single image—up to 30 km (18.6 miles) wide and 313 km (~194.5 miles) long.
To learn more about the CTX camera: www.msss.com/mro/ctx/index.html
Global mosaic of #Mars from the Mars Color Imager (MARCI), which I used to be on the operations team for---my job was to take photos of Mars every day! Edited using @fragmentapp for fun :) #space #NASA #astronomy
Natural color image of layered fill deposits in an unnamed 26 km (16 mi) diameter crater in the highlands of Tyrrhena Terra (at 15 S, 89 E). This region of the highlands has been extensively resurfaced by water and volcanic activity. Many of the most ancient craters in this region have been completely or nearly completely filled in by these processes. Here, crater fill materials have been scoured by wind to form aerodynamically shaped ridges. Some of the exposed rocks are unusually rich in iron oxide minerals like hematite and goethite, which have given them a deep red-brown color.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on November 21, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT0000315E and CTX observation P01_001503_1646_XI_15S270W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter oblique image of the hypersonic parachute carrying Perseverance a little bit before landing.
Image source: photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24270
Original caption: The descent stage holding NASA's Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on Feb. 18, 2021, by the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The ancient river delta, which is the target of the Perseverance mission, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left.
HiRISE was approximately 435 miles (700 kilometers) from Perseverance and traveling at about 6750 mile per hour (3 kilometers per second) at the time the image was taken. The extreme distance and high speeds of the two spacecraft were challenging conditions that required precise timing and for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to both pitch upward and roll hard to the left so that Perseverance was viewable by HiRISE at just the right moment.
The orbiter's mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona provided and operates HiRISE.
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Image Addition Date:
2021-02-19
Many of the impact craters in the Northern Plains of Mars display concentric fill which is thought to have formed as part of the Vastitas Borealis Formation, which represents an enigmatic surface unit that exhibits flow morphologies at its boundary, extensive surface fracturing, tens of thousands of small mounds, and unique crater morphologies.
This pair of craters is located at 39.98oN, 1.75oE, to the east of the 55 km diameter impact crater Bamburg
This is a fine example of a crater ~500 m in diameter just north of Eos Chasma, at the eastern end of Valles Marineris at 4.89°S, 322.22°E (see map below). It is clearly very young, because there are large (>10 m dia.) boulders on the rim and crater interior. The crater interior is a simple bowl-shape, but there is a small flat floor which is, presumably, composed of fine rock debris (“talus”) which has fallen from the inner walls.
Full data JP2 processed in Photoshop CC
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Acquisition date
04 August 2024
Local Mars time
14:32
Latitude (centered)
-31.760°
Longitude (East)
290.148°
Spacecraft altitude
251.3 km (156.2 miles)
Original image scale range
50.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~151 cm across are resolved
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_084480_1480
HiRISE periodically acquires images of the two working rovers on Mars, Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover) and Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory). Although earlier pictures are generally sufficient for mapping the terrain and topography, new images allow scientists and engineers to study rover tracks and their covering with dust over time.
The ability to keep track of the rovers' progress and seeing their current location on Mars in the HiRISE images is of great interest to the public. In the case of Curiosity, new images allow the tracking of active sand dunes currently in the vicinity of the rover. This dune field, informally named the "Bagnold Dunes" after the pioneering British aeolian scientist Ralph Bagnold (1896-1990), has recently been investigated by Curiosity.
Curiosity is currently located on the Naukluft Plateau just north of the Bagnold Dune field. Its position was captured by HiRISE on 25 March 2016 (MSL Sol 1291). The rover is within sandstone outcrops informally named the "Stimson Formation." There are no obvious rover tracks in the HiRISE views indicating that this bedrock contains little dust that otherwise could be disturbed by the rover wheels as has been seen earlier in Curiosity's traverse.
Just like we saw with the Opportunity Rover so long ago (in the Summer of 2004) when it ventured into Endurance Crater, this new view shows dunes within a 1.3 km diameter crater at 0.421°S, 357.197°E. This scene lies ~185 km NE of the final resting place of Opportunity. The crater appears to be relatively young on the basis of the well-preserved layers at the top of the inner wall. However, lots of erosion may be taking place, because there are numerous gullies on this inner wall, and some of them may still be active
Oyama Crater Barchan Dune Monitoring
Full Data JP2 Processed in Photoshop CC
Acquisition date
20 March 2023
Local Mars time
14:54
Latitude (centered)
23.201°
Longitude (East)
339.596°
Spacecraft altitude
288.0 km (179.0 miles)
Original image scale range
28.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~86 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up
Source data credit : NASA JPL-Caltech UOA
Source : www.uahirise.org/ESP_078030_2035
Eroded ejecta deposits associated with the 18 km wide Dulovo Crater. This crater is located near the southern rim of the 1500 km wide Isidis impact basin. The impact site is near the Martian dichotomy boundary, which separates the ancient terrain of Mars' southern hemisphere from the much younger lowlands of the northern hemisphere. The northern lowlands are thought to have once hosted an ocean, evidence of which might be recorded in Dulovo's ejecta.
The crater's ejecta is a type called fluidized ejecta, which contains flow-like structures. This type of ejecta is thought to have formed in rocks rich in low-melting point materials, such as dry ice or water ice. Erosional remnats of the fluidized ejecta are visible has high-standing lobes of material running through image center. The more rugged rock, which is likely older rock buried and preserved by the ejecta sheet, appear to contain clay minerals.
This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 2, 2007. It uses CRISM observation FRT00003B63 and CTX observation P03_002044_1836_XI_03N275W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
Western Ganges Mensa, a 100 x 50 km wide plateau of layered sulfate-bearing deposits within the Ganges Chasma system. At its thickest, the Ganges Mensa deposits are nearly 4,000 m thick, almost the same elevation as the canyon rim. Deposits like this are common in the eastern regions of the Valles Marineris system. The source of these deposits is unclear. They may have been deposited in large lakes impounded within a closed canyons prior to the opening of the east end of Valles Marineris by catastrophic outflow floods. Alternatively, they may have been deposited by wind, or as ashfall deposits that were later altered by acidic groundwater.
This image combines a 40 m/px natural color CRISM hyperspectral image (600 nm, 530 nm, and 440 nm as RGB channels, respectively) with a 5 m/px monochrome CTX image. The CRISM image was collected on June 12, 2007, and the CTX image was collected on May 4, 2009.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / MSSS / JHU / APL / Justin Cowart
Rugged terrain on the southeastern rim of Bond Crater imaged by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Erosion in the rim has incised into the underlying rocks, exposing knobs of erosionally-resistant material, which are likely crystalline rocks which underlie the surface at depth.The Bond crater impact occurred in some of the oldest terrain on the Martian surface, which shows extensive evidence of reworking by water. In the near infrared, the color of these rocks suggests that they contain clay minerals, which formed through the interaction of these rocks with water.
The surface here has been shaped by water in more recent history as well. The small channels here are likely runoff channels from the last Martian ice age. Although located in the southern mid-latitudes, this location was probably exposed to a glacial or tundra-like environment.
This false-color image uses a surface spectrum ranging from 380 nm to 2600 nm, which has been squeezed down to resemble what humans would see if all color variations occurred within the range of human vision (380-780 nm). This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data.
This image was taken on January 27, 2007. It uses CRISM observation HRL0000407E and CTX observation P03_002365_1469_XI_33S035W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart