View allAll Photos Tagged MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter
Acquisition date
02 March 2016
Local Mars time
14:59
Latitude (centered)
36.323°
Longitude (East)
347.450°
Spacecraft altitude
295.0 km (183.3 miles)
Source data: www.uahirise.org/ESP_044995_2165
"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 Orbiter image of Columbia Hills (named after the space shuttle Columbia) in Gusev Crater. (The rover Spirit is somewhere in these hills...)
Short video of Martian weather seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in early January 2022 (10 January to 16 January). Black areas are places where no data was captured. The little, white dots are the locations of Curiosity, InSight, and Perseverance. (Curiosity and InSight are relatively close to each other.)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
"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)
(Unusual) Dune Monitoring in Crater
Full data JP2 processed in Photoshop CC {Centre Crop]
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Acquisition date
02 August 2024
Local Mars time
13:58
Latitude (centered)
64.855°
Longitude (East)
209.368°
Spacecraft altitude
312.8 km (194.4 miles)
Original image scale range
from 31.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 63.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)
Original data credit : NASA JPL-Caltech UofArizona
Source : www.uahirise.org/ESP_084456_2450
Acquisition date
18 October 2018
Local Mars time
14:47
Latitude (centered)
-57.498°
Longitude (East)
91.895°
Spacecraft altitude
248.3 km (154.3 miles)
Original image scale range
25.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolved
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_057321_1220
Slope Features in Tivat Crater
Acquisition date
25 October 2023
Local Mars time
15:56
Latitude (centered)
-45.930°
Longitude (East)
9.532°
Spacecraft altitude
251.3 km (156.2 miles)
Original image scale range
50.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~151 cm across are resolved
Acquisition date
08 July 2015
Local Mars time
14:25
Latitude (centered)
21.790°
Longitude (East)
341.828°
Spacecraft altitude
284.2 km (176.6 miles)
Original image scale range
56.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~171 cm across are resolved
Source : www.uahirise.org/ESP_041936_2020
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 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
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of a wind-shaped hill/mountain with a crater on it on Mars. Color/processing variant.
"Polygonal Dunes - Mars"
Explore here with full zoom and pan - (890 Megapixels) - viewer.gigamacro.com/view/yM7qXy7ziyfVFRXW?x1=28944.98&am...
Natural color image of a rock glacier in the Hellas Montes, a mountain range along the southeastern rim of the 2300 km (1400 mi) wide Hellas Basin. Rock glaciers occur where large amounts of ice (probably forming true glaciers) were once present, but have been lost to climate change. Rocks mixed in with the ice near the base of these former glaciers provide an insulating effect, allowing some ice to survive and continue to flow downhill. Here ice preserved in the bottom crater is flowing through a notch in the crater rim into another crater, which sits a couple hundred meters lower.
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 25, 2006. It uses CRISM observation HRL000038d3 and CTX observation P02_001938_1408_XI_39S257W
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
This field of dunes lies on the floor of an old crater in Noachis Terra, one of the oldest places on Mars.
When there are perfect conditions for producing sand dunes, steady wind in one direction and just enough sand, barchan sand dunes form. The word "barchan" is a Russian term because this type of dune was first described in the desert regions of Turkistan. Barchans have a gentle slope on the upwind side and a much steeper slope on the lee side where horns or a notch often forms. The wind in this case came from the southwest.
Natural color image of rhythmic layered deposits in Becquerel Crater, a 167 km wide impact crater in Arabia Terra. These deposits are located in a mound in the southern half of the crater. The mound layers show regular variations in thickness, forming alternating groups of thinly-spaced and widely-spaced layers which were likely deposited by wind. This type of bedding is commonly observed in regions where sedimentary deposits are controlled by astronomical cycles, such as changing axial tilt, precession, and orbital eccentricity, These cycles influence the regional climate, changing the rate at which sediments pile up.
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 24, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT00003245, and CTX P01_001546_2016_XI_21N008W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
ESP_084494_0925 "South Polar Residual Cap Monitoring Site"
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Acquisition date
05 August 2024
Local Mars time
20:25
Latitude (centered)
-87.728°
Longitude (East)
0.668°
Spacecraft altitude
244.9 km (152.2 miles)
Original image scale range
from 24.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 49.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)
Source : www.uahirise.org/ESP_084494_0925
Natural color image of the central pit of an unnamed 58 km impact crater in the northwestern Nili Fossae region. Central pits are thought to form when large impact craters form in regions with a significant amount of deeply buried ice. The force of the impact causes these deeply buried ices to rebound towards the surface, initially forming a central peak. However, the ice quickly vaporizes or melts, leaving a pit.
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 December 21, 2006. It uses CRISM observation FRT000037ae and CTX observation P02_001886_2049_XI_24N285W.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
Terby crater is on the northern edge of Hellas Basin at 28oS, 73oE (see below image). It is ~175 km in diameter. It is the site of an ancient lakebed, where clay deposits have been identified. This image shows some of the layers, but no valley is large enough at the northern rim of Terby to have carried the large amounts of sediments necessary to produce the layers.
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of a scarp or cliff in Meridiani Planum on Mars.
Original caption: This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is reminiscent of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of an island nation, such as the British Isles. A close-up in enhanced color produces a striking effect, giving the impression of a cloud-covered cliff edge with foamy waves crashing against it.
The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest. This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater -- a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it -- surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes. The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits are degraded, irregular and cliff-forming.
Dunes visible below the cliff, give the impression of an ocean surface, complete with foam capped waves crashing against the "shore line," demonstrating the abstract similarity between the nature of a turbulent ocean and a Martian dune field.
Meridiani Planum has an overall smooth terrain, which starkly contrasts with the more common boulder- and crater-laden landscapes observed over much of the rest of Mars. This makes it relatively younger in character than many other areas of the planet. Meridiani is one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, and, is known for its layers and sediments. The orbital detection of hematite was one of the main reasons for sending Opportunity to this area.
Salt-bearing rocks -- also called sulphates -- were observed in the very first image from Opportunity, so perhaps it's apt that this HiRISE image reminds us of the turmoil and rugged beauty of a cliff-face, a coastline, being worn down by a relentless sea.
The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 54.7 centimeters (21.5 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 164 centimeters (64.6 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.
The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter PR image of Perseverance, the descent stage, heat shield and parachute in Jezero Crater soon after landing. Annotated by NASA.
Image source: photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24333
Original caption: This first image of NASA's Perseverance Rover on the surface of Mars from the Context Camera (CTX) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows the many parts of the Mars 2020 mission landing system that got the rover safely on the ground. The image was taken on Feb. 19, 2021.
An annotated version of the image (Figure 1) points out the locations of the parachute and back shell, the descent stage, the Perseverance rover, and the heat shield. Each inset shows an area about 650 feet (200 meters) across.
The rover itself sits at the center of a blast pattern created by the hovering descent stage that lowered it there using the sky crane maneuver. The descent stage flew off to crash at a safe distance, creating a V-shaped debris pattern that points back toward the rover. Earlier in the landing sequence, Perseverance jettisoned its heat shield and parachute, which can be seen on the surface in the separate locations illustrated.
These objects are highly visible on the surface of Mars now but will become dustier with time and slowly fade into the background over years. HiRISE will continue to image the Perseverance landing site to track the progress of the rover and changes with the other pieces of hardware that accompanied it.
Close-ups of the spacecraft can be seen in PIA24334, PIA2335, PIA24336, and PIA24337.
MRO's mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona provided and operates HiRISE.
A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Image Addition Date:
2021-02-22
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter PR image of part of a circular landform north of Kasei Valley. Color/processing variant.
There is a circular feature in this observation that appears to stand above the surrounding terrain. This feature is probably an inverted crater: a once-normal appearing impact crater that was filled in with sediment. The fill became indurated, or hardened, until it was more resistant to subsequent erosion than the surrounding material.
Other craters in this image are not inverted or substantially infilled. This suggests that they were formed after the events that filled in and later exposed the inverted crater.
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of a dark slope streak on Mars. The dark streak is nothing more than an area of a lack of brighter dust, which will be filled in by the ambient dust in the atmosphere over time.
Monitor Frost in Gullies
Acquisition date
28 July 2023
Local Mars time
15:40
Latitude (centered)
-38.900°
Longitude (East)
223.657°
Spacecraft altitude
251.6 km (156.3 miles)
Original image scale range
50.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~151 cm across are resolved
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of Curiosity in Gale Crater. This is an enlarged part of a much larger image (see following images) that shows Curiosity and some of her tracks in the sand. Color/processing variant. This is probably the best version for seeing what Curiosity looks like from orbit (I sharpened it as much as my programs would allow).
This image shows an area about half a kilometer across in the Abalos Undae region of Mars, found near the ice-rich north polar layered deposits. The dunes are not really blue. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s cameras are sensitive to wavelengths beyond what the human eye can see, and here the bluish color indicates the dunes are composed of basaltic material.
Sent by: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | From: Mars | Released: Nov, 2008 | Credit: NASA/JPL/UA
Added to www.ridingwithrobots.org Nov 19, 2008.
Dune Dubbed Furya in Chasma Boreale
Acquisition date
22 April 2023
Local Mars time
13:20
Latitude (centered)
84.782°
Longitude (East)
333.893°
Spacecraft altitude
319.9 km (198.8 miles)
Original image scale range
32.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~96 cm across are resolved
This colorful scene is situated in the Noctis Labyrinthus, perched high on the Tharsis rise in the upper reaches of the Valles Marineris canyon system.
Targeting the bright-rimmed bedrock knobs, the image also captures the interaction of two distinct types of windblown sediments. Surrounding the bedrock knobs is a network of pale reddish ridges with a complex interlinked morphology. These pale ridges resemble the simpler “transverse aeolian ridges” (called TARs) that are common in the equatorial regions of Mars.
Dark sand dunes comprise the second type of windblown sediment visible in this image. The dark sand dune seen just below the center of the cutout displays features that are common to active sand dunes observed by HiRISE elsewhere on Mars, including sets of small ripples crisscrossing the top of the dune.
Seasonal Activity on Dunes
Acquisition date
08 April 2024
Local Mars time
15:58
Latitude (centered)
-64.932°
Longitude (East)
154.287°
Spacecraft altitude
249.2 km (154.9 miles)
Original image scale range
49.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~150 cm across are resolved
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imaged the ExoMars Schiaparelli module’s landing site on 25 October 2016, following the module’s arrival at Mars on 19 October. Three sites relating to Schiaparelli can be identified in this image, as indicated in the annotated version here.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Acquisition date
26 April 2021
Local Mars time
15:12
Latitude (centered)
40.326°
Longitude (East)
173.340°
Spacecraft altitude
301.0 km (187.1 miles)
Original image scale range
60.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~181 cm across are resolved
Source:
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of a wind-shaped hill/mountain with a crater on it on Mars. Color/processing variant.
Full data JP2 processed in Photoshop CC
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Acquisition date
03 August 2024
Local Mars time
14:12
Latitude (centered)
54.568°
Longitude (East)
305.889°
Spacecraft altitude
308.3 km (191.6 miles)
Original image scale range
61.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~185 cm across are resolved
Source : www.uahirise.org/ESP_084479_2350
The white arrows indicate locations in this scene where numerous seasonal dark streaks have been identified in the Coprates Montes area of Mars' Valles Marineris by repeated observations from orbit.
The streaks, called recurring slope lineae or RSL, extend downslope during a warm season, fade in the colder part of the year, and repeat the process the next Martian year. They are regarded as the strongest evidence for the possibility of liquid water on the surface of modern Mars.
This oblique perspective for this view uses a three-dimensional terrain model derived from a stereo pair of observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The scene covers an area approximately 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers) wide.
Edited Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of the wall of a crater on Mars showing exposed bedrock with different colors.
Megablocks of Light-Toned Bedrock in Mawrth Vallis
Acquisition date
20 September 2010
Local Mars time
15:32
Latitude (centered)
25.359°
Longitude (East)
341.339°
Spacecraft altitude
286.7 km (178.2 miles)
Source: www.uahirise.org/ESP_019453_2055