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NASA's Mars Orbiters Maneuvers as Comet Siding Spring Approaching Mars

Artist's concept of Comet Siding Spring approaching Mars, shown with NASA's orbiters preparing to make science observations of this unique encounter.

October 19, 2014

Artist’s concept of Comet Siding Spring approaching Mars, shown with NASA’s orbiters preparing to make science observations of this unique encounter.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

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These collapse pits probably formed when lava erupted from the side of Arsia Mons, draining underground magma reservoirs. The resulting voids collapse due to the weight of the solid lava above them.
Pits on Arsia Mons (3-D)
Large fractures have formed 'steps' in this region of Tempe Terra.
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Large fractures have formed 'steps' in this region of Tempe Terra.
Tempe Terra
Dark narrow streaks, called "recurring slope lineae," emanate from the walls of Garni Crater on Mars, in this view constructed from observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (H...
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Dark narrow streaks, called "recurring slope lineae," emanate from the walls of Garni Crater on Mars, in this view constructed from observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Dark, Recurring Streaks on Walls of Garni Crater
MRO took this image of layered, sedimentary rocks on the floor of an impact crater north of Eberswalde Crater. Billions of years ago there may have been a lake in this crater.
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This image covers layered sedimentary rocks on the floor of an impact crater north of Eberswalde Crater.
Sedimentary Rock Layers on a Crater Floor
Cydonia Labyrinthus is a complex of intersecting valleys that form a polygonal fractured terrain.
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Cydonia Labyrinthus is a complex of intersecting valleys that form a polygonal fractured terrain.
Cydonia Labyrinthus (3-D)
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows many new ice blocks compared to earlier images in 2006. One of the most actively changing areas on Mars are the steep edges of the North Pol...
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Ice block avalanche. This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows many new ice blocks compared to earlier images in 2006.
Ice Block Avalanche
This inner slope of a Martian crater has several of the seasonal dark streaks called "recurrent slope lineae," or RSL, that a November 2017 report interprets as granular flows, rather than darkenin...
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Seasonal Dark Streaks in Tivat Crater, Mars
Seasonal Dark Streaks in Tivat Crater, Mars
With the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument just above his head, a technician at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center works on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft...
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With the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument just above his head, a technician at NASA's Kennedy Space Center works on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft in July 2005.
Spectrometer for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
A digital terrain model generated from a stereo pair of images provides this synthesized, oblique view of a portion of the wall terraces of Mojave Crater in the Xanthe Terra region of Mars.
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A digital terrain model generated from a stereo pair of images provides this synthesized, oblique view of a portion of the wall terraces of Mojave Crater in the Xanthe Terra region of Mars.
Terrain Model of Mars' Mojave Crater
The bright linear features cutting the bedrock in the center region of this image look like mineral veins.
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The bright linear features cutting the bedrock in the center region of this image look like mineral veins.
Mineral Veins (3-D)
On Nov. 1, 2016, the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observed the impact site of Europe's Schiaparelli test lander, gaining the first color view of the site since the lander's O...
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On Nov. 1, 2016, the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observed the impact site of Europe's Schiaparelli test lander, gaining the first color view of the site since the lander's Oct. 19 arrival. These cutouts cover locations where three parts of the spacecraft reached the ground.
Schiaparelli Impact Site on Mars, in Color
A dramatic, fresh impact crater dominates this image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 19, 2013.
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A dramatic, fresh impact crater dominates this image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 19, 2013.
A Spectacular New Martian Impact Crater
Wind shadow and real shadow combine to give a striking image of a comet.
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Wind shadow and real shadow combine to give a striking image of a comet.
THEMIS Images as Art
This beautiful observation shows a gorgeous pattern of dust devil tracks.
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This beautiful observation shows a gorgeous pattern of dust devil tracks.
Dust Devils on Mars
Bright blue marks a deposit of chloride (salt) minerals in the southern highlands of Mars in this false-color image, which highlights mineral composition differences.
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Chloride Salt Deposit in Southern Highlands of Mars
Chloride Salt Deposit in Southern Highlands of Mars (Annotated)
These dark streaks, also known as “slope streaks,” resulted from dust avalanches on Mars. The HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured them on Dec. 26, 2017.
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These dark streaks, also known as “slope streaks,” resulted from dust avalanches on Mars. The HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured them on Dec. 26, 2017.
HiRISE Spots Slope Streaks Fanning Out on Mars
This map of Mars indicates locations of new craters that have excavated ice (blue) and those that have not (red). The underlying map is based on the brightness, or albedo, of the Martian surface.
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This map of Mars indicates locations of new craters that have excavated ice (blue) and those that have not (red). The underlying map is based on the brightness, or albedo, of the Martian surface.
Locations of Ice-Exposing Fresh Craters on Mars
The orbit of MAVEN sometimes crosses the orbit of Phobos. This image shows the configuration of the two orbits in early December 2015, when MAVEN's Phobos observations were made.
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The orbit of MAVEN sometimes crosses the orbit of Phobos. This image shows the configuration of the two orbits in early December 2015, when MAVEN's Phobos observations were made.
Orbit of MAVEN and Phobos
Details such as the shadow of the mast on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity appear in an image taken Aug. 17, 2012, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconn...
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Details such as the shadow of the mast on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity appear in an image taken Aug. 17, 2012, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, from more directly overhead than previous HiRISE images of Curiosity.
Orbiter View of Curiosity From Nearly Straight Overhead
These images from the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show several impact scars on Mars made by pieces of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft that the spacecraft shed just before entering ...
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These images from the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show several impact scars on Mars made by pieces of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft that the spacecraft shed just before entering the Martian atmosphere.
Impact Scars from MSL Cruise Stage and Two Balance Weights (Figure 3)
This animation depicts a flyover of a meteoroid impact crater on Mars that’s surrounded by boulder-size chunks of ice. The animation was created using data from the High-Resolution Imaging Science ...
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This animation depicts a flyover of a meteoroid impact crater on Mars that’s surrounded by boulder-size chunks of ice.
Flyover of Mars Impact Using HiRISE Data (Animation)
The red line on this map shows where NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has driven from the place where it landed in January 2004 -- inside Eagle Crater, at the upper left end of the track -- to where i...
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Opportunity's Path on Mars Through Sol 2436
Opportunity's Path on Mars Through Sol 2436
Terrain in Vastitas Borealis Region.
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Terrain in Vastitas Borealis Region.
Terrain in Vastitas Borealis Region
This image features an exhumed crater in Meridiani Planum, an equatorial region where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian surface since January 2004. An exhumed crater is one that ...
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This image features an exhumed crater in Meridiani Planum, an equatorial region where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian surface since January 2004.
Crater in Meridiani Planum (2.3 N, 356.6 W) [3-D]
An enhanced-color image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveals bedrock that is several kilometers below the top of the giant Valles Marineris canyons.
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Geologic History Revealed in Valles Marineris
Geologic History Revealed in Valles Marineris

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