Skip Navigation
menu

Images

Artist's concept of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter en route to Mars.

Artist's concept of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter en route to Mars.

November 18, 2005

Artist's concept of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter en route to Mars.

Credits

NASA/JPL-Caltech

ENLARGE

Related

Images like this from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show portions of the Martian surface in unprecedented detail. 
More
Images like this from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show portions of the Martian surface in unprecedented detail. 
True Gullies on Mars
This image shows the context for orbital observations of exposed rocks that had been buried an estimated 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep on Mars.
More
This image shows the context for orbital observations of exposed rocks that had been buried an estimated 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep on Mars.
Nature's Drilling Exposes Deeply Buried Minerals
Boulder-size blocks of water ice can be seen around the rim of an impact crater on Mars, as viewed by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE camera) aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissanc...
More
Boulder-size blocks of water ice can be seen around the rim of an impact crater on Mars, as viewed by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE camera) aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
HiRISE Views a Mars Impact Crater Surrounded by Water Ice
This image acquired on November 30, 2018 by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a complex crater, where we see bedrock in several locations from different depths in the crust.
More
This image acquired on November 30, 2018 by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a complex crater, where we see bedrock in several locations from different depths in the crust.
Exposing the Rock in Impact Craters
This map of the region around NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the relative locations of several craters and the rover in May 2010.
More
Opportunity Rover Amid Mars Craters
Opportunity Amid Mars Craters
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover can be seen at the "Pahrump Hills" area of Gale Crater in this view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orb...
More
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover can be seen at the "Pahrump Hills" area of Gale Crater in this view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Curiosity Rover at 'Pahrump Hills'
The yellow 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 a po...
More
The yellow 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 a point about 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) away from reaching the rim of Endeavour crater.
Eagle to Endeavour: Opportunity's Path, Sol 2609
This dune field in Aonia Terra shows sand dunes with a variety of morphologies. These complex shapes often indicate that the dominating winds change direction, either over time or from one locatio...
More
This dune field in Aonia Terra shows sand dunes with a variety of morphologies. These complex shapes often indicate that the dominating winds change direction, either over time or from one location to the next.
Colliding Sand Dunes in Aonia Terra
This area at the base of Mount Sharp on Mars includes a pale outcrop, called "Pahrump Hills," that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover investigated from September 2014 to March 2015, and the "Artist's Driv...
More
This area at the base of Mount Sharp on Mars includes a pale outcrop, called "Pahrump Hills," that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover investigated from September 2014 to March 2015, and the "Artist's Drive" route toward higher layers of the mountain.
Curiosity Heading Away from 'Pahrump Hills'
This set of images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a fierce dust storm is kicking up on Mars, with rovers on the surface indicated as icons.
More
This set of images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a fierce dust storm is kicking up on Mars, with rovers on the surface indicated as icons.
2018 Giant Dust Storm on Mars
This is an image of a central pit of an impact crater in the Martian ancient highlands.
More
This is an image of a central pit of an impact crater in the Martian ancient highlands.
Colorful Streaks
This fresh crater is located in the northern mid-latitudes. It is designated as fresh because of its very sharp rim.
More
This fresh crater is located in the northern mid-latitudes. It is designated as fresh because of its very sharp rim. The crater has experienced some modification since it formed, including a few tiny craters on the south wall. The rough texture of the floor is suggestive of ground ice, which is expected to exist in the mid-latitudes. Ground ice aids gravity in moving material from the crater walls towards the center. Material is visible slumping off the northwest crater wall in this fashion. The wavy texture of the center of the crater floor suggests that material has been transported from the walls and merged in the center.
Fresh Impact Crater in Utopia Planitia
This global map of Mars was acquired on Aug. 2, 2012, by the Mars Color Imager instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
More
This global map of Mars was acquired on Aug. 2, 2012, by the Mars Color Imager instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Mars Weather Map, Aug. 2 (Labeled)
This sequence of images shows a blast zone where the sky crane from NASA's Curiosity rover mission hit the ground after setting the rover down in August 2012, and how that dark scar's appearance ch...
More
This sequence of images shows a blast zone where the sky crane from NASA's Curiosity rover mission hit the ground after setting the rover down in August 2012, and how that dark scar's appearance changed over the subsequent 30 months. The images are from HiRISE on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Changes in Scars From 2012 Mars Landing
This observation shows a portion of the wall (light-toned material) and floor of a trough in the Acheron Fossae region of Mars. Many dark and light-toned slope streaks are visible on the wall of th...
More
This observation shows a portion of the wall (light-toned material) and floor of a trough in the Acheron Fossae region of Mars. Many dark and light-toned slope streaks are visible on the wall of the trough surrounded by dunes.
Slope Streaks in Acheron Fossae
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in mid-November 2015, approaching examples of dunes in the "Bagnold D...
More
This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in mid-November 2015, approaching examples of dunes in the "Bagnold Dunes" dune field.
Curiosity Rover's Traverse, First 1,163 Sols on Mars
CRISM observations of this region of the Noctis Labyrinthus formation have shown indications of iron-bearing sulfates and phyllosilicate (clay) minerals.
More
CRISM observations of this region of the Noctis Labyrinthus formation have shown indications of iron-bearing sulfates and phyllosilicate (clay) minerals.
MRO Sees Light-Toned Deposits in Noctis Labyrinthus
This is a close-up of the area in the vicinity of the Pathfinder landing site. Major features are named. The white box outlines the area of the image, where hardware is seen.
More
This is a close-up image of the area in the vicinity of the Pathfinder landing site
Landing Site Region
This crater, formed in 2008, exposes shallow, clean ice that is not uncommon in the middle-to-high latitudes on Mars.
More
This crater, formed in 2008, exposes shallow, clean ice that is not uncommon in the middle-to-high latitudes on Mars.
Icy New Impact
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed Martian rocks containing a hydrated mineral similar to opal. The rocks are light-toned and appear cream-colored in this false-color image taken by th...
More
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed Martian rocks containing a hydrated mineral similar to opal. The rocks are light-toned and appear cream-colored in this false-color image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. Images acquired by the orbiter reveal that different layers of rock have different properties and chemistry. The opal minerals are located in distinct beds of rock outside of the large Valles Marineris canyon system and are also found in rocks within the canyon. The presence of opal in these relatively young rocks tells scientists that water, possibly as rivers and small ponds, interacted with the surface as recently as two billion years ago, one billion years later than scientists had expected. The discovery of this new category of minerals spread across large regions of Mars suggests that liquid water played an important role in shaping the planet's surface and possibly hosting life.
Gemstone of the Year - Labeled
The white speck is NASA’s Perseverance rover in the “South Séítah” area of Mars’ Jezero Crater.
More
The white speck is NASA’s Perseverance rover in the “South Séítah” area of Mars’ Jezero Crater.
HiRISE Spots Perseverance in 'South Séítah'
This image shows layered sedimentary rocks and ripples that fill and surround an impact crater in Meridiani Planum, an equatorial region where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian s...
More
This image shows layered sedimentary rocks and ripples that fill and surround an impact 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, 2.6 W) [3-D]
This image acquired on January 23, 2019 by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the western portion of a well-preserved (recent) impact crater in Ladon Basin.
More
This image acquired on January 23, 2019 by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the western portion of a well-preserved (recent) impact crater in Ladon Basin.
Colorful Impact Ejecta in Ladon Valles
This image, taken with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, shows the transition between the "Murray Formation," in which layers are poorly expressed and difficult to tra...
More
This color image shows the transition between the "Murray Formation," and the hematite ridge, which is made up of continuous layers that can be traced laterally for hundreds of meters. Between both areas is a dark band of material, which are the dunes that divide Murray Ridge and Hematite Ridge.
Geological Transition
Workers roll one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter equipment into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, Kennedy Space Center.
More
Workers roll one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter equipment into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, Kennedy Space Center.
Loading the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Spacecraft

You Might Also Like

The agency is asking the NASA community to work together to develop a revised plan that leverages innovation and proven technology.
More
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
NASA has proven powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds, just as the Wright brothers proved it was possible on Earth.
More
After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends
After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends
The agency established the board in May 2023 to evaluate the technical, cost, and schedule plans prior to confirmation of the mission’s design.
More
NASA Releases Independent Review's Mars Sample Return Report
NASA Releases Independent Review's Mars Sample Return Report
A pair of quakes in 2021 sent seismic waves deep into the Red Planet’s core, giving scientists the best data yet on its size and composition.
More
NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core
NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core
Ten sample tubes, capturing an amazing variety of Martian geology, have been deposited on Mars’ surface so they could be studied on Earth in the future.
More
NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot
NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot
Filled with rock, the sample tube will be one of 10 forming a depot of tubes that could be considered for a journey to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign.
More
NASA's Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface
NASA's Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface