Mars Exploration: Home

This animated GIF is a combination of two images. The first image shows a closeup view of the two pairs of camera lenses on a shelf. The left-hand pair are larger than the right-hand pair, go to the hazard avoidance camera, and have a larger, fish-eye lens field of view for examining the rover's wheels and immediate surroundings. Its lenses are a clear, almost-turquoise blue. The right-hand pair of lenses are smaller and go to the navigation camera, which takes panoramic, far-field images of surrounding terrain. The first image shows a scientist with sandy hair and sideburns and wearing a white lab coat standing just in front and to the left side of two pairs of camera lenses on a a shelf. His left wrist is attached to a cord that is plugged into an outlet below the shelf to prevent the transfer of static electricity to the instruments.

This false-color infrared image portrays a large impact crater viewed from orbit. The crater is nearly filled with sediment that is cracked into irregular, shardlike pieces inside the crater rim. In the middle is a flat-topped mesa. Both the crater sediment and the surrounding terrain are dotted with smaller impact craters.

Martian Eyes Are Watching >>

Like Martian Water for Chocolate >>

Latest:	Mars Exploration Rover	Mars Science Laboratory
Mars Odyssey	Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter	Phoenix




		Mars Orbiter Eyes Dust Devils at Phoenix Landing Site NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured an image of dust devils -- swirling dust storms -- near the landing site for the Mars Phoenix lander on the northern Martian plains. >>

		Shoulder Motor Balks on Opportunity's Robotic Arm A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become more troublesome recently. >>

		New Online Map Reveals Evidence of the Forces that Once Shaped Mars A new online map lets visitors explore Mars’ past through a collection of high-resolution observations from one of the most powerful spectrometers ever sent to the Red Planet. >>

		Mars Radar Opens a New Dimension in Planet Exploration A radar instrument co-sponsored by NASA on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has looked beneath the surface of Mars and opened up a new dimension for planetary exploration. >>

		NASA Spacecraft Fine Tunes Course for Mars Landing NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25 landing on the Red Planet. >>

		NASA Spacecraft Images Mars Moon in Color and in 3D A new stereo view of Phobos, the larger and inner of Mars' two tiny moons, has been captured by a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars. >>

		High School Students Help Explore Mars through Innovative Program While most kids can only read about Mars exploration, four groups of high school students from around the country are getting the chance to plan observations of the Red Planet and join the science team analyzing data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. >>


		NASA Mission Finds New Clues to Guide Search for Life on Mars NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past. >>

		NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole. >>

		Spacecraft at Mars Prepare to Welcome New Kid on the Block Three Mars spacecraft are adjusting their orbits to be over the right place at the right time to listen to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it enters the Martian atmosphere on May 25. >>

		Mars Rovers Sharpen Questions About Livable Conditions Like salt used as a preservative, high concentrations of dissolved minerals in the wet, early-Mars environment known from discoveries by NASA's Opportunity rover may have thwarted any microbes from developing or surviving. >>

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