Mars Orbiter Captures Images of China’s Rover From Space

The Chinese Zhurong rover landed on Mars in May 2021.This HiRISE image, acquired on 11 March 2022, shows the rover's new location. Credit: NASA/JPL/UofA

China’s Tianwen-1 lander and Zhurong rover touched down on the Martian plain Utopia Planitia on May 14, 2021 after spending about three months orbiting the Red Planet. While the Chinese Space Agency has shared images of the rover and lander (including a cute family portrait taken by a wireless remote camera), NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been following the rover’s travels from above.

Continue reading “Mars Orbiter Captures Images of China’s Rover From Space”

‘Glowing’ Sand Dune Erosion on the Side of a Martian Crater

Erosion in Kaiser Crater on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona.

While Mars is known as the Red Planet, a variety of colors can be found on the planet’s surface. Just like on Earth, the array of colors we can see in images from Mars comes from the diverse minerals on or just under the surface.

In the case of this picture, subsurface minerals show up in gullies that have eroded down the side of a a giant sand dune.   

Continue reading “‘Glowing’ Sand Dune Erosion on the Side of a Martian Crater”

Strange Intersecting Sand Dunes on Mars

Polygonal dunes on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

In our exploration of Mars, we’ve seen some strange but naturally occurring shapes. Polygons – a shape with at least three straight sides and angles, typically with five or more – have been seen in several different Martian landscapes, and scientists say these shapes are of great interest because they often indicate the presence of shallow ice, or that water formerly was present in these areas.

Continue reading “Strange Intersecting Sand Dunes on Mars”

This is why Martian Colonists are Going to Wish They had an Atmosphere Above Them

A small impact crater on Mars that was created within the past 5 years, seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona.

There will be all sorts of risks for any future colonists on Mars, such as extreme weather and temperatures, radiation, and the human physiological problems associated with living in with decreased gravity. But another issue means colonists on Mars will have to be on a constant lookout above their heads.

Continue reading “This is why Martian Colonists are Going to Wish They had an Atmosphere Above Them”

This Is a Collapsed Pit on Mars, Not a Pimple

A HiRISE image of the southern polar region of Mars shows a sunken pit on the layered surface. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Mars has been in the news a lot lately, and for good reason. With the historic landing of the Perseverance Rover earlier in the year, and the successful flight of Ingenuity, the first-ever aircraft to fly in another atmosphere, earlier this morning (April 19, 2021), there’s no shortage of exciting stories of technical brilliance from the human-built wonders exploring the red planet. High above the plucky helicopter, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) surveys the Martian landscape on a grand scale. A brain-bending image released by High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), a powerful camera aboard MRO, shows a sunken pit in the planet’s polar region. From the high-altitude perspective of the orbiter, it’s easy for the mind to warp the concave depression into a convex, acne-esque Martian polar zit!

Continue reading “This Is a Collapsed Pit on Mars, Not a Pimple”

A Lake in a Martian Crater was Once Filled by Glacial Runoff

Artist's impression of Mars during the Noachian Era. Credit: Ittiz/Wikipedia Commons

All across the Martian surface, there are preserved features that tell the story of what Mars once looked like. These include channels that were carved by flowing water, delta fans where water deposited sediment over time, and lakebeds where clay and hydrated minerals are found. In addition to telling us more about Mars’ past, the study of these features can tell us about how Mars made the transition to what it is today.

According to new research led by Brown Ph.D. student Ben Boatwright, an unnamed Martian crater in Mars southern highlands showed features that indicate the presence of water, but there is no indication of how it got there. Along with Brown professor Jim Head (his advisor), they concluded that the crater’s features are likely the result of runoff from a Martian glacier that once occupied the area.

Continue reading “A Lake in a Martian Crater was Once Filled by Glacial Runoff”

Frosty Sand Dunes on Mars

Frosty dunes on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona.

Sand dunes on Mars are fascinating. They shift and move in different ways than they do on Earth, and they can grow to much more immense sizes than on our own planet. Several conditions contribute to the gigantic sand dunes and large fields of dunes that can form on the Red Planet, including its low gravity and air pressure.

Seasonal changes affect the Martian sand dunes, as well.

Continue reading “Frosty Sand Dunes on Mars”

A Single Dust Devil on Mars

A well-defined dust devil traversing the dunes of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

Mars has a great combination of dust and wind. The result of that combination is often dust devils.

The HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured several dust devils in action, including this lonely whirling dust cloud traversing across a small crater on the Red Planet.

Continue reading “A Single Dust Devil on Mars”

Perseverance’s Landing … Seen From Orbit!

The Mars 2020 descent stage holding NASA’s Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on February 18, 2021 by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

The HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has done it again.

The imaging team was able to capture the Perseverance rover as it descended through the Martian atmosphere, hanging under its parachute.

Stunning.

Continue reading “Perseverance’s Landing … Seen From Orbit!”