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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Views Curiosity Rover Climbing Mount Sharp

Curiosity Rover Climbing Mount Sharp

Using the most powerful telescope ever sent to Mars, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught a view of the Curiosity rover this month amid rocky mountainside terrain.

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MAVEN's Top 10 Discoveries at Mars

Mars as seen by MAVEN

On June 17, NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission) will celebrate 1,000 Earth days in orbit around the Red Planet.

Hot Rocks Led to Relatively Recent Water-Carved Valleys on Mars

Present-day Mars is a frozen desert, colder and more arid than Antarctica, and scientists are fairly sure it's been that way for at least the last 3 billion years.

Active Flows on Steep Slopes in Ganges Chasma on Mars

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter covers a steep west-facing slope in southwestern Ganges Chasma, north of the larger canyons of Valles Marineris.

Erosion of the Edge of the Mars' South Polar Layered Deposits

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows small ripples, about 10 meters apart, located in Her Desher Vallis.

Window to a Watery Past on Mars

This 70 km-wide crater and its surrounds offer a window into the watery past of the Red Planet.

How Much Water Was Needed to Carve Valleys on Mars?

A new study led by Northern Illinois University geography professor Wei Luo calculates the amount of water needed to carve the ancient network of valleys on Mars and concludes the Red Planet's surface was once much more watery than previously thought.

Curiosity Peels Back Layers on Ancient Martian Lake

A long-lasting lake on ancient Mars provided stable environmental conditions that differed significantly from one part of the lake to another, according to a comprehensive look at findings from the first three-and-a-half years of NASA's Curiosity rover mission.

A South Polar Pit or an Impact Crater on Mars?

We see many shallow pits in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice (also called "Swiss cheese terrain").

Schiaparelli Crash Landing on Mars Investigation Completed

The inquiry into the crash-landing of the ExoMars Schiaparelli module has concluded that conflicting information in the onboard computer caused the descent sequence to end prematurely.

How Hard Did It Rain on Mars?

Heavy rain on Mars reshaped the planet's impact craters and carved out river-like channels in its surface billions of years ago, according to a new study published in Icarus.

Mars Rover Opportunity Begins Study of Valley's Origin

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the main destination of its current two-year extended mission -- an ancient fluid-carved valley incised on the inner slope of a vast crater's rim.

Ancient Mars Impacts Created Tornado-like Winds That Scoured Surface

In looking at NASA images of Mars a few years ago, Brown University geologist Peter Schultz noticed sets of strange bright streaks emanating from a few large-impact craters on the planet's surface.

Seasonal Flows in Valles Marineris

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are seasonal flows on warm slopes, and are especially common in central and eastern Valles Marineris, as seen in this observation by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

How Old are Martian Gullies?

Gullies eroded into the steep inner slope of an impact crater at this location appear perfectly pristine in this image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Curiosity Rover Samples Active Linear Dune on Mars

As it drives uphill from a band of rippled sand dunes, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is toting a fistful of dark sand for onboard analysis that will complete the rover's investigation of those dunes.

Making Bricks On Mars

Explorers planning to settle on Mars might be able to turn the planet's red soil into bricks without needing to use an oven or additional ingredients.

Lakebeds in Holden Crater on Mars

Holden Crater was once filled by at least two different lakes. The sediments deposited in those lakes are relatively light-toned where exposed, as seen in this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.