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Mars TOP STORY

Preserving The Stress of Volcanic Uprise on Mars

Solis Planum

An ancient mountain range on Mars preserves a complex volcanic and tectonic past imprinted with signs of water and ice interactions.

Looking Up At Martian Clouds

Martian clouds

Wispy, early-season clouds resembling Earth's ice-crystal cirrus clouds move across the Martian sky in some new image sequences from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.

Opportunity Panorama From Above Perseverance Valley

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded a panoramic view before entering the upper end of a fluid-carved valley that descends the inner slope of a large crater's rim.

Phobos Photobombs Mars

A football-shaped object just 16.5 miles by 13.5 miles by 11 miles, Phobos is one of the smallest moons in the solar system.

Massive Asteroid Impact Could Explain Martian Geological Mysteries

The origin and nature of Mars is mysterious.

Curiosity Begins Study of Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars

The car-size NASA rover on a Martian mountain, Curiosity, has begun its long-anticipated study of an iron-bearing ridge forming a distinctive layer on the mountain's slope.

A Small Crater on a Larger Crater's Wall

It's not that common to see craters on steep hills, partly because rocks falling downhill can quickly erase such craters.

Decoding a Geological Message on Mars

A close-up image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of a recent 150-meter diameter impact crater near Amazonis Mensa and Medusae Fossae is another great example of geologic complexity of Mars. The spider web-like texture of this crater is intriguing. But what does it mean?

Exposed Bedrock in the Koval'sky Impact Basin on Mars

This image shows partially exposed bedrock within the Koval'sky impact basin, which is on the outskirts of the extensive lava field of Daedalia Planum.

The Niagara Falls of Mars

Various researchers are often pre-occupied with the quest for flowing water on Mars. However, this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), shows one of the many examples from Mars where lava (when it was molten) behaved in a similar fashion to liquid water.

Mars Rover Opportunity on Walkabout Near Rim

NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, is examining rocks at the edge of Endeavour Crater for signs that they may have been either transported by a flood or eroded in place by wind.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Views 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.

MAVEN's Top 10 Discoveries at Mars

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.