2015 - 2016 Mars Calendar

This graphic compares atmospheric opacity in different Mars years from the point of view of NASA’s Opportunity rover. 

Engineers install the SuperCam instrument on Mars 2020's rover. This image was taken on June 25, 2019, in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

This infographic highlights NASA’s twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity.  The rovers landed on the Red Planet in 2004, in search of answers about the hist...

Mars’ nightside atmosphere glows and pulsates in this data animation from MAVEN spacecraft observations. Green-to-white false color shows the enhanced brightenings on Mars’ ultraviolet “nightglow" ...

Divide and conquer: combining 11 small sections of "Block Island" (the color map shows five of the sections).

A self-portrait of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity taken in late March 2014 (right) shows that much of the dust on the rover's solar arrays has been removed since a similar portrait from ...

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians remove one of the circuit boards on the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2).

This section from a panorama that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired in October 2005 from the top of "Husband Hill" presents the view toward the south from that summit.

The shadow of NASA InSight's robotic arm moves over its heat probe, or "mole," on Nov. 3, 2019, the 333rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

An engineer working on NASA's Mars 2020 mission uses a solar intensity probe to measure and compare the amount of artificial sunlight that reaches different portions of the rover.

As Opportunity crept farther into "Endurance Crater," the dune field on the crater floor appears even more dramatic, as seen in this false-color image.

Mars' north polar deposits comprise a thick stack of icy layers. Part of this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has lingering seasonal frost, which serves to accentuate those laye...

The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration that will fly as a secondary payload with the Mars 2020 mission. It will demonstrate the potential of aerial flight on Mars, which may enable more ...

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observes many slopes in the middle latitudes of Mars showing icy flows or glaciers. The region shown here, in the south-facing slope of a crater, is unusual becau...

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows an impact crater that triggered a slope streak. When a meteoroid hit the surface and exploded to make the crater, it destabilized the slope ...

The HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to capture this image of the descent stage that helped fly NASA’s Perseverance rover down to the surface of Mars. Color and data...

At a rock called "Clovis," the rock abrasion tool on Spirit cut a 9-millimeter (0.35-inch) hole. To the right of the drill hole is a "brush flower" of circles produced by scrubbing the surface of...

Missions to outer space have come a long way since the days of Cold War competition. Farah Alibay finds that building relationships is a big part of building spacecraft.

Members of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission's Entry, Descent and Landing team rejoice at the news that mission control received its first signal from Spirit, indicating the rove...

The first episode documents the hurdles leading up to both launches. From Mother Nature being uncooperative to a problem with the cork insulation on the rocket, lift-off was no small feat. Ultimate...

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been working on Mars since landing inside Eagle Crater on Jan. 25, 2004 (Universal Time; evening of Jan. 24, Pacific Standard Time).

View the many unique areas that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity traveled during its 11 year historic journey. (Audio: music only)

This animation shows a proposed route for NASA's Curiosity rover, which is climbing lower Mount Sharp on Mars. The annotated version of the map labels different regions that scientists working with...

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to capture the component images for this stereo, 360-degree panorama near the ridgeline of Endeavour Crater's western rim. The v...

Athabasca Valles is a large channel carved by giant outbursts of groundwater somewhere between 2 and 30 million years ago. These streamlined "islands" were carved by the massive floodwaters.