Artist’s concept of MRO during Mars Orbital Insertion
Image Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is now officially in the approach phase of its journey to the red planet.
NASA’s next martian orbiter has gotten one step closer to the red planet with the transition from cruise phase to approach phase!
“Cruise is a deceptive term - we […]

Check out this image returned by the Mars Orbital Camera onboard Mars Global Surveyor:

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) color image shows early autumn clouds over the Arsia Mons volcano, plus the shadow of the innermost of the two martain moons, Phobos.
Arsia Mons and the other large […]

And still going, and going, and…
The Mars Exploration Rovers have recently passed the two-year mark of Martian operations. Spirit touched down on the red planet January 3, 2004; Opportunity followed closely behind, landing on January 24th. To mark the auspicious occasion, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has posted a feature on the MERs which reviews […]

Fresh on the heels of yesterday’s article featuring the MERs, this press release and image and accompanying imagery were just released today. Positively brilliant find, offering a look back into the red planet’s history when conditions were dramatically different.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
This image from the panoramic camera on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the best […]

Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day features a gorgeous new mosaic from the red planet.
The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, will go down in history with distinction, being one of the most rewarding planetary science efforts ever undertaken. Originally designed for a mere 90 days apiece of Martian surface exploration and data collection, the […]