NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Starburst Channels

Translucent carbon dioxide ice covers the polar regions of Mars seasonally.

Lizard-Skin Surface Texture

The south polar region of Mars is covered seasonally with translucent carbon dioxide ice.

Field of Fans

At the very beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere on Mars the ground is covered with a seasonal layer of carbon dioxide ice.

Active Processes Bright Streaks and Dark Fans

In a region of the south pole known informally as "Ithaca" numerous fans of dark frost form every spring.

New Vocabulary Araneiform and Lace Terrains

The south polar terrain on Mars contains landforms unlike any that we see on Earth, so much that a new vocabulary is required to describe them.

Color Reveals Translucent Seasonal Ice

In a region near the south pole of Mars translucent carbon dioxide ice covers the ground seasonally.

Isolated Araneiform Topography

Have you ever found that to describe something you had to go to the dictionary and search for just the right word?

Views of Phobos and Deimos

Spectrometer Images of Candidate Landing Sites for Next Mars Rover

This composite shows four examples of "browse" products the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars instrument obtained of areas on Mars near proposed landing sites for NASA's 2009 Mars Science Laboratory.

Color Image of Nili Fossae Trough, a Candidate MSL Landing Site

The image was taken as part of a campaign to examine more than two dozen candidate landing sites for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, which is scheduled for launch in 2009.

Color Image of Layers in Holden Crater, a Candidate MSL Landing Site

Layers inside Holden Crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars are shown in enhanced color in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Rocky Mesas of Nilosyrtis Mensae Region, in Color

Mars Gully: No Mineral Trace of Liquid Water

Video Exploration of Details in Martian North Polar Layered Deposits

Simulated Flight over Gullied Crater

Video Exploration of Details in Athabasca Valles on Mars

Gullies with Characteristics of Water-Carved Channels

Layered Ice Deposits Near North Pole of Mars

Lava-Draped Channel System on Mars

Swiss Cheese Terrain in South Polar Region