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Addition Date Target MissionSort Ascending Instrument Size
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-21 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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The heritage for investigations with the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover comes from NASA's Odyssey orbiter.
PIA16083:
Laying the Groundwork for Curiosity's DAN
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.735 MB)     JPEG (215.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-21 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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NASA's Curiosity rover pinged the ground with neutrons for the first time, a process called active neutron sounding, on August 17, 2012.
PIA16084:
Curiosity Blasts Ground with Neutrons
Full Resolution:     TIFF (31.01 MB)     JPEG (359.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-22 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This image shows laser plasmas in a test lab at Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M., under typical atmospheric pressures on Earth and Mars. A plasma is an ionized, glowing gas.
PIA16088:
Laser Plasmas on Earth and Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.931 MB)     JPEG (103.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-22 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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This is the first laser spectrum from the ChemCam instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover, sent back from Mars on Aug. 19, 2012, showing emission lines from different elements present in the target, a rock near the rover's landing site dubbed 'Coronation.'
PIA16089:
Coronation's Chemicals
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.242 MB)     JPEG (167.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-27 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This chart illustrates how NASA's Curiosity rover talks to Earth. While the rover can send direct messages, it communicates more efficiently with the help of spacecraft in orbit, including NASA's Odyssey and MRO, and European Space Agency's Mars Express.
PIA16106:
Curiosity Speaks and Orbiters Listen
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.766 MB)     JPEG (71.71 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-27 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This chart shows increases in the volume of data coming back from NASA's Mars Curiosity over recent sols. New capabilities of the 'Electra' relay-radios on MRO and Curiosity have greatly increased the volume of data the rover is sending back from Mars.
PIA16107:
Curiosity Speaks Volumes
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.766 MB)     JPEG (54.36 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-08-27 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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An instrument suite that will analyze the chemical ingredients in samples of Martian atmosphere, rocks and soil during the mission of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, is shown here during assembly at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., in 2010.
PIA16100:
Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument, Side Panels Off
Full Resolution:     TIFF (36.18 MB)     JPEG (1.13 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This photograph shows the Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) rover, a nearly identical copy to NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.
PIA15875:
NASA's Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) Rover
Full Resolution:     TIFF (52.2 MB)     JPEG (1.677 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This photograph shows the Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) rover, a nearly identical copy to NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.
PIA15876:
NASA's Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) Rover
Full Resolution:     TIFF (108.5 MB)     JPEG (2.982 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This photograph shows the Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) rover, a nearly identical copy to NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.
PIA15877:
NASA's Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) Rover
Full Resolution:     TIFF (104.5 MB)     JPEG (2.307 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This photograph shows the Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) rover, a nearly identical copy to NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.
PIA15878:
NASA's Vehicle System Test Bed (VSTB) Rover
Full Resolution:     TIFF (101 MB)     JPEG (1.411 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-09-06 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This engineering drawing shows the location of the arm on NASA's Curiosity rover, in addition to the arm's turret, which holds two instruments and three tools. The arm places and holds turret-mounted tools on rock and soil targets.
PIA16144:
Curiosity's Robotic Arm
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.027 MB)     JPEG (169 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-09-06 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This engineering drawing shows the five devices that make up the turret at the end of the arm on NASA's Curiosity rover. These include: the drill for acquiring powdered samples from interiors of rocks.
PIA16145:
Tools at Curiosity's 'Fingertips'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.027 MB)     JPEG (192.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-09-06 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This engineering drawing shows various components needed to support tools at the end of the arm on NASA's Curiosity rover, including: calibration targets for helping instruments set their baseline levels.
PIA16146:
Curiosity's Work Bench
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.027 MB)     JPEG (223.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-09-06 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This engineering drawing shows the arm on NASA's Curiosity's rover in its 'ready-for-action' position, or 'ready out' as engineers say, in addition to the position it assumes to drop off samples.
PIA16147:
Flexing Curiosity's Arm
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.476 MB)     JPEG (116.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-04 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CHIMRA
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This false-color engineering drawing shows the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) device, attached to the turret at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA16206:
CHIMRA: Scoops, Sieves and Delivers Samples
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.027 MB)     JPEG (87.36 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-04 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CHIMRA
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This cutaway view shows the internal chambers of the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) device, attached to the turret at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA16207:
Internal Chambers of CHIMRA
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.027 MB)     JPEG (69.49 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-04 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This image shows a test using an engineering model of the soil scoop for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The scoop dips to about 1.4 inches (3.5 centimeters) deep. This test took place at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., in 2011.
PIA16203:
Test Scooping for Mars Rover Curiosity Animation Icon
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.343 MB)     JPEG (101.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-30 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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A conventional X-ray diffraction instrument (left) is the size of a large refrigerator, in contrast to the compact size of the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover (top right).
PIA16170:
X-ray Diffraction, Big and Small
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.931 MB)     JPEG (158.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-30 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This charged couple device (CCD) is part of the CheMin instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover. When CheMin directs X-rays at a sample of soil, this imager, which is the size of a postage stamp, detects both the position and energy of each X-ray photon.
PIA16171:
Detector for CheMin
Full Resolution:     TIFF (926 kB)     JPEG (29.16 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-30 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This image shows the cells that hold the soil samples that are vibrated by the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16172:
Shake it up, CheMin
Full Resolution:     TIFF (945.5 kB)     JPEG (31.19 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-30 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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The semi-precious gem peridot is a variety of olivine. NASA's Curiosity rover shows the diffraction signature, or 'fingerprint,' of the mineral olivine, shown here on Earth in the form of tumbled crystals.
PIA16218:
Olivine on Earth
Full Resolution:     TIFF (9.44 MB)     JPEG (166.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-10-30 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This graphic shows results of the first analysis of Martian soil by the CheMin experiment on NASA's Curiosity rover. The image reveals the presence of crystalline feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine mixed with some amorphous (non-crystalline) material.
PIA16217:
First X-ray View of Martian Soil
Full Resolution:     TIFF (351.3 kB)     JPEG (157.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-02 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This picture shows a lab demonstration of the measurement chamber inside the Tunable Laser Spectrometer, an instrument that is part of the Sample Analysis at Mars investigation on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16178:
Shooting Lasers
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.951 MB)     JPEG (57.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-02 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This graph shows the percentage abundance of five gases in the atmosphere of Mars, as measured by the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer instrument of the SAM instrument suite onboard Curiosity.
PIA16460:
The Five Most Abundant Gases in the Martian Atmosphere
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.735 MB)     JPEG (43.96 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-02 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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If the atmosphere of Mars contains methane, various possibilities have been proposed for where the methane could come from and how it could disappear.
PIA16461:
Potential Sources and Sinks of Methane on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.321 MB)     JPEG (60.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-02 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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New results from the Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover detected about 2,000 times as much argon-40 as argon-36, which weighs less, confirming the connection between Mars and Martian meteorites found on Earth.
PIA16462:
Weighing Molecules on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.167 MB)     JPEG (58.78 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-02 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This illustration based on results from Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the locations and interactions of volatiles on Mars.
PIA16463:
Volatiles on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.403 MB)     JPEG (42.74 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-11-27 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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This graph compares a typical daily pattern of changing atmospheric pressure (blue) with the pattern during a regional dust storm hundreds of miles away (red). The data are by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16455:
Atmospheric Pressure Patterns Before and During Dust Storm
Full Resolution:     TIFF (20.24 MB)     JPEG (324.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (MSL)
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This graph compares the elemental composition of typical soils at three landing regions on Mars: Gusev Crater, from Spirit; Meridiani Planum, from Opportunity; and now Gale Crater, where NASA's newest Curiosity rover is currently investigating.
PIA16572:
Inspecting Soils Across Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.762 MB)     JPEG (141.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This plot of data from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows the variety of gases that were released from sand grains upon heating in the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, or SAM.
PIA16573:
Heating Martian Sand Grains
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.828 MB)     JPEG (240 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This plot shows the first-ever look at the deuterium to hydrogen ratio measured from the surface of Mars, as detected by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, or SAM, on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16574:
Atmospheric Loss on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.762 MB)     JPEG (216.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has detected sulfur, chlorine, and oxygen compounds in fine grains scooped by the rover at a wind drift site called 'Rocknest.' The grains were heated and analyzed using the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite.
PIA16575:
Signs of Perchlorates and Sulfur Containing Compounds
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.762 MB)     JPEG (189.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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The first examinations of Martian soil by the Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument on NASA's Mars Curiosity rover show no definitive detection of Martian organic molecules at this point.
PIA16576:
Chlorinated Compounds at 'Rocknest'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.762 MB)     JPEG (253.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-11 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
MAHLI
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Camera and robotic-arm maneuvers for taking a self-portrait of the NASA Curiosity rover on Mars were checked first, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using the main test rover for the Curiosity.
PIA16458:
Self-Portrait of Curiosity's 'Stunt Double'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (68.82 MB)     JPEG (1.786 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-04 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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The shape of the tip of the bit in the drill of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is apparent in this view recorded by the remote micro-imager in the rover's ChemCam instrument on Mars. Jan. 29, 2012; the bit is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters) wide.
PIA16718:
Drill Bit Tip on Mars Rover Curiosity, Side View
Full Resolution:     TIFF (563.3 kB)     JPEG (32.42 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-04 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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This head-on view shows the tip of the drill bit on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. The view merges two exposures taken by the remote micro-imager in the rover's ChemCam instrument at different focus settings.
PIA16719:
Drill Bit Tip on Mars Rover Curiosity, Head-on View
Full Resolution:     TIFF (563.3 kB)     JPEG (34.13 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This frame from an animation depicts NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drilling a hole to collect a rock-powder sample at a target site called 'John Klein.'
PIA16821:
Simulation of Curiosity Rover Drilling into Martian Bedrock Animation Icon
Full Resolution:     TIFF (448.7 kB)     JPEG (23.64 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-20 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CHIMRA
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This figure shows the location of CHIMRA on the turret of NASA's Curiosity rover, together with a cutaway view of the device. CHIMRA processes samples from the rover's scoop or drill and delivers them to science instruments.
PIA16691:
Preparing Samples on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (12.29 MB)     JPEG (419.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-20 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CHIMRA
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This frame from an animation of NASA's Curiosity rover shows the complicated suite of operations involved in conducting the rover's first rock sample drilling on Mars and transferring the sample to the rover's scoop for inspection.
PIA16730:
Drilling into Mars Animation Icon
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.766 MB)     JPEG (84.51 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-20 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CHIMRA
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These schematic drawings show a top view and a cutaway view of a section of the drill on NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.
PIA16727:
Views of Curiosity's Drill
Full Resolution:     TIFF (7.319 MB)     JPEG (126.2 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-20 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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The development of the Mars rover Curiosity's capabilities for drilling into a rock on Mars required years of development work. Seen here are some of the rocks used in bit development testing and lifespan testing at JPL in 2007.
PIA16732:
Preparation on Earth for Drilling on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (15.05 MB)     JPEG (616.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-02-20 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This frame from a video clip shows moments during a demonstration of drilling into a rock at NASA's JPL, Pasadena, Calif., with a test double of the Mars rover Curiosity. The drill combines hammering and rotation motions of the bit.
PIA16733:
Video Clip of a Rover Rock-Drilling Demonstration at JPL Animation Icon
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.754 MB)     JPEG (165.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-12 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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A sampling pit exposing clay-bearing lake sediments, deposited in a basaltic basin in southern Australia -- a modern terrestrial analog to the 'Yellowknife Bay' area that NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring.
PIA16831:
An Earth Analog to Mars' Yellowknife Bay
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.668 MB)     JPEG (184 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-12 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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An analysis of a drilled rock sample from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the presence of water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide released on heating.
PIA16835:
Major Gases Released from Drilled Samples of the "John Klein" Rock
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.008 MB)     JPEG (79.48 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-12 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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NASA's Curiosity rover has detected the simple carbon-containing compounds chloro- and dichloromethane from the powdered rock sample extracted from the 'John Klein' rock on Mars.
PIA16836:
Chlorinated Forms of Methane at "John Klein" Site
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.824 MB)     JPEG (50.18 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (MSL)
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This graphic presents results from APXS onboard NASA's rover Curiosity, with the comparisons simplified across diverse elements by dividing the amount of each element measured in the rocks by the amount of the same element in a local soil.
PIA16791:
Elemental Compositions of 'Yellowknife Bay' Rocks
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.663 MB)     JPEG (161.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Mastcam
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At different locations on the surface of the same rock, scientists can use the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity to measure the amount of reflected light at a series of different wavelengths.
PIA16793:
Indication of Hydration in Veins and Nodules of 'Knorr' in 'Yellowknife Bay'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (21.61 MB)     JPEG (357.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Mastcam
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This set of images illustrates the twin cameras of the Mastcam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (upper left), the Mastcam calibration target (lower center), and the locations of the cameras and target on the rover.
PIA16798:
Mast Camera and Its Calibration Target on Curiosity Rover
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.979 MB)     JPEG (158 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Mastcam
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The color cameras on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, including the pair that make up the rover's Mastcam instrument, use the same type of Bayer pattern RGB filter as found in typical commercial color cameras.
PIA16799:
Filters for Color Imaging and for Science
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.979 MB)     JPEG (90.23 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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This chart graphs measurements made by the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity against the distance the rover has driven, in meters.
PIA16807:
Variations of DAN Measurements Along Curiosity Traverse
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.668 MB)     JPEG (146.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity detects even very small amounts of water in the ground beneath the rover, primarily water bound into the crystal structure of hydrated minerals.
PIA16808:
Two Types of Modeling of Subsurface Water
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.668 MB)     JPEG (297.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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This set of graphs shows variation in the amount and the depth of water detected beneath NASA's Mars rover Curiosity by use of the rover's Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument at different points the rover has driven.
PIA16809:
Variation in Water Content in Martian Subsurface Along Curiosity's Traverse
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.668 MB)     JPEG (148 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons
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The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took measurement on a rock outcrop (Spot 39) and on loose soil (Spot 40) within the 'Yellowknife Bay' area of Mars' Gale Crater.
PIA16810:
Variation in Subsurface Water In 'Yellowknife Bay'
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.668 MB)     JPEG (206.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This illustration shows the instruments and subsystems of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on the Curiosity Rover of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project. SAM analyzes the gases in the Martian atmosphere.
PIA16816:
The SAM Suite
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.167 MB)     JPEG (87.23 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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As the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite of instruments on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover heats a sample, gases are released (or 'evolved') from the sample and can be identified using SAM's quadrupole mass spectrometer.
PIA16817:
Major Volatiles Released from the Fourth 'John Klein' Portion
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.915 MB)     JPEG (134.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This image, made by the quadrupole mass spectrometer in the SAM suite of instruments in NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. shows the ratio of the argon isotope argon-36 to the heavier argon isotope argon-38, in various measurements.
PIA16818:
Argon Isotopes Provide Robust Signature of Atmospheric Loss
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.075 MB)     JPEG (65.18 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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The ChemCam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover fired its laser 50 times at its onboard graphite target showing spectral measurements from the first shot, which hit dust on the target, compared to spectral measurements of from the 50th shot.
PIA16910:
Dust Detection by Curiosity's ChemCam
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.075 MB)     JPEG (48.57 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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This diagram shows how materials analyzed by the ChemCam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover during the first 100 Martian days of the mission differed with regard to hydrogen content (horizontal axis) and alkali (vertical axis).
PIA16911:
Curiosity's ChemCam Analyzes Rocks, Soils and Dust
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.075 MB)     JPEG (39.68 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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This graph shows about one-fourth of a Martian year's pattern atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars, as measured by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16912:
Seasonal Pressure Curve Peaks at Gale Crater
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.058 MB)     JPEG (58.18 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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This pair of graphs shows about one-fourth of a Martian year's record of temperatures (in degrees Celsius) measured by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA16913:
Steady Temperatures at Mars' Gale Crater
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.122 MB)     JPEG (75.76 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has detected dozens of whirlwinds, or vortex events, causing brief dips in atmospheric pressure, and sometimes other measurable effects.
PIA16914:
Whirlwind Detection by Curiosity in Gale Crater
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.707 MB)     JPEG (69.34 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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This graphic tracks the maximum relative humidity and the temperature at which that maximum occurred each Martian day, or sol, for about one-fourth of a Martian year, as measured by REMS on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA16915:
Humidity in Gale Crater: Scant and Variable
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.589 MB)     JPEG (46.41 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
DAN
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This diagram illustrates how the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover detects hydrogen in the ground beneath the rover.
PIA16917:
Physics of How DAN on Curiosity Checks for Water, Part 2
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.552 MB)     JPEG (200.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-04-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
DAN
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This diagram illustrates how the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover detects hydrogen in the ground beneath the rover.
PIA16916:
Physics of How DAN on Curiosity Checks for Water, Part 1
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-05-30 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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This illustration depicts the two main types of radiation that NASA's Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) onboard Curiosity monitors, and how the magnetic field around Earth affects the radiation in space near Earth.
PIA16938:
Sources of Ionizing Radiation in Interplanetary Space
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-05-30 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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This graphic shows the level of natural radiation detected by the Radiation Assessment Detector shielded inside NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on the trip from Earth to Mars from December 2011 to July 2012.
PIA16939:
Radiation Measurements During Trip From Earth to Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-05-30 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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This graph based on data from the RAD instrument onboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft shows the flux of energetic particles (vertical axis) as a function of the estimated energy deposited in water (horizontal axis).
PIA17060:
Calculating Radiation Dose for Biological Tissue
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-05-30 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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This graphic compares the radiation dose equivalent for several types of experiences, including a calculation for a trip from Earth to Mars based on measurements made by the RAD instrument shielded inside NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft.
PIA17061:
Comparison of Some Radiation Exposures to Mars-Trip Level
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-05 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
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This graph shows a spectrum recorded by the Chemistry and Camera instrument (ChemCam) in NASA's Curiosity Mars rover; it is is typical of Martian volcanic (basalt) material.
PIA17593:
ChemCam Spectrum from Martian Rock Target 'Ithaca'
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
ChemCam
SAM
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This schematic shows the atomic structure of the smallest units that make up the layers and interlayer region of clay minerals. This structure is similar to the clay mineral in drilled rock powder collected by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA17598:
Clay Mineral Structure Similar to Clays Observed in Mudstone on Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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This image graphs four gases released ('evolved') when powdered rock from the target rock 'Cumberland' was heated inside the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA17599:
Volatiles Released by Heating Sample Powder from Martian Rock 'Cumberland'
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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Measurements with the MSL's RAD on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover during the flight to Mars and now on the surface of Mars enable an estimate of the radiation astronauts would be exposed to on an expedition to Mars.
PIA17601:
Radiation Exposure Comparisons with Mars Trip Calculation
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
RAD
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Micrograys are unit of measurement for absorbed radiation dose. The vertical axis is in micrograys per day. The RAD instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover monitors the natural radiation environment at the surface of Mars.
PIA17600:
Radiation Measurements on Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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A rock in the Sheepbed mudstone deposit in the Yellowknife Bay area inside Gale Crater is the first rock on Mars ever to be dated by laboratory analysis of its ingredients.
PIA17602:
Measuring the Age of a Rock on Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2013-12-09 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has made measurements indicating that the Cumberland rock target the rover drilled in May 2013 has been exposed at the surface for about 80 million years.
PIA17604:
Scarp Retreat Model and Exposure History of 'Yellowknife Bay'
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Add Image to Favorite List 2014-01-29 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
DAN
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Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), measures the flow of neutrons with different energy levels returning from the ground, and their delay times, as an indication of the amount and depth of hydrogen in the ground beneath the NASA's rover, Curiosity.
PIA17762:
Russian Hydrogen-Checking Instrument on Curiosity Fires 2 Millionth Pulse
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Add Image to Favorite List 2014-12-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This diagram depicts rivers entering a lake. Where the water's flow decelerates, sediments drop out, and a delta forms, depositing a prism of sediment that tapers out toward the lake's interior.
PIA19071:
How a Delta Forms Where River Meets Lake
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Add Image to Favorite List 2014-12-08 Earth Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This series of images reconstructs the geology of the region around Mars' Mount Sharp, where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover landed and is now driving. The images were taken on Earth and have been altered for the illustration.
PIA19078:
Sediment Accumulation in Dry and Wet Periods
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Add Image to Favorite List 2014-12-08 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This image depicts how a mountain inside a Mars' Gale Crater might have formed. At left, the crater fills with layers of sediment. Yellow is for deposits in alluvial fans, deltas, and drifts during both wet and dry periods.
PIA19079:
Sedimentation and Erosion in Gale Crater, Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2014-12-08 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This diagram depicts a vertical cross section through geological layers deposited by rivers, deltas and lakes. Deposits from a series of successive deltas build out increasingly high in elevation as they migrate toward the center of the basin.
PIA19073:
Multiple Deltas Built Out Over Time
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Add Image to Favorite List 2015-03-31 Earth Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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A Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) team member at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland prepares the SAM testbed for an experiment.
PIA19149:
Preparation for Analytical Measurements on Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2015-08-19 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
MAHLI
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This view of a test rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, results from advance testing of arm positions and camera pointings for taking a low-angle self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.
PIA19810:
Test Rover at JPL During Preparation for Mars Rover's Low-Angle Selfie
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-05-11 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
REMS
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By monitoring weather throughout two Martian years since landing in Gale Crater in 2012, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has documented seasonal patterns such as shown in these graphs of temperature, water-vapor content and air pressure.
PIA20600:
Seasonal Cycles in Curiosity's First Two Martian Years
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-05-11 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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By repeated measurements of the concentration of methane in the atmosphere at Gale Crater, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has detected long-term variation in background levels below one part per billion.
PIA20601:
Methane Background Levels at Gale Crater, Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-09-29 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
SAM
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NASA's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory suite inside NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has measured the isotope ratios of xenon and krypton in Mars' atmosphere and can explain why they are more abundant in the Martian atmosphere than expected.
PIA20847:
Isotopic Clues to Mars' Crust-Atmosphere Interactions
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This graphic depicts aspects of the driving distance, elevation, geological units and time intervals of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover mission, as of late 2016.
PIA21145:
Curiosity Rover's Martian Mission, Exaggerated Cross Section
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This series of pie charts shows similarities and differences in the mineral compositions of mudstones at 10 sites where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover collected rock-powder samples and analyzed them with the rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument.
PIA21146:
Mudstone Mineralogy from Curiosity's CheMin, 2013 to 2016
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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Data graphed here from the CheMin instrument on NASA's Mars Curiosity rover show a difference between clay minerals in powder drilled from mudstone outcrops at two locations, 'Yellowknife Bay' and 'Murray Buttes' in Mars' Gale Crater.
PIA21147:
Detecting a Difference in Clay Minerals at Two Gale Crater Sites
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This diagram illustrates how the dimensions of clay minerals' crystal structure are affected by which ions are present in the composition of the mineral. Different clay minerals were identified this way at two sites, 'Yellowknife Bay' and 'Murray Buttes'
PIA21148:
Clay Mineral Crystal Structure Tied to Composition
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
CheMin
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This graphic shows proportions of minerals identified in mudstone exposures at the 'Yellowknife Bay' location where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover first analyzed bedrock, in 2013, and at the 'Murray Buttes' area investigated in 2016.
PIA21149:
Mineral Content Comparison at Two Gale Crater Sites
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This graphic portrays two hypotheses about how the element boron ended up in calcium sulfate veins found within mudstone layers of the Murray formation on Mars' lower Mount Sharp.
PIA21253:
Two Possible Ways Boron Got into Veins on Mount Sharp
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Add Image to Favorite List 2016-12-13 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This graphic illustration shows NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in Gale Crater, near the Red Planet's equator.
PIA21255:
Now and Long Ago at Gale Crater, Mars (Illustration) Animation Icon
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Add Image to Favorite List 2017-06-01 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This diagram presents some of the processes and clues related to a long-ago lake on Mars that became stratified, with the shallow water richer in oxidants than deeper water was.
PIA21500:
Diagram of Lake Stratification on Mars
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Add Image to Favorite List 2017-10-23 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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The team operating NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is developing techniques that the rover might be able to use to resume drilling into rocks on Mars in this June 2017 photo taken at JPL's Mars Yard.
PIA22061:
Testing New Techniques for Mars Rover Rock-Drilling
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Add Image to Favorite List 2017-10-23 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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This photo taken in the Mars Yard at NASA's JPL, Pasadena, California, on Aug. 1, 2017, shows a step in development of possible alternative techniques that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover might be able to use to resume drilling into rocks on Mars.
PIA22062:
New Rock-Drilling Method in 'Mars Yard' Test
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Add Image to Favorite List 2018-05-17 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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A test of a new percussive drilling technique at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA's Curiosity rover will test percussive drilling on Mars for the first time since December 2016.
PIA22324:
Percussive Drill Test at JPL Animation Icon
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Add Image to Favorite List 2019-01-31 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
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Side-by-side images depict NASA's Curiosity rover (left) and a moon buggy driven during the Apollo 16 mission.
PIA23041:
A Mars Buggy and a Moon Buggy
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Add Image to Favorite List 2021-07-14 Mars Science Helicopter
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This illustration shows a conceptual design of a Mars Science Helicopter, a proposed follow-on to NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.
PIA24729:
Proposed Mars Science Helicopter (Illustration)
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Add Image to Favorite List 2022-12-12 Mars Science Helicopter
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A model of NASA's Mars Science Helicopter concept is shown in this photo. This helicopter concept is a more capable proposed follow-on to NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.
PIA25661:
Model of Proposed Mars Science Helicopter
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