Images: Mars or bust

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  • Spacecraft fires engines

    Spacecraft fires engines

    After a seven-month journey, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter went through maneuvers to place itself into orbit around Mars on Friday. The spacecraft is the most technologically advanced ever sent to Mars.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    NASA's $450 million Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter neared its dangerous first rendezvous with the Red Planet on Friday.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Position of the planets

    Position of the planets

    This image shows the relative position of the planets in the inner solar system and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's location within that context.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter operations team

    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter operations team

    The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched in August on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet to search for water. The orbiter is twice the size and packs better technology than any previous probe sent to Mars. This is also the first spacecraft to use "aerobraking," a six-month process where the craft uses friction from the planet to settle into its final orbit.

    The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter operations team prepares for the spacecraft's final approach to Mars, which is expected to take place Friday.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    In this artist's conception of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, note the thin, long pole in the center. That's the SHARAD antenna, which will be able to view liquid or water in up to 1 kilometer of the Mars crust. Also center, covered by blankets, is the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which will provide the highest-resolution photos to date.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • testing

    testing

    NASA tested the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera while en route to Mars. The camera took this picture of Earth's moon from 6 million miles away. To the naked eye, the moon would appear as a star-like point of light at such a distance. The test verified the camera's focusing capability and provided an opportunity for calibration.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • preparing the orbiter

    preparing the orbiter

    During testing of the craft, workers stabilize the crane holding one of the enormous billboard-size solar panels.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • double the size

    double the size

    This drawing illustrates that the newest Mars orbiter will be double the size of the satellites currently in operation around the Red Planet.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Newton Basin

    Newton Basin

    The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will study the surface of Mars for water, including this meteor impact crater in the Newton Basin where frost can be seen on the walls and sand dunes on the floor.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Chasma Boreale

    Chasma Boreale

    The Chasma Boreale is a trough in the north polar cap area of Mars. The spring photo shows dark sand emerging from bright frost from the winter.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Viking lander

    Viking lander

    Mars exploration has come a long way in a short time. This is the first photograph sent back from the surface of Mars by the Viking 1 lander on July 20, 1976.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

In this artist's conception of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, note the thin, long pole in the center. That's the SHARAD antenna, which will be able to view liquid or water in up to 1 kilometer of the Mars crust. Also center, covered by blankets, is the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which will provide the highest-resolution photos to date.

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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