Dr. Stephen Petranek, MARS scientific advisor and co-executive producer speaks on a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Gareth Edwards, film director, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, speaks on a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

A guest uses some virtual reality viewers before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Chris Davenport, Washington Post space reporter, moderates a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO speaks before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

A guest uses some virtual reality viewers before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ellen Stofan, director, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, speaks on a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Christyl Johnson, deputy director for technology and research investments, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, second from right, speaks on a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ellen Stofan, director, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, speaks on a panel after a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Gary Knell, CEO, National Geographic Partners speaks before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives keynote remarks before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives keynote remarks before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives keynote remarks before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

This artist concept of a proposed NASA and European Space Agency collaboration on proposals for a Mars sample return mission portrays a series of six steps in the spacecraft landing on Mars.

This image taken by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a series of parallel layers eroding into peculiar knobs and hills.

As the last step in a series of inspections of the Mars Hand Lens Imager MAHLI aboard NASA Mars rover Curiosity, this camera reclosable dust cover was opened for the first time on Sept. 8, 2012.

This series of images reconstructs the geology of the region around Mars Mount Sharp, where NASA Curiosity Mars rover landed and is now driving. The images were taken on Earth and have been altered for the illustration.

The ancient sinuous river channel shown in this image by NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft was likely carved by water early in Mars history. Auqakuh Valles cuts through a remarkable series of rock layers that were deposited and then subsequently eroded.

This frame from a series of images shows NASA Phoenix Mars Lander telltale instrument waving in the Martian wind. Documenting the telltale movement helps mission scientists and engineers determine what the wind is like on Mars.

The HiRISE camera on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this series of pictures of sand dunes in the north polar region of Mars. Each panel shows ice cracks releasing dark sand as spring progresses.

This artist concept of a proposed NASA and European Space Agency collaboration on proposals for a Mars sample return mission portrays a series of six steps A through F in the spacecraft landing on Mars.

The fracture system in this image, captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey, is part of Galaxias Fossae, a series of fractures on the northern part of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex.

The channels in this image captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of Coloe Fossae, a series of linear depressions on the northeast margin of Terra Sabaea.

This image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Kasei Valles. The channel rim at the top of the image shows a complex series of processes.

From left to right, Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO; Christyl Johnson, deputy director for technology and research investments, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Dr. Stephen Petranek, MARS scientific advisor and co-executive producer; Ellen Stofan, director, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; Gareth Edwards, film director, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; and Chris Davenport, Washington Post space reporter pose for a photo before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

This series of images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successively zooms into "spider" features -- or channels carved in the surface in radial patterns -- in the south polar region of Mars. In a new citizen-science project, volunteers will identify features like these using wide-scale images from the orbiter. Their input will then help mission planners decide where to point the orbiter's high-resolution camera for more detailed views of interesting terrain. Volunteers will start with images from the orbiter's Context Camera (CTX), which provides wide views of the Red Planet. The first two images in this series are from CTX; the top right image zooms into a portion of the image at left. The top right image highlights the geological spider features, which are carved into the terrain in the Martian spring when dry ice turns to gas. By identifying unusual features like these, volunteers will help the mission team choose targets for the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which can reveal more detail than any other camera ever put into orbit around Mars. The final image is this series (bottom right) shows a HiRISE close-up of one of the spider features. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19823

From left to right, Christyl Johnson, deputy director for technology and research investments, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Gary Knell, CEO, National Geographic Partners; Ellen Stofan, director, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO; and Jeff DeWitt, NASA Chief Financial Officer, pose for a photo before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

From left to right, Dr. Stephen Petranek, MARS scientific advisor and co-executive producer; Gareth Edwards, film director, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Jeff DeWitt, NASA chief financial officer; Christyl Johnson, deputy director for technology and research investments, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Ellen Stofan, director, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; Gary Knell, CEO, National Geographic Partners; Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO; and Chris Davenport, Washington Post space reporter, pose for a photo before a showing of the Project Mars Competition's short films winners and the Mars series, Monday, November 5, 2018 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

This series of images spanning a period of 15 weeks shows a pair of fresh craters taken by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Bright, bluish material apparent in the earliest images disappears by the later ones.

This mosaic of images from the Mast Camera onboard NASA Curiosity Mars rover shows a series of sedimentary deposits in the Glenelg area of Gale Crater, from a perspective in Yellowknife Bay looking toward west-northwest.

This graphic shows tenfold spiking in the abundance of methane in the Martian atmosphere surrounding NASA Curiosity Mars rover, as detected by a series of measurements made with the Tunable Laser Spectrometer instrument in the rover laboratory suite.

This mosaic of images shows the soil in front of NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after a series of short backward drives during attempts to extricate the rover from a sand trap in January and early February 2010.

Clouds of dust and ice swirl past the Surface Stereo Imager SSI camera on NASA Phoenix Mars Lander in this frame from a series of images taken on the 132nd Martian day of the mission Oct. 7, 2008.

Remarkable variations in the erosion of the Medusae Fossae Formation are shown in this scene from NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft. In this region, the surface has been eroded by the wind into a series of linear ridges called yardangs.

A Martian target rock called Nova, shown here, displayed an increasing concentration of aluminum as a series of laser shots from NASA Curiosity Mars rover penetrated through dust on the rock surface.

This image captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a series of low, concentric ridges is located to the west of Arsia Mons. The origin of these features is unknown, and there are no similar features at the other Tharsis volcanoes.

This image from the navigation camera on the mast of NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows streaks of dust or sand on the vehicle rear solar panel after a series of drives during which the rover was pointed steeply uphill.

At different locations on the surface of the same rock, scientists can use the Mast Camera Mastcam on NASA Mars rover Curiosity to measure the amount of reflected light at a series of different wavelengths.

This image taken by NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Maunder Crater with a number of interesting features including a series of barchan dunes that are traveling from right to left and gullies.

The large graben in this image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of a series of graben located on the southern flank of Alba Mons. This collection of graben is called Ceraunius Fossae. The term fossae means long, linear depressions.

NASA's InSight lander snapped a series of images of the Sun rising and setting on Mars using the camera on its robotic arm on April 10, 2022, the 1,198th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25178

The saucer-shaped test vehicle for NASA Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator LDSD will undergo a series of events in the skies above Hawaii, with the ultimate goal of testing future landing technologies for Mars missions.

Visible in this observation from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a section of Cerberus Fossae, which are comprised of a series of rifts present located in Elysium Planitia just north the Martian equator.

The Surface Stereo Imager camera aboard NASA Phoenix Mars Lander acquired a series of images of the laser beam in the Martian night sky. Bright spots in the beam are reflections from ice crystals in the low level ice-fog.

This image of Tharsis Rise from NASA Mars Odyssey shows a series of linear features called graben, which are associated with crustal extension resulting in up and down blocks of crust that run perpendicular to the direction of the extension.

Nili Fossae, a series of tectonic fractures, is the low region on the right side of this image captured by NASA Mars Odyssey. A small channel is visible draining into the large tectonic depression.

This view from the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA Phoenix Mars Lander shows the trench informally named Snow White after a series of scrapings were done in preparation for collecting a sample for analysis from a hard subsurface layer.

This image from NASA Mars Odyssey shows Pavonis Mons, one of the three huge Tharsis volcanoes, encircled on the west side by a series of arcuate ridges. How these features were formed is still unknown.

This movie shows three views of the Martian moon Phobos as viewed in visible light by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. The apparent motion is due to movement by Odyssey's infrared camera, Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), rather than movement by the moon. Each of the three panels is a series of images taken on different dates (from top to bottom): Sept. 29, 2017; Feb. 15, 2018; and April 24, 2019. Deimos, Mars' other moon, can also be seen in the second panel. While displayed here in visible-wavelength light, THEMIS also recorded thermal-infrared imagery in the same scan. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23208

This series of images shows carbon dioxide ice sublimating (going directly from a solid to a gas) inside a pit at Mars' south pole. As ice is lost from the steep walls of pits like this, it reforms on nearby flat surfaces. Each frame of the animation was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The images used in this animation were taken between 2007 and 2013. The walls of the pit are about 656 feet (200 meters) across. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23238

The robotic arm on NASA's Mars InSight lander moves in place over the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) and opens the fingers of its grapple in this series of images from June 1, 2019. Using the robotic arm, InSight engineers are preparing to lift the HP3 support structure -- the black device with four footpads pressed into the soil -- from where it was placed a few months ago on Mars. The instrument's self-hammering "mole" is partially buried beneath it. Engineers hope that by moving the support structure, they can use the robotic arm to help the mole dig deeper into the soil and take the temperature of Mars. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23277

This series of images shows the Martian moon Phobos as it crossed in front of the Sun, as seen by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 (the 2,359th sol, or Martian day, of the mission). The images were captured by Curiosity's telephoto-lens camera, called its Mast Camera (Mastcam) using its right-eye solar filter. The images have been sped up by a factor of 10; the entire eclipse lasted about 35 seconds. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23133

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used one of its navigation cameras to take a series of images of drifting clouds just before sunrise on March 18, 2023, the 738th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Scientists on both the Perseverance mission and NASA's Curiosity rover mission are studying the formation process of Martian clouds. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25821

Lockheed Martin delivering the Atlas V rocket to Cape Canaveral in July of 2005. After going through a series of tests to ensure its readiness to send Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the red planet, lift-off occurred on August 12, 2005.

Tractus Catena is a series of collapse pits and fractures south of Alba Mons as seen in this image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The collapse pits, which run in two directions in this image, are typically indicative of volcanic lava tubes.

This series of images shows the Martian moon Deimos as it crossed in front of the Sun, as seen by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Sunday, March 17, 2019 (the 2,350th Martian day, or sol, of the mission). The images were captured by Curiosity's telephoto-lens camera, called its Mast Camera pair (right Mastcam). The images have been sped up by a factor of 10. Deimos is small enough that scientists consider it a transit rather than an eclipse. The Deimos transit lasted several minutes. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23134

This image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Asimov Crater is unique in that the crater floor has been completely filled with material to approximately the crater rim and then a series depressions have occurred near the crater rim. Orbit Number: 58206 Latitude: -47.5272 Longitude: 4.62262 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-01-27 09:56 http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19258

This series of images shows the shadow of Phobos as it sweeps over NASA's Curiosity Mars rover and darkens the sunlight on Monday, March 25, 2019 (the 2,358th sol, or Martian day, of the mission). This image was taken by one of Curiosity's Navigation Cameras (Navcams). The sequence has been contrast-enhanced and sped up by a factor of four. The image was taken after the Sun had descended behind the horizon, just as Phobos was rising and throwing its elongated shadow across the Martian surface. Dust particles in the atmosphere acted as a screen against which the shadow was projected. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23135

Matt Smith, flight director for the second Mars 2020 mission trajectory correction maneuver (TCM-2), studying the screens at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. TCMs are a series of planned adjustments to put the rover on the correct path to land on Mars. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24193

The southern section of Cydonia Region is dominated by both a series of craters and the remnants of channels that may be from a past fluvial system as seen by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The paleochannel system has wind-blown bedforms in its interior, with crests oriented approximately perpendicular to the channel walls. The large rocky patch near the center of the image shows some evidence of bedding as would be expected for a river delta or other water-lain sediments, but the rough dissected nature of outcrops and superimposed aeolian bedforms and other sediments makes identification of this feature difficult. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20046

NASA's InSight lander took this series of images on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, capturing the moment when Phobos, one of Mars' moons, crossed in front of the Sun and darkened the ground around the lander. The images were taken by InSight's Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the lander's robotic arm. The images were taken at intervals of about 50 seconds in order to capture the eclipse, which on this day lasted 24.3 seconds. In the lower right corner of the frame, the shadow of the robotic arm can be seen moving to the right before the entire scene darkened during the moment of the eclipse. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23049

NASA's InSight lander took this series of images on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, capturing the moment when Phobos, one of Mars' moons, crossed in front of the Sun and darkened the ground around the lander. These images were taken by InSight's Instrument Context Camera (ICC), located under the lander's deck. The images were taken at intervals of about 50 seconds in order to capture the eclipse, which on this day lasted 26.7 seconds. The shadow of the lander can be seen moving to the right before the entire scene darkened during the moment of the eclipse. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23048

A dominant driver of surface processes on Mars today is aeolian (wind) activity. In many cases, sediment from this activity is trapped in low-lying areas, such as craters. Aeolian features in the form of dunes and ripples can occur in many places on Mars depending upon regional wind regimes. The Cerberus Fossae are a series of discontinuous fissures along dusty plains in the southeastern region of Elysium Planitia. This rift zone is thought to be the result of combined volcano-tectonic processes. Dark sediment has accumulated in areas along the floor of these fissures as well as inactive ripple-like aeolian bedforms known as "transverse aeolian ridges" (TAR). Viewed through HiRISE infrared color, the basaltic sand lining the fissures' floor stands out as deep blue against the light-toned dust covering the region. This, along with the linearity of the fissures and the wave-like appearance of the TAR, give the viewer an impression of a river cutting through the Martian plains. However, this river of sand does not appear to be flowing. Analyses of annual monitoring images of this region have not detected aeolian activity in the form of ripple migration thus far. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21063

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A forklift lowers one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment onto the ground in front of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, the second of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment is lifted onto a flatbed truck for transport to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers roll one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - One of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the “Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the “Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the “Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

NASA's InSight used its Instrument Context Camera (ICC) beneath the lander's deck to image these drifting clouds at sunset. This series of images was taken on April 25, 2019, the 145th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, starting at around 6:30 p.m. Mars local time. Movies available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23180

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the “Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the “Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Offloading of the Orion Crew Module Adapter, CMA, at Plum Brook Station. The adapter will connect Orion’s crew module to a service module provided by ESA (European Space Agency). NASA is preparing for a series of tests that will check out the Orion European Service Module, a critical part of the spacecraft that will be launched on future missions to an asteroid and on toward Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is ready for lifting into the launch tower where it will be mated with the Atlas V already there. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency’s Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency’s Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is positioned vertically to be lifted into the launch tower where it will be mated with the Atlas V already there. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency’s Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is lifted into the launch tower where it will be mated with the Atlas V already there. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first stage of the Atlas V rocket, designated AV-007, arrives at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. AV-007 is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The orbiter is in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final assembly and testing. The launch window begins Aug. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is lifted up the launch tower where it will be mated with the Atlas V already there. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency’s Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Lockheed Martin Atlas V_Centaur second stage arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It will be mated with the Atlas V already placed in the tower. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

NASA’s Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency’s Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020. Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Inside a mission support area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Mars 2020 Perseverance team members displayed their joy as the spacecraft successfully completed a complex series of steps to safely touch down on the Martian surface. JPL built and manages operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23723

A NASA drone photo offers a bird’s-eye view of the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center with the first flight core stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) installed for Green Run testing. The SLS core stage is undergoing a series of tests on its integrated systems prior to its use on the Artemis I mission. NASA is building SLS to return humans, including the first woman, to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The Green Run series at Stennis culminates with a hot fire of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines, just as during an actual launch.

A NASA drone photo offers a bird’s-eye view of the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center with the first flight core stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) installed for Green Run testing. The SLS core stage is undergoing a series of tests on its integrated systems prior to its use on the Artemis I mission. NASA is building SLS to return humans, including the first woman, to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The Green Run series at Stennis culminates with a hot fire of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines, just as during an actual launch.

A NASA drone photo offers a bird’s-eye view of the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center with the first flight core stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) installed for Green Run testing. The SLS core stage is undergoing a series of tests on its integrated systems prior to its use on the Artemis I mission. NASA is building SLS to return humans, including the first woman, to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The Green Run series at Stennis culminates with a hot fire of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines, just as during an actual launch.

A NASA drone photo offers a bird’s-eye view of the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center with the first flight core stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) installed for Green Run testing. The SLS core stage is undergoing a series of tests on its integrated systems prior to its use on the Artemis I mission. NASA is building SLS to return humans, including the first woman, to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The Green Run series at Stennis culminates with a hot fire of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines, just as during an actual launch.

A NASA drone photo offers a bird’s-eye view of the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center with the first flight core stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) installed for Green Run testing. The SLS core stage is undergoing a series of tests on its integrated systems prior to its use on the Artemis I mission. NASA is building SLS to return humans, including the first woman, to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The Green Run series at Stennis culminates with a hot fire of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines, just as during an actual launch.

The flag of the United States stands on the surface of Mars. It is mounted on the housing of NASA's Viking 1's nuclear power system. Also seen are the U.S. Bicentennial symbol and a student designed Viking emblem. The bright flat surface near the center is the seismometer container. This picture was taken on July 23 at about 2:30 p.m. Mars time. The view is west of the spacecraft and includes a series of low hills. The blocky hill in the center appears to be part of a crater rim. The dark, rocky stripes may be material ejected from the crater. The light areas are dune-like and may be accumulations of windblown sand or dust. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00388

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is being raised to a vertical position for lifting into the launch tower and mating with the Atlas V already there. The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

15 July 2004 The arrows in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture point to three boulders that left trails behind them as they rolled down the lower parts of a meteor crater's wall. In two cases, the tracks can be resolved into a series of small depressions, indicating the variable shape of the boulder as it unevenly proceeded down the slope. These features are located near 18.4°N, 120.1°W. The 75 meter scale bar is about 246 feet long. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06450

Alluvial fans are piles of debris dumped by rivers when they emerge from the mountains and enter a mostly dry valley as seen by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A bajada (such as this example named after the famous American filmmaker) consists of a series of coalescing alluvial fans along a mountain front. On the surface of this bajada, one can see many sinuous ridges. These ridges mark the path that streams of water took as they flowed into this crater. The sinuosity of the ridges tells us something about the speed of the water flow. Fast moving flows tend to be straighter than slow-moving. Observations like this help us build a picture of how rivers behaved on ancient Mars. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19366

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility roll one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment away from the Air Force C-17 cargo plane that delivered it. The MRO is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility roll the second of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment away from the Air Force C-17 cargo plane that delivered it. The MRO is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment is rolled toward the ramp of the Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The MRO is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility roll one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment away from the Air Force C-17 cargo plane that delivered it. The MRO is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A forklift moves into place behind the Air Force C-17 cargo plane delivering the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment to Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The MRO is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.