NASA Mars Report: New Year/New Mars | Martian Spring Activity Begins | JPL

NASA Mars Report: New Year/New Mars | Martian Spring Activity Begins | JPL

Planetary scientists have recently marked a new year on Mars, a milestone that occurs every 687 days. Because the Martian new year coincides with spring in the planet’s northern hemisphere, it is a period of high activity, including avalanches and exploding jets of gas. JPL research scientist Serina Diniega explains changes to the Martian surface that scientists can track with spacecraft like NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Circling Mars since 2006, MRO carries a suite of science instruments that collect data on the planet’s surface and atmosphere. Among them is the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. It captured many of the detailed views seen here.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

For more information on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, visit: 
science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages MRO for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Caltech, in Pasadena, manages JPL for NASA. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. The Context Camera was built by, and is operated by, Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.

For more information on MRO, visit:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mro
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/mission/index.html

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech; north polar cap image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; HiRISE images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona; erupting jets artist’s concept: ASU/Ron Miller

Stock footage provided by Pavel_dp/Pond5
Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 20, 2024

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