Mars Archives

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 at a distance of 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun. The image inspired the title of scientist Carl Sagan's book, "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space," in which he wrote: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us." The above image, “Pale Blue Dot Revisited,” was created in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of the iconic picture. The updated version used modern image-processing software and techniques to revisit the well-known Voyager view, while attempting to respect the original data and intent of those who planned the images. NASA/JPL-Caltech Larger image

Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Press Release, Uranus, Venus

Pale Blue Dot Anniversary

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken on Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft. Earth appears as a tiny speck of light suspended in a […]

ID: ESP_069857_2650 date: 21 June 2021 altitude: 318 km NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona larger image

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Ice Planet Recon: Looking For Avalanches At Mars’ North Pole

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

The North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) are large layered deposits of dusty water-ice in the northern polar region of Mars. The layering we see is caused mainly by slight variations […]

Visualization of the studied volcanic system (Pavonis fissure). Image courtesy Bartosz Pieterek.

Astrogeology, Mars, Press Release

Mars’ “Young” Volcanoes Were More Complex Than Scientists Once Thought

by Keith CowingFebruary 12, 2026June 11, 2026

What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of […]

ID: ESP_039701_1095, date: 14 January 2015, altitude: 247 km, https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_039701_1095 Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Active High-Latitude Dune-Gullies On Mars

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2026February 11, 2026

Gully and defrosting activity have been visible here along the edge of a dune field, along with blocks of frost. Observations of the same area help us check for repeat […]

A self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity rover taken on June 15, 2018, when a Martian dust storm had reduced sunlight and visibility at the rover’s location in Gale Crater. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors

NASA Study: Non-biologic Processes Don’t Fully Explain Mars Organics

by Keith CowingFebruary 9, 2026February 9, 2026

In a new study, researchers say that non-biological sources they considered could not fully account for the abundance of organic compounds in a sample collected on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity […]

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Mast Camera (Mastcam); it shows the “Nevado Sajama” drill site from November, right next to the location of this weekend’s drill. The new drill site will be to the upper left of the existing hole. Curiosity captured the image on Jan. 25, 2026 — Sol 4789, or Martian day 4,789 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 19:20:37 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Mars Curiosity Seeks Evidence Of Organics

by Keith CowingFebruary 8, 2026February 8, 2026

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from ConjunctionEarth planning date: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

Mars, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, Sample Return

UF Astraeus Faculty Help Shape National Science Strategy For Human Exploration Of Mars

by Keith CowingFebruary 6, 2026February 6, 2026

Key leadership roles in a major National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report released in December were filled by University of Florida faculty affiliated with the Astraeus Space Institute.

Quantitative morphological metric extraction results and numerical simulation results. A. Spatial distribution of DAF across the study area, overlaid on a shaded relief base map derived from DTEEC_033165_2195_032875_2195_A01 (26). Colors represent specific DAF values indicated by the color bar on the bottom right. The MBT boundary is shown as a black dashed line. B. Schematic diagram defining the key morphological feature of MBT. The curve represents the terrain tangent of MBT. The yellow shaded areas indicate depression. The dashed line represents the depression threshold elevation (DTE) (see SI Appendix). C-E. HiRISE images of three local MBT in the study area. All three images share the same scale-bar. F-H. Detrended observed elevation data for three MBT areas shown in C-E, respectively (SI Appendix, Fig. S3). The white contour lines, which correspond to DTE values, outline the depression areas. Colors indicate elevation value using a color bar shown to the right of H. The I-K. Simulation results with increasing maximum stone movement rate (𝑣max): 3.25 mm/cycle (I), 3.40 mm/cycle (J) and 3.90 mm/cycle(K).Colors represent the simulated elevation using a common color bar shown to the right of K. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Sculpting Of Martian Brain Terrain Reveals The Drying Of Ancient Mars

by Keith CowingFebruary 5, 2026February 5, 2026

The Martian brain terrain (MBT), characterized by its unique brain-like morphology, is a potential geological archive for finding hints of paleoclimatic conditions during its formation period.

Mars dust storm captured by ESA’s Mars Express near the north polar ice cap. Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (larger image)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

An Unusual Dust Storm Reveals How Mars Lost Some Of Its Water

by Keith CowingFebruary 3, 2026

The current image of Mars as an arid and hostile desert contrasts with the history revealed by its surface. Channels, minerals altered by water, and other geological traces indicate that […]

This annotated orbital image depicts the AI-planned (depicted in magenta) and actual (orange) routes the Perseverance Mars rover took during its Dec. 10, 2025, drive at Jezero Crater. The drive was the second of two demonstrations showing that generative AI could be incorporated into rover route planning. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UofA

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

Perseverance Rover Completes First AI-Planned Drive on Mars

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2026January 31, 2026

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has completed the first drives on another world that were planned by artificial intelligence. Executed on Dec. 8 and 10, and led by the agency’s Jet […]