THEMIS Archives - Astrobiology

Regional context and geospatial distribution of potential karstic skylight features in Hebrus Valles, Mars. (a) Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) global topography illustrating the location of Hebrus Valles relative to Tharsis and Elysium volcanic provinces. (b) Regional elevation map of the Hebrus Valles–Hephaestus Fossae region, highlighting skylight cave candidates identified in this study (pink stars) and previously reported features (black stars) by D. Sulcanese et al. (2018). --The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Status Report

Water-driven Accessible Potential Karstic Caves in Hebrus Valles, Mars: Implications for Subsurface Habitability

by Keith CowingNovember 13, 2025November 13, 2025

The Hebrus Valles region on Mars exhibits geomorphological indicators of past aqueous activity, such as fluvial channels and aligned sinkholes.

Global distribution of serpentine on Mars overlain on the TES dust cover index color map with the background of MOLA shaded global mosaic (Ruff and Christensen, 2002). Dust cover index values (lower left) represent the average surface emissivity where lower values indicate higher dust. Serpentine detections are coded according to confidence level. Upper left inset shows number of images investigated in 30° longitudinal bin. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Global Distribution Of Serpentine On Mars

by Keith CowingJanuary 27, 2025

The distribution and origin of serpentine on Mars can provide insights into the planet’s aqueous history, habitability, and past climate.

The dashed curves represent results from our solar radiation model, and the solid-coloured curves represent measurements made in Greenland. Many existing ice models14,44,45,46,47 either assume that no solar radiation penetrates below the top few millimeters, or use a single broadband extinction value indicated by the horizontal black line, which can lead to errors in the energy absorbed at depth up to a few orders of magnitude. -- Nature

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release

Could Life Exist Below Mars Ice? NASA Study Proposes Possibilities

by Keith CowingOctober 17, 2024

Researchers think meltwater beneath Martian ice could support microbial life. While actual evidence for life on Mars has never been found, a new NASA study proposes microbes could find a […]

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter captured this single image of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, on March 11, 2024. Besides providing an unprecedented view of the volcano, the image helps scientists study different layers of material in the Martian atmosphere, including clouds and dust. Larger imagery

Astrogeology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Mars Odyssey’s Orbital View Of Olympus Mons As It Nears 100,000 Orbits

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Editor’s note: According to this recent posting Newfound Frost Atop The Martian Volcano Olympus Mons: “This high-resolution image shows newly discovered frost at the top of Olympus Mons, the tallest […]

Distribution of water frost detected with THEMIS (black dots). The colorized background is a thermal inertia map from Piqueux et al. (2023) overlain by a MOLA-shaded relief (Zuber et al., 1992), only shown outside the maximum extent of the continuous seasonal caps (Piqueux et al., 2015) -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Observations of Water Frost on Mars with THEMIS: Application to the Presence of Brines and the Stability of (Sub)Surface Water Ice

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2024May 15, 2024

Characterizing the exchange of water between the Martian atmosphere and the (sub)surface is a major challenge for understanding the mechanisms that regulate the water cycle.

Mars Odyssey -- NASA

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrogeology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

NASA Planetary Data System Mars Odyssey Orbiter Data Release 87

by Keith CowingApril 7, 2024April 7, 2024

The NASA Planetary Data System announces Release 87 of data from the Mars Odyssey Orbiter. This release contains raw, calibrated, and derived data products nominally covering the time period July […]