Space News and Photography: NASA's 1,000 Pictures of Mars' Surface Look Amazing [PHOTOS]
The NASA just took 1,000 spectacular new photos of the Mars' surface, and they all look out-of-this-world.
In 2006, NASA sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to circle our "Red Planet" neighbor to look for signs of water. Using a camera called HiRise, NASA has been taking detailed photos of the planet's surface and features so scientists can map it out.
This month's haul is pretty significant, however, as the planets are aligned in perfect geometry to create the perfect environment for photos. Every 26 months, the sun and Mars are on opposite sides of our planet, which means that we are currently enjoying direct communication with the orbiters for larger file transfers.
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In addition to this, Mars' current alignment means that the sun is shining directly on Mars' equator, providing perfect lighting in an otherwise shadowy place.
And the photos are spectacular, to say the least. Looks like the Red Planet can be so much more than its nomer, as the images revealed an amazing range of color, far from the reddish-brown rust that surrounds its atmosphere.
One can view the entire catalog on the HiRise website, where the photos are declared of public domain.
Gullies in Dunes Dubbed 'Kolhar'
Southern Highlands Terrain
Dunes Dubbed Tleilax
Small Tributary Deposits and Transverse Aeolian Ridges in Nirgal Vallis
In an interview with PopSci, Alfred McEwen, director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory, the images could help scientists map out potential landing sites in the future, among them the ExoMars module, the InSight lander, which is set to launch in two years, and the ExoMars and NASA rovers, which will follow after four years, in 2020.
The MRO will also be watching out for steep slopes, sand dune migration, dry ice jets, and new impacts, McEwan says.
