Strange Places on Mars: What Do You Want to See Next?

[Ian David]

Strange Places on Mars: What Do You Want to See Next?

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured more than 13,000 images of the red planet’s surface. And now, the space agency wants your input on what images to acquire next.

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera is currently the most powerful camera on any NASA spacecraft. The images it has collected are truly amazing. They highlight how similar the Martian landscape is to Earth in some ways, as well as how otherworldly other parts of Mars can seem.

We’ve collected just a few of the oddest and most beautiful shots. If they inspire you to want to pick the next strange location for HiRISE to focus on, NASA has created a website where you can scan the planet’s surface and make suggestions. http://www.uahirise.org/suggest/



The image above shows a dune field on the floor of a crater made by an asteroid impact.

More:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/gallery-mars/?utm_source=feedburner


Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/HiRISE/status/8240658044


Every sign-up and vote for Stephen Colbert Crater! http://www.uahirise.org/suggest/

[leveymg]

1. What accounts for the strange cross-hatching and fuzzy edges? Looks like fabric.

Or, is that a bi-product of the photo-enhancement software NASA uses?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. Really great photos.

Thanks for the post!