Suggested Searches

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter News & Features

Advances in NASA Imaging Changed How World Sees Mars
6 min read

Sixty years ago, NASA’s Mariner 4 captured groundbreaking views of the Red Planet, leading to a steady stream of advances in the cameras used to study other worlds. In 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 mission brought Mars into American living rooms,…

Article
NASA Mars Orbiter Learns New Moves After Nearly 20 Years in Space
6 min read

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is testing a series of large spacecraft rolls that will help it hunt for water. After nearly 20 years of operations, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is on a roll, performing a new maneuver to squeeze…

Article
NASA Orbiter Spots Curiosity Rover Making Tracks to Next Science Stop
3 min read

The image marks what may be the first time one of the agency’s Mars orbiters has captured the rover driving. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has never been camera shy, having been seen in selfies and images taken from space. But…

Article
NASA’s InSight Finds Marsquakes From Meteoroids Go Deeper Than Expected
6 min read

With help from AI, scientists discovered a fresh crater made by an impact that shook material as deep as the Red Planet’s mantle. Meteoroids striking Mars produce seismic signals that can reach deeper into the planet than previously known. That’s…

Article
Avalanches, Icy Explosions, and Dunes: NASA Is Tracking New Year on Mars
5 min read

Instead of a winter wonderland, the Red Planet’s northern hemisphere goes through an active — even explosive — spring thaw. While New Year’s Eve is around the corner here on Earth, Mars scientists are ahead of the game: The Red…

Article
NASA Mars Orbiter Spots Retired InSight Lander to Study Dust Movement
5 min read

New images taken from space show how dust on and around InSight is changing over time — information that can help scientists learn more about the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught a glimpse of the agency’s retired…

Article
NASA Scientists Re-Create Mars ‘Spiders’ in a Lab for First Time
5 min read

Tests on Earth appear to confirm how the Red Planet’s spider-shaped geologic formations are carved by carbon dioxide. Since discovering them in 2003 via images from orbiters, scientists have marveled at spider-like shapes sprawled across the southern hemisphere of Mars.…

Article
UPDATED: 10 Things for Mars 10
4 min read

Scientists from around the world are gathering this week in California to take stock of the state of science from Mars and discuss goals for the next steps in exploration of the Red Planet. In the spirit of Mars 10,…

Article
Major Martian Milestones
1 min read

There’s good news from NASA’s Cloudspotting on Mars project! That’s the project that invites you to help identify exotic clouds high in the Martian atmosphere. Congratulations to the Cloudspotting on Mars team and all the volunteers who have helped spot Martian clouds!

Article
NASA Retires Mineral Mapping Instrument on Mars Orbiter
3 min read

One of six instruments aboard the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, CRISM produced global maps of minerals on the Red Planet’s surface.

Article