Hematite is a mineral form of iron oxide (Fe2O3) requiring large amounts of water or volcanic activity to develop and is often used in jewelry. This picture taken by Mars Opportunity rover shows hematite spherules, also referred to as “blueberries”, on the red planet. These hematite spherules are all over the surface of Mars, north of the Victoria Crater.
This is one of the first views of Mars as photographed by the Viking 2 lander in 1976. The trenches dug by Viking to analyze sub-surface samples (middle of picture) and the foot pad of the lander (lower right) are visible. But what is the circled cylindrical object? A part from the Viking 2 lander? It doesn’t look like the rest of the rocks in this Martian landscape.
Picture of the Victoria Crater taken by NASA’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The Victoria Crater is found in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars (located at 2.05°S, 5.50°W) and this impact crater measures approximately half a mile across.
The Mars Curiosity Rover was not be left behind the times. With the help of its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a series of images were stitched together to put together this 2012 selfie of the Mars Curiosity Rover. In this picture, the rover is situated in the Gale Crater’s “Rocknest” area with Mount Sharp visible towards the right of the picture.
NASA released images from its Mars reconnaissance orbiter showing the dramatic effects of a meteorite impacting the red planet. The Martian surface turns blue with a 100 foot crater and 9 mile blast zone left behind on Mars.
