NASA Releases Over 1,000 Pictures of Mars – What Do They Show?

Extraordinary, stunning, and literally out of this world. NASA has released more than a thousand pictures of Mars, taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The multipurpose spacecraft has been capturing pictures since its launch in 2005. So why are there so many photos this time? What do they show? And how are they useful? We’ll explore this and more…

Data sweet spot

The MRO usually sends a collection of photos over every month. This time, however, NASA took advantage of a data sweet spot. Every 26 months, the planetary geometry between Earth and Mars allows extra data return. The planets align in a way where Mars and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. It means – for a few weeks – the communication between Mars and the Earth is unobstructed. This is why NASA has received a massive batch of 1,035 photos.

On this particular occasion, the unobstruction coincided with a particularly bright time on Mars. When the sun’s rays hit Mars’ equator, light is distributed from the north pole to south pole. It’s known as the equinox, and it gives the clearest views of the planet. At any other time, one of the sides of the planet – north or south – will be in constant darkness.

Using the images

The images that NASA has received from the MRO have multiple uses. Firstly, NASA will look to map potential landing spots for future expeditions. Using the pictures to determine the landscape can help calculate which sites will be suitable for future landings, like the ExoMars programme in October 2016. The pictures can also be used, along with other collections, to track the geographical processes taking place on the surface of Mars. Slope flows, sand dune movement and dry ice jets are just a few of the potential changes.

The centre of our solar system

The Sun was pivotal in this process. While the alignment of the planets in relation to the Sun allowed unobstructed data return, the light from the Sun also hit the equator of Mars giving complete views of the planet. Here on Earth, the sun powers everything. Bacteria, plants, animals, humans – everything on our planet is powered by the sun and its light. The significance of the star at the centre of our solar system is discussed in ‘Bright Lights, Big Science: The physical phenomenon that has helped to shape human history and open up our world’.