Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a NASA spacecraft launched in 2005 that has been orbiting Mars since 2006. It conducts high-resolution imaging and analysis of the planet’s surface, subsurface, and atmosphere, searching for signs of past water and identifying potential landing sites for future missions.
Source: science.nasa.gov
APODs including "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter"
Dry Ice Sled Streaks on Mars
17/06/2013
What creates these long and nearly straight grooves on Mars? Dubbed linear gullies, they appear on the sides of some sandy slopes during Martian spring, have nearly constant width, extend for as long as two kilometers, and have raised banks along their sides. Unlike most water flows, they do not appear to have areas of dried debris at the downhill end. A leading hypothesis -- actually being tested here on Earth -- is that these linear gullies are caused by chunks of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) breaking off and sliding down hills while sublimating into gas, eventually completely evaporating into thin air. If true, these natural dry-ice sleds may well provide future adventurers a smooth ride on cushions of escaping carbon dioxide. The above recently-released image was taken in 2006 by the HiRISE camera on board the NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently orbiting Mars. Astrophysicists: Browse 600+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library