Mars Rover and Terrain Images

Black and white panoramic views from Mars rovers, highlighting the rocky terrain and geological features of the Martian surface.

Afternoon on Chryse Planitia - Viking Lander 1 Camera 2 Mosaic

This view from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover was taken the day before the rover's final approach drive to the

A football-field-size crater, informally named 'Santa Maria,' dominates the scene in this 360-degree view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.

Rocky Terrain & Airbags

Approaching 'Endurance' (left eye)

Afternoon on Chryse Planitia - Viking Lander 1 Camera 2 Mosaic

In time to survive the Martian winter, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has driven to and parked on a north-facing slope in the Columbia

'Algonquin' Outcrop on Spirit's Sol 680

This view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunit is dominated by a rock informally named Ridout on the northeastern rim of Odyssey. The rock is roughly the same size as the rover, 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) long.

The Realm of Endurance

Rocky Terrain & Airbags

Wiggling Its Way to Discovery

This frame from an animation from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows the rover drilling into rock target 'Cumberland.' The drilling was performed during the 279th Martian day, or sol, of the Curiosity's work on Mars (May 19, 2013).

Preparing for 'Lights Out' on Mars

Spirit's Shadow, Sol 153 (Left Eye)

Soil clinging to the right middle and rear wheels of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity can be seen in this image taken by the Curiosity's Navigation Camera after the rover's third drive on Mars.

Spirit's View on Sol 107

The extended robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity can be seen in this mosaic of full-resolution images from Curiosity's Navigation camera (Navcam). Curiosity extended its arm on Aug. 20, 2012.

This image shows a close-up of track marks from the first test drive of NASA's Curiosity rover.

Rock Outcrop Under Spirit's Wheels

Opportunity at El Capitan

This full-resolution self-portrait shows the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover from the rover's Navigation cameras. This full-resolution self-portrait shows the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover from the rover's Navigation cameras.

The foreground area is a portion of an area called 'Botany Bay' between two ridges forming part of the western rim of Endeavour crater. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this mosaic view centered toward the southeast on Aug. 6, 2011.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to record this vista looking eastward across Endeavour Crater, with the rover's own shadow in the foreground.

Two donut-shaped tracks make an infinity symbol, and mark the first two drives of NASA's Curiosity rover. The landing site is at the far right.

Anefo photo collection. Series drying oosterolder. March 7, 1957

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has extended its robotic arm for studying a light-toned rock target called 'Athens' in this March 25, 2015, image from the rover's front hazard avoidance camera.

This scene combines seven frames taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit during the 1,891st Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on Mars (April 28, 2009).

Spirit Ascent Movie, Rover's-Eye View

First IMP Image Showing Something That Looks Like Mars

Wheel slippage during attempts to extricate NASA's Mars Rover Spirit from a patch of soft ground during the preceding two weeks had partially buried the wheels by the 1,899th Martian day, or sol, of the Spirit's mission on Mars (May 6, 2009).

This view of Curiosity's left-front and left-center wheels and of marks made by wheels on the ground in the "Yellowknife Bay" area comes from one of six cameras used on Mars for the first time more than six months after the rover landed. The left Navigation Camera (Navcam) linked to Curiosity's B-side computer took this image during the 223rd Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (March 22, 2013). The wheels are 20 inches (50 centimeters) in diameter. Curiosity carries a pair of main computers, redundant to each other, in order to have a backup available if one fails. Each of the computers, A-side and B-side, also has other redundant subsystems linked to just that computer. Curiosity operated on its A-side from before the August 2012 landing until Feb. 28, when engineers commanded a switch to the B-side in response to a memory glitch on the A-side. One set of activities after switching to the B-side computer has been to check the six engineering cameras that are ha

Perched Above Gusev Crater

This is an image from the super-pan sequence. Of importance are some of the features around the rock nicknamed Barnacle Bill in the left foreground. The rock shows a streamlined tail composed of particles deposited by wind on the leeward (downwind) side of the rock. Also seen is a moat around the opposite (windward) side of the rock where either erosion (or non-deposition) of fine sediment has occurred. Mars Pathfinder scientist believe that the wind blowing over and around rocks like Barnacle Bill creates an airflow pattern wherein a buffer zone is formed immediately upwind of the rock and airflow patterns keep sediment from being deposited directly upwind of Barnacle Bill. On the downwind side, however, the airflow is complex and a small wake and tapered dead air zone form. Sediment can be deposited within this region, the shape of the formed deposit corresponds to the airflow patterns that exist behind the rock. Similar features have been observed at the Viking landing sites, and ar

This image taken by a front Hazard-Avoidance camera on NASA's Curiosity shows track marks from the rover's first Martian drives.

Curious Dimples

Airbag Retraction

. Curiosity Views Its Tracks Using Its Navcam. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover left several sets of tracks where the rover experienced a fault, or unexpected stoppage mid-drive, while climbing a particularly difficult slope. The bright rock seen directly above the rover's wheel is what caused the rover to fault. Tracks can be seen above the wheel at right, indicating where Curiosity backed up and repositioned to try again. The rover's navigation cameras captured this panorama on June 8, 2023, the 3,853rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

A View of Opportunity's Dance Moves

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found a rock that apparently is another meteorite, less than three weeks after driving away from a larger meteorite that the rover examined for six weeks.

Spirit's View on Sol 142 (Right Eye)

The robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity casts a shadow on a rock outcrop called 'Chester Lake.' The rock is on a low ridge called 'Cape York,' which is a segment of the western rim of Endeavour crater.

This Dec. 2, 2016, view from the Navcam on the mast of NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover shows rocky ground within view while the rover was working at an intended drilling site called 'Precipice' on lower Mount Sharp.

This scene shows the surroundings of the location where NASA's Mars rover Curiosity arrived on the 29th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Sept. 4, 2012).

The Martian outcrop where pale rock meets darker overlying rock near the middle of this view from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is an example of a geological contact. It was taken with the rover's Navcam on May 21, 2015.

Sojourner's APXS at Chimp - Right Eye

'Serpent' Untouched

. Curiosity Views a Crater at 'Jau'. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree view showing an impact crater in a location nicknamed Jau. The scene was captured with the rover's Mastcam on July 25, 2023, the 3,899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This was one of dozens of impact craters within a crater cluster Curiosity stopped by after completing one of its most difficult climbs ever. This particular crater is estimated to be about 60 feet (18 meters) wide. Part of Curiosity's robotic arm can be seen at right. In the center of the scene is the path back down a slope toward Marker Band Valley, which Curiosity passed through on its way to Jau. Beyond that are the floor and northern rim of Gale Crater. This mosaic is made up of 129 images that were stitched together after being sent back to Earth. The color has been adjusted to match lighting conditions as the human eye would see them on Earth.

This view through a valley called 'Artist's Drive' from the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the terrain ahead of the rover as it makes its way westward.

Spirit Says Goodbye to 'Home Plate'

A View from Then to Now

This image shows finely layered rocks interspersed with sand sloping downward and inward toward the center of the panorama from either side. Here and there on the outcrop, a chunk of rock has become displaced and lies at an angle on the surface

Trench Left By Sampler Scoop

First Look at Spirit on Mars

'Endurance' All Around (Polar)

The rock-studded terrain NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has traversed since October 2013 appears to have accelerated the pace of wear and tear on the rover's wheels. Future drives may be charted to cross smoother ground where available.

King of the Crater Ledge

Sojourner near Chimp - Right Eye

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its front hazard-avoidance camera to take this picture showing the rover's arm extended toward a light-toned rock, Tisdale

Gusev Dust Devil Movie, Sol 459 (Plain and Isolated)

Spirit's View on Sol 107 (left eye)

The low ridge that appears as a dark band below the horizon in the center of this scene is a Martian outcrop called 'Cooperstown,' a possible site for contact inspection with tools on the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity.

'Hilltop' View of the Terrain in Candor Chasma

Opportunity Dips in to Berry

Higher Up in the Hills

Descent from the Summit of 'Husband Hill'

This view from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows tracks left by backing out of a wind-formed ripple after the rover's wheels had started to dig too deeply into the dust and sand of the ripple.

This image from an animated gif shows the movement of the rear right wheel of NASA's Curiosity as rover drivers turned the wheels in place at the landing site on Mars.

This view southeastward from NASA's Curiosity's Mastcam shows terrain judged difficult for traversing between the rover and an outcrop in the middle distance where a pale rock unit meets a darker rock unit above it.

Sojourner near Barnacle

This mosaic of four images from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows detailed texture in a ridge that stands higher than surrounding rock. The rock is at a location called 'Darwin,' inside Gale Crater.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to capture this view of the terrain toward the southeast from the location Spirit reached on the 1,871st Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (April 8, 2009).

Opportunity's Arm in 'Hover-Stow' Position

This 360-degree panorama was acquired NASA's Curiosity Mars rover while the rover was in an area called 'Murray Buttes' on lower Mount Sharp, one of the most scenic landscapes yet visited by any Mars rover.

Spirit Slipping in Soft Ground, Sol 1889

This self-portrait shows the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover from the rover's Navigation camera. The rim of Gale Crater can be seen at upper right.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its rear hazard avoidance camera to take this view toward the south during the 1,899th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on Mars (May 6, 2009).

This view from NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover, taken on Dec. 17, 2015, shows the downwind side of a dune about 13 feet high within the Bagnold Dunes field on Mars. As on Earth, the downwind side of an active sand dune has a steep slope called a slip face.

Mars Rocks Continue to Fascinate

Spirit Reaches for Closer Look

'RAT' Hole on 'Pilbara' (pre-RAT)

The prominent rock in this image from NASA's rover Curiosity, informally named 'East Bull Rock,' is about 20 inches (half a meter) high. The rock-studded local rise dominating the image is called 'Elsie Mountain'.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used a mechanism on its robotic arm to dig up five scoopfuls of material from a patch of dusty sand called 'Rocknest,' producing the five bite-mark pits visible in this image from the rover's left Navigation Camera (Navcam).

Slippery Slopes

This frame from a set of three images from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rover's drill in action on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182, Curiosity's 182nd Martian day of operations.

Hills Still a Distant Goal for Spirit

Spirit Does a Jig at Laguna Hollow

This view from the left Navigation Camera (Navcam) of NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity looks back at wheel tracks made during the first drive away from the last science target in the 'Glenelg' area.

This image from the navigation camera (Navcam) on the mast of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity provides a look back to the crest of Endeavour Crater's rim after the rover began descending Perseverance Valley on the rim's inner slope. The Navcam took this image on July 18, 2017, during the 4,793rd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. Wheel tracks from the top of the rim to the rover are visible above the rear solar panel of the vehicle. For scale, the distance between tracks from right-side wheels and tracks from left-side wheels is about 3.3 feet (1 meter). The knob-topped cylinder mounted at the edge of the solar panel is the calibration target for Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam). Opportunity's location on Sol 4793 was a site within the upper end of Perseverance Valley that the rover reached with a drive of about 45 feet (13.8 meters) on July 7 (Sol 4782). The rover team chose this location for Opportunity to spend about three weeks during a driving mor

This image from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the view ahead on the day before the rover reached the rim of Endeavour crater. It was taken during the 2,680th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.

This is a picture of 'Block Island' an odd-shaped, dark rock, which may be a meteorite.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this 3-D view after beginning to ascend the northwestern slope of 'Solander Point' on the western rim of Endeavour Crater.

Sojourner, Barnacle

Sol 8

Dust Devil Near Spirit, Sol 446

AS16-112-18234 (22 April 1972) --- This view of South Ray Crater was taken during the second Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) from Station No. 4 -- highest point on the traverse up Stone Mountain -- using a 500mm lens. South Ray Crater is a fresh source of angular ejecta in the LM-ALSEP area and samples at Station No. 8.

Savoring Neopolitan

Opportunity View on Sol 109

This full-resolution image from NASA's Curiosity shows the turret of tools at the end of the rover's extended robotic arm on Aug. 20, 2012. The Navigation Camera captured this view.

NASA's Mars Pathfinder's forward rover ramp can be seen successfully unfurled in this image, taken in stereo by the Imager camera. The large rock dubbed 'Wedge' is at lower right. 3-D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

Soil on Phoenix's MECA

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