Mars on Earth

Clay minerals are composed of layers. Water and cations (positive-charged ions) can be stored between these layers.

The Mars Descent Imager will provide color video footage of the landing site and the surrounding terrain during the Mars Science Laboratory's descent to the surface of the red planet. Image credit:...

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drove 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) during the 100th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Nov. 16, 2012).

Clara Ma, winner of the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest.

This image of a Martian rock illuminated by white-light LEDs (light emitting diodes) is part of the first set of nighttime images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera at the end of the...

These schematic drawings show a top view and a cutaway view of a section of the drill on NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.

This image shows the landing site of NASA's Curiosity rover and destinations scientists want to investigate.

This side-by-side comparison shows the X-ray diffraction patterns of two different samples collected from rocks on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover.

Scientists listen intently for status updates prior to Curiosity's landing.

This false-color engineering drawing shows the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) device, attached to the turret at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Curiosity Ma...

This chart graphs measurements made by the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity against the distance the rover has driven, in meters.

A beautiful sun rises on Florida's space coast as preparations are underway for mating the final solid rocket motor (SRM) to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at the Vertical Integration Faci...

Lozenge-shaped crystals are evident in this magnified view of a Martian rock target called "Mojave," taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument on the arm of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.

This mosaic taken by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover looks uphill at Mount Sharp, which Curiosity has been climbing. Spanning the center of the image is an area with clay-bearing rocks that scientists ...

Pictured here are a few of the women working on Mars with the Curiosity test rover model in the background. The image was taken in the "Mars Yard" where the ground test model of the Curiosity rover...

Scientists get closer to selecting a landing site for the Curiosity rover.

Using the elements of art — shape, line, color, texture, value — learners of all ages create a beautiful piece of art while learning to recognize geologic and atmospheric features of solar system o...

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft has been fully stacked for flight in this photograph from inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

From a position in the shallow "Yellowknife Bay" depression, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used its right Mast Camera (Mastcam) to take the telephoto images combined into this panorama of geological ...

This image is an artist's concept of the Mars Science Laboratory on the surface of Mars.

Artist concept of Mars Science Laboratory Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This full-resolution image shows part of the deck of NASA's Curiosity rover taken from one of the rover's Navigation cameras looking toward the back left of the rover.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drilled into this rock target, "Cumberland," during the 279th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (May 19, 2013) and collected a powdered sample of material...

This image shows a globe of Mars with the locations of the four proposed landing sites noted in white font and the locations of prior landed missions in yellow font. Prior landed missions include: ...

This video (part 2 of a 4 part series) shows engineers testing a new parachute in the largest wind tunnel on Earth for the Curiosity rover, prior to its landing on Mars in August 2012.