Did life ever exist on Mars? That’s just one of the big questions that ’s unique rock collection could help scientists answer in the future. 👇
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@NASAMars
NASA’s official Twitter account for all things Mars. Join us as we explore the Red Planet!
NASA Mars’s posts
To the robot who turned 90 days into 15 years of exploration:
You were, and are, the Opportunity of a lifetime.
Rest well, rover. Your mission is complete.
(2004-2019)
mars.nasa.gov
#ThanksOppy
One small sample tube. Built on Earth by caring humans; filled on Mars by an inquisitive robot. Now it sits waiting for a potential pickup and return journey, not many years from now. #MarsSampleReturn
Read more: go.nasa.gov/3WzZ5qF
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How it started: How it’s going:
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We’re rolling: the rover has made its first drive on Mars, and its landing site has been named in honor of groundbreaking science fiction author . More: go.nasa.gov/3bkANMM
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#OppyPhoneHome Update
Tonight, we’ll make our last planned attempts to contact Opportunity. The solar-powered rover last communicated on June 10, 2018, as a planet-wide dust storm swept across Mars.
Want to show the team some love? Send a postcard: go.nasa.gov/MERpostcards
The Sun sets on Mars, as seen by the Spirit rover looking down from the Columbia Hills. These hills – Anderson, Brown, Chawla, Clark, Husband, McCool, and Ramon – forever bear the names of the astronauts lost on Feb. 1, 2003. go.nasa.gov/3jixSem
#NASARemembers
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A dream takes flight: The Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter has flown in the thin atmosphere of the Red Planet.
More test flights are planned for the coming days. In the future, flying robotic scouts may join new rovers and even astronauts in their explorations. mars.nasa.gov/technology/hel
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Help us remember Opportunity, one of the greatest of all time. mars.nasa.gov/mer/highlights
Tag thoughts and memories #ThanksOppy
As you enjoy Mars glowing in the eastern sky this evening, just remember that bright, red dot is actually an active world. The HiRISE camera aboard our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has even caught avalanches in progress! More: go.nasa.gov/3jFFu5p
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Today our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reaches a Martian milestone: 70,000 orbits around the Red Planet! For 15 years, this robotic explorer has sent back valuable data and some of the most detailed, striking images of Mars ever captured. Check it out at: mars.nasa.gov/mro/
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Sunrise on Mars
Opportunity was built to last 90 sols, or Martian days. The rover has survived to see 5,000 days of exploration. Here, day breaks on 4,999. go.nasa.gov/2HkxUKM
Welcome to the Red Planet. And congratulations.
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Replying to @HopeMarsMission
Success!
Contact with #HopeProbe has been established again.
The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete.
#ArabsToMars
If you have clear skies this evening where you are, look for a bright, reddish “star” near the Moon. That’s Mars!
We’re #thankful to have you along with us as we explore.
solarsystem.nasa.gov/mars | mars.nasa.gov
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After analyzing powdered rock samples collected by , scientists found that some are rich in a type of carbon that on Earth is associated with biological processes. It's not proof of life on Mars, but it's "tantalizingly interesting." Details: go.nasa.gov/3tCuJc4
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To all the the poets, the painters, the makers and dreamers who've reached out to say #ThanksOppy and explore with us, thank you. We love sharing space with you.
twitter.com/i/moments/1096
The launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, illuminated tonight by spotlights.
Tomorrow we set sail.
#CountdownToMars
flickr.com/photos/nasahqp
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Another red letter day at the Red Planet. has arrived at the ancient river delta it came to explore: go.nasa.gov/384kEeV The Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter, which today marks the anniversary of its first flight, will continue to scout the way go.nasa.gov/3i8Y86y
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The Martian dust storm blotting out the sun above Opportunity has continued to intensify. It blankets a quarter of the planet. All rover subsystems are off, except a mission clock, programmed to wake the computer to check power levels. Full status report: go.nasa.gov/2JvHVtn
A long time ago, Mars was a world flowing with rivers and streams. We know this thanks to decades of work by robotic explorers and their teams on Earth.
What we don't know: did life ever thrive on Mars?
Now, the mission will take an even closer look. 1/4
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The rover’s Lander Vision System Camera captured this look at the atmosphere of Mars, Jezero Crater, and the heat shield as it fell away after being released during the spacecraft’s descent to the surface on Feb. 18. Details: go.nasa.gov/3sJWSKm
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Look up at the Moon tonight after sunset. See that bright, reddish "star" nearby? That's Mars. Among other things, it will always serve as a reminder that perseverance pays off.
go.nasa.gov/34hp376 #CountdownToMars
It never gets old: the sound of wind on another planet. made this audio recording with its SuperCam instrument. 🎧 Headphones on and volume up! Hear more from Mars at go.nasa.gov/37ec6PF
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...and we watched the skies darken.
Ultimately, it was the most intense dust storm in recorded Martian history that brought this epic mission to a close. go.nasa.gov/2E9PG3Y
#ThanksOppy
Our next rover mission, , has begun the #CountdownToMars. Launch is slated for July 30.
See all the ways you can get a front-row seat: go.nasa.gov/2CVBxcl
The final #CountdownToMars is on. Watch the launch of on Thursday, July 30. 🚀
⏰ Live coverage begins at 7:00 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC). Launch targeted for 7:50 a.m. EDT.
📺 nasa.gov/live
ℹ️ mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
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Liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars longer and more recently – by about a billion years – than previous estimates, according to new research using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Details: go.nasa.gov/3ICJLTh
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It's a pleasure and honor to serve. With hope, our rover tracks on Mars have helped to blaze a trail that human explorers will one day walk.
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Congratulations to the entire @MarsRovers team. Through ingenuity and hard work, you turned a 90-day mission into 15 years. #ThanksOppy for showing us the beauty and wonder of Mars. You made the country proud!
The Undiscovered Country
Opportunity's final image mosaic from #Mars shows the mission's last tracks and pristine terrain waiting for visits from future explorers.
See the full high-resolution panorama at go.nasa.gov/2F7JWbn
You can help make our Mars robots even smarter. Members of the public can now help teach an artificial intelligence algorithm to recognize scientific features in images taken by the rover. Find out how to get involved: go.nasa.gov/3Em6aBZ
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This isn’t the end. Opportunity lives on in current and future Mars missions. mars.nasa.gov
#ThanksOppy
You're a bright "star" in my sky!
#ValentinesDay
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No one pulls off red quite like you, @NASAMars. Happy #ValentinesDay!
go.nasa.gov/valentines
Marsquakes!
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In the last several weeks, listening for the heartbeat of Mars has revealed two strong, clear quakes from a region where I've felt them before: Cerberus Fossae. These two were magnitude 3.3 and 3.1. So far, I’ve recorded more than 500 marsquakes.
Read: go.nasa.gov/3m6235m
You don’t have to be aboard a spacecraft to see #Mars. It’s visible toward the southeast in the pre-dawn sky now, and on the morning of August 9th, Mars will appear super close to the Moon. Details at: go.nasa.gov/34hp376
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The south polar cap of Mars is beautiful — and sometimes a bit baffling. A new study by scientists finds even more radar signals suggesting subsurface lakes there. The issue? Many are in areas that are just too cold for liquid water. Details: go.nasa.gov/2TZ5mBt
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NASA’s first rocket launch from another planet is now one step closer. has been tapped to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), part of a multi-mission campaign to return samples of the Red Planet to Earth. go.nasa.gov/3GzPDeo
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After journeying through a narrow pass, has arrived at a long-sought region of Mt. Sharp enriched with salty minerals – tantalizing clues as to how the Red Planet’s climate changed from being more Earth-like to the frozen desert it is today.
go.nasa.gov/3TgNvzA
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A new selfie from shows off the dramatic scenery at an intriguing spot known as “Mont Mercou.”
🌄 See more images of the site: go.nasa.gov/39t2di6
📸 Learn how Curiosity takes selfies: youtu.be/b2rwWECbEHg?t=
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#OppyPhoneHome Update
We're pulling out all the stops and trying new strategies to regain communication with Opportunity: go.nasa.gov/2RR7KZ2
Go for flight: The Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter will make the first attempt at a powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet at Jezero Crater, Mars on Sunday, April 11. Data about the results is expected at around 4:15 a.m. EDT on April 12: go.nasa.gov/39VmXzm
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Calling all Martians! is recruiting four crew members for a year-long mission that will simulate life on a distant world, living in “Mars Dune Alpha,” a 3D-printed habitat. Want to take part in research for the first human Mars mission?
Learn more! nasa.gov/feature/nasa-i
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, that may be asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity. go.nasa.gov/2OClkMO #AsteroidDay
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Right now, the spacecraft carrying our rover toward its Feb. 18 landing on Mars is moving at more than 48,000 mph. That rate would take you from Kansas City to Tampa...in about 90 seconds. More: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 #SuperBowl #CountdownToMars 1/3
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught this glimpse of Earth and the Moon. Each of our seven robots now working at Mars is really a #NASAEarthling, acting as our eyes as they explore the Red Planet – deepening our understanding of and appreciation for our blue one.
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We're preparing for a multi-mission campaign to bring the first pristine samples from Mars back to Earth, a key step in understanding whether life ever existed on Mars and, in turn, the origins of life on Earth. Today, the campaign advanced to a new phase: go.nasa.gov/3ntQsNr
Opportunity trekked more than a marathon’s distance and set the off-world driving record, spotting dust devils along the way. go.nasa.gov/2E805wR
#ThanksOppy
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has once again spotted the rover from space. And that dot on the right? It's the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter! Details: go.nasa.gov/374z5iL
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Tune into the new episode of the "On a Mission" podcast, where we look back on the truly epic journeys of the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. 🎧 go.nasa.gov/36xHNG9
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And here's what the onboard cameras actually saw...
See the full video and more details: go.nasa.gov/3v0vv2Y
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You don't need a spacecraft to see Mars! You can’t miss it in the eastern sky just after sunset or toward the south by midnight local time. Today Mars is at opposition, meaning it’s positioned directly opposite the Sun, which makes it especially bright. go.nasa.gov/34hp376
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Good night Mars: our landers and rovers have been photographing Martian sunsets since the Viking mission in the 1970s. The rover captured this sequence at Gale Crater in 2015. Learn more and see other Mars sunsets: twitter.com/i/events/11236
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Thirty-five years ago today, we lost the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger. The area where the Opportunity Mars rover landed in 2004 bears the name Challenger Memorial Station in their honor. nasa.gov/specials/dor20 #NASARemembers
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Our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spied interesting details in this crater, which is just over half a mile (nearly one kilometer) wide. Wind-blown ripples atop likely sedimentary layers reveal wind patterns inside the crater. More: go.nasa.gov/3lmjS0U
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Cold as (dry) ice: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter glimpsed patches of carbon dioxide frost in the shadows beneath a crater rim. Details: go.nasa.gov/3r4Fode
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Ingenuity, the #MarsHelicopter, is preparing for its first flight – and you're invited to come along for the ride:
📰 Pre-flight news briefing – Apr. 9 at 10am PDT (1700 GMT)
🚁 First flight – no earlier than Apr. 11
📺 Where to watch – go.nasa.gov/2Rl4gyz
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How’s THAT for fancy shooting? During the parachute phase of ’s descent to the surface, the powerful HiRISE camera aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter actually captured the moment mid-flight: go.nasa.gov/3dsoG1p #CountdownToMars
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Rover report: Join us for a briefing to discuss the early science results from and preparations to collect the first-ever Martian samples for return to Earth.
📅 Wednesday, July 21
⏰ 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. PDT, 1700 GMT)
📺 How to watch: go.nasa.gov/3ioqJVf
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Raise the roof: In its second flight, Ingenuity has reached a higher altitude and performed some new maneuvers. go.nasa.gov/3avG0At #MarsHelicopter
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Our rover is set to explore the Red Planet for signs of ancient microbial life. Join experts on Science Live today at noon PT (3p ET, 1900 UTC) to learn more about the mission: youtu.be/OnHqYgl88Yo
#CountdownToMars
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Thank you for flying with NASA! Recently downlinked footage from the rover shows the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter’s near-perfect 13th flight. It provides the most detailed look yet at the rotorcraft in action. More: go.nasa.gov/3kRw3m1
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Oppy proved beyond a doubt that ancient Mars had lots of liquid water. These hematite spheres, nicknamed "blueberries," formed in the presence of H2O. go.nasa.gov/2E8bmx2
#ThanksOppy
A prime meridian for Mars. This dune-filled crater, called Airy-0 (zero), defines 0° longitude for the Red Planet, much like the location of the Royal Observatory Greenwich does on Earth. This enhanced-color look comes from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: uahirise.org/ESP_071502_1750
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"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience." – Frank Herbert
Some views of dunes on our favorite planet, as seen by (clockwise):
🟠 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
🟠 Odyssey
🟠 Opportunity
🟠 Curiosity
More: search "dunes" at mars.nasa.gov
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Mars Storm Watch: The dust storm now circles the planet. No signal yet from Opportunity, but no response is expected until skies begin to clear. We continue to listen daily. go.nasa.gov/2JvHVtn
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Opportunity revealed the beauty of Mars, from blue sunrise, to blue sunset. go.nasa.gov/2E8sjaY
#ThanksOppy
As begins exploring the Red Planet, engineers on the ground are furthering potential propulsion technologies for the first crewed missions there. We're looking at two types of nuclear propulsion systems that could get humans to Mars faster: go.nasa.gov/3jG3XZe
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Our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter often catches nature in action. Here, its HiRISE camera captures a whirlwind, often called a dust devil, traversing dunes. Details: go.nasa.gov/3sQKTe4
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In the updated plan to return Mars samples to Earth, the rover will bring samples to a lander, where a robotic arm provided by will load them into an ascent vehicle. Two Ingenuity-class helicopters will act as back-ups. Details: go.nasa.gov/3zfR3tf
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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this enhanced-color view of a mesa surrounded by sand (blue). Layered sediments like these offer clues to Martian history, telling us about the conditions that existed when they were deposited. More: go.nasa.gov/3KcSfRH
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Postcards from a Red Planet: Here's where to see the latest views from throughout the mission: go.nasa.gov/3e8QpSt as well the latest raw images straight from the rover: go.nasa.gov/3soJ2gx #CountdownToMars
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Mars may still be almost seven months away, but the mission is busy. During the interplanetary cruise, the team conducts operations such as system check-outs. Recently, the Ingenuity helicopter got its first in-flight battery charge. More: go.nasa.gov/30TPzEN
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The Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter showed that flight on Mars is possible. Soon it begins a new operations demo phase: working alongside the rover to show how aerial scouting and other functions might benefit future explorers. Details at go.nasa.gov/3nCGqtW
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The telescope will #UnfoldTheUniverse – including Mars! Its instruments will be able to study the Martian atmosphere and how it has changed over time, dust storms, water ice variability and even surface features. More: go.nasa.gov/2QLlXD0
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The rover is a robot, but it was built by people, and once on Mars, it will act as the surrogate eyes and hands of explorers here on Earth. Meet the team: go.nasa.gov/2ZoB5vh #CountdownToMars
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Teen Life: Now 14-year-old Opportunity celebrates 5,000 sols on Mars with first full #selfie.
These frames from the Microscopic Imager at the end of the rover's robotic arm were used to create the photomontage: go.nasa.gov/2o5mmTM
On June 6, the HiRISE camera aboard our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this image showing China's Tianwen-1 Lander and Zhurong Rover in southern Utopia Planitia. The lander is visible at the center of the blast pattern, the rover just below. Details: uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_0696
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We know the desert landscapes of Mars once flowed with rivers and lakes. So where did all the water go? New research adds more information to the debate, with evidence that most of that water is trapped in the crust rather than having escaped into space: go.nasa.gov/3vugwwf
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A rock formation seen on Mars by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1976 (left) and at higher resolution by Mars Global Surveyor (right). More about Mars and pareidolia – the human tendency to see recognizable shapes in objects that are otherwise not familiar to us: go.nasa.gov/3sGhC8l
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Some of you have noticed this image I took on Mars. Sure, it may look like a tiny door, but really, it’s a natural geologic feature! It may just *look* like a door because your mind is trying to make sense of the unknown. (This is called "pareidolia") go.nasa.gov/3sGhC8l
On the Elysium Plains of Mars, InSight remains as a reminder of the hopes of people on Earth, including more than two million names microscopically etched onto chips aboard the lander.
You can submit your name to travel aboard NASA's next Mars mission: mars.nasa.gov/participate/se
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After more than four years, 1,300 marsquakes, and countless scientific discoveries, our @NASAInSight lander has reached the end of its mission.
InSight may be retiring, but its legacy—and its findings from the deep interior of Mars—will live on: go.nasa.gov/3hND9cP
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⚡️Happy 10th landiversary, . Here's a roundup of some of the celebrations, and some looks at the future: twitter.com/i/events/15556
More information, including how to download this poster: go.nasa.gov/3oYmcfW
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“We are pulling for our tenacious rover to pull her feet from the fire one more time. And if she does, we will be there to hear her.”
Opportunity mission update: go.nasa.gov/2C3I97y
#OppyPhoneHome
The rewards of Perseverance: the mission has just begun, and technology developed for the rover and other Mars missions is already paying off here on Earth, with examples ranging from environmental protection to medical care: spinoff.nasa.gov
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Happy Holidays from Jezero Crater: go.nasa.gov/3Vr3RWp
The Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter’s next flight is slated for Christmas Eve.
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Gifts are delivered a little differently on @NASAMars.
Add some space to your holiday festivities with our new coloring page, featuring Santa and his rovers – with the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter leading the way!
Download today: go.nasa.gov/3YOogaUIn a crater on Mars stand seven hills that will forever call to mind the crew of Columbia. go.nasa.gov/3487vjb
#NASARemembers: go.nasa.gov/3AD52JB
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The ancient rivers of Mawrth Vallis. These inverted channels, similar to those found on Earth, are an indication of one place where water flowed in the distant past on Mars. More details about this Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image: uahirise.org/ESP_070975_2060
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Less than a month to go until lands on Mars! Join us for a live briefing to preview the event:
📅 Wednesday, Jan. 27
🕟 4:30 p.m. EST (21:30 UTC)
📺 nasa.gov/live or youtube.com/nasa
❓go.nasa.gov/2NCRSYP
#CountdownToMars
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Who wants to go to Mars?
The first human to step foot on Mars may be alive today. Is it you or someone you know?
What words would you say as you placed your space suit boot on the red soil of the Martian surface?
Learn more: nasa.gov/topics/moon-to
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It’s never easy. It’s always exciting. Our next Mars landing happens on Feb. 18, and you’re invited to take part as the rover begins its exploration of mysterious Jezero Crater. Here’s how to join in the #CountdownToMars: go.nasa.gov/3tVrB8T
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Did you hear? A microphone aboard the rover has recorded the sounds of the spacecraft during its interplanetary flight to Mars. Listen in: go.nasa.gov/38V8MKI
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Sometimes the way forward is to prove what's possible. In 1997, the aptly-named Pathfinder mission landed on Mars. As a technology demonstration, it deployed a rover named Sojourner after civil rights icon Sojourner Truth. The rover weighed just 23 pounds (10.5 kilograms). 1/3
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A memorial on Mars: The twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, each carried a cable guard made of aluminum recovered from the site of the World Trade Center towers. go.nasa.gov/2QhLdQx
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After more than two decades in operation, our Mars Odyssey spacecraft still routinely sends postcards from the Red Planet. These channels in the Olympica Fossae region were likely formed by ancient lava flows. Learn more and see other recent images: mars.nasa.gov/odyssey/
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Anyone up for a hike on Mars? The Arabia Terra region would offer some challenging but interesting routes. Here, layers of sedimentary rock are exposed in mounds, surrounded by ripples of sand that appear blue in this enhanced-color image. Details: go.nasa.gov/3mLIrUc
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