Remote sensing Archives

Mercury’s south pole to 80°S, with an Arecibo radar image in pink indicating locations of water ice.

Research Spotlight 20 April 2018

Evidence of Extensive Ice Deposits Near Mercury’s South Pole

New radar observations and refined illumination maps reveal uneven water ice deposits twice the size of those found around the planet’s north pole, suggesting the source may be a recent comet impact.

Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

Horizontal exposure of cyclic cross strata in the Navajo Sandstone

Meeting Report 15 February 2018

Planetary Dune Workshop Expands to Include Subaqueous Processes

The Fifth International Planetary Dunes Workshop: From the Bottom of the Oceans to the Outer Limits of the Solar System; St. George, Utah, 16–19 May 2017

Planetary Sciences

Irradiation-induced color changes in sodium chloride suggest Europa’s ocean waters are mixing with surface waters—a sign of the moon’s potential to support life

Research Spotlight 31 January 2018

Seeking Salt That Surfaces from Europa’s Hidden Ocean

Irradiation-induced color changes in sodium chloride could reveal whether it came from ocean water mixing with surface water, a key component of the moon’s potential to support life.

Planetary Sciences

Researchers examine images taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover to see how Martian sand dunes form.

Research Spotlight 29 June 2017

Curiosity Spies Shifting Sands on Mars

Images from the rover’s pioneering encounter with sand dunes on Mars constrain wind speeds required to move sand in the thin Martian atmosphere.

Ocean Sciences

The movement of the Gulf Stream has big impacts on ocean mixing and heat transport off the East Coast of the U.S.

Research Spotlight 8 November 2016

Gulf Stream Destabilization Point Is on the Move

Westward migration of the wavelike Gulf Stream pattern could have big effects on ocean mixing and heat transport off the U.S. East Coast.

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Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

water-valleys-show-climate-Mars-warm-wet-later

Research Spotlight 30 September 2016

Mars’s Climate May Have Been Wet Much Later Than Thought

Water-carved valleys may be relatively young, challenging assumptions about the history of the Red Planet's climate.

Planetary Sciences

orbiter-data-shows-frost-not-liquid-water-helped-Martian-gullies-formation

Research Spotlight 26 August 2016

How Do Gullies Form on Mars?

New orbiter data support an important role for seasonal frost—not liquid water—in the formation of Martian gullies.

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Planetary Sciences

An enhanced-color view from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment(HiRISE) shows rugged, canyon walls surfaces where Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are frequently detected in Coprates Chasma, Valles Marineris

Research Spotlight 25 July 2016

A Cluster of Water Seeps on Mars?

The discovery of dense concentrations of recurring flowlike features in two Valles Marineris chasms could aid in the search for life and influence future exploration of the Red Planet.

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Planetary Sciences

Portion of a photo taken by NASA's Curiosity rover while traversing the Kimberly formation on its journey south toward the center of Gale Crater.

Research Spotlight 8 June 2016

Curiosity Sends Curious Water Data from Mars

The rover's neutron spectroscopy instrument hints at an unexpected trend: The upper soil levels in the layers of Gale Crater's Kimberley formation seem to hold more water-associated hydrogen.

Planetary Sciences