Mars Transition
-
- Visualizations by:
- Michael Lentz
- View full credits
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
-
Animator
- Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
-
Scientist
- Bruce Jakosky (LASP)
-
Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
-
Technical director
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Related pages
-
-
ID: 13828 Produced Video
Welcome to the Next Wright Brothers Moment: NASA Ingenuity Helicopter Days Away From First Test Flight on Mars Live Shots
Read moreClick here for link to Ingenuity press kit. Includes information and links to b-roll.Check out raw images from the Mars Perseverance Rover here.Make your own paper Mars helicopter!Perseverance took a SELFIE with Ingenuity!Check out the CLOSE UP of Ingenuity || NASA’s Small But Mighty Ingenuity Helicopter Is Gearing Up For Historic Test Flight On MarsThe first-ever powered, controlled flight on another planet is just days away!History in the making: NASA is targeting Sunday, April 11 for Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet. The small but mighty helicopter arrived on Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover. Ingenuity is a technology experiment with a narrow scope and limited duration (only a month), aiming to pave the way for more ambitious aerial exploration of other planets in the future. As Ingenuity makes its historic flights, it also carries with it a piece of history from Earth: a piece of the original Wright Brothers plane. Flying on Mars isn’t easy: the atmosphere is thin (about 1% the density of Earth’s atmosphere). Ingenuity has to spin its blades much faster than at Earth to get enough lift and be very light (about 4 pounds or 1.8 kg). The first test flight involves lifting off, climbing to 10 feet (3 meters), hovering for about 30 seconds, and then descending.This flight will be the first in a series of test flights that will last up to 31 Earth days (30 Martian days or sols), each building in complexity if the previous flight went as planned. These tests will set the stage for future missions to include advanced robotic flying vehicles, collect high-resolution images from the air and survey sites that are difficult for rovers to reach.NASA experts are available for one-on-one virtual interviews on Friday, April 9th from 6:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT - two days before this historic flight - as well as limited opportunity Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11 - the day before and the day of this historic test - to talk about what NASA hopes to accomplish with this ambitious first flight. Want to have some fun demonstrating Ingenuity for your viewers? You can make a paper version! The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has developed a way for people to experiment with Ingenuity’s design on paper to see what works best. You can find everything you need to participate here build your own!To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form**: https://forms.gle/6dbMULmkBe7yj9HNA**Please note: requests received after 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 8 may not be accommodated. Requests may not be accommodated if sent in via email.Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom and Skype, in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc. Our preferred program is Zoom. Satellite interviews are not available. Please do not use an IFB unless necessary.*Spanish Interviews are available*Suggested QuestionsIn 118 years we’ve gone from the first flight of a powered aircraft by the Wright Brothers to today’s test of powered aircraft on another planet. What is NASA hoping to learn from this historic test flight? What makes flying on Mars so difficult?Ingenuity is carrying a little piece of history with it. Can you tell us what that is?What is the first test flight for Ingenuity going to be like? Ingenuity hitched a ride to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance Rover that landed in February. How did it get to the surface?How will this help with future missions, crewed or robotic, to Mars?Where can our viewers go to keep up with Ingenuity?Questions for longer interviewsHow difficult was it to design this small but mighty helicopter?How did your team even figure out it was possible to fly a helicopter on Mars?Suggested anchor introIt’s incredibly difficult to fly in such thin air, but NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is about to attempt just this feat at Mars. Ingenuity is a very small spacecraft -- about the size of a tissue box -- but it has some big ambitions. Joining us today to talk about this historic test is … ||
-
ID: 13803 Produced Video
Destination Mars! On February 18 NASA’s Newest and Most Ambitious Rover Lands on the Red Planet
Read moreClick here for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover press kit.Quick link to cut B-ROLL for the LIVE SHOTSQuick link to canned interview with KEITH COMEAUXQuick link to PROMO for Spanish language show || Game Day! Join NASA In The Excitement As We Countdown To Landing On The Red Planet After six months, more than 300 million miles and seven precarious minutes... On February 18, NASA begins an epic and unparalleled exploration of Mars with the landing of its newest rover. As the first rover to land on the red planet since 2012, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is the agency’s most ambitious rover yet. The SUV-sized rover will explore Mars in search of signs of ancient life, collect samples of Martian rocks and sediment for future return to Earth, study the planet’s geology and climate, and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon. Throughout all of this, it will also collect the first sounds from the Red Planet, allowing us to hear what Mars sounds like! Perseverance is landing in the most challenging Martian terrain ever targeted: an area known as Jezero Crater. Scientists want to explore and investigate Jezero Crater because they believe it was once filled with flowing water, and perhaps had the right environment that could have supported ancient microbial life. But Jezero is also a dangerous area to land in because it has steep cliffs, sand dunes, and boulder fields. NASA team members will be available for virtual one-on-one interviews on Wednesday, February 17 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST and Thursday, February 18 from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST. The capsule carrying Perseverance enters Mars’s atmosphere at 3:48 p.m. EST and lands at 3:55 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 18. ** Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 ET, etc. Satellite interviews are not available. ** Interviews are available in Spanish**. List of participating scientists will be added next week. To book an interview please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Li4ow3zAXj5FgKQK9 *If you are looking to book a radio or podcast interview, please contact victoria.j.woodburn@nasa.gov or fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/2aE3Kbhsn3udmdjG7 * Please note the following changes to the form:Our preferred video chat program is now Zoom and you will need to provide us with the Zoom link. No IFB interviews will be done. (If you require an IFB please reach out to michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov) All taped radio interviews will be done over Microsoft Teams. We will provide you with the Microsoft Teams link. Suggested Anchor/Host Intro: TOMORROW / TODAY IS THE DAY NASA WILL LAND THE FIRST ROVER ON MARS IN NEARLY A DECADE. PERSEVERANCE WILL SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF LIFE, COLLECT THE FIRST SAMPLES THAT WILL BE RETURNED BY A FUTURE MISSION, AND PAVE THE WAY FOR HUMAN EXPLORERS. JOINING US TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS MISSION IS ______. Suggested Questions:Perseverance is the first rover to land on Mars since Curiosity in 2012. What makes this rover special?Perseverance is going to an intriguing place on Mars that scientists believe was an ancient lakebed. What will the rover be studying there?I hear that the rover is landing in quite a dangerous part of Mars. What will be going through your mind during the landing?Perseverance will be collecting samples of Martian rock and soil. What will happen to those samples?What are you most looking forward to learning with Perseverance?How can our viewers watch the landing and stay up-to-date on this mission? Questions for longer interviews:I hear the rover also has a sidekick. Can you tell us what Ingenuity is and what it's trying to test for the first time?Thanks to Perseverance, we’re actually going to hear what Mars sounds like for the first time. What are you most excited to hear?How does this mission set the stage for future human missions to Mars?How difficult is it to send a rover to Mars? ||
-
ID: 13655 Produced Video
Countdown to Mars! NASA's Perseverance Rover Launch Live Shots
Read moreClick HERE for quick link to b-roll. For more about the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, including quick facts, interviews, and additional images and videos check out https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.Count down is on! Check out b-roll of the rocket being rolled out to the launch pad here.And more images of the rocket on the launchpad as well as other file material can be found on https://images.nasa.gov/And don't miss the latest podcast release from NASA's Curious Universe: "We're Going To Mars!" ||
-
ID: 13625 Produced Video
First Map of Mars Electric Currents
Read moreMAVEN data have enabled the first map of the electric current systems (blue and red arrows) that shape the induced magnetic field surrounding Mars.Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/SVSUniversal Production Music: “A Lucid Dream” and “Shimmer Oscillations” by James Joshua OttoWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Five years after NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars, data from the mission has led to the creation of a map of electric current systems in the Martian atmosphere. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a protective global magnetic field to shield its upper atmosphere from the solar wind. Instead, the solar wind crashes into the upper atmosphere and its magnetic field lines drape around the planet. This creates an induced magnetosphere that tugs on charged particles in the Mars upper atmosphere, generating electric currents. Now, MAVEN’s detailed measurements of the magnetic environment surrounding Mars have revealed the shape of these electric currents for the first time.Read the science paper in Nature Astronomy. ||
-
ID: 20282 Animation
Terraforming the Martian Atmosphere
Read moreOne of the challenges of terraforming Mars is to increase its atmospheric pressure, which is currently less than 1% that of Earth. The Martian polar caps, minerals, and soil could all provide sources of carbon dioxide and water to thicken the atmosphere. Unfortunately, a new study by the MAVEN science team finds that processing all sources available on Mars would only increase the pressure to about 7% that of Earth, far short of what is needed.Learn more about this finding. || Text and Textless Digital Versions of Infographic ||
-
ID: 13016 Produced Video
Mars Evolution from Wet to Dry
Read moreThese animations were originally created to accompany Invisible Mars, a Science-on-a-Sphere live presentation for the MAVEN mission. The animations have been rendered for use in other formats, including the NASA Hyperwall. Learn more about MAVEN and about the Lunar and Planetary Institute.Credit: Created for the MAVEN mission by the Lunar and Planetary Institute || This is an artist's model of an early Mars — billions of years ago — which may have had oceans and a thicker atmosphere. It was created by filling Mars' lower altitudes with water and adding cloud cover. The locations for the ancient ocean are based on current altitudes and do not reflect the actual ancient topography. ||
-
ID: 12557 Produced Video
MAVEN Reveals Mars Argon Loss to Space
Read moreInfographic explaining the MAVEN argon results. Enlarge or click "download" for print-resolution versions. Also available in text-readable PDF for the visually impaired. || Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the Martian atmosphere, according to results from NASA's MAVEN mission. By measuring light and heavy isotopes of argon in the Martian atmosphere, scientists have determined that the majority of the planet's air and water were removed to space by sputtering. In this process, ions from the Mars atmosphere get picked up by the solar wind and slammed into other atoms at the top of the atmosphere, knocking them into space. Scientists used measurements of light and heavy argon from MAVEN and NASA's Curiosity rover to determine that sputtering has removed 65% of Mars' argon to space, along with the majority of other gases like carbon dioxide. Over billions of years, this transformed Mars from a hospitable environment into the cold, dry planet that we see today.Learn more about the MAVEN argon loss finding. ||
-
ID: 12266 Produced Video
Mars Evolution from Wet to Dry for Planetariums
Read moreMars transitions from a wet planet early in its history to the dry world that we see today. This animation has been formatted for planetarium full-dome presentations, rendered for unidirectional domes in a variety of resolutions, up to 4K. || Ancient regions on Mars bear signs of abundant water - such as features resembling valleys and deltas, and minerals that only form in the presence of liquid water. Scientists think that billions of years ago, the atmosphere of Mars was much denser and warm enough to form rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans of water. As the planet cooled and lost its global magnetic field, the solar wind and solar storms eroded away to space a significant amount of the planet’s atmosphere, turning Mars into the cold, arid desert we see today. The goal of MAVEN is to determine how much of Mars’ atmosphere and water have been lost to space, and how these processes have changed the climate on the Red Planet over its history. ||
-
ID: 4370 Visualization
Solar Wind Strips the Martian Atmosphere
Read moreScientists have long suspected the solar wind of stripping the Martian upper atmosphere into space, turning Mars from a blue world to a red one. Now, NASA's MAVEN orbiter is observing this process in action, providing significant data on solar wind erosion at Mars.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. || Today, Mars is a global desert with an atmosphere far too thin to support bodies of flowing water, but evidence shows that Mars was considerably wetter in the ancient past. Scientists think that climate change on Mars was caused by the loss of an early, thick atmosphere, and NASA’s MAVEN mission is investigating whether it was driven into space.One of the prime suspects is the solar wind, a stream of electrically charged particles continuously blowing outward from the Sun. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field to deflect the incoming solar wind. Instead, charged particles from the Sun crash into the Mars upper atmosphere, and can accelerate Martian ions into space. Now, MAVEN has observed this process in action – by measuring the velocity of ions escaping from Mars.The movies on this page compare simulations of ion escape with MAVEN’s observations of oxygen ion flux. The results closely fit the expected pattern, with the most energetic ions (in red) accelerated in a plume above Mars, while the majority of escaping ions (green) are lost along the “tail” region in the wake of the solar wind. MAVEN’s observations confirm that the solar wind is a significant contributor to atmosphere loss on Mars, and they bring scientists closer to solving the mystery of the ancient Martian climate. Read the full press release about this finding.Watch the November 2015 MAVEN Science Update. ||
-
ID: 4393 Visualization
Solar Wind and Mars Bow Shock
Read moreSimulation of the solar wind at Mars compared with MAVEN observations, showing the predicted bow shock. Available for download in up to 4k resolution. || Today, Mars is a global desert with an atmosphere far too thin to support bodies of flowing water, but evidence shows that Mars was considerably wetter in the ancient past. Scientists think that climate change on Mars was caused by the loss of an early, thick atmosphere, and NASA's MAVEN mission is investigating what could have driven its escape.One of the prime suspects is the solar wind, a stream of electrically charged particles continuously blowing outward from the Sun. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field to deflect the incoming solar wind. Instead, charged particles from the Sun slam into the Mars upper atmosphere, piling up in a bow shock ahead of the planet. The inner boundary of this bow shock reaches the Mars ionosphere, and can accelerate ions to escape velocities. During solar storms, the bow shock pushes even deeper into the atmosphere and is accompanied by increased rates of ion escape.The visualization on this page compares a simulation of the solar wind at Mars with data from the MAVEN spacecraft. MAVEN's observations confirm the existence of a bow shock, with a density and shape matching the predicted pattern. Thanks to MAVEN, scientists can now observe the solar wind at Mars during both normal and extreme conditions, allowing them to study the Sun's ongoing role in the evolution of the Martian climate.Read the full press release about this finding.Watch an excerpt of the MAVEN Mission Briefing. ||
-
ID: 11796 Produced Video
Mars' Ancient Ocean
Read moreNASA planetary scientists Geronimo Villanueva and Michael Mumma discuss their findings regarding the ancient ocean of Mars.Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here. || For decades, planetary scientists have suspected that ancient Mars was a much warmer, wetter environment than it is today, but estimates of just how much water Mars has lost since its formation vary widely. Now, new isotopic measurements by researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center reveal that an ocean once covered approximately twenty percent of the Martian surface. This new picture of early Mars is considerably wetter than many previous estimates, raising the odds for the ancient habitability of the Red Planet. ||
-
ID: 11662 Produced Video
MAVEN Arrives at Mars Live Shot 2014
Read moreThe Mars Atmosphere Volatile Evolution mission, or MAVEN, is NASA's newest mission to Mars. After a 10 month journey, it's arriving at the Red Planet on Sunday, September 21, where it will study the planet's upper atmosphere. MAVEN will help determine why Mars has lost the majority of its atmosphere over the past four billion years, giving us information on how the Mars climate has evolved over time. This will also help us understand the evolution of other planets, including Earth. || B-roll supporting live shot for MAVEN reaching Mars. ||
-
ID: 11372 Produced Video
Mars Evolution
Read moreWhat does catastrophic climate change look like? Mars can help answer that question. The Red Planet today is a desert world, cold and dry. Billions of years ago, however, Mars probably had a thick atmosphere that kept the planet warm enough to have water flowing on the surface. To investigate how Mars lost that abundant atmosphere, NASA launched the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft on November 18, 2013. The spacecraft will orbit Mars and examine the processes that are stripping away what remains of the planet’s fragile upper atmosphere. Understanding what happened on Mars will give us new insight into the habitability of planets and global climate change. Watch the video to see what Mars's radical transformation might have looked like. ||
-
-
-
ID: 12951 Produced Video
Ancient Organics Discovered on Mars
Read moreThe Curiosity rover has discovered ancient organic molecules on Mars, embedded within sedimentary rocks that are billions of years old. Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Music provided by Killer Tracks: "Crystalline" by Enrico Cacace & Manuel Bandettini, "Based On True Events" by Eric Chevalier, "Mirrored Cubes" by Laurent Dury, "Lost In The Sky" by Matthews Samar || Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks in search of organics – molecules containing carbon. Organics are the building blocks of all life on Earth, though they can also come from non-living sources. The surface of Mars readily destroys these molecules, making them difficult to detect. Now, Curiosity has discovered ancient organics that have been preserved in rocks for billions of years. This finding helps scientists better understand the habitability of early Mars, and it paves the way for future missions to the Red Planet.Learn more about this discovery, or visit NASA's Mars Exploration Program. For an in-depth explanation of the results, watch the NASA-TV broadcast featuring members of the Curiosity science team. ||
-