Mars Landscape

Spacecraft have studied the Martian surface for decades, giving Earthlings insights into the history, climate and geology of our nearest neighbor, Mars. These images are from 'Mars Landscape,' a virtual exhibit THAT commemorates the landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover at Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 and features actual images sent back by surface rovers and spacecraft from NASA and the European Space Agency. The brilliant, but false, colors in many of these images represent temperature differences reflecting or radiating from surface material. Selected for their aesthetic rather than scientific value, these isolated observations are just preliminary studies for the landscapes that the Curiosity rover promises and they tease us to further explore the beauty that exists elsewhere in our solar system. (NASA/MSFC/JPL)