Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL Earth JPL Solar System JPL Stars and Galaxies JPL Science and Technology NASA Home Page Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Follow this link to skip to the main content
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
+ NASA Homepage
+ NASA en Español
+ Marte en Español
Search Mars
GO!
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Overview Science Technology The Mission People Features Events Multimedia
Mars for Kids
Mars for Students
Mars for Educators
Mars for Press
+ Mars Home
Home
Where is MRO now?
Mars Exploration Program
Ask Dr. C. - Your personal Mars expert.
Spotlight on Mars
View the spotlight 'Seasonal Freezing and Thawing on Mars'
Seasonal Freezing and Thawing on Mars - 11/25/08

On Mars, the stuff we know as "dry ice," or frozen carbon dioxide, is a powerful agent for change. In winter, it forms a polar ice cap. In spring, it becomes an expanding gas that carves channels in the surface and sends loose debris into landslides.

Read More >>
View All Spotlight Items >>
Current Images and Weather
Yardangs in South Amazonis Olivine, Phyllosilicates, and Ancient Crater Rims View Martian Weather Report
December 02, 2008
Yardangs in South Amazonis
High-resolution version
at the UA HiRISE site
June 30, 2008
Olivine, Phyllosilicates, and Ancient Crater Rims
High-resolution version
at the JHU APL CRISM site
November 17-23, 2008
Mars Weather Report
at the MSSS MARCI site
Recent News
Read the release 'NASA Orbiter Reveals Rock Fracture Plumbing On Mars' NASA Space Craft Detects Buried Glaciers on Mars
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed vast Martian glaciers of water ice under protective blankets of rocky debris at much lower latitudes than any ice previously identified on the Red Planet. >>
Read the release 'Unusual Mound in North Polar Layered Deposits' Unusual Mound in North Polar Layered Deposits
Martian Polar Layer Erosion Looks Striking In a newly released image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, an unusual mound punctuates dramatic stripes of Martian polar terrain where icy layers are eroding.
University of Arizona release >>
Image and Caption >>
Read the release 'NASA Orbiter Reveals Rock Fracture Plumbing On Mars' NASA Orbiter Reveals Rock Fracture Plumbing On Mars
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed hundreds of small fractures exposed on the Martian surface that billions of years ago directed flows of water through underground Martian sandstone. >>
Read the release 'A Tribute to Mars Exploration' A Tribute to Mars Exploration
As Americans celebrate Labor Day 2008, six flags stand in silent salute to the U.S. workforce on Mars. Three of the flags are on spacecraft still exploring Mars. >>
Read more about 'NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars' NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars
A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole. >>
more news >>
Multimedia
Screenshot from the movie 'Peeling Back Layers of a Martian Polar Ice Cap'
Peeling Back Layers of a Martian Polar Ice Cap
Screenshot from the movie 'Carbon-Dioxide Frost Settling from Seasonal Outbursts on Mars'
Carbon-Dioxide Frost Settling from Seasonal Outbursts
Screenshot from the movie 'Video Exploration of Details in Athabasca Valles on Mars'
Video Exploration of Details in Athabasca Valles on Mars
Credits Feedback Related Links Sitemap
USA Gov
National Aeronautics and Space Administration