The images look like digital art, but they are actually maps of Mars taken using the CRISM instrument on board the MRO.
The mission has been around Mars since 2006 and has taken pictures of the planet with its cameras. CRISM splits light into different wavelength so that it can be seen what an object is made of. The maps below show the minerals on the surface of the planet.
The first part of a map of the entire surface of Mars was released by NASA. The final map was created from over 50,000 segments that spanned over 330 miles in length and six miles wide. There are areas on the map where there is a lot of red dust and areas where there is less of it.
The CRISM data for each tile of the map will be released over the next six months. A map of where key minerals are located will be provided by the CRISM data. Researchers can learn more about the history of water on the planet, identify new targets for scientific research or even help choose landing sites for rover missions from this information.
Scott Murchie, CRISM's principal investigator, said in a statement that the data set will fuel a second wave of discoveries. One of the objectives of the next MRO extended mission is for its HiRISE camera to go back and image in color the hundreds of new high-science priority spots we're finding in the map.
The location of iron-bearing minerals is helpful to understand the history of water on the planet and could help in the search for evidence of ancient life there.
The CRISM investigation is one of the crown jewels of NASA, according to Richard Zurek, the mission's project scientist. New insights into the history of Mars will be provided by the analysis of these final maps.
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