One of the most productive satellites is not in the air.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been flying around the red desert planet for a decade and a half, and has beamed back a lot of detailed images of Mars' volcanoes, valleys, dried-up lakes, and beyond. The space agency shared a new image from the orbiter showing a crater on the planet's surface.
The crater is half a mile wide and filled with beautiful patterns from the impact of an asteroid or comet. The process of blowing sand and soil created a variety of ripples on the crater floor.
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A picture of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA.
In the top right corner of the crater, there is a mesa, or flat-topped hill, similar to the ones in the desert.
The robotic rovers are looking at the terrain on Mars below while the orbiter is looking down. The Perseverance rover is looking for signs of past life in Mars' dried-up lakebeds and waterways.
You can see more of the images on NASA's website.
