The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, can image the planet in up to 544 “colors” of reflected sunlight. For this view of the wall of a depressed land area, students in Durham, N.C., used sophisticated software to highlight colors (or wavelengths) indicative of minerals that might provide insight into how the geologic feature formed. Redder areas have a stronger signature of the iron-containing mineral olivine, and green and blue areas show the signature of the mineral pyroxene. The high school students are participating in NASA’s Mars Exploration Science Data Teams project.

For more information and images, visit the CRISM Gallery at http://crism.jhuapl.edu/gallery/featuredImage/index.php.

Mars Exploration Science Data Teams project

Credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/Durham Academy

To save photo:
PC: Click image; then right click, choose "Save Picture As..."
Mac: Click image; then control-click, choose "Download Image to Disk."