Odyssey Mars

The annotated area of Mars in this illustration holds near-surface water ice that would be easily accessible for astronauts to access

Space

NASA releases Martian water map for future astronauts

Intended as a potential aid to future space travelers, NASA has released a water map of Mars. Based on remote sensing data from the space agency's Mars orbiters, the new map shows areas where water ice may lurk within an inch (2.5 cm) of the surface.

Views Mars' largest moon Phobos captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter

Space

Colorful thermal images to help reveal the origins of a doomed Martian moon

NASA has released new images of the Martian moon Phobos that could help reveal the origin of the enigmatic satellite. The data is also useful for scientists choosing the safest landing zones for robotic, and potentially even crewed missions to the Martian moon.

Learning more about Phobos is important, as it may serve as a future outpost of a Martian colony

Space

A day on Martian moon Phobos

While a lot of attention has been focused on Mars thanks to the rovers that are heading out there in 2020, the Red Planet's tiny moon Phobos has been relatively overlooked. Now the THEMIS camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has captured a heat map of what a day looks like on the oddly-shaped moon.

Space

NASA'S Mars Odyssey spacecraft completes 60,000 orbits of the Red Planet

NASA's longest serving Martian orbiter, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, has just achieved a historic milestone by completing its 60,000th orbit of the Red Planet.