Gale Crater is seen in this false-color image taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), a multi-wavelength camera on NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. The view combines a daytime photo taken at visible wavelengths with a nighttime infrared image. The bluish-white tones mark areas with fine-grain materials (sand, dust) thickly covering the surface, while redder tints indicate locations where harder, rockier material lies exposed. Gale Crater is one of a number of possible exploration zones for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory to be launched in 2009. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University.
