CRISM Web Site

CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars)

Beginning 12 Aug. 2005, 11:43:00 UTC
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Olivine, Phyllosilicates, and Ancient Crater Rims

Phyllosilicates imaged along weathered crater rims suggests a possible origin for this clay-rich family of minerals.

August 8, 2008
CRISM in August 8 issue of Science
CRISM science team member Janice Bishop and her co-workers at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., have found layers of different types of clay surrounding Mawrth Vallis that suggest widespread water and even hydrothermal activity. "We were surprised by the variety of clay minerals in this region," says Bishop. Read the SETI press release at http://www.seti.org/news/press-releases/martian-clays.php and "Phyllosilicate Diversity and Past Aqueous Activity Revealed at Mawrth Vallis, Mars" at www.sciencemag.org.

July 16, 2008
New Findings Show Diverse, Wet Environments on Ancient Mars
Mars once hosted vast lakes, flowing rivers and a variety of other wet environments that had the potential to support life, according to two new studies based on data from CRISM and other instruments on board NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The results of one study appear in the July 17, 2008 issue of the journal Nature. [more]

April 21, 2008
New Online Map Reveals Evidence of the Forces that Once Shaped Mars
A new online map lets visitors explore Mars’ past through a collection of high-resolution observations from one of the most powerful spectrometers ever sent to the Red Planet. Evidence of ancient bodies of water, flowing rivers and groundwater peeks out from beneath layers of hardened magma and dust—testaments to Mars’ progression through wet, volcanic and dry eras. [more]

All Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Updates

Read about the career paths that led members of the CRISM team into space exploration.

The MRO CRISM Spectral Library is an analysis tool for interpreting CRISM data. it currently contains 2,260 spectral analyses of 1,134 Mars-analog samples, all measured under desiccating conditions so that materials that adsorb water look as they would on Mars. This was made avaialble to the community through the PDS on the day that MRO entered Mars orbit!

Thousands of CRISM high-resolution images are available in easy-to-view format accessible through a searchable map. More are being added as they are converted from the full spectral data... [more]

March 2008
Outliers of Water Ice
Over the past few months, we’ve been gaining a better understanding of how Mars’ subsurface, surface, and atmosphere interact and affect the presence of water ice in the northern plains of Mars. Understanding these interactions will help us figure out how water has shaped the landscape of Mars throughout its history. [more]

CRISM View is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to watch Mars through the “eyes” of the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) – as if you were riding along with it on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter! [more]

CRISM has been supporting landing site selection for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission with hundreds of observations that have been converted to color and mineral indicator maps. [more]

CRISM will map Mars at 59 key wavelengths to find previously unsuspected sites of past water.

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