NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured its 100,000th image of Mars

Mars is a planet that has fascinated humans for years, and numerous missions have been launched to study it. Today, several probes are orbiting this planet, and rovers are also present on its surface. But recently, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took its 100,000th image of the red planet, revealing magnificent landscapes.

This probe has been orbiting Mars for more than 20 years. Its main goal is to map the surface of this planet, and for that, it has a remarkable asset, which is none other than the HiRISE camera. But the aim of these photos is not only to inspire astronauts. They also help identify the different surfaces of this planet and define potential landing sites as humans plan to go to Mars in the near future.

After more than 20 years of service, this probe has captured its 100,000th image, and it is quite exceptional. Taken on October 7, it shows the Syrtis Major region, located about 80 kilometers from the Jezero crater. But that's not all, because we can also see numerous dunes with color variations. And this landscape is very different from what we see on Earth and also seems to be in perpetual motion.

On this subject, Leslie Tamppari, a scientist on the MRO project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, explains: 

"HiRISE hasn’t just discovered how different the Martian surface is from Earth, it’s also shown us how that surface changes over time. We've seen dune fields marching along with the wind and avalanches careening down steep slopes.”

Therefore, scientists analyze these images very carefully, as they could prove very useful for future space missions.