About

The goal of the MER PORTAL is to ensure that people who have no connection to the mission have what they need to analyze MER data:

  • User Guides that enable data analysis
  • Links to existing tools and websites relevant to the MER mission and scientific analysis
  • Data quality indicators and contextual information
  • Visualization and time conversion tools
  • An intuitive science-based search with the capability of downloading selected data from the PDS

Developing this PORTAL is a huge undertaking. We’re currently working on Phase I of the project (2022-2026). By the end of 2026, the PORTAL should have:

  • Instrument Descriptions, aimed at graduate students and upper-level undergrads
  • Data Analysis User Guides, aimed at experienced researchers who are new to MER data analysis
  • The Guide to Mars through the eyes of Spirit and Opportunity, to teach everyone how to identify geologic and atmospheric phenomena in MER images
  • Undergraduate-level lesson plans based on the Guide to Mars through the eyes of Spirit and Opportunity
  • Links to existing tools and websites relevant to the MER mission and scientific analysis

We’re also doing the behind-the-scenes development necessary for our science-based data search function, which we’re hoping to produce in Phase 2 of the project.

If you have any comments or suggestions for us, please fill out our feedback form:

Conference Abstracts and Presentations

  • Geological Society of America Joint Northeastern and North-Central Section Meeting, March 2025 slides (upcoming)
  • Advancing IDEA in Planetary Science (IDEAcon24), October 2024 slides and abstract
  • The 10th International Conference on Mars, July 2024 poster and abstract
  • Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects, October 2023 poster 1 and poster 2
  • Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
       March 2023 poster and abstract
       March 2020 poster and abstract