MARS HiRISE: The most powerful camera sent to space

The University of Arizona's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera is an incredible piece of scientific equipment. Currently circling the Red Planet aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the instrument is capable of capturing photographs of the Martian surface at unprecedented resolution, averaging about 25 centimeters per pixel.

In the five and a half years that it's been snapping photos, HiRISE has capture close to 22,000 images of Mars' surface.

In doing so, it has provided a tremendous service to researchers throughout the scientific community, but equally impressive is the progress that HiRISE has made in the realm of public outreach, bringing stunning, high-quality imagery of the Martian surface to the general public on an international level.

Visit the MARS HiRise Image site