--- title: "Internet Erupts as NASA Spots Cartoon Bear on Surface of Mars" description: "Mars Bear Tired: Cocaine Bear. Wired: Mars Bear. NASA's University of Arizona-based High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) gave the internet an absolute treat yesterday, taking to Twitter to share an image, captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, of an unusually mammalian feature of our dusty red neighbor's landscape. \"This feature looks a bit like a […]" date: "2023-01-27" modified: "2023-01-27" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/orbiter-spots-cartoon-bear-on-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "hirise" - "mars reconnaissance orbiter" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Internet Erupts as NASA Spots Cartoon Bear on Surface of Mars ![NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped a photo of an unusually mammalian structure on our dusty red neighbor. Definitely looks like a bear.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Mars Bear Tired: Cocaine Bear. Wired: [Mars Bear](). NASA's University of Arizona-based High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) gave the internet an absolute treat yesterday, in the shape of an unusually mammalian feature spotted on the surface of the Red Planet by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. "This feature looks a bit like a bear's face," [reads a tongue-in-cheek HiRISE blog post](). "What is it really?" And in case you had any trouble visualizing the bear's features, the researchers broke things down further — and in excruciating detail. "There's a hill with a V-shaped collapse structure (the nose), two craters (the eyes), and a circular fracture pattern (the head)," they added. There's even a cringeworthy but endearing, [narrated video]() to really drive their message home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ASl7p8UfyY ## Missing Facts Despite the fact that we're pretty sure it's not a real bear, as evidenced in a [helpful netizen graphic](), the researchers still aren't entirely sure what the features actually are. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater," the HiRISE team posited. "Maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?" All plausible! Still, nothing concrete. ## Online Controversy As expected, social media users weighed in on the NASA discovery. "He looks like Yogi Bear from the cartoon," [wrote]() one Twitter user. "A fantastic image." "Bear…for sure," [added]() another. "The fact that NASA is hiding the truth about life on Mars is unbearable," [tweeted]() another skeptical netizen. Elsewhere, American weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin was quick to make Mars Bear all about itself. "A bear-y nice image, indeed!" the NASA contractor [tweeted](). "Captured by HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, built and currently being flown by our Lockheed Martin space engineers." Learn how to share the spotlight, y'all. This is Mars Bears' moment. **READ MORE:** [*A Bear on Mars?*]() \[HiRISE\] **More on NASA imagery:** [*James Webb Captures Its First Look at Saturn's Most Mysterious Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()