Mapping the red planet: Incredible photos chart ten years of exploration on Mars For ten years the twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been sending back stunning pictures as they explore the surface of Mars. The rovers have taken hundreds of thousands of images as they journeyed round the red planet, many of which have led to scientific discoveries. A selection of the images, showing sweeping deserts, dusty craters and strange rock formations, have been selected for an exhibition celebrating the mission. Tiny spherules, also known as blueberries because of their hue when photographed, are seen on a sandy surface on Mars A full-scale model of the Mars Exploration Rover, which landed in 2004, is displayed A long shadow of Opportunity is cast over the surface of Mars, near the edge of Endurance Crater, in the late afternoon sunlight 'The idea we had for the exhibit was to show the beauty of Mars and at the same time tell the story of the mission and the discoveries,' John Grant, a Smithsonian supervisory geologist, told Slate. Fifty images will make up the Spirit & Opportunity: 10 Years Roving Across Mars exhibit, which can be seen at the Smithsonian until September 14. The images sent back on the missions, to two distinct parts of the planet, showed a mix of gorgeous landscapes and desolate scenes that helped scientists learn more about the history of the planet. We know that Mars was a very different place in its early history. There's evidence it was a much warmer and wetter environment,' Mr Grant said. 'That's not to say there was life there, but it says conditions might have been conducive to it.' This groundbreaking image was one of the first to show sulfate-rich outcrops with broken spherule on the Meridiani Plains Ripples on the surface of Mars appear like shifting sand dunes The El Dorado dune field dominates this view sent by Mars Rover Spirit after several days of exploring A sunset captured by Spirit over the rim of the Gusev crater looks like a scene from Earth Colors on this image taken by Spirit from Husband Hill show the difference in rock weathering Tracks from Rover disappear into the horizon in the desolate stretch between the Endurance and Victoria craters This section of the planet's surface, peppered with loose hematite-rich spherules, looks like a blueberry muffin An exhibition celebrating ten years of exploring Mars can be seen at the Smithsonian