The facility is a research center in Arizona State University's School for Earth and Space Exploration.
The instruments based at the facility include the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter and two Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometers (Mini-TES) on the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.
(A full-size Mars rover model, bedded on reddish-brown sand, dominates the building's lobby.)
Before the loss of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor in November 2006, the facility also operated the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the spacecraft.
[2] The facility's director is Dr. Phil Christensen; he is the principal investigator of the THEMIS instrument, a co-investigator on the Mars Exploration Rover project, and the principal investigator of the Mini-TES instrument on board the rovers.