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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Bright Lower Echo in Radargram of South Polar Layered Deposits
Title
Bright Lower Echo in Radargram of South Polar Layered Deposits
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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Annotated Version
The upper image is a radargram from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), showing data from the subsurface of Mars in the ice-rich layered deposits that surround the south pole. The lower image shows the position of the ground track (white line) on a topographic map of the area based on Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data. The images are 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) wide.
The MARSIS echo trace splits into two traces on the left side of the image, at the point where the ground track crosses from the surrounding plains onto the elevated layered deposits. The upper trace is the echo from the surface of the deposits, while the lower trace is interpreted to be the boundary between the lower surface of the deposits and the underlying material. The strength of the lower echo suggests that the intervening material is nearly pure water ice. Near the image center, the bright lower echo abruptly disappears for unknown reasons. The time delay between the two echoes reaches a maximum of 42 microseconds left of center, corresponding to a thickness of 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) of ice. The total elevation difference shown in the topographic map is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) between the lowest surface (purple) and the highest (red).
MARSIS is an instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the instrument. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter flew on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
Annotated Version
The upper image is a radargram from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), showing data from the subsurface of Mars in the ice-rich layered deposits that surround the south pole. The lower image shows the position of the ground track (white line) on a topographic map of the area based on Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data. The images are 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) wide.
The MARSIS echo trace splits into two traces on the left side of the image, at the point where the ground track crosses from the surrounding plains onto the elevated layered deposits. The upper trace is the echo from the surface of the deposits, while the lower trace is interpreted to be the boundary between the lower surface of the deposits and the underlying material. The strength of the lower echo suggests that the intervening material is nearly pure water ice. Near the image center, the bright lower echo abruptly disappears for unknown reasons. The time delay between the two echoes reaches a maximum of 42 microseconds left of center, corresponding to a thickness of 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) of ice. The total elevation difference shown in the topographic map is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) between the lowest surface (purple) and the highest (red).
MARSIS is an instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the instrument. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter flew on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.
Original Caption Released with Image
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL/ASI/ESA/Uni v. of Rome/MOLA Science Team
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL/ASI/ESA/Uni v. of Rome/MOLA Science Team
Image Credit
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Produced By:
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JPL
Produced_By
JPL
Produced By
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Mission:
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Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Mission
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Mission
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Mission:
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Mars Express (MEX)
Mission
Mars Express (MEX)
Mission
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Spacecraft:
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Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
Spacecraft
Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
Spacecraft
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Spacecraft:
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Mars Express Orbiter
Spacecraft
Mars Express Orbiter
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Mars
Target_Name
Mars
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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MOLA
Instrument
MOLA
Instrument
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Instrument:
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MARSIS
Instrument
MARSIS
Instrument
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Product Size:
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1784 samples x 460 lines
Product_Size
1784 samples x 460 lines
Product Size
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Polar
facet_what
Polar
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Altimeter
facet_what
Altimeter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Surveyor
facet_what
Surveyor
facet_what
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facet_what:
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TRACE
facet_what
TRACE
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars Express
facet_what
Mars Express
facet_what
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facet_what:
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MARSIS
facet_what
MARSIS
facet_what
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facet_what:
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MEX
facet_what
MEX
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter (MGS)
facet_what
Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter (MGS)
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)
facet_what
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Rome
facet_where
Rome
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
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Image #:
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PIA09222
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09222
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09222
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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