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Five to Mars
| Title |
Five to Mars |
| Explanation |
Come December 2003 - January 2004, an armada of five new invaders [ http://www.planetary.org/rrgtm/missions5.html ] from Earth should arrive on the shores of the Red Planet -- the Japanese ( ISAS [ http://www.isas.ac.jp/ ]) Nozomi [ http://www.isas.ac.jp/e/enterp/missions/nozomi/ index.html ] orbiter, the European Space Agency's Mars Express [ http://sci.esa.int/home/marsexpress/ ] orbiter carrying the Beagle 2 [ http://www.beagle2.com/index.htm ] lander, and NASA's own two Mars Exploration [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/ ] Rovers. While Nozomi began [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980904.html ] its interplanetary voyage in 1998, the other spacecraft are scheduled for launch windows beginning this June. Clearly, earthdwellers remain intensely curious about Mars and the tantalizing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030221.html ] possibility of past or present martian life [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/SiteCat/sitecat2/ stratex.htm ], with these robotic missions focussing on investigating the planet's atmosphere and the search for water [ http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Sept98/GusevMars.html ]. This mosaic [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/ marsglobe2.txt ] of over 100 Viking 1 orbiter images of Mars [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/ photogallery-mars.html ] was recorded in 1980 and is projected to show the perspective seen from an approaching spacecraft at a distance of 2,000 kilometers. Exceptional [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/ article_929_1.asp ] views of Mars will be possible from earthbound telescopes in August and September. |
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Dust Storm Over Northern Mar
…
| Title |
Dust Storm Over Northern Mars |
| Explanation |
Almost on cue [ http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_998_1.asp ], as Mars nears its closest approach to planet Earth in recorded history, ominous seasonal [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/06/28/ index.html ] dust storms are beginning to kick up. Observers [ http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/online.bks/mars/ chap15.htm ] worry that the activity may presage the development of a planet wide dust storm [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011017.html ], frustrating attempts to view Mars in the coming months, a situation similar to the Red Planet's uncooperative behavior [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010727.html ] in 2001. In this example [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/28/ index.html ], recorded in mid-May by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft camera, a dust storm the size of a continent sweeps north and east (toward the upper right) across Mars' northern Acidalia Planitia. Meanwhile [ http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/fun/mars_chro.html ], interplanetary robotic explorers Mars Express [ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/ index.cfm?fareaid=9 ]/ Beagle 2 [ http://www.beagle2.com/index.htm ], Nozomi [ http://www.isas.ac.jp/e/enterp/missions/nozomi/ index.html ], and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/ ] Opportunity and Spirit, are all bound for Mars and should arrive by early January 2004. |
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Express to Mars
| Title |
Express to Mars |
| Explanation |
Hurtling toward its destination, the high resolution camera on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft [ http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/ index.html ] recorded this tantalizing view [ http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/ SEMN3GUZJND_0.html ] of the Red Planet earlier this month on December 3rd. Seen from a distance of 5.5 million kilometers, features across part of Mars' [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010626.html ] western hemisphere are bathed in sunlight. The Martian night [ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24/ ] side is also prominent from the spacecraft's perspective, a view not possible for Earthbound [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030902.html ] telescopes. Launched on an interplanetary voyage [ http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/ SEMNS75V9ED_0.html ] of exploration in early June, Mars Express carries with it the Beagle 2 lander [ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/ index.cfm?fobjectid=34374 ], scheduled to be released from Mars Express tomorrow, December 19th. Mars Express and Beagle 2 will then continue the journey separately, but both are scheduled to reach Mars on December 25th, with Mars Express entering an elliptical orbit [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf3-3.html ] and Beagle 2 descending to the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030626.html ]. Two more invaders from Earth, NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ], will arrive in January. |
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Valles Marineris from Mars E
…
| Title |
Valles Marineris from Mars Express |
| Explanation |
Looking down from orbit on January 14, ESA's Mars Express [ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=9 ] spacecraft scanned a 1700 by 65 kilometer swath across Valles Marineris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030824.html ] - the Grand Canyon of Mars - with its remarkable High Resolution Stereo Camera. This spectacular picture [ http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/ SEMWF0474OD_1.html#subhead1 ] reconstructs part of the scanned region from the stereo colour image data recording the rugged terrain with a resolution of 12 metres per pixel. Joining Mars Global Surveyor [ http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/ ] and Mars Odyssey [ http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/ ], Mars Express [ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/ index.cfm?fobjectid=31388 ] has been orbiting the red planet since December 25th, returning scientific data, acting as a communications relay, and even making coordinated [ http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/ SEM8XX374OD_0.html ] atmospheric observations with NASA's Spirit rover [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] on the surface. The Beagle 2 [ http://www.beagle2.com/index.htm ] lander was released from Mars Express making a landing attempt also on December 25th, but no signal has been received so far. Opportunity Mars Landing News [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html ] |
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The Mars Express spacecraft
…
| title |
The Mars Express spacecraft after release of the Beagle 2 lander |
| Description |
The Mars Express spacecraft after release of the Beagle 2 lander. Credit: ESA |
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| Description |
*Hi Res JPG (56 kB)* *Mars Express* Beagle 2's heat resistant shield protects it from heat generated by friction with the martian atmosphere. Parachutes deploy to slow it down further, then gas-filled bags inflate to soften its landing. |
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Beagle 2 with shield in acti
…
| title |
Beagle 2 with shield in action |
| Description |
Beagle 2's heat resistant shield protects it from heat generated by friction with the martian atmosphere. Parachutes deploy to slow it down further, then gas-filled bags inflate to soften its landing. Beagle 2 will land on Isidis Planitia, a large, flat sedimentary basin straddling the relatively young northern plains and ancient southern highlands, where traces of life could have been preserved. Credit: ESA |
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Beagle 2 lander leaving the
…
| title |
Beagle 2 lander leaving the Mars Express orbiter |
| Description |
The Beagle 2 lander, to be carried on ESA's Mars Express, is equipped with a suite of instruments designed to look for evidence of life on Mars. The Soyuz/Fregat lifts off on 2 June 2003 with ESA's Mars Express. Europe's first mission to the Red Planet leaves Earth when the positions of the two planets make for the shortest possible route, a condition that occurs once every twenty-six months. The intrepid spacecraft will start its six-month journey from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan onboard a Russian Soyuz/Fregat launcher. Credit: ESA |
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The Beagle 2 lander
| title |
The Beagle 2 lander |
| Description |
The Beagle 2 lander, to be carried on ESA's Mars Express, is equipped with a suite of instruments designed to look for evidence of life on Mars. Credit: ESA |
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Mars Express releases Beagle
…
| title |
Mars Express releases Beagle 2 |
| Description |
The bright spot on the left-hand side of this picture is the back side of Beagle 2, slowly drifting away from Mars Express. This image, taken this morning at 9:33 CET, shows the lander when it was about 20 metres away from the mother spacecraft, on its way to Mars. Credit: ESA |
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Isidis Planitia
PIA05019
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Isidis Planitia |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
24 December 2003 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small portion of the vast Isidis Planitia, the region in which the Beagle 2 [ http://beagle2.open.ac.uk ] is scheduled to land on 25 December 2003 (GMT, it will be the evening of 24 December 2003 in the U.S.). Much of Isidis Planitia has low hills and mounds like those shown here. Many of these are remnants of a layer (or group of sub-resolution layers) that once more extensively covered Isidis Planitia, but was later stripped away, revealing previously-buried meteor impact craters. The light-toned ridges and somewhat squiggly features are windblown dunes. This picture is located around 10.7°N, 268.6°W, which is in the vicinity of the projected Beagle 2 landing zone. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left/lower left. |
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A Martian Christmas Present
PIA04949
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
A Martian Christmas Present |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Released 24 December 2003 If all goes well, tonight at 6:54 pm PST the British robotic spacecraft called Beagle 2 [ http://beagle2.open.ac.uk/ ] will land on a patch of ground somewhere in this scene. This THEMIS image covers a portion of the Isidis Basin at the center of an elliptical region predicted to be the location that Beagle 2 will bounce to the surface. And what a surface it is, pockmarked by strange pits and unusual cones whose origin remains enigmatic. The cones may be the result of lava flowing over ice or water-rich ground resulting in explosions of steam that build small "rootless" volcanoes. The pits look like secondary craters that result from the impact of ejecta from larger craters. But they appear too numerous and densely clustered for that explanation. Instead, they also may be the result of some process involving water or ice. With luck, Beagle 2 will survive its violent landing and provide clues to the origin of this unusual landscape and answer questions about the role of water in Mars history. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.7, Longitude 90.4 East (269.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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A Martian Christmas Present
PIA04949
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
A Martian Christmas Present |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Released 24 December 2003 If all goes well, tonight at 6:54 pm PST the British robotic spacecraft called Beagle 2 [ http://beagle2.open.ac.uk/ ] will land on a patch of ground somewhere in this scene. This THEMIS image covers a portion of the Isidis Basin at the center of an elliptical region predicted to be the location that Beagle 2 will bounce to the surface. And what a surface it is, pockmarked by strange pits and unusual cones whose origin remains enigmatic. The cones may be the result of lava flowing over ice or water-rich ground resulting in explosions of steam that build small "rootless" volcanoes. The pits look like secondary craters that result from the impact of ejecta from larger craters. But they appear too numerous and densely clustered for that explanation. Instead, they also may be the result of some process involving water or ice. With luck, Beagle 2 will survive its violent landing and provide clues to the origin of this unusual landscape and answer questions about the role of water in Mars history. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.7, Longitude 90.4 East (269.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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Joint Observation of the Isi
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PIA09614
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Joint Observation of the Isidis Basin with the Rosetta Mission |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002703_1920 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002703_1920 ]) of the floor of the Isidis Basin was taken in coordination with the Mars flyby of the European Rosetta mission. Comparing this image with those taken by the OSIRIS camera onboard Rosetta should help calibrate HiRISE. Since OSIRIS was only able to take low resolution images of Mars, this image was targeted at a broad, bland, expanse of uniform appearance. However, it is just east of the landing ellipse for the failed European Beagle 2 lander and may help with the search for debris from that mission. This is an example of the international cooperation of HiRISE and the MRO missions. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007 Local Mars time: 3:40 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 11.8° Degrees longitude (East): 91.1° Range to target site: 277.3 km (173.3 miles) Original image scale range: 27.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 0.1° Phase angle: 56.9° Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizon Solar longitude: 188.7°, Northern Autumn NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. |
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Joint Observation of the Isi
…
PIA09614
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Joint Observation of the Isidis Basin with the Rosetta Mission |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002703_1920 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002703_1920 ]) of the floor of the Isidis Basin was taken in coordination with the Mars flyby of the European Rosetta mission. Comparing this image with those taken by the OSIRIS camera onboard Rosetta should help calibrate HiRISE. Since OSIRIS was only able to take low resolution images of Mars, this image was targeted at a broad, bland, expanse of uniform appearance. However, it is just east of the landing ellipse for the failed European Beagle 2 lander and may help with the search for debris from that mission. This is an example of the international cooperation of HiRISE and the MRO missions. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 2 February 2007 Local Mars time: 3:40 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 11.8° Degrees longitude (East): 91.1° Range to target site: 277.3 km (173.3 miles) Original image scale range: 27.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 0.1° Phase angle: 56.9° Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizon Solar longitude: 188.7°, Northern Autumn NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. |
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Mars on 25 December 2003
PIA05125
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Mars on 25 December 2003 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
8 January 2004 This is how Mars appeared to the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide angle system on 25 December 2003, the day that Beagle 2 and Mars Express reached the red planet. The large, dark region just left of center is Syrtis Major, a persistent low albedo terrain known to astronomers for nearly four centuries before the first spacecraft went to Mars. Immediately to the right (east) of Syrtis Major is the somewhat circular plain, Isidis Planitia. Beagle 2 arrived in Isidis Planitia only about 18 minutes before Mars Global Surveyor flew over the region and acquired a portion of this global view. Relative to other global images of Mars acquired by MGS over the past several martian years, the surface features were not as sharp and distinct on 25 December 2003 because of considerable haze kicked up by large dust storms in the western and southern hemispheres during th previous two weeks. The picture is a composite of several MGS MOC red and blue daily global images that have been map-projected and digitally wrapped to a sphere. Although the effect here is minor, inspection of this mosaic shows zones that appear smudged or blurry. The high dust opacity on 25 December impacted MOC's oblique viewing geometry toward the edges of each orbit's daily global mapping image, thus emphasizing the "blurry" zones between images acquired on successive orbits. |
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18 Minutes After Beagle 2 La
…
PIA05026
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
18 Minutes After Beagle 2 Landing |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
31 December 2003 This oblique Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide angle red image shows the Beagle 2 landing zone about 18 minutes after the probe was scheduled to touch down on 25 December 2003. Mars Global Surveyor passed to the west of the site shortly after touch-down, so this image was taken looking east. The white ellipse shows the approximate location of the landing site. The largest crater to the northwest (toward upper left) of the ellipse is about 28 km (17.4 mi) across. The image is streaked and has low contrast because of the combined effects of looking obliquely and the presence of a thin veil of dust that not only hung over this region, but over most of Mars on 25 December 2003. During the previous 2 weeks, a large dust storm, followed by several smaller regional-scale storms, lifted dust in the western hemisphere of Mars. This dust drifted over most of the planet, reducing contrast and degrading the quality of MGS MOC images such as this one. This MOC image is important because it shows that there were no dust storms or other weather phenomena happening at the landing site the day Beagle 2 arrived. The landing site is located in Isidis Planitia near 11°N, 269.7°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. This and several other images processed by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc. were shown by the Beagle 2 team during a press conference on 29 December 2003. These and other Beagle 2 images can be seen at: http://www.beagle2.com/resources/landingphotos.htm [ http://www.beagle2.com/resources/landingphotos.htm ]. The Beagle 2 web site is at: http://www.beagle2.com [ http://www.beagle2.com ]. Weekly weather reports for the Beagle 2 and Mars Exploration Rover sites, based on MOC image analysis, can be seen at: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/mer_weather [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/mer_weather ]. |
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Portion of Isidis Planitia N
…
PIA09598
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Portion of Isidis Planitia Near the Beagle 2 Landing Ellipse |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002136_1920 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002136_1920 ]) shows a portion of cratered plains in Isidis Planitia, near or perhaps within the landing ellipse for Beagle 2. There are some interesting bright-pixel artifacts that are due to cosmic-ray events detected by the HiRISE camera, similar to those seen when imaging black sky during cruise to Mars. The image shows two portions of the Isidis Planitia image with bright noise at top, and 6 examples of bright noise seen in the cruise images, all are from the original, unprocessed images. Observation Geometry Acquisition date: 1 January 2007 Local Mars time: 3:36 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 11.8 ° Degrees longitude (East): 90.9 ° Range to target site: 277.5 km (173.5 miles) Original image scale range: 27.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 1.0 ° Phase angle: 54.7 ° Solar incidence angle: 54 °, with the Sun about 36 ° above the horizon Solar longitude: 164.1 °, Northern Summer NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. |
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Portion of Isidis Planitia N
…
PIA09598
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Portion of Isidis Planitia Near the Beagle 2 Landing Ellipse |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002136_1920 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002136_1920 ]) shows a portion of cratered plains in Isidis Planitia, near or perhaps within the landing ellipse for Beagle 2. There are some interesting bright-pixel artifacts that are due to cosmic-ray events detected by the HiRISE camera, similar to those seen when imaging black sky during cruise to Mars. The image shows two portions of the Isidis Planitia image with bright noise at top, and 6 examples of bright noise seen in the cruise images, all are from the original, unprocessed images. Observation Geometry Acquisition date: 1 January 2007 Local Mars time: 3:36 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 11.8 ° Degrees longitude (East): 90.9 ° Range to target site: 277.5 km (173.5 miles) Original image scale range: 27.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 1.0 ° Phase angle: 54.7 ° Solar incidence angle: 54 °, with the Sun about 36 ° above the horizon Solar longitude: 164.1 °, Northern Summer NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. |
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Portion of Beagle 2 Landing
…
PIA09592
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Portion of Beagle 2 Landing Ellipse in Isidis Planitia |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image (PSP_002347_1915 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002347_1915 ]) was targeted to a dark spot seen in a MOC image that was suggested to be the Beagle 2 landing site (see Beagle 2 Landing Site Located [ http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000321/ ] for more information). The dark spot corresponds to an impact crater, shown here in color. The European Beagle 2 lander was carried by the Mars Express orbiting spacecraft and released into the Martian atmosphere in December 2003, but Observation Geometry Acquisition date: 1 January 2007 Local Mars time: 3:40 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 11.7 ° Degrees longitude (East): 90.7 ° Range to target site: 278.3 km (173.9 miles) Original image scale range: 27.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~84 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 3.3 ° Phase angle: 51.9 ° Solar incidence angle: 55 °, with the Sun about 35 ° above the horizon Solar longitude: 173.1 °, Northern Summer NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo. |
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