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Layers within the Valles Mar …
PIA01168
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Layers within the Valles Marineris: Clues to the Ancient Crust of Mars - High Resolution Image
Original Caption Released with Image This high resolution picture of the Martian surface was obtained in the early evening of January 1, 1998 by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), shortly after the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft began it's 80th orbit. Seen in this view are a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris, the large system of canyons that stretches 4000 km (2500 mi) along the equator of Mars. The image covers a tiny fraction of the canyons at very high resolution: it extends only 9.8 km by 17.3 km (6.1 mi by 10.7 mi) but captures features as small as 6 m (20 ft) across. The highest terrain in the image is the relatively smooth plateau near the center. Slopes descend to the north and south (upper and lower part of image, respectively) in broad, debris-filled gullies with intervening rocky spurs. Multiple rock layers, varying from a few to a few tens of meters thick, are visible in the steep slopes on the spurs and gullies. Layered rocks on Earth form from sedimentary processes (such as those that formed the layered rocks now seen in Arizona's Grand Canyon) and volcanic processes (such as layering seen in the Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai). Both origins are possible for the Martian layered rocks seen in this image. In either case, the total thickness of the layered rocks seen in this image implies a complex and extremely active early history for geologic processes on Mars. Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.
Layers within the Valles Mar …
PIA01167
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Layers within the Valles Marineris: Clues to the Ancient Crust of Mars
Original Caption Released with Image This high resolution picture (right) of the Martian surface was obtained in the early evening of January 1, 1998 by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), shortly after the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft began it's 80th orbit. Seen in this view are a plateau and surrounding steep slopes within the Valles Marineris, the large system of canyons that stretches 4000 km (2500 mi) along the equator of Mars. The image covers a tiny fraction of the canyons at very high resolution: it extends only 9.8 km by 17.3 km (6.1 mi by 10.7 mi) but captures features as small as 6 m (20 ft) across. The highest terrain in the image is the relatively smooth plateau near the center. Slopes descend to the north and south (upper and lower part of image, respectively) in broad, debris-filled gullies with intervening rocky spurs. Multiple rock layers, varying from a few to a few tens of meters thick, are visible in the steep slopes on the spurs and gullies. Layered rocks on Earth form from sedimentary processes (such as those that formed the layered rocks now seen in Arizona's Grand Canyon) and volcanic processes (such as layering seen in the Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai). Both origins are possible for the Martian layered rocks seen in this image. In either case, the total thickness of the layered rocks seen in this image implies a complex and extremely active early history for geologic processes on Mars. The left and center "context" images are Viking mosaics reproduced at scales of 230 meters/pixel and 80 meters/pixel respectively. Outlines in these two images represent the location of the higher resolution image(s). Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.
Mamers Valles
PIA04098
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Mamers Valles
Original Caption Released with Image A broad channel in the Deuteronilus Mensae region displays the strange landforms common to the northern mid-latitudes where ground ice likely plays a role in their formation. A tongue-shaped feature at the bottom of this image looks surprisingly glacier-like in its morphology. 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. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 37.1, Longitude 15.3 East (344.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.
Mamers Valles
PIA04098
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Mamers Valles
Original Caption Released with Image A broad channel in the Deuteronilus Mensae region displays the strange landforms common to the northern mid-latitudes where ground ice likely plays a role in their formation. A tongue-shaped feature at the bottom of this image looks surprisingly glacier-like in its morphology. 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. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 37.1, Longitude 15.3 East (344.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.
Hebrus Valles
PIA04451
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Hebrus Valles
Original Caption Released with Image About 1000 km west of the massive Elysium volcanic complex, a system of branching troughs shows a continuum of features that provides clues to their origin. Within the scene there are fully formed troughs, some approaching 2 km in depth, as well as shallow, discontinuous pits and troughs. The presence of the latter landforms suggests that a process of collapse is responsible for producing the deep and continuous final form of the troughs. 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. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 21.1, Longitude 123.3 East (236.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.
Hebrus Valles
PIA04451
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Hebrus Valles
Original Caption Released with Image About 1000 km west of the massive Elysium volcanic complex, a system of branching troughs shows a continuum of features that provides clues to their origin. Within the scene there are fully formed troughs, some approaching 2 km in depth, as well as shallow, discontinuous pits and troughs. The presence of the latter landforms suggests that a process of collapse is responsible for producing the deep and continuous final form of the troughs. 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. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 21.1, Longitude 123.3 East (236.7 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.
Auqakuh Valles
PIA03824
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Auqakuh Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 7 June 2002) The Science This ancient sinuous river channel, located near 30° N, 299° W (61° E), was likely carved by water early in Mars history. Auqakuh Valles cuts through a remarkable series of rock layers that were deposited and then subsequently eroded. This change from conditions favoring deposition to those favoring erosion indicates that the environment of this region has changed significantly over time. In addition, the different rock layers seen in this image vary in hardness, with some being relatively soft and easily eroded, whereas others are harder and resistant. These differences imply that these layers vary in their composition, physical properties, and/or degree of cementation, and again suggest that major changes have occurred during the history of this region. Similar differences occur throughout the southwest U.S., where hard rock layers, such as the limestones and sandstones in the Grand Canyon, form resistant cliffs, whereas softer mudstones are easily eroded to form broad slopes. The Martian layers, such as the smooth, dark-toned mesas visible in numerous places to the right (east) of the channel, were once continuous across the region. As these layers have eroded, they have produced a wide array of textures, from smooth surfaces, to knobby terrains, to the unusual lobate patterns seen in the upper right of the image. The most recent activity in the region appears to be the formation of mega-ripples by the wind. These ripples, spaced approximately 75 m apart, form perpendicular to the wind direction, and can be seen following the pattern of the channel floor as it curves through this region. This pattern shows that even this relatively small channel, which varies in width from about 500 to 750 m throughout this image, acts to funnel the wind down the channel. The Story Auqakuh Vallis, an ancient river channel that winds its way down the center of this image, is the "fossil" remains of an earlier, probably more watery time in Martian history. Now, you might think that Auqakuh has something to do with Aqua, the Latin word for water. Instead, Auqakuh is the word for Mars in the Quechuan language of the Incan Empire that once stretched across vast portions of South America. This Inca-honoring river channel cuts through a remarkable series of rock layers that expose a history of climate change in the region. The coarse, rugged, and wildly textured terrain was created as rock layers were first deposited, then eroded over time. Some of the rock layers are soft and easily eroded, while others are clearly harder and more resistant. From these differences, geologists can tell that the layers are made up of different materials, have different physical characteristics, and are either loosely or strongly cemented together. That suggests major environmental changes over time as well, since different kinds of rocks form under different conditions. Similar differences in rock layers occur throughout the Southwest of the, United States. The next time you're visiting the Grand Canyon or hiking in similar terrain, notice where hard rock layers, such as limestones and sandstones, form resistant cliffs, whereas softer mudstones are easily eroded to form broad slopes along the canyon. Just in case the river channel in the above image looks more like a raised vein rather than a hollowed out channel, try looking at the half-circle depression on the left-hand side of the image, about a third of the way up. The bright features on the upper half streak down toward the bottom of the bowl. Once you focus on this for a while, your brain figures out that the channel must be depressed as well. Now that you can see that the channel cuts into the surface, click on the image for a closer look at the bottom of the channel. Mega-ripples about 82 yards apart line the channel floor as it curves through the region. This pattern shows that even this relatively small channel, which varies from about one-third to a half of a mile in width, funnels the wind down its curving length, creating perpendicular piles of waving texture on the channel's floor. East of the channel, smooth, dark-toned mesas are visible, providing a scant reminder that they were once continuous across the region. As these layers have eroded, they've produced a wide array of textures, from smooth surfaces, to knobby terrains, to the unusual curved, lobe-like patterns seen in the upper right of the image.
Auqakuh Valles
PIA03824
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Auqakuh Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 7 June 2002) The Science This ancient sinuous river channel, located near 30° N, 299° W (61° E), was likely carved by water early in Mars history. Auqakuh Valles cuts through a remarkable series of rock layers that were deposited and then subsequently eroded. This change from conditions favoring deposition to those favoring erosion indicates that the environment of this region has changed significantly over time. In addition, the different rock layers seen in this image vary in hardness, with some being relatively soft and easily eroded, whereas others are harder and resistant. These differences imply that these layers vary in their composition, physical properties, and/or degree of cementation, and again suggest that major changes have occurred during the history of this region. Similar differences occur throughout the southwest U.S., where hard rock layers, such as the limestones and sandstones in the Grand Canyon, form resistant cliffs, whereas softer mudstones are easily eroded to form broad slopes. The Martian layers, such as the smooth, dark-toned mesas visible in numerous places to the right (east) of the channel, were once continuous across the region. As these layers have eroded, they have produced a wide array of textures, from smooth surfaces, to knobby terrains, to the unusual lobate patterns seen in the upper right of the image. The most recent activity in the region appears to be the formation of mega-ripples by the wind. These ripples, spaced approximately 75 m apart, form perpendicular to the wind direction, and can be seen following the pattern of the channel floor as it curves through this region. This pattern shows that even this relatively small channel, which varies in width from about 500 to 750 m throughout this image, acts to funnel the wind down the channel. The Story Auqakuh Vallis, an ancient river channel that winds its way down the center of this image, is the "fossil" remains of an earlier, probably more watery time in Martian history. Now, you might think that Auqakuh has something to do with Aqua, the Latin word for water. Instead, Auqakuh is the word for Mars in the Quechuan language of the Incan Empire that once stretched across vast portions of South America. This Inca-honoring river channel cuts through a remarkable series of rock layers that expose a history of climate change in the region. The coarse, rugged, and wildly textured terrain was created as rock layers were first deposited, then eroded over time. Some of the rock layers are soft and easily eroded, while others are clearly harder and more resistant. From these differences, geologists can tell that the layers are made up of different materials, have different physical characteristics, and are either loosely or strongly cemented together. That suggests major environmental changes over time as well, since different kinds of rocks form under different conditions. Similar differences in rock layers occur throughout the Southwest of the, United States. The next time you're visiting the Grand Canyon or hiking in similar terrain, notice where hard rock layers, such as limestones and sandstones, form resistant cliffs, whereas softer mudstones are easily eroded to form broad slopes along the canyon. Just in case the river channel in the above image looks more like a raised vein rather than a hollowed out channel, try looking at the half-circle depression on the left-hand side of the image, about a third of the way up. The bright features on the upper half streak down toward the bottom of the bowl. Once you focus on this for a while, your brain figures out that the channel must be depressed as well. Now that you can see that the channel cuts into the surface, click on the image for a closer look at the bottom of the channel. Mega-ripples about 82 yards apart line the channel floor as it curves through the region. This pattern shows that even this relatively small channel, which varies from about one-third to a half of a mile in width, funnels the wind down its curving length, creating perpendicular piles of waving texture on the channel's floor. East of the channel, smooth, dark-toned mesas are visible, providing a scant reminder that they were once continuous across the region. As these layers have eroded, they've produced a wide array of textures, from smooth surfaces, to knobby terrains, to the unusual curved, lobe-like patterns seen in the upper right of the image.
Noctis Labyrinthus/Valles Ma …
PIA03813
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Noctis Labyrinthus/Valles Marineris transition
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 27 May 2002) The Science The transition zone between maze-like troughs of Noctis Labyrinthus and the main Valles Marineris canyon system are shown in this THEMIS visible camera image. This huge system of troughs near the equator of Mars was most likely created by tectonic forces which pulled apart the crust. In the top third of the image, on the western side of the northernmost trough, a buildup of relatively bright material on the plateau has led to an overflow into the trough. Most of the bottom of this trough is covered by sediment deposited from the plateau above. On the right-hand side of this same trough, on the southern wall, there is a thin streak of darker material that also seems to originate from the plateau above. This is most likely a gully formation. This feature could also be a dust avalanche, but because no other similar features are seen, this is unlikely. Other dark material deposited by some unknown process can also be seen all around the easternmost ridge in the trough. Near the bottom of the canyon, layers from the center ridges and the canyon wall can be matched, indicating that the ridges are made of the same material as the wall. Near the bottom of the image, there is yet another depression. This trough is filled with sediment deposited from erosion of the trough wall and possibly from the plateau above. All around the walls of this trough a layer of rocky material can be also be seen. It appears that the areas directly below the rocky ledges are "shielded" from landslide material from above. Finally, in the northwestern wall of this trough, there is an irregular pattern of very bright material not seen anywhere else in the image. Identifying similar formations in other THEMIS visible camera images could provide some context for its occurrence and help us understand how it was formed. The Story Tectonic forces wrenched apart the crust on Mars long ago, forming deep troughs at the Martian equator like the ones seen here. They occur in a transition zone between the maze-like region of Noctis Labyrinthus and the deep canyon system of Valles Marineris, the largest and "grandest" canyon in the solar system. These cracks in the crust can give geologists a good idea of what has happened over the course of the planet's history. Find out a little yourself by taking a closer look at the western side of the trough in the top third of the image. Can you see how the bright sediment from the plateau above has been whisked over the side, overflowing and building up on the floor below? Follow the south wall of this same trough, and you'll come across a dark streak running down (toward the right side of the image). One possibility is that it could be a dust avalanche, but if that were so, you'd think it would have occurred much more often, in more places than just that one spot. Since it didn't, scientists believe it probably isn't a dust avalanche, but could be a gully instead. There's also some more dark material deposited, all around the easternmost ridge in the trough as well. No one is quite sure how it formed there or exactly what it's made of. At the least, what geologists can tell is that the ridges in the trough are made of the same material as the canyon walls, since the layers in each of them match. Finding similarities like these can help piece together the story of Martian geology here. When scientists study THEMIS images, however, they are also on the lookout for anything that looks unusual. Try studying the dark depression that carves out the bottom of this image. It too is filled soft-looking sediments, probably deposited from erosion of the trough wall and possibly from the plateau above. Rocky outcrops all around the walls of this trough shield the areas directly below them from landslides from above. But all that seems pretty regular. Do you see anything that stands out? How about the odd pattern of brighter material that seems almost pasted on the northwestern wall of the trough like dried up glue? This material isn't found elsewhere in this image. Sights like this pose a geological mystery, and one of the only ways to solve it is to seek more clues. Do similar formations occur elsewhere on Mars? Stay tuned with THEMIS researchers, because they'll be looking, trying to understand how and how often such features form.
Noctis Labyrinthus/Valles Ma …
PIA03813
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Noctis Labyrinthus/Valles Marineris transition
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 27 May 2002) The Science The transition zone between maze-like troughs of Noctis Labyrinthus and the main Valles Marineris canyon system are shown in this THEMIS visible camera image. This huge system of troughs near the equator of Mars was most likely created by tectonic forces which pulled apart the crust. In the top third of the image, on the western side of the northernmost trough, a buildup of relatively bright material on the plateau has led to an overflow into the trough. Most of the bottom of this trough is covered by sediment deposited from the plateau above. On the right-hand side of this same trough, on the southern wall, there is a thin streak of darker material that also seems to originate from the plateau above. This is most likely a gully formation. This feature could also be a dust avalanche, but because no other similar features are seen, this is unlikely. Other dark material deposited by some unknown process can also be seen all around the easternmost ridge in the trough. Near the bottom of the canyon, layers from the center ridges and the canyon wall can be matched, indicating that the ridges are made of the same material as the wall. Near the bottom of the image, there is yet another depression. This trough is filled with sediment deposited from erosion of the trough wall and possibly from the plateau above. All around the walls of this trough a layer of rocky material can be also be seen. It appears that the areas directly below the rocky ledges are "shielded" from landslide material from above. Finally, in the northwestern wall of this trough, there is an irregular pattern of very bright material not seen anywhere else in the image. Identifying similar formations in other THEMIS visible camera images could provide some context for its occurrence and help us understand how it was formed. The Story Tectonic forces wrenched apart the crust on Mars long ago, forming deep troughs at the Martian equator like the ones seen here. They occur in a transition zone between the maze-like region of Noctis Labyrinthus and the deep canyon system of Valles Marineris, the largest and "grandest" canyon in the solar system. These cracks in the crust can give geologists a good idea of what has happened over the course of the planet's history. Find out a little yourself by taking a closer look at the western side of the trough in the top third of the image. Can you see how the bright sediment from the plateau above has been whisked over the side, overflowing and building up on the floor below? Follow the south wall of this same trough, and you'll come across a dark streak running down (toward the right side of the image). One possibility is that it could be a dust avalanche, but if that were so, you'd think it would have occurred much more often, in more places than just that one spot. Since it didn't, scientists believe it probably isn't a dust avalanche, but could be a gully instead. There's also some more dark material deposited, all around the easternmost ridge in the trough as well. No one is quite sure how it formed there or exactly what it's made of. At the least, what geologists can tell is that the ridges in the trough are made of the same material as the canyon walls, since the layers in each of them match. Finding similarities like these can help piece together the story of Martian geology here. When scientists study THEMIS images, however, they are also on the lookout for anything that looks unusual. Try studying the dark depression that carves out the bottom of this image. It too is filled soft-looking sediments, probably deposited from erosion of the trough wall and possibly from the plateau above. Rocky outcrops all around the walls of this trough shield the areas directly below them from landslides from above. But all that seems pretty regular. Do you see anything that stands out? How about the odd pattern of brighter material that seems almost pasted on the northwestern wall of the trough like dried up glue? This material isn't found elsewhere in this image. Sights like this pose a geological mystery, and one of the only ways to solve it is to seek more clues. Do similar formations occur elsewhere on Mars? Stay tuned with THEMIS researchers, because they'll be looking, trying to understand how and how often such features form.
Streamlined Islands in Ares …
PIA03825
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Streamlined Islands in Ares Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 10 June 2002) The Science Although liquid water is not stable on the surface of Mars today, there is substantial geologic evidence that large quantities of water once flowed across the surface in the distant past. Streamlined islands, shown here, are one piece of evidence for this ancient water. The tremendous force of moving water, possibly from a catastrophic flood, carved these teardrop-shaped islands within a much larger channel called Ares Valles. The orientation of the islands can be used as an indicator of the direction the water flowed. The islands have a blunt end that is usually associated with an obstacle, commonly an impact crater. The crater is resistant to erosion and creates a geologic barrier around which the water must flow. As the water flows past the obstacle, its erosive power is directed outward, leaving the area in the lee of the obstacle relatively uneroded. However, some scientists have also argued that the area in the lee of the obstacle might be a depositional zone, where material is dropped out of the water as it briefly slows. The ridges observed on the high-standing terrain in the leeward parts of the islands may be benches carved into the rock that mark the height of the water at various times during the flood, or they might be indicative of layering in the leeward rock. As the water makes its way downstream, the interference of the water flow by the obstacle is reduced, and the water that was diverted around the obstacle rejoins itself at the narrow end of the island. Therefore, the direction of the water flow is parallel to the orientation of the island, and the narrow end of the island points downstream. In addition to the streamlined islands, the channel floor exhibits fluting that is also suggestive of flowing water. The flutes (also known as longitudinal grooves) are also parallel to the direction of flow, indicating that the water flow was turbulent and probably quite fast, which is consistent with the hypothesized catastrophic floods that came through Ares Valles. The Story In symbolism only, these guppy-shaped islands and current-like flutes of land beside them may conjure up a mental image of a flowing Martian river. This picture would only be half-right. Scientifically, no fish ever swam this channel, but these landforms do reveal that catastrophic floods of rushing water probably patterned the land in just this way. Geologists who study flood areas believe that a tremendous force of moving water probably carved both the islands and the small, parallel, "current-like" ridges around them. The blunt end of the islands (the "heads" of the "fish") are probably ancient impact craters that posed obstacles to the water as it rushed down the channel in torrents. Because a crater is resistant to erosion, it creates a geologic barrier around which the water must flow. As the water makes its way downstream, the crater's interference with the water flow is reduced, so the water that was diverted around, the obstacle rejoins at the narrow end of the island (the "tail" of the "fish"). Therefore, from this information, you can tell that the water flowed from the southeast to the northwest. As a rule of thumb for the future, you can say that the narrow end of the island points downstream. The result may be the island behind the crater, but geologists disagree about the exact process by which the island forms. Some scientists argue that the erosive power of the water is directed outward, leaving the area behind, or in the lee of, the obstacle relatively untouched. Other scientists argue that the water slows when it encounters the crater obstacle, and small particles of sand and "dirt" drop out of the water and are deposited in the lee. There's another small associated uncertainty too. Look closely at the edges of the islands and notice how the land is terraced. These ledges might mark the height of the water at various times during the flood . . . or they might be an indication that layering occurred. It all depends on your hypothesis. Like the streamlined islands, the current-like flutes are parallel to the direction of flow, indicating that the water flow was turbulent and probably quite fast, which is consistent with the hypothesis that catastrophic floods broke forth in this region, known as Ares Vallis. Ares Vallis is the region where Pathfinder landed to help understand the possible history of water on Mars. Geologists want to understand not only if there was a catastrophic flood, but why it happened. Both orbiters and landers can add to the information on hand, but some Earth examples might provide clues as well. On our planet, some glacial valleys have had major catastrophic floods that were caused by the sudden outburst and drainage of glacial lakes. The Channeled Scabland in Washington state is great Earthly example of a place where the sudden failure of a glacier ice dam spewed out water, leaving a system of large, dry channels with flutes similar to the ones seen in this image. Did something similar happen to cause this outburst on Mars? Hopefully, future studies of THEMIS and other images will help us understand the answer.
Streamlined Islands in Ares …
PIA03825
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Streamlined Islands in Ares Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 10 June 2002) The Science Although liquid water is not stable on the surface of Mars today, there is substantial geologic evidence that large quantities of water once flowed across the surface in the distant past. Streamlined islands, shown here, are one piece of evidence for this ancient water. The tremendous force of moving water, possibly from a catastrophic flood, carved these teardrop-shaped islands within a much larger channel called Ares Valles. The orientation of the islands can be used as an indicator of the direction the water flowed. The islands have a blunt end that is usually associated with an obstacle, commonly an impact crater. The crater is resistant to erosion and creates a geologic barrier around which the water must flow. As the water flows past the obstacle, its erosive power is directed outward, leaving the area in the lee of the obstacle relatively uneroded. However, some scientists have also argued that the area in the lee of the obstacle might be a depositional zone, where material is dropped out of the water as it briefly slows. The ridges observed on the high-standing terrain in the leeward parts of the islands may be benches carved into the rock that mark the height of the water at various times during the flood, or they might be indicative of layering in the leeward rock. As the water makes its way downstream, the interference of the water flow by the obstacle is reduced, and the water that was diverted around the obstacle rejoins itself at the narrow end of the island. Therefore, the direction of the water flow is parallel to the orientation of the island, and the narrow end of the island points downstream. In addition to the streamlined islands, the channel floor exhibits fluting that is also suggestive of flowing water. The flutes (also known as longitudinal grooves) are also parallel to the direction of flow, indicating that the water flow was turbulent and probably quite fast, which is consistent with the hypothesized catastrophic floods that came through Ares Valles. The Story In symbolism only, these guppy-shaped islands and current-like flutes of land beside them may conjure up a mental image of a flowing Martian river. This picture would only be half-right. Scientifically, no fish ever swam this channel, but these landforms do reveal that catastrophic floods of rushing water probably patterned the land in just this way. Geologists who study flood areas believe that a tremendous force of moving water probably carved both the islands and the small, parallel, "current-like" ridges around them. The blunt end of the islands (the "heads" of the "fish") are probably ancient impact craters that posed obstacles to the water as it rushed down the channel in torrents. Because a crater is resistant to erosion, it creates a geologic barrier around which the water must flow. As the water makes its way downstream, the crater's interference with the water flow is reduced, so the water that was diverted around, the obstacle rejoins at the narrow end of the island (the "tail" of the "fish"). Therefore, from this information, you can tell that the water flowed from the southeast to the northwest. As a rule of thumb for the future, you can say that the narrow end of the island points downstream. The result may be the island behind the crater, but geologists disagree about the exact process by which the island forms. Some scientists argue that the erosive power of the water is directed outward, leaving the area behind, or in the lee of, the obstacle relatively untouched. Other scientists argue that the water slows when it encounters the crater obstacle, and small particles of sand and "dirt" drop out of the water and are deposited in the lee. There's another small associated uncertainty too. Look closely at the edges of the islands and notice how the land is terraced. These ledges might mark the height of the water at various times during the flood . . . or they might be an indication that layering occurred. It all depends on your hypothesis. Like the streamlined islands, the current-like flutes are parallel to the direction of flow, indicating that the water flow was turbulent and probably quite fast, which is consistent with the hypothesis that catastrophic floods broke forth in this region, known as Ares Vallis. Ares Vallis is the region where Pathfinder landed to help understand the possible history of water on Mars. Geologists want to understand not only if there was a catastrophic flood, but why it happened. Both orbiters and landers can add to the information on hand, but some Earth examples might provide clues as well. On our planet, some glacial valleys have had major catastrophic floods that were caused by the sudden outburst and drainage of glacial lakes. The Channeled Scabland in Washington state is great Earthly example of a place where the sudden failure of a glacier ice dam spewed out water, leaving a system of large, dry channels with flutes similar to the ones seen in this image. Did something similar happen to cause this outburst on Mars? Hopefully, future studies of THEMIS and other images will help us understand the answer.
Kasei Valles
PIA03792
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 9 May 2002) Kasei Valles (Kasei is the Japanese word for Mars) is one of the largest outflow channels on Mars. Kasei Valles stretches some 2,000 km across the face of Mars and empties into the Chryse basin. This THEMIS image is of the northern branch of Kasei Valles and shows the channel floor and northern channel wall. The plateau surface located at the top of this image is more heavily cratered than the channel floor which indicates that the plateau is older than the channel floor. The wall of the plateau has spur and gully topography present. The floor of the channel has evidence of fluvial scour including a smaller inner channel. These features were probably carved out during waning stage flow. The probable causes of Martian floods are massive releases of subsurface water/ice due to possible subsurface volcanic activity. Martian outflow channels begin at point sources (chaotic terrain and box canyons) and then flow unconfined into a basin region.
Kasei Valles
PIA03792
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 9 May 2002) Kasei Valles (Kasei is the Japanese word for Mars) is one of the largest outflow channels on Mars. Kasei Valles stretches some 2,000 km across the face of Mars and empties into the Chryse basin. This THEMIS image is of the northern branch of Kasei Valles and shows the channel floor and northern channel wall. The plateau surface located at the top of this image is more heavily cratered than the channel floor which indicates that the plateau is older than the channel floor. The wall of the plateau has spur and gully topography present. The floor of the channel has evidence of fluvial scour including a smaller inner channel. These features were probably carved out during waning stage flow. The probable causes of Martian floods are massive releases of subsurface water/ice due to possible subsurface volcanic activity. Martian outflow channels begin at point sources (chaotic terrain and box canyons) and then flow unconfined into a basin region.
Hebrus Valles
PIA03820
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Hebrus Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 3 June 2002) The Science Hebrus Valles is located in the Elysium Planitia region of the northern lowlands of the planet. This image shows three sinuous tributaries of the channel system which carved up the surrounding plains. These individual tributaries are up to 3 km wide and have up to three terraces visible along their margins. These terraces may indicate separate flood events or may be the result of one flood plucking away at channel wall materials with varying strengths of resistance. It is not clear if these are separate rock layers or just the erosion of one type of material from rising and falling water levels. A streamlined island is visible in the lower third of the image. This feature indicates that flow was from the lower right to upper left in this region (the tail of the island points downstream). In places ripples, interpreted to be dunes, can also be seen along the interface of the channel floor with the walls. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other features of note in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion. The Story Mars was once the scene of some major floods that rushed out upon the land, carving all kinds of channels. These signs of ancient flooding have always been exciting to scientists who want to understand the history of water on the planet. Water is important to understanding the climate and geological history of Mars, as well as whether life could ever have developed there. While we can't tell much about the life question from pictures like this one, it does give some insights into the great flood itself. You can see three tributaries of a channel system that are up to two miles wide or so. The really interesting thing is that you can see terraces of land that step down from the sides of the tributaries. How did they form? Was there one massive flood that swept through, eroding materials with varying strengths of resistance? Or was it several, separate floods? And what could the answer tell us about the types of rocks and materials in this region? No one knows if these are separate rock layers or just one type of material that has eroded from rising and falling water levels. While these questions will continue to intrigue geologists, one thing that they can tell for sure is the direction the water flowed. Can you find the tear-drop shaped island in the now dry channel? On Earth, we see these islands created in rivers all the time. The "tail" of the island (the point on the teardrop) points downstream, so that means the flood rushed down the channel from the lower right to the upper left. Since the flood, there is some rippling evidence on the channel floor that dunes may have formed. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen, scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other interesting features in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion.
Hebrus Valles
PIA03820
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Hebrus Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 3 June 2002) The Science Hebrus Valles is located in the Elysium Planitia region of the northern lowlands of the planet. This image shows three sinuous tributaries of the channel system which carved up the surrounding plains. These individual tributaries are up to 3 km wide and have up to three terraces visible along their margins. These terraces may indicate separate flood events or may be the result of one flood plucking away at channel wall materials with varying strengths of resistance. It is not clear if these are separate rock layers or just the erosion of one type of material from rising and falling water levels. A streamlined island is visible in the lower third of the image. This feature indicates that flow was from the lower right to upper left in this region (the tail of the island points downstream). In places ripples, interpreted to be dunes, can also be seen along the interface of the channel floor with the walls. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other features of note in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion. The Story Mars was once the scene of some major floods that rushed out upon the land, carving all kinds of channels. These signs of ancient flooding have always been exciting to scientists who want to understand the history of water on the planet. Water is important to understanding the climate and geological history of Mars, as well as whether life could ever have developed there. While we can't tell much about the life question from pictures like this one, it does give some insights into the great flood itself. You can see three tributaries of a channel system that are up to two miles wide or so. The really interesting thing is that you can see terraces of land that step down from the sides of the tributaries. How did they form? Was there one massive flood that swept through, eroding materials with varying strengths of resistance? Or was it several, separate floods? And what could the answer tell us about the types of rocks and materials in this region? No one knows if these are separate rock layers or just one type of material that has eroded from rising and falling water levels. While these questions will continue to intrigue geologists, one thing that they can tell for sure is the direction the water flowed. Can you find the tear-drop shaped island in the now dry channel? On Earth, we see these islands created in rivers all the time. The "tail" of the island (the point on the teardrop) points downstream, so that means the flood rushed down the channel from the lower right to the upper left. Since the flood, there is some rippling evidence on the channel floor that dunes may have formed. Smaller, fainter channels can also be seen, scouring the plains, especially in the lower portion of this image. Other interesting features in this image are the various inselbergs (isolated hills) located primarily in the upper portion of the image. The inselbergs are surrounded with aprons of material that was probably shed off of the hills by various processes of erosion.
Light Layered Deposits in Va …
PIA09397
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Light Layered Deposits in Valles Marineris
Original Caption Released with Image This image shows bright layered deposits near the junction of Coprates Chasma and Melas Chasma, part of Valles Marineris. The outcrop shown here is in a wide alcove in the northern wall and forms a broad mound several kilometers wide, dark, wind-blown material covers it in places. Similar light-toned rock occurs in many places in Valles Marineris. An important question is when these materials formed: were they deposited within the troughs after they opened and then eroded, or are they remnants of the wall rock? Analysis of the orientation of the layers using HiRISE images may help scientists answer this question. There are no fresh impact craters preserved on the outcrop surface, suggesting that the layered deposits are being eroded rapidly enough to erase the craters. In many places, the light rocks have regular fractures called joints. Joints are common in rocks on Earth, and HiRISE images show them in many places on Mars as well. These can provide information about the forces which have affected the rock since it formed, which helps unravel the geologic history of this outcrop. Image PSP_001456_1695 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001456_1695/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 17, 2006. The complete image is centered at -10.2 degrees latitude, 291.2 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 258.4 km (161.5 miles). At this distance the image scale is 25.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~78 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:33 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 59 degrees, thus, the sun was about 31 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 136.9 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Flows in Athabasca Valles So …
PIA09400
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Flows in Athabasca Valles Source Region
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version Thin flows cover the plains just north of the source region for the Athabasca Valles channel system. The flows are mostly confined by a scarp (cliff) in the northwest corner of the image. The more heavily cratered terrain above the scarp is part of a tectonic ridge known as a wrinkle ridge. A few flows can be seen atop the wrinkle ridge, but they are not as ubiquitous as those on the plains below. The flows on the plains frequently intersect, with younger ones cutting across older ones. The prominent dark swathes along their edges have particularly rough textures. The darker shade is due to thousands of shadows cast by small bumps on the surface, which HiRISE is able to resolve. Dozens of bright, narrow rifts (cracks) zigzag across the flows. They appear bright because they are filled with light-toned, windblown material. Wind-sculpted knobs and ridges of similar light-toned material are scattered throughout the imaged area. The orientations of the ridges indicate that the winds primarily blow from the southeast. Several impact craters are captured in this image, the largest being about 50 meters (160 feet) in diameter. Many bear the distinctive bright rays characteristic of secondary craters associated with the larger impact crater, Zunil. Some craters penetrated the surface of the flows, and the boulders strewn around them suggest that the material they excavated was rocky. Image PSP_001408_1900 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001408_1900/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 14, 2006. The complete image is centered at 10.0 degrees latitude, 158.0 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 274.3 km (171.4 miles). At this distance the image scale is 27.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolved. The image shown here [below] has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:29 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 51 degrees, thus the sun was about 39 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 135.1 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Flows in Athabasca Valles So …
PIA09400
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Flows in Athabasca Valles Source Region
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version Thin flows cover the plains just north of the source region for the Athabasca Valles channel system. The flows are mostly confined by a scarp (cliff) in the northwest corner of the image. The more heavily cratered terrain above the scarp is part of a tectonic ridge known as a wrinkle ridge. A few flows can be seen atop the wrinkle ridge, but they are not as ubiquitous as those on the plains below. The flows on the plains frequently intersect, with younger ones cutting across older ones. The prominent dark swathes along their edges have particularly rough textures. The darker shade is due to thousands of shadows cast by small bumps on the surface, which HiRISE is able to resolve. Dozens of bright, narrow rifts (cracks) zigzag across the flows. They appear bright because they are filled with light-toned, windblown material. Wind-sculpted knobs and ridges of similar light-toned material are scattered throughout the imaged area. The orientations of the ridges indicate that the winds primarily blow from the southeast. Several impact craters are captured in this image, the largest being about 50 meters (160 feet) in diameter. Many bear the distinctive bright rays characteristic of secondary craters associated with the larger impact crater, Zunil. Some craters penetrated the surface of the flows, and the boulders strewn around them suggest that the material they excavated was rocky. Image PSP_001408_1900 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001408_1900/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 14, 2006. The complete image is centered at 10.0 degrees latitude, 158.0 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 274.3 km (171.4 miles). At this distance the image scale is 27.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolved. The image shown here [below] has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:29 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 51 degrees, thus the sun was about 39 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 135.1 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Valles Marineris Wall Rock
PIA09391
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Valles Marineris Wall Rock
Original Caption Released with Image This HiRISE image captures a small part of the northern wall of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. The reason this part of Mars' crust was pulled apart is not known with certainty, so observations like this are part of a campaign to understand the tectonics of Mars. In addition, the canyon provides a view deep into the crust of Mars. This HiRISE image captures 9500 meter (31,000 feet) of vertical relief. A sequence of thin layers can be seen in the upper roughly 1000 m (3000 feet) of the valley wall. Since Valles Marineris cuts into the side of the Tharsis Volcanic Rise, it is likely that these layers are lava flows. Below this, layers are not so regular. This lower section probably exposes rocks that have been intensely disrupted by ancient impact craters, but could also include solidified bodies of magma. Image PSP_001337_1675 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001337_1675/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 8, 2006. The complete image is centered at -12.2 degrees latitude, 297.6 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 257.0 km (160.6 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 51.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) to 102.8 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 50 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:32 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 61 degrees, thus the sun was about 29 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 132.4 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Floor of Kasei Valles
PIA09396
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Floor of Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image This HiRISE image shows a wonderfully complex surface on the floor of this ancient flood-carved canyon. In this area, the water flowed from the west to the east. However, the floor does not show the kinds of landforms scientist expect from flood erosion. Instead, the floor of the valley has been covered, sometime after the flood, by some kind of flow with giant ridged plates. Some of the plates are more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) across. The ridges appear to have formed when the solid crust on the flow was crumpled during flow. The plates are pieces of the crust that had rafted apart. Very large lava flows can produce this kind of surface, but ice and frozen mud are also capable of forming similar features. Image PSP_001456_2010 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001456_2010/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 17, 2006. The complete image is centered at 20.7 degrees latitude, 287.2 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 280.3 km (175.2 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 28.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 56.1 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:27 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 49 degrees, thus the sun was about 41 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 136.9 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Exposed Layers in Central Va …
PIA09964
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Exposed Layers in Central Valles Marineris
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_004858_1670 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_004858_1670 ]) shows a landslide scarp on the northern wall of central Valles Marineris, a large canyon system equivalent in length from California to New York. The landslide has exposed a fresh wall of the canyon so that individual layers of rock can be seen. The texture of these layers suggests that some of the darker rock layers are more resistant to erosion than the lighter layers. The variation in brightness and friability of the different layers suggests compositional differences. These layers may have a volcanic origin, having been deposited as ash layers, or a sedimentary origin, either being deposited by water or blown by the wind (aeolian). This image is a little hazy because this image was taken in August 2007, when the large dust storm covered the surface of Mars and filled the atmosphere with fine dust particles. The extra dust in the atmosphere reflects more light into the camera. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 8 August 2007 Local Mars time: 2:31 PM Degrees latitude (centered): -12.8° Degrees longitude (East): 301.1° Range to target site: 259.8 km (162.4 miles) Original image scale range: 26.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~78 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 5.6° Phase angle: 32.0° Solar incidence angle: 37°, with the Sun about 53 ° above the horizon Solar longitude: 292.6°, Northern Winter 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.
Exposed Layers in Central Va …
PIA09964
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Exposed Layers in Central Valles Marineris
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_004858_1670 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_004858_1670 ]) shows a landslide scarp on the northern wall of central Valles Marineris, a large canyon system equivalent in length from California to New York. The landslide has exposed a fresh wall of the canyon so that individual layers of rock can be seen. The texture of these layers suggests that some of the darker rock layers are more resistant to erosion than the lighter layers. The variation in brightness and friability of the different layers suggests compositional differences. These layers may have a volcanic origin, having been deposited as ash layers, or a sedimentary origin, either being deposited by water or blown by the wind (aeolian). This image is a little hazy because this image was taken in August 2007, when the large dust storm covered the surface of Mars and filled the atmosphere with fine dust particles. The extra dust in the atmosphere reflects more light into the camera. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 8 August 2007 Local Mars time: 2:31 PM Degrees latitude (centered): -12.8° Degrees longitude (East): 301.1° Range to target site: 259.8 km (162.4 miles) Original image scale range: 26.0 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~78 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 5.6° Phase angle: 32.0° Solar incidence angle: 37°, with the Sun about 53 ° above the horizon Solar longitude: 292.6°, Northern Winter 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.
Valles Marineris Mosaic
PIA06926
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Spectromete …
Title Valles Marineris Mosaic
Original Caption Released with Image The Odyssey spacecraft has taken some great pictures of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. If this canyon were on Earth, it would stretch from New York to Los Angeles. For the next several weeks, the Image of the Day will tour some of the canyons that make up this vast system. We will start with Ius Chasma in the west, and end with Coprates Chasma to the east. For more information on Vallis Marineris, please see http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/science/vm.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/science/vm.html ]. This mosaic of infrared images shows the full length of Valles Marineris. For highest resolution TIF image please visit http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20041008A.html [ http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20041008A.html ]. 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.
Multiple Channels in Warrego …
PIA05662
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Multiple Channels in Warrego Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Released 26 March 2004 The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps, 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation, 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow, and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars. The image shows an area in the Warrego Valles region. It was collected July 6, 2003 during northern summer season. The local time is 5pm. The image shows multiple channels dissecting the terrain. With this image, the 448th, the THEMIS Image of the Day completes its second (Earth) year. (The first image, of Nirgal Vallis [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03756 ], was released on 27 March 2002.) On behalf of the THEMIS team, we'd like to thank you for your continued interest and we hope you continue to come back through our third year and beyond. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -42.3, Longitude 267.5 East (92.5 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.
Multiple Channels in Warrego …
PIA05662
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Multiple Channels in Warrego Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Released 26 March 2004 The Odyssey spacecraft has completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet. For the next several weeks the Image of the Day will look back over this first mars year. It will focus on four themes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreat and expansion of the caps, 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation, 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow, and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collecting data as it orbits Mars. The image shows an area in the Warrego Valles region. It was collected July 6, 2003 during northern summer season. The local time is 5pm. The image shows multiple channels dissecting the terrain. With this image, the 448th, the THEMIS Image of the Day completes its second (Earth) year. (The first image, of Nirgal Vallis [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03756 ], was released on 27 March 2002.) On behalf of the THEMIS team, we'd like to thank you for your continued interest and we hope you continue to come back through our third year and beyond. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -42.3, Longitude 267.5 East (92.5 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.
Kasei Valles
PIA06372
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Released 2 June 2004This image was collected July 17, 2002 during northern spring season. The local time at the image location was about 4 pm. The image shows an area in the Kasei Valles region. The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 25.3, Longitude 298.8 East (61.2 West). 38 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.
Kasei Valles
PIA06372
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Released 2 June 2004This image was collected July 17, 2002 during northern spring season. The local time at the image location was about 4 pm. The image shows an area in the Kasei Valles region. The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the martian surface using its five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from the use of multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 25.3, Longitude 298.8 East (61.2 West). 38 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.
Ares Valles: Night and Day
PIA06394
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Ares Valles: Night and Day
Original Caption Released with Image Released 15 June 2004This pair of images shows part of the Ares Valles region. Day/Night Infrared Pairs The image pairs presented focus on a single surface feature as seen in both the daytime and nighttime by the infrared THEMIS camera. The nighttime image (right) has been rotated 180 degrees to place north at the top. Infrared image interpretation "Daytime:"Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details are visible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy than antisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly than rocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark. "Nighttime:"Infrared images taken during the nighttime exhibit only the thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. The effect of sun-facing versus non-sun-facing energy dissipates quickly at night. Thermophysical effects dominate as different surfaces cool at different rates through the nighttime hours. Rocks cool slowly, and are therefore relatively bright at night (remember that rocks are dark during the day). Dust and other fine grained materials cool very quickly and are dark in nighttime infrared images. Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 3.6, Longitude 339.9 East (20.1 West). 100 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.
Ares Valles: Night and Day
PIA06394
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Ares Valles: Night and Day
Original Caption Released with Image Released 15 June 2004This pair of images shows part of the Ares Valles region. Day/Night Infrared Pairs The image pairs presented focus on a single surface feature as seen in both the daytime and nighttime by the infrared THEMIS camera. The nighttime image (right) has been rotated 180 degrees to place north at the top. Infrared image interpretation "Daytime:"Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details are visible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy than antisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly than rocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark. "Nighttime:"Infrared images taken during the nighttime exhibit only the thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. The effect of sun-facing versus non-sun-facing energy dissipates quickly at night. Thermophysical effects dominate as different surfaces cool at different rates through the nighttime hours. Rocks cool slowly, and are therefore relatively bright at night (remember that rocks are dark during the day). Dust and other fine grained materials cool very quickly and are dark in nighttime infrared images. Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 3.6, Longitude 339.9 East (20.1 West). 100 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.
Valles Marineris Graben
PIA06843
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Valles Marineris Graben
Original Caption Released with Image This VIS image was taken just south of the rim of Valles Marineris. The troughs seen in this image are structural features called graben. A graben is formed when two parallel fractures bound a down-dropped block of surface. These graben developed as part of the formation of Valles Marineris. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -14.1, Longitude 287.2 East (72.8 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.
Valles Marineris Graben
PIA06843
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Valles Marineris Graben
Original Caption Released with Image This VIS image was taken just south of the rim of Valles Marineris. The troughs seen in this image are structural features called graben. A graben is formed when two parallel fractures bound a down-dropped block of surface. These graben developed as part of the formation of Valles Marineris. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -14.1, Longitude 287.2 East (72.8 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.
Mawrth Valles
PIA07957
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Mawrth Valles
Original Caption Released with Image The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation. This false color image of an old channel floor and surrounding highlands is located in the lower reach of Mawrth Valles. This image was collected during the Northern Spring season. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 25.7, Longitude 341.2 East (18.8 West). 35 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.
Mawrth Valles
PIA07957
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Mawrth Valles
Original Caption Released with Image The THEMIS VIS camera is capable of capturing color images of the Martian surface using five different color filters. In this mode of operation, the spatial resolution and coverage of the image must be reduced to accommodate the additional data volume produced from using multiple filters. To make a color image, three of the five filter images (each in grayscale) are selected. Each is contrast enhanced and then converted to a red, green, or blue intensity image. These three images are then combined to produce a full color, single image. Because the THEMIS color filters don't span the full range of colors seen by the human eye, a color THEMIS image does not represent true color. Also, because each single-filter image is contrast enhanced before inclusion in the three-color image, the apparent color variation of the scene is exaggerated. Nevertheless, the color variation that does appear is representative of some change in color, however subtle, in the actual scene. Note that the long edges of THEMIS color images typically contain color artifacts that do not represent surface variation. This false color image of an old channel floor and surrounding highlands is located in the lower reach of Mawrth Valles. This image was collected during the Northern Spring season. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 25.7, Longitude 341.2 East (18.8 West). 35 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.
Winding Side Canyon (Louros …
PIA02892
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Winding Side Canyon (Louros Valles)
Original Caption Released with Image Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up a winding tributary valley that feeds into Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon of Mars." Geologists think channels such as these were carved by water as it escaped through faults and cracks in the subsurface. This caused the ground above it to collapse, leaving a meandering channel that resembles a stream valley on Earth. This scene comes from """Flight Through Mariner Valley," an exciting video produced for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The video takes viewers on a simulated flight into Valles Marineris, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary scout ship dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. The video features high-resolution images from Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images, which show details as small as 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, were taken at infrared wavelengths during the Martian daytime. Scientists joined hundreds of individual frames from the camera into a giant mosaic, then colored the mosaic to approximate how Mars would appear to the human eye. To give the mosaic depth and height, moviemakers fitted it to a computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris. This was developed using hundreds of thousands of altitude measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Winding Side Canyon (Louros …
PIA02892
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Winding Side Canyon (Louros Valles)
Original Caption Released with Image Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up a winding tributary valley that feeds into Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon of Mars." Geologists think channels such as these were carved by water as it escaped through faults and cracks in the subsurface. This caused the ground above it to collapse, leaving a meandering channel that resembles a stream valley on Earth. This scene comes from """Flight Through Mariner Valley," an exciting video produced for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The video takes viewers on a simulated flight into Valles Marineris, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary scout ship dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. The video features high-resolution images from Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images, which show details as small as 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, were taken at infrared wavelengths during the Martian daytime. Scientists joined hundreds of individual frames from the camera into a giant mosaic, then colored the mosaic to approximate how Mars would appear to the human eye. To give the mosaic depth and height, moviemakers fitted it to a computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris. This was developed using hundreds of thousands of altitude measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Winding Side Canyon (Louros …
PIA02892
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Winding Side Canyon (Louros Valles)
Original Caption Released with Image Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up a winding tributary valley that feeds into Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon of Mars." Geologists think channels such as these were carved by water as it escaped through faults and cracks in the subsurface. This caused the ground above it to collapse, leaving a meandering channel that resembles a stream valley on Earth. This scene comes from """Flight Through Mariner Valley," an exciting video produced for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The video takes viewers on a simulated flight into Valles Marineris, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary scout ship dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. The video features high-resolution images from Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images, which show details as small as 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, were taken at infrared wavelengths during the Martian daytime. Scientists joined hundreds of individual frames from the camera into a giant mosaic, then colored the mosaic to approximate how Mars would appear to the human eye. To give the mosaic depth and height, moviemakers fitted it to a computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris. This was developed using hundreds of thousands of altitude measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Winding Side Canyon (Louros …
PIA02892
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Winding Side Canyon (Louros Valles)
Original Caption Released with Image Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up a winding tributary valley that feeds into Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon of Mars." Geologists think channels such as these were carved by water as it escaped through faults and cracks in the subsurface. This caused the ground above it to collapse, leaving a meandering channel that resembles a stream valley on Earth. This scene comes from """Flight Through Mariner Valley," an exciting video produced for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The video takes viewers on a simulated flight into Valles Marineris, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary scout ship dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. The video features high-resolution images from Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images, which show details as small as 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, were taken at infrared wavelengths during the Martian daytime. Scientists joined hundreds of individual frames from the camera into a giant mosaic, then colored the mosaic to approximate how Mars would appear to the human eye. To give the mosaic depth and height, moviemakers fitted it to a computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris. This was developed using hundreds of thousands of altitude measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Winding Side Canyon (Louros …
PIA02892
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Winding Side Canyon (Louros Valles)
Original Caption Released with Image Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up a winding tributary valley that feeds into Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon of Mars." Geologists think channels such as these were carved by water as it escaped through faults and cracks in the subsurface. This caused the ground above it to collapse, leaving a meandering channel that resembles a stream valley on Earth. This scene comes from """Flight Through Mariner Valley," an exciting video produced for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The video takes viewers on a simulated flight into Valles Marineris, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary scout ship dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. The video features high-resolution images from Arizona State University's Thermal Emission Imaging System multi-band camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey. The images, which show details as small as 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, were taken at infrared wavelengths during the Martian daytime. Scientists joined hundreds of individual frames from the camera into a giant mosaic, then colored the mosaic to approximate how Mars would appear to the human eye. To give the mosaic depth and height, moviemakers fitted it to a computerized topographic model for Valles Marineris. This was developed using hundreds of thousands of altitude measurements by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Kasei Valles Flow
PIA09545
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Kasei Valles Flow
Original Caption Released with Image Image PSP_001482_2065 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001482_2065/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 19, 2006. The complete image is centered at 26.0 degrees latitude, 297.3 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 284.7 km (178.0 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 28.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 113.9 cm/pixel (with 4 x 4 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:26 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 49 degrees, thus the sun was about 41 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 137.9 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
Naktong Valles
PIA03762
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Naktong Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 04 April 2002) This image is located in a cratered highland region called Arabia Terra. The center right side of the image shows a branch of the valley network Naktong Vallis cutting into the eastern rim of an unnamed crater. A simple sequence of geologic events can be ascertained from this image. Early on in time this surface was subjected to bombardment from asteroids and comets thereby creating the pockmarked highlands. This was followed by channel incision into the former rim of the large crater seen near the center of this image. The last series of events to occur in this image are primarily aeolian (wind) related. These include the dark streaks seen on slopes. Numerous dark streaks coursing down the slopes of crater and channel walls suggests that the relatively bright dust which mantles the slopes slides downhill and either exposes a dust-free darker surface or creates a darker surface by increasing its roughness.
Naktong Valles
PIA03762
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Naktong Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 04 April 2002) This image is located in a cratered highland region called Arabia Terra. The center right side of the image shows a branch of the valley network Naktong Vallis cutting into the eastern rim of an unnamed crater. A simple sequence of geologic events can be ascertained from this image. Early on in time this surface was subjected to bombardment from asteroids and comets thereby creating the pockmarked highlands. This was followed by channel incision into the former rim of the large crater seen near the center of this image. The last series of events to occur in this image are primarily aeolian (wind) related. These include the dark streaks seen on slopes. Numerous dark streaks coursing down the slopes of crater and channel walls suggests that the relatively bright dust which mantles the slopes slides downhill and either exposes a dust-free darker surface or creates a darker surface by increasing its roughness.
Holden Crater/Uzboi Valles
PIA03771
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Holden Crater/Uzboi Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 17 April 2002) The Science This image, located near 27.0S and 35.5W (324.5E), displays the intersection of Holden Crater with Uzboi Valles. This region of Mars contains a number of features that could be related to liquid water on the surface in the Martian past. Holden Crater contains finely layered sedimentary units that have been subsequently dissected. The hummucky terrain in the bottom half of the image is the remnants of this terrain, though the fine layers are not visible in this image at this resolution. The sedimentary units could have formed through deposition of material in a lacustrine type environment. Alternately, these layers could also be volcanic ash deposits. Uzboi Valles, which enters the crater from the southwest, is a catastrophic outflow channel that formed in the Martian past. The streamlined nature of the topographic features at the intersection of the crater with Uzboi Valles record the erosional pattern of flowing liquid water on the surface of Mars during the episodic outflow event. The Story Mars doesn't have a shortage of rugged terrain, and this area is no exception. While things look pretty quiet now, this cratered region was once the scene of some tremendous action. Long ago in Martian history, an incoming meteoroid probably smashed into the planet and produced a giant impact crater named Holden Crater, which stretches 88 miles across the Martian surface. The history of the area around Holden Crater doesn?t stop there. At some point, a catastrophic flood burst forth on the surface, forming an impressive outflow channel called Uzboi Valles. No one knows exactly how that happened, or whether the water might even have rushed into Holden Crater at some point, forming a long-ago lake. What we do know is that there is a lot of sedimentary material that could have formed in two hypothesized ways: in an ancient lake environment or as volcanic-ash deposits. Scientists are searching for the answers by studying the region where Uzboi Valles meets the crater. You can see the rough edge of Holden Crater running diagonally down in a sharply edged swath (from the top left-hand corner of this image to the center right-hand side). Just below it, running almost smoothly down the right-hand side of the image is an intriguing channel where water may once have flowed. Much of the terrain in the bottom half of the image, in fact, seems to be cut into a swish-swash of dissected sedimentary terrain. Sliced through in such a way, the terrain ends up carrying bunches of small, rounded hills called "hummocks." Earth can boast of its own rolling, hummocky terrain too, such as that found in the ravine-cut Missouri Hills and High Plains areas of South Dakota.
Holden Crater/Uzboi Valles
PIA03771
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Holden Crater/Uzboi Valles
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 17 April 2002) The Science This image, located near 27.0S and 35.5W (324.5E), displays the intersection of Holden Crater with Uzboi Valles. This region of Mars contains a number of features that could be related to liquid water on the surface in the Martian past. Holden Crater contains finely layered sedimentary units that have been subsequently dissected. The hummucky terrain in the bottom half of the image is the remnants of this terrain, though the fine layers are not visible in this image at this resolution. The sedimentary units could have formed through deposition of material in a lacustrine type environment. Alternately, these layers could also be volcanic ash deposits. Uzboi Valles, which enters the crater from the southwest, is a catastrophic outflow channel that formed in the Martian past. The streamlined nature of the topographic features at the intersection of the crater with Uzboi Valles record the erosional pattern of flowing liquid water on the surface of Mars during the episodic outflow event. The Story Mars doesn't have a shortage of rugged terrain, and this area is no exception. While things look pretty quiet now, this cratered region was once the scene of some tremendous action. Long ago in Martian history, an incoming meteoroid probably smashed into the planet and produced a giant impact crater named Holden Crater, which stretches 88 miles across the Martian surface. The history of the area around Holden Crater doesn?t stop there. At some point, a catastrophic flood burst forth on the surface, forming an impressive outflow channel called Uzboi Valles. No one knows exactly how that happened, or whether the water might even have rushed into Holden Crater at some point, forming a long-ago lake. What we do know is that there is a lot of sedimentary material that could have formed in two hypothesized ways: in an ancient lake environment or as volcanic-ash deposits. Scientists are searching for the answers by studying the region where Uzboi Valles meets the crater. You can see the rough edge of Holden Crater running diagonally down in a sharply edged swath (from the top left-hand corner of this image to the center right-hand side). Just below it, running almost smoothly down the right-hand side of the image is an intriguing channel where water may once have flowed. Much of the terrain in the bottom half of the image, in fact, seems to be cut into a swish-swash of dissected sedimentary terrain. Sliced through in such a way, the terrain ends up carrying bunches of small, rounded hills called "hummocks." Earth can boast of its own rolling, hummocky terrain too, such as that found in the ravine-cut Missouri Hills and High Plains areas of South Dakota.
Layered Terrain near Mawrth …
PIA09498
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Layered Terrain near Mawrth Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Image PSP_001454_2030 [ http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001454_2030/ ] was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 17, 2006. The complete image is centered at 22.8 degrees latitude, 341.7 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 284.2 km (177.6 miles). At this distance the image scale is 28.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~85 cm across are resolved. The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel and north is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 3:27 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 49 degrees, thus the sun was about 41 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 136.9 degrees, the season on Mars is 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.
(Almost) Silent Rolling Ston …
PIA09644
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title (Almost) Silent Rolling Stones in Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE scene (PSP_001640_2125 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_001640_2125 ]) shows the very steep side of a plateau, part of the northern limit of the Kasei Valles system, which is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars. The difference in elevation here between the mostly flat channel's floor (bottom right) and the top of the plateau (top left) is over 1,300 m (0.8 miles), comparable in height to the Grand Canyon walls. The Kasei Valles system is much wider than the Grand Canyon, though, getting to be in places 500 km (300 miles) wide. (The Grand Canyon's maximum width is 30 km, or 18 miles). The image's subset (400 x 250 m or 440 x 270 yards) shows numerous paths with the appearance of dotted lines, criss-crossing the steep side of the plateau. The carving agents can be found at the end of some of these paths: rocky blocks such as the ones in this subset, up to 2 m (2.2 yards) across (4 m or 4.4 yards across elsewhere in the image). Some of these blocks traveled downhill several hundred meters (yards) as they rolled and bounced leaving behind a trail of indentations or poke marks in the surface's fine-grained, light-toned soils. The raised borders in some of these poke marks indicate they are relatively recent features, unaffected by wind erosion, or that this soil has cohesive properties, such as if it was cemented. The sound of these blocks falling did not travel very far, though. According to computer simulations [ http://www.acoustics.org/press/151st/Hanford.html ] sound in Mars travels only 1.5% the distance it would travel on Earth. (No Martian sound has ever been recorded.) Hence, the same sound which would travel 1 km (0.6 miles) on Earth would travel only 15 m (16 yards) on Mars. This is due to the lower Martian atmospheric pressure, which is approximately 1% of that of Earth. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006 Local Mars time: 3:25 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 32.2° Degrees longitude (East): 306.0° Range to target site: 292.4 km (182.8 miles) Original image scale range: from 29.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 58.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 5.2° Phase angle: 55.0° Solar incidence angle: 50°, with the Sun about 40° above the horizon Solar longitude: 144.1°, 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.
(Almost) Silent Rolling Ston …
PIA09644
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title (Almost) Silent Rolling Stones in Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE scene (PSP_001640_2125 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_001640_2125 ]) shows the very steep side of a plateau, part of the northern limit of the Kasei Valles system, which is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars. The difference in elevation here between the mostly flat channel's floor (bottom right) and the top of the plateau (top left) is over 1,300 m (0.8 miles), comparable in height to the Grand Canyon walls. The Kasei Valles system is much wider than the Grand Canyon, though, getting to be in places 500 km (300 miles) wide. (The Grand Canyon's maximum width is 30 km, or 18 miles). The image's subset (400 x 250 m or 440 x 270 yards) shows numerous paths with the appearance of dotted lines, criss-crossing the steep side of the plateau. The carving agents can be found at the end of some of these paths: rocky blocks such as the ones in this subset, up to 2 m (2.2 yards) across (4 m or 4.4 yards across elsewhere in the image). Some of these blocks traveled downhill several hundred meters (yards) as they rolled and bounced leaving behind a trail of indentations or poke marks in the surface's fine-grained, light-toned soils. The raised borders in some of these poke marks indicate they are relatively recent features, unaffected by wind erosion, or that this soil has cohesive properties, such as if it was cemented. The sound of these blocks falling did not travel very far, though. According to computer simulations [ http://www.acoustics.org/press/151st/Hanford.html ] sound in Mars travels only 1.5% the distance it would travel on Earth. (No Martian sound has ever been recorded.) Hence, the same sound which would travel 1 km (0.6 miles) on Earth would travel only 15 m (16 yards) on Mars. This is due to the lower Martian atmospheric pressure, which is approximately 1% of that of Earth. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006 Local Mars time: 3:25 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 32.2° Degrees longitude (East): 306.0° Range to target site: 292.4 km (182.8 miles) Original image scale range: from 29.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 58.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 5.2° Phase angle: 55.0° Solar incidence angle: 50°, with the Sun about 40° above the horizon Solar longitude: 144.1°, 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.
(Almost) Silent Rolling Ston …
PIA09644
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title (Almost) Silent Rolling Stones in Kasei Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE scene (PSP_001640_2125 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_001640_2125 ]) shows the very steep side of a plateau, part of the northern limit of the Kasei Valles system, which is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars. The difference in elevation here between the mostly flat channel's floor (bottom right) and the top of the plateau (top left) is over 1,300 m (0.8 miles), comparable in height to the Grand Canyon walls. The Kasei Valles system is much wider than the Grand Canyon, though, getting to be in places 500 km (300 miles) wide. (The Grand Canyon's maximum width is 30 km, or 18 miles). The image's subset (400 x 250 m or 440 x 270 yards) shows numerous paths with the appearance of dotted lines, criss-crossing the steep side of the plateau. The carving agents can be found at the end of some of these paths: rocky blocks such as the ones in this subset, up to 2 m (2.2 yards) across (4 m or 4.4 yards across elsewhere in the image). Some of these blocks traveled downhill several hundred meters (yards) as they rolled and bounced leaving behind a trail of indentations or poke marks in the surface's fine-grained, light-toned soils. The raised borders in some of these poke marks indicate they are relatively recent features, unaffected by wind erosion, or that this soil has cohesive properties, such as if it was cemented. The sound of these blocks falling did not travel very far, though. According to computer simulations [ http://www.acoustics.org/press/151st/Hanford.html ] sound in Mars travels only 1.5% the distance it would travel on Earth. (No Martian sound has ever been recorded.) Hence, the same sound which would travel 1 km (0.6 miles) on Earth would travel only 15 m (16 yards) on Mars. This is due to the lower Martian atmospheric pressure, which is approximately 1% of that of Earth. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 12 December 2006 Local Mars time: 3:25 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 32.2° Degrees longitude (East): 306.0° Range to target site: 292.4 km (182.8 miles) Original image scale range: from 29.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 58.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 5.2° Phase angle: 55.0° Solar incidence angle: 50°, with the Sun about 40° above the horizon Solar longitude: 144.1°, 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.
Meanders in Nanedi Valles
PIA09635
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Meanders in Nanedi Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002840_1855 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002840_1855 ]) shows a portion of Nanedi Valles, an equatorial Martian valley network. Valley networks are thought to have formed by groundwater sapping either in conjunction with an ice layer to cover the running water or during a past warmer, wetter climate regime on Mars. Glacial activity has also been proposed to form the valley networks. Groundwater sapping is the leading theory because of the morphology of the valleys. They commonly have approximately constant width along their reaches, as seen here, as well as theater shaped heads, as seen in the tributary valley in the bottom right of the scene. The meandering nature of valleys suggests persistent or repeated flow as required to form meanders in streams on Earth. The subimage (approximately 1.1 km across) shows a potential remnant channel seen on the floor of Nanedi Valles just below the center of the image. If this is a remnant channel, it suggests that there was either repeated or waning flows in this valley. Winding dunes and abundant impact craters are found throughout the valley, as well as within this putative channel. Dunes are thought to be transient features on Mars, although no movement has been detected to date. It is interesting to note that some of the dunes are superposed by craters indicating that the dunes were stable long enough for craters to form and not be erased. It is possible that the craters on top of the dunes are secondary craters that formed as a product of a larger impact. Secondary craters from a single impact are clustered in space and form almost simultaneously, implying that the dunes were stable for a time period-long enough for a single crater, rather than multiple craters, to form. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 3 March 2007 Local Mars time: 3:41 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 5.2° Degrees longitude (East): 311.8° Range to target site: 271.3 km (169.6 miles) Original image scale range: 27.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~81 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 2.2° Phase angle: 54.4° Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizon Solar longitude: 195.0°, 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.
Meanders in Nanedi Valles
PIA09635
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
Title Meanders in Nanedi Valles
Original Caption Released with Image Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image (PSP_002840_1855 [ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_002840_1855 ]) shows a portion of Nanedi Valles, an equatorial Martian valley network. Valley networks are thought to have formed by groundwater sapping either in conjunction with an ice layer to cover the running water or during a past warmer, wetter climate regime on Mars. Glacial activity has also been proposed to form the valley networks. Groundwater sapping is the leading theory because of the morphology of the valleys. They commonly have approximately constant width along their reaches, as seen here, as well as theater shaped heads, as seen in the tributary valley in the bottom right of the scene. The meandering nature of valleys suggests persistent or repeated flow as required to form meanders in streams on Earth. The subimage (approximately 1.1 km across) shows a potential remnant channel seen on the floor of Nanedi Valles just below the center of the image. If this is a remnant channel, it suggests that there was either repeated or waning flows in this valley. Winding dunes and abundant impact craters are found throughout the valley, as well as within this putative channel. Dunes are thought to be transient features on Mars, although no movement has been detected to date. It is interesting to note that some of the dunes are superposed by craters indicating that the dunes were stable long enough for craters to form and not be erased. It is possible that the craters on top of the dunes are secondary craters that formed as a product of a larger impact. Secondary craters from a single impact are clustered in space and form almost simultaneously, implying that the dunes were stable for a time period-long enough for a single crater, rather than multiple craters, to form. Observation Toolbox Acquisition date: 3 March 2007 Local Mars time: 3:41 PM Degrees latitude (centered): 5.2° Degrees longitude (East): 311.8° Range to target site: 271.3 km (169.6 miles) Original image scale range: 27.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~81 cm across are resolved Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR Emission angle: 2.2° Phase angle: 54.4° Solar incidence angle: 57°, with the Sun about 33° above the horizon Solar longitude: 195.0°, 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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