|
|
Hubble Captures A Full Rotat
…
Pictures of the planet Mars
…
| Description |
Pictures of the planet Mars taken with the recently refurbished NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) will provide the most detailed global view of the red planet ever obtained from Earth. The images were taken by HST's Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 on March 10, 1997, just before Mars opposition, when the red planet made one of its closest to the Earth (about 60 million miles or 100 million km). These pictures were taken during three HST orbits that were separated by about six hours. This timing was chosen so that Mars, with its 24-hour 39-minute day, would rotate about 90 degrees between orbits. This imaging sequence therefore covers most of the Martian surface. These observations will be combined with others planned for March 30 to provide complete coverage. During each orbit, Mars was observed in nine different colors spanning the ultraviolet to the near infrared. The specific colors were chosen to clearly discriminate between airborne dust, ice clouds, and prominent Martian surface features. The color picture shown here was created by combining images taken in blue (433 nm), green (554 nm), and red (763 nm) colored filters. The Martian north pole is at the top (near the center of the bright polar cap) and East is to the right. The center of the disk is at about 23 degrees north latitude, and the central longitudes are near 160, 210, and 305 degrees. These images show the planet on the last day of Martian spring in the northern hemisphere (just before summer solstice). The annual north polar carbon dioxide frost (dry ice) cap is rapidly sublimating, revealing the much smaller permanent water ice cap. This polar cap remnant, along with a few nearby detached regions of surface frost are most obvious in pictures taken through ultraviolet, blue, and green filters. These filters also show numerous bright water ice clouds. The brightest clouds are in the vicinity of the giant volcanos on the Tharsis Plateau (to right of center on left image), and in the giant impact basin, Hellas (near bottom of right-hand image), but a diffuse haze covers much of the Martian tropics as well. The familiar bright and dark markings on the Martian surface are most obvious in images taken through red and near-infrared filters. These images clearly reveal the large, dark, circular "sea" of sand dunes (Olympia Planitia) that surrounds the north pole, as well a number of other familiar features, including the giant Tharsis volcanos. The 16-mile (27 km) high Olympus Mons is near the center of the left-hand image, with Arsia, Povonis, and Ascraeus Mons forming a south-west to north-east line just to its right. The volcano, Elysium Mons is near the center of the middle image. The prominent dark feature just below the center on the disk on the rightmost image is Syrtis Major Planitia. Hubble is being used to monitor dust storm activity to support the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Missions, which are currently en route to Mars. Airborne dust is most easily seen in WFPC2's red and near-infrared images. Weather reports derived from these observations are particularly valuable for Mars Pathfinder, which is scheduled for a July 4, 1997 landing on the red planet. A preliminary analysis of these HST data reveals enhanced dust activity over the dark Vastitas Borealis region in the northern hemisphere, and over the Noachis Terra and Terra Tyrrhena regions just south of the Martian equator. There is also evidence for airborne dust and ice clouds in the Hellas basin. However, these images show no evidence for large-scale dust storm activity. Credit: David Crisp and the WFPC2 Science Team (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology) |
|
Evidence for Recent Liquid W
…
| Title |
Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars |
| Full Description |
Gullies eroded into the wall of a meteor impact crater in Noachis Terra. This high resolution view (top left) from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows channels and associated aprons of debris that are interpreted to have formed by groundwater seepage, surface runoff, and debris flow. The lack of small craters superimposed on the channels and apron deposits indicates that these features are geologically young. It is possible that these gullies indicate that liquid water is present within the martian subsurface today. The MOC image was acquired on September 28, 1999. The scene covers an area approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 6.7 km (4.1 mi) high (note, the aspect ratio is 1.5 to 1.0). Sunlight illuminates this area from the upper left. The image is located near 54.8S, 342.5W. The context image (above) shows the location of the MOC image on the south-facing wall of an impact crater approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter. The context picture was obtained by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1980 and is illuminated from the upper left. The large mound on the floor of the crater in the context view is a sand dune field. The Mars Orbiter Camera high resolution images are taken black-and-white (grayscale), the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the MOC wide angle cameras and by the Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s. A brief description of how the color was generated: The MOC narrow angle camera only takes grayscale (black and white) pictures. To create the color versions seen here, we have taken much lower resolution red and blue images acquired by the MOC's wide angle cameras, and by the Viking Orbiter cameras in the 1970s, synthesized a green image by averaging red and blue, and created a pallete of colors that represent the range of colors on Mars. We then use a relationship that correlates color and brightness to assign a color to each gray level. This is only a crude approximation of martian color. It is likely Mars would not look like this to a human observer at Mars. |
| Date |
06/22/2000 |
| NASA Center |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
|
Hubble's Sharpest View of Ma
…
| Title |
Hubble's Sharpest View of Mars |
| General Information |
What is an Early Release Observation? A photograph of a celestial object that demonstrates the performance of a new Hubble camera. The recently refurbished Hubble telescope obtained the sharpest view of Mars ever taken from Earth. This stunning portrait was taken with March 10, 1997, just before the Red Planet made one of its closest passes to Earth (about 60 million miles or 100 million kilometers). The Martian North Pole is at the top [near the center of the bright polar cap] and east is to the right. This view of Mars was taken on the last day of Martian spring in the Northern Hemisphere. |
|
Pit Craters
| title |
Pit Craters |
| Description |
Among the most exciting places that the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has photographed during its three and a half years in orbit has been this crater in central Noachis Terra. Located at 47°S, 355°W, the crater appears to have been almost completely filled, and subsequently eroded in localized pits, by unknown processes. In this one place we see elements of the two most important results of the MOC investigation--the discovery of young gullies formed by fluid erosion and the occurrence of thick sequences of layered rock attesting to a martian past of substantial geologic activity. more information [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03205 ] Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
18,812 New MGS MOC Images (E
…
| title |
18,812 New MGS MOC Images (E07-E12) Archived and Online |
| Description |
With the release this month (October 2002) of the latest installment of 18,812 images, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) passes another major milestone: more than 100,000 images have been validated and archived with the NASA Planetary Data System. The total number of archived images now available on-line is 112,218--more than twice the number of pictures acquired by the two Viking orbiters in 1976-1980. These pictures, from MOC extended mission subphases E07 through E12, were acquired August 2001 through January 2002. Every six months, after a six-month, labor-intensive archiving effort, the MOC team releases six months-worth of validated data to the NASA Planetary Data System. Mars Global Surveyor is now in its sixth year orbiting the red planet. MGS reached Mars on 12 September 1997. The first MOC images were obtained on 15 September 1997. The two pictures shown here were taken by the MOC narrow angle (high resolution) camera and "colorized" by applying the colors of Mars obtained by the MOC wide angle cameras. Both pictures show gullies on the walls of two different meteor impact craters that occur in Newton Basin in Sirenum Terra, Mars. The picture on the left, showing gullies in a crater at 42.4°S, 158.2°W, exhibits patches of wintertime frost on the crater wall, and dark-toned sand dunes on the floor. The picture on the right, from a crater at 39.0°S, 166.1°W, is one of the highest-resolution images obtained from Mars. It's resolution is 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel--objects the size of school buses can be resolved in the full size image. The gullies in these craters originate at a specific layer and may have formed by release of groundwater to the martian surface in geologically recent times. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Syrtis Major and Arabia Terr
…
| title |
Syrtis Major and Arabia Terra |
| Description |
The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has, in fact, three cameras. The narrow angle system obtains monochrome (black-and-white) super-high resolution views of the red planet, while the wide angle system obtains regional and global views in both the red and blue portions of the visible spectrum (to make a color image, the red and blue are averaged to obtain the green channel). The picture shown here is a composite of 9 color strips taken by the MOC on 9 successive orbits from pole-to-pole over the planet during the calibration phase of the mission in March 1999. The large, circular bright region that dominates the scene is Arabia Terra. Syrtis Major is the dark region toward the lower right. The north polar cap is visible at the top, and the bright feature at the lower right is the Hellas Basin. The color in this picture is computer-enhanced and is not shown as it would actually appear to the human eye. Malin Space Science Systems 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. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Mars Crustal Magnetic Field
…
| title |
Mars Crustal Magnetic Field Remnants |
| Description |
The radial magnetic field measured is color coded on a global perspective view that shows measurements derived from spacecraft tracks below 200 km overlain on a monochrome shaded relief map of the topography. This image shows especially strong Martian magnetic fields in the southern highlands near the Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum regions, centered around 180 degrees longitude from the equator to the pole. It is where magnetic stripes possibly resulting from crustal movement are most prominent. The bands are oriented approximately east - west and are about 100 miles wide and 600 miles long, although the longest band stretches more than 1200 miles. The false blue and red colors represent invisible magnetic fields in the Martian crust that point in opposite directions. The magnetic fields appear to be organized in bands, with adjacent bands pointing in opposite directions, giving these stripes a striking similarity to patterns seen in the Earth's crust at the mid-oceanic ridges. These data were compiled by the MGS Magnetometer Team led by Mario Acuna at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. |
|
Promethei Terra
| title |
Promethei Terra |
| Description |
Dark streaks, everywhere! Many Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images of the middle latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars show wild patterns of criss-crossing dark streaks. Many of these streaks are straight and narrow, others exhibit curly arcs, twists, and loops. They often cross over hills, run straight across dunes and ripples, and go through fields of house-sized boulders. The example shown above was acquired in the last three months. The picture is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. It shows an area approximately 3 km by 5 km in Promethei Terra at a latitude of 58°S. For many months the MOC science team was seeing streaks such as these, but were uncertain how they formed. One speculation was that they might result from the passage of dust devils. Each dust devil would leave a dark streak by removing bright dust from the terrain in its path, revealing a darker surface underneath. An image described by the MOC team in July 1998 showed examples of streaks that were, at the time, speculated to be caused by dust devils. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Highest-Resolution View of "
…
| title |
Highest-Resolution View of "Face on Mars |
| Description |
A key aspect of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Extended Mission is the opportunity to turn the spacecraft and point the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) at specific features of interest. A chance to point the spacecraft comes about ten times a week. Throughout the Primary Mission (March 1999 - January 2001), nearly all MGS operations were conducted with the spacecraft pointing "nadir"---that is, straight down. In this orientation, opportunities to hit a specific small feature of interest were in some cases rare, and in other cases non-existent. In April 1998, nearly a year before MGS reached its Primary Mission mapping orbit, several tests of the spacecraft's ability to be pointed at specific features was conducted with great success (e.g., Mars Pathfinder landing site, Viking 1 site, and Cydonia landforms). When the Mars Polar Lander was lost in December 1999, this capability was again employed to search for the missing lander. Following the lander search activities, a plan to conduct similar off-nadir observations during the MGS Extended Mission was put into place. The Extended Mission began February 1, 2001. On April 8, 2001, the first opportunity since April 1998 arose to turn the spacecraft and point the MOC at the popular "Face on Mars" feature. Viking orbiter images acquired in 1976 showed that one of thousands of buttes, mesas, ridges, and knobs in the transition zone between the cratered uplands of western Arabia Terra and the low, northern plains of Mars looked somewhat like a human face. The feature was subsequently popularized as a potential "alien artifact" in books, tabloids, radio talk shows, television, and even a major motion picture. Given the popularity of this landform, a new high-resolution view was targeted by pointing the spacecraft off-nadir on April 8, 2001. On that date at 20:54 UTC (8:54 p.m., Greenwich time zone), the MGS was rolled 24.8° to the left so that it was looking at the "face" 165 km to the side from a distance of about 450 km. The resulting image has a resolution of about 2 meters (6.6 feet) per pixel. If present on Mars, objects the size of typical passenger jet airplanes would be distinguishable in an image of this scale. An earlier picture obtained in June 2000 was combined with the new, April 2001 image, to produce a stereo ("3-D") view of the western portion of the hill ("3-D" glasses with red for left eye and blue for right eye are needed to view the anaglyph). The large "face" picture, above, covers an area about 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) on a side, the 3-D picture [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/extended_may2001/face/index.html ] is about 1 km (0.62 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the images from the left/lower left. Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Northern Terra Meridiani's "
…
| title |
Northern Terra Meridiani's "Monument Valley |
| Description |
Northern Terra Meridiani, near the intersection of the martian equator and prime meridian, is a region of vast exposures of layered rock. A thermal image from the Phobos 2 orbiter in 1989 showed these materials to be anomalously cool during the daytime, an observation very suggestive of dense, hardened materials like rock. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images of this region show layered material exposed in cliffs, buttes, and mesas that in some ways resemble the rock outcrops of northern Arizona and southeastern Utah in North America (e.g., Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Zion National Park, Four Corners). MGS MOC Extended Mission operations have included several hundred opportunities for the spacecraft to be rolled off-nadir (i.e., at an angle other than "straight down") to take pictures that repeat earlier MOC coverage. These repeat images, because they are taken from a different angle, can be combined with the original picture to produce a stereoscopic ("3-D") view. The image shown here is a composite of two pictures, the first taken October 23, 2000, the second acquired by pointing the spacecraft off-nadir on May 15, 2001. This view shows four buttes and a pinnacle (near left-center) composed of eroded, layered rock. The four buttes are each capped by the remains of a single layer of rock that is harder than the materials beneath it. It is the presence of this caprock that has permitted these buttes to remain standing after surrounding materials were eroded away. Like the buttes of Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation on the Arizona/Utah border, these are believed to consist of sedimentary rocks, perhaps deposited in water or by wind, though some scientists have speculated that they could be made of thick accumulations of volcanic ash. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated by sunlight from the left. To see the image in 3-D, red (left-eye) and blue (right-eye) "3-D" glasses are required. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems. |
|
Northern Terra Meridiani Roc
…
| title |
Northern Terra Meridiani Rocks and Cliffs in 3-D |
| Description |
Extended Mission operations for the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) include opportunities that come up about 10 times a week to turn and point the MGS spacecraft so that MOC can photograph a feature of high scientific interest. Many of these images are targeted to the site of a previous MOC image, so that a stereoscopic ("3-D") view can be obtained. The top picture shows a 115 kilometers (~72 miles) wide portion of northern Terra Meridiani, a region of vast layered rock outcrops similar to portions of southeastern Utah and northern Arizona on Earth. The white box in this context image, located near 2.2°N, 1.3°W, shows the location of the high resolution stereo view obtained by MOC by combining a picture taken March 10, 1999 (FHA-00541) with one obtained by pointing the spacecraft on May 28, 2001 (EO4-02223). The stereo view, which requires red (left-eye) and blue (right-eye) "3-D" glasses to be seen, covers an area approximately 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide by 6.2 km (3.9 mi) long. The full-resolution view is seen at nearly 1.5 meters (5 ft) per pixel, a scale at which objects the size of airplanes and school buses might be seen. The landscape revealed by the 3-D view is a rugged terrain with steep cliffs and no fresh impact craters. This terrain seems most un-Mars-like compared to the typical cratered and dusty views MOC has provided since it began taking data in September 1997. In fact, one of the MOC science team members remarked, "If I'd seen this landscape used in a movie about Mars five years ago, I'd have said the director had no clue what Mars is supposed to look like." An irregular depression with a flat, mottled, light-toned floor dominates the scene. Small dark ridges on the depression floor near the top center of the image are dunes or drifts formed by wind transport of sandy sediment. The sharp buttes, mesas, and steep cliffs are all indicators that this terrain consists of a broad exposure of martian bedrock. North is up and sunlight illuminates each picture from the left/upper left. Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Sand Dunes in Kaiser Crater
| title |
Sand Dunes in Kaiser Crater |
| Description |
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) high resolution image shows a field of dark sand dunes on the floor of Kaiser Crater in southeastern Noachis Terra. The steepest slopes on each dune, the slip faces, point toward the east, indicating that the strongest winds that blow across the floor of Kaiser move sand in this direction. Wind features of three different scales are visible in this image: the largest (the dunes) are moving across a hard surface (light tone) that is itself partially covered by large ripples. These large ripples appear not to be moving--the dunes are burying some and revealing others. Another type of ripple pattern is seen on the margins of the dunes and where dunes coalesce. They are smaller (both in their height and in their separation) than the large ripples. These are probably coarse sediments that are moving with the dunes. This picture covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated from the upper left. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Nanedi Vallis
| title |
Nanedi Vallis |
| Description |
This picture of a canyon on the Martian surface was obtained a few minutes after 10 PM PST, January 8, 1998 by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), during the 87th orbit around Mars of the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. It shows the canyon of Nanedi Vallis, one of the Martian valley systems cutting through cratered plains in the Xanthe Terra region of Mars. The picture covers an area 9.8 km by 18.5 km (6.1 mi by 11.5 mi), and features as small as 12 m (39 ft) can be seen. The canyon is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. Rocky outcrops are found along the upper canyon walls, weathered debris is found on the lower canyon slopes and along the canyon floor. The origin of this canyon is enigmatic: some features, such as terraces within the canyon (as seen near the top of the frame) and the small 200 m (660 ft) wide channel (also seen near the top of the frame) suggest continual fluid flow and downcutting. Other features, such as the lack of a contributing pattern of smaller channels on the surface surrounding the canyon, box-headed tributaries, and the size and tightness of the apparent meanders (as seen, for example, in the Viking image 89A32), suggest formation by collapse. It is likely that both continual flow and collapse have been responsible for the canyon as it now appears. Further observations, especially in areas west of the present image, will be used to help separate the relative effects of these and other potential formation and modification processes. 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. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
|
Fresh Crater
PIA06733
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Fresh Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
30 July 2004 This full-resolution (1.5 meters, 5 feet, per pixel) Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a fairly small, fresh meteor impact crater in far southeastern Arabia Terra. The crater's bowl, rim, and ejecta exhibit numerous boulders. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is located near 6.9°S, 317.1°W. Sunlight illuminates the terrain from the left. |
|
Gullied Crater
PIA08078
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Gullied Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
17 April 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a 1.5 meters (~5 feet) per pixel view of a crater in the Terra Cimmeria region of Mars. Several gullies extend from near the top of the crater rim, downslope toward the floor of the crater. Liquid water might have played a role in their genesis. "Location near": 37.7°S, 191.6°W "Image width": ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": upper left "Season": Southern Summer |
|
Bi-level Gullies
PIA02919
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Bi-level Gullies |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
15 March 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows two suites of gullies within a single impact crater in the Terra Cimmeria region. The gullies near the top of the image are located on the northern wall of the crater, while the lower suite resides on a lower bench in the crater's northern wall complex. Gully erosion has cut into the layered rock exposed on the crater wall. Water may have been involved in their formation. "Location near": 38.2°S, 190.6°W "Image width": ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": upper left "Season": Southern Summer |
|
West Arabia Barchans
PIA04101
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
West Arabia Barchans |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
16 July 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows small barchan dunes on the floor of a crater in western Arabia Terra. Similar dunes are found in most of the larger craters of the region. The steepest slopes on these dunes, their slipfaces, point toward the west-southwest, indicating that dominant winds blow from the east-northeast (upper right). "Location near": 10.9°N, 2.8°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Autumn |
|
Nanedi Vallis: Sustained Wat
…
PIA01169
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Nanedi Vallis: Sustained Water FLow? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This picture of a canyon on the Martian surface was obtained a few minutes after 10 PM PST, January 8, 1998 by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), during the 87th orbit around Mars of the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. It shows the canyon of Nanedi Vallis, one of the Martian valley systems cutting through cratered plains in the Xanthe Terra region of Mars. The picture covers an area 9.8 km by 18.5 km (6.1 mi by 11.5 mi), and features as small as 12 m (39 ft) can be seen. The canyon is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. Rocky outcrops are found along the upper canyon walls, weathered debris is found on the lower canyon slopes and along the canyon floor. The origin of this canyon is enigmatic: some features, such as terraces within the canyon (as seen near the top of the frame) and the small 200 m (660 ft) wide channel (also seen near the top of the frame) suggest continual fluid flow and downcutting. Other features, such as the lack of a contributing pattern of smaller channels on the surface surrounding the canyon, box-headed tributaries, and the size and tightness of the apparent meanders (as seen, for example, in the Viking image 897A32, left), suggest formation by collapse. It is likely that both continual flow and collapse have been responsible for the canyon as it now appears. Further observations, especially in areas west of the present image, will be used to help separate the relative effects of these and other potential formation and modification processes. 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. |
|
A Complex, Ridged Terrain in
…
PIA01699
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
A Complex, Ridged Terrain in North Terra Cimmeria |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera continues to reveal a surface of variety. Never before has Mars been scrutinized in such detail, with images sampling narrow strips of terrain that are as varied as the surface of our own Earth. This picture provides an example of just how strange Mars looks at this new resolution. This surface--located in northern Terra Cimmeria about 210 km (130 mi)southwest of Gusev Crater--shows rounded, rocky ridges separated by lowlands filled with sand or dust. The fill--whether sand or dust--is probably hardened to form a surface strong enough to have bright windblown ripples and small impact craters on it. This picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide by 3.9 km (2.4 mi) and is illuminated from the upper left. By the way, do you see a duck in this picture? Look carefully. If you give up, click here! [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/4_8_99_bumpy/quack.html ] Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Floor of Alexey Tolstoy Crat
…
PIA01687
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Floor of Alexey Tolstoy Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The circular, polar orbit of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) achieved in early 1999 has begun to provide many opportunities to examine features in the martian southern hemisphere at high resolution. One of our favorite examples (thus far) is this picture of a small portion of the floor of Alexey Tolstoy Crater. The top of the image shows a dark surface that is extremely rough and rocky. The rest of the image shows a brighter, smoother material. It appears that the bright material has been eroded back, exposing the lower, darker surface. The small crater that dominates this picture is only about 850 meters (930 yards) wide and has also been partly exhumed/exposed from beneath the bright, smooth material. Illumination is from the upper left. Alexey (or Aleksey) Tolstoy Crater, in which the small unnamed crater seen in this picture occurs, was named by the International Astronomical Union in 1982 to honor the Soviet writer who died in 1945. It is one of only a few craters on Mars designated by both the first and last names of the honored person. The Alexey Tolstoy Crater has a diameter of 94 kilometers (58 miles) and is centered at 47.6°S latitude, 234.6°W longitude in eastern Promethei Terra. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Acidalia and Chryse Plains,
…
PIA02000
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Acidalia and Chryse Plains, Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Somewhere down there sits the Mars Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover. This Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera view of the red planet shows the region that includes Ares Vallis and the Chryse Plains upon which both Mars Pathfinder and the Viking 1 landed in 1997 and 1976, respectively. Acidalia Planitia is the dark surface that dominates the center left. The Pathfinder site is immediately south of Acidalia, just left of center in this view. Also shown--the north polar cap is at the top, and Arabia Terra and Sinus Meridiani are to the right. The bluish-white features are clouds. This is a color composite of 9 red and 9 blue image strips taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera on 9 successive orbits from pole-to-pole during the calibration phase of the mission in March 1999. The color is computer-enhanced and is not shown as it would actually appear to the human eye. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Syrtis Major and Arabia Terr
…
PIA02004
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Syrtis Major and Arabia Terra, Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has, in fact, three cameras. The narrow angle system obtains monochrome (black-and-white) super-high resolution views of the red planet, while the wide angle system obtains regional and global views in both the red and blue portions of the visible spectrum (to make a color image, the red and blue are averaged to obtain the green channel). The picture shown here is a composite of 9 color strips taken by the MOC on 9 successive orbits from pole-to-pole over the planet during the calibration phase of the mission in March 1999. The large, circular bright region that dominates the scene is Arabia Terra. Syrtis Major is the dark region toward the lower right. The north polar cap is visible at the top, and the bright feature at the lower right is the Hellas Basin. The color in this picture is computer-enhanced and is not shown as it would actually appear to the human eye. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Dust storm
PIA02067
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Dust storm |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MOC wide angle cameras captured a dust storm advancing across the northern plains toward Tempe Terra on August 22, 1998. |
|
Eroded, Layered Cratered Hig
…
PIA02043
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Eroded, Layered Cratered Highlands of Eastern Arabia Terra |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click here to see a higher resolution version of MOC2_129a and MOC2_129b Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle images provide high resolution views of the Martian surface that rival the quality of aerial photographs used to study the geology of Earth. Over the past year and a half, MOC images have helped to highlight the fact that much of the almost Moon-like heavily cratered terrains of Mars consist of layered materials. Eastern Arabia Terra is a region that was known from the Viking orbiter missions(1976-1980) to show vast tracts of eroded terrain. The image on the left, above, shows a regional view from Viking. Eastern Arabia is distinct for its rough-textured cratered terrain, and for the presence of the ancient, perhaps water-carved valley, Auqakuh Vallis. The center image (above) includes a high-resolution view from the Viking 1 orbiter, with a more recent image from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)MOC shown as an inset. The third image (above, right) is a MOC high resolution view that shows a portion of the ancient Auqakuh Vallis (just above center) and many eroded remnants of the ancient cratered terrain. The MOC image reveals dunes on the floor of Auqakuh Vallis, and shows a plethora of small, straight and curved ridges running across the terrain. The geological term for these ridges is "dike". Dikes most commonly form on Earth in volcanic terrain, when molten rock (magma) is injected into a crack in the subsurface. The magma cools, hardens, and later erosion removes the surrounding rock to leave behind the more resistant volcanic rock as a ridge. Shiprock in the northwest corner of New Mexico, U.S.A., is an example of a place on Earth where dike ridges are found. This MOC image is one of many that are being examined by the MOC Science Team in order to decipher the ancient geological history of the red planet. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Eroded, Layered Cratered Hig
…
PIA02043
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Eroded, Layered Cratered Highlands of Eastern Arabia Terra |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click here to see a higher resolution version of MOC2_129a and MOC2_129b Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle images provide high resolution views of the Martian surface that rival the quality of aerial photographs used to study the geology of Earth. Over the past year and a half, MOC images have helped to highlight the fact that much of the almost Moon-like heavily cratered terrains of Mars consist of layered materials. Eastern Arabia Terra is a region that was known from the Viking orbiter missions(1976-1980) to show vast tracts of eroded terrain. The image on the left, above, shows a regional view from Viking. Eastern Arabia is distinct for its rough-textured cratered terrain, and for the presence of the ancient, perhaps water-carved valley, Auqakuh Vallis. The center image (above) includes a high-resolution view from the Viking 1 orbiter, with a more recent image from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)MOC shown as an inset. The third image (above, right) is a MOC high resolution view that shows a portion of the ancient Auqakuh Vallis (just above center) and many eroded remnants of the ancient cratered terrain. The MOC image reveals dunes on the floor of Auqakuh Vallis, and shows a plethora of small, straight and curved ridges running across the terrain. The geological term for these ridges is "dike". Dikes most commonly form on Earth in volcanic terrain, when molten rock (magma) is injected into a crack in the subsurface. The magma cools, hardens, and later erosion removes the surrounding rock to leave behind the more resistant volcanic rock as a ridge. Shiprock in the northwest corner of New Mexico, U.S.A., is an example of a place on Earth where dike ridges are found. This MOC image is one of many that are being examined by the MOC Science Team in order to decipher the ancient geological history of the red planet. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Eroded, Layered Cratered Hig
…
PIA02043
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Eroded, Layered Cratered Highlands of Eastern Arabia Terra |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click here to see a higher resolution version of MOC2_129a and MOC2_129b Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle images provide high resolution views of the Martian surface that rival the quality of aerial photographs used to study the geology of Earth. Over the past year and a half, MOC images have helped to highlight the fact that much of the almost Moon-like heavily cratered terrains of Mars consist of layered materials. Eastern Arabia Terra is a region that was known from the Viking orbiter missions(1976-1980) to show vast tracts of eroded terrain. The image on the left, above, shows a regional view from Viking. Eastern Arabia is distinct for its rough-textured cratered terrain, and for the presence of the ancient, perhaps water-carved valley, Auqakuh Vallis. The center image (above) includes a high-resolution view from the Viking 1 orbiter, with a more recent image from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)MOC shown as an inset. The third image (above, right) is a MOC high resolution view that shows a portion of the ancient Auqakuh Vallis (just above center) and many eroded remnants of the ancient cratered terrain. The MOC image reveals dunes on the floor of Auqakuh Vallis, and shows a plethora of small, straight and curved ridges running across the terrain. The geological term for these ridges is "dike". Dikes most commonly form on Earth in volcanic terrain, when molten rock (magma) is injected into a crack in the subsurface. The magma cools, hardens, and later erosion removes the surrounding rock to leave behind the more resistant volcanic rock as a ridge. Shiprock in the northwest corner of New Mexico, U.S.A., is an example of a place on Earth where dike ridges are found. This MOC image is one of many that are being examined by the MOC Science Team in order to decipher the ancient geological history of the red planet. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Eroded, Layered Cratered Hig
…
PIA02043
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Eroded, Layered Cratered Highlands of Eastern Arabia Terra |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click here to see a higher resolution version of MOC2_129a and MOC2_129b Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle images provide high resolution views of the Martian surface that rival the quality of aerial photographs used to study the geology of Earth. Over the past year and a half, MOC images have helped to highlight the fact that much of the almost Moon-like heavily cratered terrains of Mars consist of layered materials. Eastern Arabia Terra is a region that was known from the Viking orbiter missions(1976-1980) to show vast tracts of eroded terrain. The image on the left, above, shows a regional view from Viking. Eastern Arabia is distinct for its rough-textured cratered terrain, and for the presence of the ancient, perhaps water-carved valley, Auqakuh Vallis. The center image (above) includes a high-resolution view from the Viking 1 orbiter, with a more recent image from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)MOC shown as an inset. The third image (above, right) is a MOC high resolution view that shows a portion of the ancient Auqakuh Vallis (just above center) and many eroded remnants of the ancient cratered terrain. The MOC image reveals dunes on the floor of Auqakuh Vallis, and shows a plethora of small, straight and curved ridges running across the terrain. The geological term for these ridges is "dike". Dikes most commonly form on Earth in volcanic terrain, when molten rock (magma) is injected into a crack in the subsurface. The magma cools, hardens, and later erosion removes the surrounding rock to leave behind the more resistant volcanic rock as a ridge. Shiprock in the northwest corner of New Mexico, U.S.A., is an example of a place on Earth where dike ridges are found. This MOC image is one of many that are being examined by the MOC Science Team in order to decipher the ancient geological history of the red planet. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Lineated Valley Floor
PIA02075
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Lineated Valley Floor |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Valley floors in the middle latitudes, particularly in the "fretted terrain" of northern Arabia Terra (shown here) have curious grooved and pitted surfaces. These features not glaciers and show very little evidence (if any) of flow. Their origin is unknown. MOC image from July 1998. |
|
Valley Networks
PIA02077
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Valley Networks |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Small valleys in the martian cratered highlands are often quite old and have been modified by erosion and wind action. The valleys shown here are located on a crater rim in Terra Tyrrhena. MOC took this picture in April 1999. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
New Cydonia Picture
PIA02092
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
New Cydonia Picture |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter, was designed specifically to bridge the gap between what can be seen from orbit in typical Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, and what can be seen from the ground by landers such as Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder. The camera, therefore, takes pictures of extremely high resolution. These images are often comparable to aerial photographs used by geologists when they are exploring Earth. The highest resolution images that can be obtained are in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 meters (4.6 to 6.5 feet) per pixel. Last year, several pictures of a portion of the Cydonia region of Mars were photographed at lower resolution than is now possible in the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission. The Cydonia region is perhaps most "famous" for being the location of a feature that--in Viking Orbiter images--seemed to resemble a human face. Nearby buttes and hills were considered by some to represent a "city." The MGS spacecraft flew over the "famous" Cydonia landforms again--for the first time since April 1998--on June 27, 1999, at 10:53 UTC (Greenwich Time Zone). The new MOC images shown here provide the highest resolution view yet obtained of the "Cydonia city" landforms. The picture at the above left (MOC2-142a), shows the regional context. Cydonia constitutes a transition zone between the cratered highlands of Arabia Terra, and the less-cratered lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. This transition zone contains thousands of mesas and buttes--somewhat like the Monument Valley region along the Arizona/Utah border in North America. The white box shows the location of the new high resolution view of the "city" landforms. The image is a red wide angle context frame obtained by MOC at the same time that the high resolution view was acquired. The picture is illuminated from the lower left, and north is toward the upper right. The picture in the center is a processed version of the new MOC narrow angle camera image of this portion of Cydonia. You can view the full-size image Like the context image (above left), the high resolution view (center) is illuminated from the lower left. North is toward the upper right. Boulders can be seen on some of the hill slopes, and the plains between the hills are rough and pitted. To conserve data in order to account for downtrack position uncertainties, only 1/2 of the MOC sensor was used to acquire this picture (allowing the image to be twice the length): it covers an area that is 1.5 km (0.9 mi) wide. The picture at the above right is the unprocessed MOC image. This what the processed image (center) looked like before it was rotated 180° (so that north is toward the top) and corrected for a 1.5 aspect ratio. The pixel size in the unprocessed image is different in the cross-track (left-right) and down-track(top-bottom) directions, thus making the craters look "squished." The cross-track scale is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel, while the down-track scale is about 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) per pixel. In the unprocessed image, the illumination is coming from the upper right. You can view this image at full-size (use "Save this link as..." and examine (MOC2-142c 100% Size) or see it via your web-browser at half-size (MOC2-142c 50% Size). For a look at the Cydonia images previously obtained by MGS MOC in 1998, CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/MENUS/cydonia_list.html ]. For a pre-MGS discussion of Viking orbiter images of the "Face on Mars,"CLICKHERE [ http://www.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ]. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Martian Mystery: Do Some Mat
…
PIA02086
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Martian Mystery: Do Some Materials Flow Uphill? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Some of the geological features of Mars defy conventional, or simple, explanations. A recent example is on the wall of a 72 kilometer-wide (45 mile-wide) impact crater in Promethei Terra. The crater (above left) is located at 39°S, 247°W. Its inner walls appear in low-resolution images to be deeply gullied. A high resolution Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows that each gully on the crater's inner wall contains a tongue of material that appears to have flowed (to best see this, click on the icon--above right--and examine the full image). Ridges and grooves that converge toward the center of each gully and show a pronounced curvature are oriented in a manner that seems to suggest that material has flowed from the top toward the bottom of the picture. This pattern is not unlike pouring pancake batter into a pan... the viscous fluid will form a steep, lobate margin and spread outward across the pan. The ridges and grooves seen in the image are also more reminiscent of the movement of material out and away from a place of confinement, as opposed to the types of features seen when they flow into a more confined area. Mud and lava-flows, and even some glaciers, for the most part behave in this manner. From these observations, and based solely on the appearance, one might conclude that the features formed by moving from the top of the image towards the bottom. But this is not the case! The material cannot have flowed from the top towards the bottom of the area seen in the high resolution image (above, right), because the crater floor (which is the lowest area in the image) is at the top of the picture. The location and correct orientation of the high resolution image is shown by a white box in the context frame on the left. Since gravity pulls the material in the gullies downhill--not uphill--the pattern of ridges and grooves found on these gully-filling materials is puzzling. An explanation may lie in the nature of the material (e.g., how viscous was the pancake batter-like material?) and how rapidly it moved, but for now this remains an unexplained martian phenomenon. The context image (above, left) was taken by the MOC red wide angle camera at the same time that the MOC narrow angle camera obtained the high resolution view(above, right). Context images such as this provide a simple way to determine the location of each new high resolution view of the planet. Both images are illuminated from the upper left. The high resolution image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Martian Mystery: Do Some Mat
…
PIA02086
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Martian Mystery: Do Some Materials Flow Uphill? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Some of the geological features of Mars defy conventional, or simple, explanations. A recent example is on the wall of a 72 kilometer-wide (45 mile-wide) impact crater in Promethei Terra. The crater (above left) is located at 39°S, 247°W. Its inner walls appear in low-resolution images to be deeply gullied. A high resolution Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows that each gully on the crater's inner wall contains a tongue of material that appears to have flowed (to best see this, click on the icon--above right--and examine the full image). Ridges and grooves that converge toward the center of each gully and show a pronounced curvature are oriented in a manner that seems to suggest that material has flowed from the top toward the bottom of the picture. This pattern is not unlike pouring pancake batter into a pan... the viscous fluid will form a steep, lobate margin and spread outward across the pan. The ridges and grooves seen in the image are also more reminiscent of the movement of material out and away from a place of confinement, as opposed to the types of features seen when they flow into a more confined area. Mud and lava-flows, and even some glaciers, for the most part behave in this manner. From these observations, and based solely on the appearance, one might conclude that the features formed by moving from the top of the image towards the bottom. But this is not the case! The material cannot have flowed from the top towards the bottom of the area seen in the high resolution image (above, right), because the crater floor (which is the lowest area in the image) is at the top of the picture. The location and correct orientation of the high resolution image is shown by a white box in the context frame on the left. Since gravity pulls the material in the gullies downhill--not uphill--the pattern of ridges and grooves found on these gully-filling materials is puzzling. An explanation may lie in the nature of the material (e.g., how viscous was the pancake batter-like material?) and how rapidly it moved, but for now this remains an unexplained martian phenomenon. The context image (above, left) was taken by the MOC red wide angle camera at the same time that the MOC narrow angle camera obtained the high resolution view(above, right). Context images such as this provide a simple way to determine the location of each new high resolution view of the planet. Both images are illuminated from the upper left. The high resolution image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Fretted Terrain Crater
PIA02074
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Fretted Terrain Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Some craters in the middle latitudes of Mars exhibit strange, concentric- and radial-textured patters on their floors--as seen here. The origin is presently unknown. This crater is in northern Arabia Terra, and the picture was taken in April 1998. |
|
Water: Sustained Flow
PIA02094
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Water: Sustained Flow |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
It has been known since the discoveries of Mariner 9 in 1972 that water once flowed on Mars and carved a variety of canyons, valleys, and channels. Some of this water appears to have gushed across the landscape in sudden, massive floods. Other valleys appear to be the result of water that flowed underground and sometimes caused the ground to collapse and sediment to be transported away. But one puzzle that has remained for more than 20 years--did any of these valleys experience sustained flow of liquid water at the martian surface over long periods of time? MOC image 8704 (above) shows a portion of the meandering canyons of the Nanedi Valles system--one of several valleys that cut through the smooth and cratered plains of the Xanthe Terra region of Mars. The valley is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. The floor of the valley in the upper right corner of the MOC image exhibits a small, 200 m (660 ft) wide channel that is covered by dunes and debris elsewhere on the valley floor. The presence of this channel suggests that the valley might have been carved by water that flowed through this system for an extended period of time. In other words, instead of a massive, catastrophic flood, this valley might have been incised in a manner similar to rivers on Earth. The valley itself would have widened by a variety of processes in addition to the water flowing along the bottom of the channel--slumps and landslides, wind, and perhaps groundwater flow could have all contributed to these processes. MOC image 8704 was taken on January 8, 1998. The scene covers 9.8 km by 27.9 km (6.1 miles by 17.3 miles). The image is centered on 5.1°N latitude and 48.26°W longitude. (CLICK HERE for a context image). North is approximately up, illumination is from the left. The image dimensions have been corrected from an original aspect ratio of 1.5. This image was also the subject of an earlier MGS MOC release [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/2_2_98_release/8704/index.html ] on February 2, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Water: Sustained Flow
PIA02094
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Water: Sustained Flow |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
It has been known since the discoveries of Mariner 9 in 1972 that water once flowed on Mars and carved a variety of canyons, valleys, and channels. Some of this water appears to have gushed across the landscape in sudden, massive floods. Other valleys appear to be the result of water that flowed underground and sometimes caused the ground to collapse and sediment to be transported away. But one puzzle that has remained for more than 20 years--did any of these valleys experience sustained flow of liquid water at the martian surface over long periods of time? MOC image 8704 (above) shows a portion of the meandering canyons of the Nanedi Valles system--one of several valleys that cut through the smooth and cratered plains of the Xanthe Terra region of Mars. The valley is about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. The floor of the valley in the upper right corner of the MOC image exhibits a small, 200 m (660 ft) wide channel that is covered by dunes and debris elsewhere on the valley floor. The presence of this channel suggests that the valley might have been carved by water that flowed through this system for an extended period of time. In other words, instead of a massive, catastrophic flood, this valley might have been incised in a manner similar to rivers on Earth. The valley itself would have widened by a variety of processes in addition to the water flowing along the bottom of the channel--slumps and landslides, wind, and perhaps groundwater flow could have all contributed to these processes. MOC image 8704 was taken on January 8, 1998. The scene covers 9.8 km by 27.9 km (6.1 miles by 17.3 miles). The image is centered on 5.1°N latitude and 48.26°W longitude. (CLICK HERE for a context image). North is approximately up, illumination is from the left. The image dimensions have been corrected from an original aspect ratio of 1.5. This image was also the subject of an earlier MGS MOC release [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/2_2_98_release/8704/index.html ] on February 2, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems 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. |
|
Layered Material in West Ara
…
PIA02842
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Layered Material in West Arabia Terra Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Hundreds of layers of similar thickness, texture, and pattern have been exposed by erosion in a 64 kilometer-wide (40 mile-wide) impact crater in western Arabia Terra at 8°N, 7°W. In other words, these layers provide a record of repeated, episodic changes that took place at some time far in the martian past, when this particular impact crater was the site of sediment deposition. Layers toward the center of the crater are nearly horizontal, but those closer to or draping over the crater walls are tilted (geologist use the term dipping) toward the basin center. These relationships suggest that the sediments that created these layers were deposited from above--perhaps by settling out of the martian atmosphere, or perhaps by settling out of water that might have occupied this crater as a lake. The context view (above) was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978, in it, north is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the right. The three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle (high resolution) views (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ], PIA02842 (this release)) sample layer outcrops that were previously not known to exist in this crater. Each MOC image is illuminated from the left. Dark material in PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ] and PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] is windblown sand, in PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], this sand enhances the appearance of the layers.Note: In the context image above, the boxes marked A, B, and C refer to PIA02842 (this release), PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ] and (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ]) respectively. |
|
Layered Material in West Ara
…
PIA02840
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Layered Material in West Arabia Terra Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Hundreds of layers of similar thickness, texture, and pattern have been exposed by erosion in a 64 kilometer-wide (40 mile-wide) impact crater in western Arabia Terra at 8°N, 7°W. In other words, these layers provide a record of repeated, episodic changes that took place at some time far in the martian past, when this particular impact crater was the site of sediment deposition. Layers toward the center of the crater are nearly horizontal, but those closer to or draping over the crater walls are tilted (geologist use the term dipping) toward the basin center. These relationships suggest that the sediments that created these layers were deposited from above--perhaps by settling out of the martian atmosphere, or perhaps by settling out of water that might have occupied this crater as a lake. The context view (above) was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978, in it, north is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the right. The three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle (high resolution) views (PIA02840, PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ], PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ]) sample layer outcrops that were previously not known to exist in this crater. Each MOC image is illuminated from the left. Dark material in PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ] and PIA02840 (this release) is windblown sand, in PIA02840 (this release), this sand enhances the appearance of the layers.Note: In the context image above, the boxes marked A, B, and C refer to PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ], PIA02841 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02841 ], and PIA02840 (this release) respectively. |
|
Layered Material in West Ara
…
PIA02841
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Layered Material in West Arabia Terra Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Hundreds of layers of similar thickness, texture, and pattern have been exposed by erosion in a 64 kilometer-wide (40 mile-wide) impact crater in western Arabia Terra at 8°N, 7°W. In other words, these layers provide a record of repeated, episodic changes that took place at some time far in the martian past, when this particular impact crater was the site of sediment deposition. Layers toward the center of the crater are nearly horizontal, but those closer to or draping over the crater walls are tilted (geologist use the term dipping) toward the basin center. These relationships suggest that the sediments that created these layers were deposited from above--perhaps by settling out of the martian atmosphere, or perhaps by settling out of water that might have occupied this crater as a lake. The context view (above) was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978, in it, north is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the right. The three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle (high resolution) views (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], PIA02841 (this release), PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ]) sample layer outcrops that were previously not known to exist in this crater. Each MOC image is illuminated from the left. Dark material in PIA02841 (this release) and PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] is windblown sand, in PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], this sand enhances the appearance of the layers.Note: In the context image above, the boxes marked A, B, and C refer to PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ], PIA02841 (this release), and (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] respectively. |
|
Layered Material in West Ara
…
PIA02841
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Layered Material in West Arabia Terra Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Hundreds of layers of similar thickness, texture, and pattern have been exposed by erosion in a 64 kilometer-wide (40 mile-wide) impact crater in western Arabia Terra at 8°N, 7°W. In other words, these layers provide a record of repeated, episodic changes that took place at some time far in the martian past, when this particular impact crater was the site of sediment deposition. Layers toward the center of the crater are nearly horizontal, but those closer to or draping over the crater walls are tilted (geologist use the term dipping) toward the basin center. These relationships suggest that the sediments that created these layers were deposited from above--perhaps by settling out of the martian atmosphere, or perhaps by settling out of water that might have occupied this crater as a lake. The context view (above) was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978, in it, north is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the right. The three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle (high resolution) views (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], PIA02841 (this release), PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ]) sample layer outcrops that were previously not known to exist in this crater. Each MOC image is illuminated from the left. Dark material in PIA02841 (this release) and PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] is windblown sand, in PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], this sand enhances the appearance of the layers.Note: In the context image above, the boxes marked A, B, and C refer to PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ], PIA02841 (this release), and (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] respectively. |
|
Layered Material in West Ara
…
PIA02841
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Layered Material in West Arabia Terra Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Hundreds of layers of similar thickness, texture, and pattern have been exposed by erosion in a 64 kilometer-wide (40 mile-wide) impact crater in western Arabia Terra at 8°N, 7°W. In other words, these layers provide a record of repeated, episodic changes that took place at some time far in the martian past, when this particular impact crater was the site of sediment deposition. Layers toward the center of the crater are nearly horizontal, but those closer to or draping over the crater walls are tilted (geologist use the term dipping) toward the basin center. These relationships suggest that the sediments that created these layers were deposited from above--perhaps by settling out of the martian atmosphere, or perhaps by settling out of water that might have occupied this crater as a lake. The context view (above) was taken by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1978, in it, north is up and sunlight illuminates the scene from the right. The three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle (high resolution) views (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], PIA02841 (this release), PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ]) sample layer outcrops that were previously not known to exist in this crater. Each MOC image is illuminated from the left. Dark material in PIA02841 (this release) and PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] is windblown sand, in PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ], this sand enhances the appearance of the layers.Note: In the context image above, the boxes marked A, B, and C refer to PIA02842 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02842 ], PIA02841 (this release), and (PIA02840 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02840 ] respectively. |
|
Dike near Auqakuh
PIA03037
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Dike near Auqakuh |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
13 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a dike exhumed by erosion from beneath the cratered terrain near Auqakuh Vallis in northeastern Arabia Terra. The dike is the narrow, discontinuous ridge that cuts diagonally from the northwest (upper left) toward the southeast (lower right) across the scene. Typically, a dike is formed underground when molten rock -- "magma" -- is injected through a crack or fault. The magma eventually cools and hardens. A dike can also sometimes form in a non-volcanic setting by injection of wet sediment (which later hardens to rock) into an overlying sedimentary layer. The ridge is formed later, when surrounding rocks are eroded away, leaving the more erosion-resistant rock behind as a ridge. For an example on Earth, the famous Shiprock in northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A., has several dikes associated with it. "Location near": 31.4°N, 299.0°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Winter |
|
Arabian Crater
PIA03018
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Arabian Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
6 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an old impact crater in southeastern Arabia Terra. The crater ejecta blanket is no longer visible and all of the terrain has been covered by a mantle of dust. The dark streaks on the crater wall are the result of dry avalanches of dust, the darker streaks formed more recently than the lighter-toned streaks. Indeed, the darkest streak is likely to be less than a few years old. "Location near": 3.0°N, 315.6°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Autumn |
|
Filled/Eroded Craters
PIA03038
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Filled/Eroded Craters |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
14 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows rugged terrain in northern Arabia Terra. The circular features are the remains of old meteor impact craters -- either the eroded remnants of the interiors of craters, or the remains of craters that were filled by layered material. The martian bedrock has craters of all sizes and states of erosion interbedded with its layered materials. "Location near": 31.4°N, 299.0°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Winter |
|
East Arabia Mesas
PIA03075
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
East Arabia Mesas |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
30 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows mesas and other eroded landforms in eastern Arabia Terra, near Huo Hsing Vallis. Arabia Terra is generally a cratered terrain that has been severely eroded, although the causes of the erosion -- and where all the material went when it was removed -- are not known. "Location near": 27.3°N, 293.2°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Summer |
|
East Arabia Scene
PIA03067
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
East Arabia Scene |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
23 October 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows mesas in northeastern Arabia Terra. This heavily-cratered region of Mars has been severely eroded, although very little evidence regarding the erosive processes has been preserved. "Location near": 26.9°N, 293.5°W "Image width": width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Northern Autumn |
|
|
