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Viking 2's 30th!
PIA08723
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Viking 2's 30th!
Original Caption Released with Image 3 September 2006 Viking 2 landed 30 years ago today, on 3 September 1976. It was the second of the two Viking landings on Mars. Viking 1 touched down on 20 July 1976. Since the Viking missions of the 1970s, only 3 additional spacecraft have successfully landed and conducted their scientific investigations: Mars Pathfinder (1997), Mars Exploration Rover Spirit (2004-present), and Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity (2004-present). Two new U.S. Mars landed missions are currently in the works: Phoenix, launching in August 2007, and MSL (Mars Science Laboratory), launching in 2009. As with the 30th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing in July (see PIA08616 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08616 ]), for the Viking 2 30th anniversary, we show here the best Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) view of the landing site. On that day 30 years ago, Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia, west of Mie Crater, near 48.0°N, 225.7°W. At the time, it was considered that this might be a good place to look for evidence of life in the martian regolith. This middle north latitude site is often obscured by clouds in the winter and dust hazes in the spring. The surface was observed by the lander to be dusted by thin coatings of frost during the winter months. The exact location of the Viking 2 lander was uncertain until MOC obtained the high resolution view, shown above, in 2004. These images were previously released by the MOC team on 5 May 2005, along with what was then considered to be the best candidate for the Mars Polar Lander site (see "MGS Finds Viking 2 Lander and Mars Polar Lander (Maybe)" [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2005/05/05/ ]). The candidate Polar Lander site was further imaged in 2005 and found not to be the lander (see PIA03044 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03044 ]). Figure 1 shows (A) a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images obtained in the 1970s at a resolution of 75 m/pixel, (B) a typical MGS MOC narrow angle camera view at about 3 meters/pixel (25x higher resolution than the Viking images), and (C, D) sections of a MOC image obtained at ~0.5 m/pixel. Figure 2 shows an extreme enlargement of the feature identified as Viking Lander 2, compared to a schematic drawing of the lander in the orientation determined during the Viking mission.
Viking 2's 30th!
PIA08723
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Viking 2's 30th!
Original Caption Released with Image 3 September 2006 Viking 2 landed 30 years ago today, on 3 September 1976. It was the second of the two Viking landings on Mars. Viking 1 touched down on 20 July 1976. Since the Viking missions of the 1970s, only 3 additional spacecraft have successfully landed and conducted their scientific investigations: Mars Pathfinder (1997), Mars Exploration Rover Spirit (2004-present), and Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity (2004-present). Two new U.S. Mars landed missions are currently in the works: Phoenix, launching in August 2007, and MSL (Mars Science Laboratory), launching in 2009. As with the 30th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing in July (see PIA08616 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08616 ]), for the Viking 2 30th anniversary, we show here the best Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) view of the landing site. On that day 30 years ago, Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia, west of Mie Crater, near 48.0°N, 225.7°W. At the time, it was considered that this might be a good place to look for evidence of life in the martian regolith. This middle north latitude site is often obscured by clouds in the winter and dust hazes in the spring. The surface was observed by the lander to be dusted by thin coatings of frost during the winter months. The exact location of the Viking 2 lander was uncertain until MOC obtained the high resolution view, shown above, in 2004. These images were previously released by the MOC team on 5 May 2005, along with what was then considered to be the best candidate for the Mars Polar Lander site (see "MGS Finds Viking 2 Lander and Mars Polar Lander (Maybe)" [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2005/05/05/ ]). The candidate Polar Lander site was further imaged in 2005 and found not to be the lander (see PIA03044 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03044 ]). Figure 1 shows (A) a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images obtained in the 1970s at a resolution of 75 m/pixel, (B) a typical MGS MOC narrow angle camera view at about 3 meters/pixel (25x higher resolution than the Viking images), and (C, D) sections of a MOC image obtained at ~0.5 m/pixel. Figure 2 shows an extreme enlargement of the feature identified as Viking Lander 2, compared to a schematic drawing of the lander in the orientation determined during the Viking mission.
Viking 2's 30th!
PIA08723
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Viking 2's 30th!
Original Caption Released with Image 3 September 2006 Viking 2 landed 30 years ago today, on 3 September 1976. It was the second of the two Viking landings on Mars. Viking 1 touched down on 20 July 1976. Since the Viking missions of the 1970s, only 3 additional spacecraft have successfully landed and conducted their scientific investigations: Mars Pathfinder (1997), Mars Exploration Rover Spirit (2004-present), and Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity (2004-present). Two new U.S. Mars landed missions are currently in the works: Phoenix, launching in August 2007, and MSL (Mars Science Laboratory), launching in 2009. As with the 30th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing in July (see PIA08616 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08616 ]), for the Viking 2 30th anniversary, we show here the best Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) view of the landing site. On that day 30 years ago, Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia, west of Mie Crater, near 48.0°N, 225.7°W. At the time, it was considered that this might be a good place to look for evidence of life in the martian regolith. This middle north latitude site is often obscured by clouds in the winter and dust hazes in the spring. The surface was observed by the lander to be dusted by thin coatings of frost during the winter months. The exact location of the Viking 2 lander was uncertain until MOC obtained the high resolution view, shown above, in 2004. These images were previously released by the MOC team on 5 May 2005, along with what was then considered to be the best candidate for the Mars Polar Lander site (see "MGS Finds Viking 2 Lander and Mars Polar Lander (Maybe)" [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2005/05/05/ ]). The candidate Polar Lander site was further imaged in 2005 and found not to be the lander (see PIA03044 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03044 ]). Figure 1 shows (A) a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images obtained in the 1970s at a resolution of 75 m/pixel, (B) a typical MGS MOC narrow angle camera view at about 3 meters/pixel (25x higher resolution than the Viking images), and (C, D) sections of a MOC image obtained at ~0.5 m/pixel. Figure 2 shows an extreme enlargement of the feature identified as Viking Lander 2, compared to a schematic drawing of the lander in the orientation determined during the Viking mission.
Viking Checkup
title Viking Checkup
date 05.20.1971
description A technician checks the soil sampler on an earlier generation of Mars lander - Viking - in this 1971 photo. Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to land safely on Mars on July 20, 1976. The robotic arm scooped samples of the Martian soil, emptied it into a hopper on the lander, which analyzed it with three scientific instruments. NASA's Viking Lander was designed, fabricated, and tested by the Martin Marietta Corp. of Denver, Colorado, under the direction of the Viking Progect Office at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The lander drew heavily on the experience gained from the Ranger, Surveyor and the Apollo Programs in the areas of radar, altimeters, facsimile, cameras, soil samplers and landing gear. *Image Credit*: NASA
Technician Checks Soil Sampl …
Title Technician Checks Soil Sampler on Viking Lander
Full Description A technician checks the soil sampler of the Viking lander. An arm will scoop up a sample of the Martian soil, empty it into a hopper on the lander which will route the sample to each of the three scientific instruments, biology, gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer and water analysis. NASA's Viking Lander was designed, fabricated, and tested by the Martin Marietta Corp. of Denver, Colorado, under the direction of the Viking Progect Office at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The Lander drew heavily on the experience gained from the Ranger, Surveyor and the Apollo Programs in the areas of radar, altimeters, facsimile, cameras, soil samplers, landing gear, etc.
Date 05/20/1971
NASA Center Headquarters
Gusev Crater
PIA04274
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem
Title Gusev Crater
Original Caption Released with Image Released April 11, 2003 The designated landing site for the first Mars Exploration Rover mission is Gusev Crater, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking images. Details of the Gusev Crater designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters.
Meridiani Planum
PIA04275
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem
Title Meridiani Planum
Original Caption Released with Image Released April 11, 2003 The designated landing site for the second Mars Exploration Rover mission is Meridiani Planum, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking images Details of the Meridiani Planum designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters.
A Face On Mars
Title A Face On Mars
Explanation This image, showing what looks to be a human face [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-016-HQ.html ] (above center) and other features of the Cydonia region on the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960207.html ], was produced using data from NASA's Viking 1 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] orbiter in 1976. Described in a NASA press release [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/pio.html ] as a "rock formation which resembles a human head", some have since offered the extraordinary explanation that the face is an artificial construct built by a civilization on Mars [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ]! However, most scientists have a more conventional view - that this feature [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html ] is indeed a natural Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance [ http://barsoom.msss.com/education/happy_face/happy_face.html ] depends on illumination and viewing angle. This month [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/cydonia2.html ], the Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/ ] satellite will be in position to take new pictures [ ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-050.txt ] of this region of controversial Martian features along with areas around the Mars Pathfinder [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971010.html ] and Viking landing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960722.html ] sites.
Mars: Looking For Viking
Title Mars: Looking For Viking
Explanation On July 20, 1976, the Viking 1 lander [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960720.html ] touched down on the Martian Chryse Planitia. Its exact landing site is somewhere [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/MarsTools/MarsAtlasMaps/ MarsAtlasMaps.html ] in the white rectangle above. Unfortunately, this wide angle Mars Global Surveyor image [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/ 4_14_98_vl1_release/index.html ] taken on April 12 reveals a substantial dust storm in the area with light colored plumes apparently blowing toward the upper right of the picture. Attempts to find the first spacecraft to land on Mars [ http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/online.bks/mars/chap13.htm ] in the corresponding high resolution narrow field images have not been successful due in part to the increased atmospheric haze. The region shown here is about 100 miles across.
Viking 1's 30th!
PIA08616
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Viking 1's 30th!
Original Caption Released with Image 20 July 2006 Viking 1 landed 30 years ago today, on 20 July 1976. It was the first U.S. landing on Mars and a very exciting time for Mars exploration. Since that time, four additional spacecraft have successfully landed on Mars and conducted their science investigations. Today, new missions to the martian surface are in the works, with landings expected in 2008 (Phoenix) and 2010 (Mars Science Laboratory). The Viking 1 lander is difficult to see in Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images. The western Chryse Planitia landing site is often obscured by dust hazes and occasional storms, especially during northern winter, which would otherwise be the best time to look for the lander from orbit because the sun casts longer shadows in winter. When the atmosphere is clearest, in portions of the spring and summer, the sun is higher in the sky as seen from MGS's orbit. The spacecraft always passes over the landing site region around 2 p.m. in the afternoon. The suite of pictures shown here describes the best MOC view of the landing site. These were previously released in May 2005 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2005/05/09/ ], but the MOC team felt that 20 July 2006 is an appropriate time to review this story. The first figure (left) visually tells how the lander was found. The initial observations of the location of Viking 1, as originally determined by members of the Viking science team based on sightlines to various crater rims seen in the lander images (black lines), did not show the detailed features we knew from the lander pictures (middle) to be in the area. Using geodetic measurements, the late Merton Davies of the RAND Corporation, a MGS MOC Co-Investigator, suggested that we should image areas to the east and north of where Viking 1 was thought to be. Timothy J. Parker of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California), using sightlines to crater rims seen in the lander images (white lines), deduced a location very close to that suggested by Davies. The MOC image of that location, acquired in 2003, showed additional near-field features (rocks associated with a nearby crater) that closely matched the Viking 1 images (center and right frame, where B denotes "Volkswagen Rock"). The inset (upper right) is an enlargement that shows the location of the Viking 1 lander. The MOC image of the Viking 1 lander site (right) was acquired during a test of the MGS Pitch and Roll Observation (PROTO) technique conducted on 11 May 2003. (Following initial tests, the "c" part of "cPROTO" was begun by adding compensation for the motion of the planet to the technique). The PROTO or cPROTO approach allows MOC to obtain images with better than its nominal 1.5 meters (5 ft) per pixel resolution. The image shown here (right) was map projected at 50 centimeters (~20 inches) per pixel. The full 11 May 2003 image can be viewed in the MOC Gallery [ http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/ ], it is image, R05-00966 [ http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r03_r09/images/R05/R0500966.html ]. In addition to celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first U.S. robotic Mars landing, we note that 20 July is also the 37th anniversary of the first human landing on the Moon, on 20 July 1969. There are two dates that are most sacred in the space business (three, if you count the 4 October 1957 launch of Sputnik 1). The other date is 12 April, which celebrates the 1961 launch of the first human in space, and the 1981 launch of the first space shuttle orbiter.
Movement of Whole Martian Du …
PIA02355
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Movement of Whole Martian Dunes Difficult to Detect or Confirm
Original Caption Released with Image Dunes on Earth move downwind at different speeds depending upon the local wind conditions, the amount of loose sand available to be transported by wind, the shape and volume of the dunes, and overgrowths of vegetation. Typically, smaller dunes move faster than larger dunes. On Earth, some of the fastest-moving dunes that have been measured (e.g., in the deserts of Peru) move 10 to 30 meters (33 to 100 feet) per year. Small dunes usually have an almost crescent-shape to them, and are known to geologists as barchan dunes. To look for evidence of dune movement on Mars, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has been used to re-visit some areas of known barchan dunes--because these types move the fastest--that were observed by the Mariner 9 orbiter in 1972 and the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters between 1976 and 1980. The picture above, left, shows a MOC high-resolution image taken December 25, 1999. The classic, crescentic shape of the dark barchan dunes can be seen in this picture. The steep slopes, also known as the dune slip faces, on these dunes are facing toward the southwest (north is up in both pictures). Thus, the shape of the dunes indicates that they are moving toward the southwest. The picture above right shows the MOC image from December 1999 superimposed on a Viking 1 image taken May 27, 1978. During the 11 1/2 Mars years that passed between these two dates, it turns out that no difference can be detected in the position of the dunes seen in the MOC image and the Viking image. The earlier Viking image had a resolution of about 17 meters (56 ft) per pixel, while the MOC image had a resolution of about 3.8 meters (12 ft) per pixel. Although it looks like the dunes didn't move between the Viking and MOC images, this observation is limited by the resolution of the Viking image. It is entirely possible that the dunes have moved as much as 17-20 meters (16-66 ft) and one would not be able to tell by comparing the images. As it is, movement of less than 20 meters (66 ft) in 11 martian years (nearly 22 Earth years) is slower than some dunes of similar size and shape on Earth. Thus, it appears that martian dunes are not "experiencing" the level of activity commonly reported for some of the modern desert dunes found on Earth. The dune field illustrated in these pictures is located in a western Arabia Terra crater at 1.6°N, 351.6°W. Both the Viking and MOC images are illuminated from the left.
Movement of Whole Martian Du …
PIA02355
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Movement of Whole Martian Dunes Difficult to Detect or Confirm
Original Caption Released with Image Dunes on Earth move downwind at different speeds depending upon the local wind conditions, the amount of loose sand available to be transported by wind, the shape and volume of the dunes, and overgrowths of vegetation. Typically, smaller dunes move faster than larger dunes. On Earth, some of the fastest-moving dunes that have been measured (e.g., in the deserts of Peru) move 10 to 30 meters (33 to 100 feet) per year. Small dunes usually have an almost crescent-shape to them, and are known to geologists as barchan dunes. To look for evidence of dune movement on Mars, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has been used to re-visit some areas of known barchan dunes--because these types move the fastest--that were observed by the Mariner 9 orbiter in 1972 and the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters between 1976 and 1980. The picture above, left, shows a MOC high-resolution image taken December 25, 1999. The classic, crescentic shape of the dark barchan dunes can be seen in this picture. The steep slopes, also known as the dune slip faces, on these dunes are facing toward the southwest (north is up in both pictures). Thus, the shape of the dunes indicates that they are moving toward the southwest. The picture above right shows the MOC image from December 1999 superimposed on a Viking 1 image taken May 27, 1978. During the 11 1/2 Mars years that passed between these two dates, it turns out that no difference can be detected in the position of the dunes seen in the MOC image and the Viking image. The earlier Viking image had a resolution of about 17 meters (56 ft) per pixel, while the MOC image had a resolution of about 3.8 meters (12 ft) per pixel. Although it looks like the dunes didn't move between the Viking and MOC images, this observation is limited by the resolution of the Viking image. It is entirely possible that the dunes have moved as much as 17-20 meters (16-66 ft) and one would not be able to tell by comparing the images. As it is, movement of less than 20 meters (66 ft) in 11 martian years (nearly 22 Earth years) is slower than some dunes of similar size and shape on Earth. Thus, it appears that martian dunes are not "experiencing" the level of activity commonly reported for some of the modern desert dunes found on Earth. The dune field illustrated in these pictures is located in a western Arabia Terra crater at 1.6°N, 351.6°W. Both the Viking and MOC images are illuminated from the left.
Dr. William H. Pickering
Dr. William H. Pickering ser …
Description Dr. William H. Pickering served as the fourth director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, from 1954 to 1976. The period during which he led JPL spanned the eras from JPL's creation of the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, through the formation of NASA, the Ranger, Surveyor and Mariner missions of the 1960s and the Viking mission of the 1970s.
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
Viking Pre-Launch Test Fligh …
Title Viking Pre-Launch Test Flight
Full Description The Titan booster is a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket, with two additional large, solid-propellant rockets attached. It is a member of the Titan family that was used in NASA's Gemini program. The Centaur is a liquid oxygen- liquid hydrogen, high- energy upper stage used on Surveyor flights to the Moon and on Mariner flights to Mars. At liftoff, the solid rockets provide 9.61 million newtons (2.16 million pounds) of thrust. When the solids burn out, the first stage of the Titan booster ignites, and followed by the second-stage ignition as the first stage shuts down. The Centaur ignites on second stage shutdown to inject the spacecraft into orbit. Then after a 30-minute coast around the Earth into position for re-start, the Centaur re-ignites to propel Viking on its Mars trajectory. Once this maneuver is completed the spacecraft separates from the Centaur, which subsequently is deflected away from the flight path to prevent its impact on the surface of Mars. Shortly after separating from the Centaur, the orbiter portion of the combined orbiter-lander spacecraft orients and stabilizes the spacecraft by using the Sun and a very bright star in the southern sky, Canopus, for celestial reference. For more information about Titan and Centaur, please see Chapters 4 and 8, respectively, in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002.
Date 01/20/1974
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
FUSE/MOLA: Mars Once Had Oce …
Title FUSE/MOLA: Mars Once Had Oceans
Abstract This visualization shows how Mars might look with an ocean at -500m where the lowest point on Mars is about -8000m and the highest point is about 22000m. Data from The FUSE spacecraft and from the Mars Global Surveyor/MOLA instrument where used to support this theory.
Completed 2001-12-04
The 'Face on Mars'
title The 'Face on Mars'
Description Shortly after midnight Sunday morning (5 April 1998 12:39 AM PST), the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft successfully acquired a high resolution image of the 'Face on Mars' feature in the Cydonia region. The image was transmitted to Earth on Sunday, and retrieved from the mission computer data base Monday morning (6 April 1998). The image was processed at the Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) facility 9:15 AM and the raw image immediately transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for release to the Internet. The images shown here were subsequently processed at MSSS. The picture was acquired 375 seconds after the spacecraft's 220th close approach to Mars. At that time, the 'Face', located at approximately 40.8° N, 9.6° W, was 275 miles (444 km) from the spacecraft. The 'morning' sun was 25° above the horizon. The picture has a resolution of 14.1 feet (4.3 meters) per pixel, making it ten times higher resolution than the best previous image of the feature, which was taken by the Viking Mission in the mid-1970's. The full image covers an area 2.7 miles (4.4 km) wide and 25.7 miles (41.5 km) long. In this comparison, the best Viking image has been enlarged to 3.3 times its original resolution, and the MOC image has been decreased by a similar 3.3 times, creating images of roughly the same size. In addition, the MOC images have been geometrically transformed to a more overhead projection (different from the mercator map projection of PIA01440 & 1441) for ease of comparison with the Viking image. The left image is a portion of Viking Orbiter 1 frame 070A13, the middle image is a portion of MOC frame shown normally, and the right image is the same MOC frame but with the brightness inverted to simulate the approximate lighting conditions of the Viking image. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Mars Orbiter Camera Views th …
PIA01442
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Mars Orbiter Camera Views the "Face on Mars" - Comparison with Viking
Original Caption Released with Image Shortly after midnight Sunday morning (5 April 1998 12:39 AM PST), the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft successfully acquired a high resolution image of the "Face on Mars" feature in the Cydonia region. The image was transmitted to Earth on Sunday, and retrieved from the mission computer data base Monday morning (6 April 1998). The image was processed at the Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) facility 9:15 AM and the raw image immediately transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for release to the Internet. The images shown here were subsequently processed at MSSS. The picture was acquired 375 seconds after the spacecraft's 220th close approach to Mars. At that time, the "Face", located at approximately 40.8° N, 9.6° W, was 275 miles (444 km) from the spacecraft. The "morning" sun was 25° above the horizon. The picture has a resolution of 14.1 feet (4.3 meters) per pixel, making it ten times higher resolution than the best previous image of the feature, which was taken by the Viking Mission in the mid-1970's. The full image covers an area 2.7 miles (4.4 km) wide and 25.7 miles (41.5 km) long. In this comparison, the best Viking image has been enlarged to 3.3 times its original resolution, and the MOC image has been decreased by a similar 3.3 times, creating images of roughly the same size. In addition, the MOC images have been geometrically transformed to a more overhead projection (different from the mercator map projection of PIA01440 & 1441) for ease of comparison with the Viking image. The left image is a portion of Viking Orbiter 1 frame 070A13, the middle image is a portion of MOC frame shown normally, and the right image is the same MOC frame but with the brightness inverted to simulate the approximate lighting conditions of the Viking image. Processing Image processing has been applied to the images in order to improve the visibility of features. This processing included the following steps: * The image was processed to remove the sensitivity differences between adjacent picture elements (calibrated). This removes the vertical streaking. * The contrast and brightness of the image was adjusted, and "filters" were applied to enhance detail at several scales. * The image was then geometrically warped to meet the computed position information for a mercator-type map. This corrected for the left-right flip, and the non-vertical viewing angle (about 45° from vertical), but also introduced some vertical "elongation" of the image for the same reason Greenland looks larger than Africa on a mercator map of the Earth. * A section of the image, containing the "Face" and a couple of nearly impact craters and hills, was "cut" out of the full image and reproduced separately. See PIA01440-1442 for additional processing steps. Also see PIA01236 for the raw image. 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.
Crater Wall In Noachis Mars …
Signs of water erosion and d …
6/29/00
Date 6/29/00
Description Signs of water erosion and debris flow are seen in this high resolution view of gullies eroded into the wall of a meteor impact crater in Noachis Terra on Mars, taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The image shows channels and associated aprons of debris, 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 the below the surface of Mars today. This picture was acquired by Mars Global Surveyor on September 28, 1999. The scene covers an area approximately 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) wide by 6.7 kilometers (4.1 miles) high. Sunlight illuminates this area from the upper left. The area covered in the image is located near 54.8 degrees South by 342.5 degrees West. The Mars Orbiter camera high-resolution images are taken in black-and-white (grayscale), the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the spacecraft's wide-angle cameras and by NASA's Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. ##### Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Supporting Media for MOLA re …
Title Supporting Media for MOLA release
Completed 1990-07-10
Mars Orbiter Camera Views th …
PIA01439
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Mars Orbiter Camera Views the "Face on Mars" - Best View from Viking
Original Caption Released with Image Shortly after midnight Sunday morning (5 April 1998 12:39 AM PST), the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft successfully acquired a high resolution image of the "Face on Mars" feature in the Cydonia region. The image was transmitted to Earth on Sunday, and retrieved from the mission computer data base Monday morning (6 April 1998). The image was processed at the Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) facility 9:15 AM and the raw image immediately transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for release to the Internet. The images shown here were subsequently processed at MSSS. The picture was acquired 375 seconds after the spacecraft's 220th close approach to Mars. At that time, the "Face", located at approximately 40.8° N, 9.6° W, was 275 miles (444 km) from the spacecraft. The "morning" sun was 25° above the horizon. The picture has a resolution of 14.1 feet (4.3 meters) per pixel, making it ten times higher resolution than the best previous image of the feature, which was taken by the Viking Mission in the mid-1970's. The full image covers an area 2.7 miles (4.4 km) wide and 25.7 miles (41.5 km) long. This Viking Orbiter image is one of the best Viking pictures of the area Cydonia where the "Face" is located. Marked on the image are the "footprint" of the high resolution (narrow angle) Mars Orbiter Camera image and the area seen in enlarged views (dashed box). See PIA01440-1442 for these images in raw and processed form. 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.
Gusev Crater
PIA04274
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem
Title Gusev Crater
Original Caption Released with Image Released April 11, 2003 The designated landing site for the first Mars Exploration Rover mission is Gusev Crater, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking images. Details of the Gusev Crater designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters.
Meridiani Planum
PIA04275
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem
Title Meridiani Planum
Original Caption Released with Image Released April 11, 2003 The designated landing site for the second Mars Exploration Rover mission is Meridiani Planum, seen here in its geological context from NASA Viking images Details of the Meridiani Planum designated landing site are added with topographic information and higher-resolution imaging from instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters.
Mutch Crater
PIA08709
Sol (our sun)
Title Mutch Crater
Original Caption Released with Image 27 August 2006 Thomas A. Mutch has been called an explorer of two worlds. Known to colleagues as Tim, he was born on August 26, 1931. An avid mountaineer as well as a scientist, he climbed in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalayas, and had a passion for exploration in all its forms. Mutch became a geologist after majoring in history at Princeton, he received a master's degree from Rutgers and a doctorate from Princeton. In 1960 he became a geology professor at Brown University, later serving as department chairman. In the late 1960s, Mutch applied the geologic discipline called stratigraphy to the study of features on the Moon, work that led to his writing the landmark book, "The Geology of the Moon". Mutch went on to become the leader of the Viking Lander Imaging Team, which had responsibility for obtaining and interpreting the first images from the surface of Mars. Following the successful touchdowns of Viking 1 on July 20, 1976 and Viking 2 a few weeks later, the twin landers transmitted a total of more than 4,000 images from the Martian surface. Mutch had an ability to inspire those around him and a dedication to involving young people in the experience of exploration. He helped create the Viking Student Intern program, a pioneering educational activity since duplicated by many planetary missions, which allowed several dozen college students to participate in the Viking mission. At Brown, where he taught a seminar in exploration, he invited students to participate in a Himalayan climbing expedition. In May 1978, Mutch led a team of 32 students, faculty, and alumni to the21,900-foot Indian peak Devistan, 24 of them, including Mutch, made it to the summit. In October 1980, Mutch died on the slopes of Mount Nun in the Himalayas, following a climbing accident while descending from the 23,410-foot summit. At the time he was on leave from Brown, serving as NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. His legacy endures in the many minds and spirits he helped nurture. In the planetary science community his former students include R. Stephen Saunders, James W. Head, III, Raymond E. Arvidson, and James B. Garvin. In 1981, NASA administrator Robert Frosch announced that the Viking 1 lander had been renamed the Mutch Memorial Station, and unveiled a stainless steel plaque that is to be placed on the lander, someday, by a team of explorers. The inscription on the plaque reads, "Dedicated to the memory of Tim Mutch, whose imagination, verve, and resolve contributed greatly to the exploration of the Solar System." Located at 0.6°N, 55.3°W, Mutch Crater is about 211 kilometers (131 miles) in diameter. Naming of this crater for Tim Mutch was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1985. The main image is a mosaic of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle images acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/5_17_99_geodesy/ ], in May 1999. The white boxes show the location of figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a mosaic of MOC and lower-resolution Mars Odyssey THEMIS VIS images that cover a smaller, unnamed crater located in west-central Mutch Crater. Figure 2 is a portion of the mosaic of the small, unnamed crater, showing landslide deposits formed when material slumped off the crater wall. The source alcoves of the landslides are well defined, as are longitudinal troughs and ridges on the surface of the landslides. These mass movements occurred long after the crater was formed, judging by the difference in the number of small impact craters on their surfaces and on the nearby floor of the crater. The view of the landslides in the northeast corner of the small, unnamed crater in Mutch was acquired by the MGS MOC just a few days ago, on 23 August 2006, to commemorate the 75th birthday of Tim Mutch on 26 August 2006. Noted space writer Andrew Chaikin (http://www.andrewchaikin.com [ http://www.andrewchaikin.com ]), a former Tim Mutch student, suggested the 23 August 2006 MGS MOC image and contributed to the text of this release.
Mutch Crater
PIA08709
Sol (our sun)
Title Mutch Crater
Original Caption Released with Image 27 August 2006 Thomas A. Mutch has been called an explorer of two worlds. Known to colleagues as Tim, he was born on August 26, 1931. An avid mountaineer as well as a scientist, he climbed in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalayas, and had a passion for exploration in all its forms. Mutch became a geologist after majoring in history at Princeton, he received a master's degree from Rutgers and a doctorate from Princeton. In 1960 he became a geology professor at Brown University, later serving as department chairman. In the late 1960s, Mutch applied the geologic discipline called stratigraphy to the study of features on the Moon, work that led to his writing the landmark book, "The Geology of the Moon". Mutch went on to become the leader of the Viking Lander Imaging Team, which had responsibility for obtaining and interpreting the first images from the surface of Mars. Following the successful touchdowns of Viking 1 on July 20, 1976 and Viking 2 a few weeks later, the twin landers transmitted a total of more than 4,000 images from the Martian surface. Mutch had an ability to inspire those around him and a dedication to involving young people in the experience of exploration. He helped create the Viking Student Intern program, a pioneering educational activity since duplicated by many planetary missions, which allowed several dozen college students to participate in the Viking mission. At Brown, where he taught a seminar in exploration, he invited students to participate in a Himalayan climbing expedition. In May 1978, Mutch led a team of 32 students, faculty, and alumni to the21,900-foot Indian peak Devistan, 24 of them, including Mutch, made it to the summit. In October 1980, Mutch died on the slopes of Mount Nun in the Himalayas, following a climbing accident while descending from the 23,410-foot summit. At the time he was on leave from Brown, serving as NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. His legacy endures in the many minds and spirits he helped nurture. In the planetary science community his former students include R. Stephen Saunders, James W. Head, III, Raymond E. Arvidson, and James B. Garvin. In 1981, NASA administrator Robert Frosch announced that the Viking 1 lander had been renamed the Mutch Memorial Station, and unveiled a stainless steel plaque that is to be placed on the lander, someday, by a team of explorers. The inscription on the plaque reads, "Dedicated to the memory of Tim Mutch, whose imagination, verve, and resolve contributed greatly to the exploration of the Solar System." Located at 0.6°N, 55.3°W, Mutch Crater is about 211 kilometers (131 miles) in diameter. Naming of this crater for Tim Mutch was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1985. The main image is a mosaic of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle images acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/5_17_99_geodesy/ ], in May 1999. The white boxes show the location of figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a mosaic of MOC and lower-resolution Mars Odyssey THEMIS VIS images that cover a smaller, unnamed crater located in west-central Mutch Crater. Figure 2 is a portion of the mosaic of the small, unnamed crater, showing landslide deposits formed when material slumped off the crater wall. The source alcoves of the landslides are well defined, as are longitudinal troughs and ridges on the surface of the landslides. These mass movements occurred long after the crater was formed, judging by the difference in the number of small impact craters on their surfaces and on the nearby floor of the crater. The view of the landslides in the northeast corner of the small, unnamed crater in Mutch was acquired by the MGS MOC just a few days ago, on 23 August 2006, to commemorate the 75th birthday of Tim Mutch on 26 August 2006. Noted space writer Andrew Chaikin (http://www.andrewchaikin.com [ http://www.andrewchaikin.com ]), a former Tim Mutch student, suggested the 23 August 2006 MGS MOC image and contributed to the text of this release.
Mutch Crater
PIA08709
Sol (our sun)
Title Mutch Crater
Original Caption Released with Image 27 August 2006 Thomas A. Mutch has been called an explorer of two worlds. Known to colleagues as Tim, he was born on August 26, 1931. An avid mountaineer as well as a scientist, he climbed in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalayas, and had a passion for exploration in all its forms. Mutch became a geologist after majoring in history at Princeton, he received a master's degree from Rutgers and a doctorate from Princeton. In 1960 he became a geology professor at Brown University, later serving as department chairman. In the late 1960s, Mutch applied the geologic discipline called stratigraphy to the study of features on the Moon, work that led to his writing the landmark book, "The Geology of the Moon". Mutch went on to become the leader of the Viking Lander Imaging Team, which had responsibility for obtaining and interpreting the first images from the surface of Mars. Following the successful touchdowns of Viking 1 on July 20, 1976 and Viking 2 a few weeks later, the twin landers transmitted a total of more than 4,000 images from the Martian surface. Mutch had an ability to inspire those around him and a dedication to involving young people in the experience of exploration. He helped create the Viking Student Intern program, a pioneering educational activity since duplicated by many planetary missions, which allowed several dozen college students to participate in the Viking mission. At Brown, where he taught a seminar in exploration, he invited students to participate in a Himalayan climbing expedition. In May 1978, Mutch led a team of 32 students, faculty, and alumni to the21,900-foot Indian peak Devistan, 24 of them, including Mutch, made it to the summit. In October 1980, Mutch died on the slopes of Mount Nun in the Himalayas, following a climbing accident while descending from the 23,410-foot summit. At the time he was on leave from Brown, serving as NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. His legacy endures in the many minds and spirits he helped nurture. In the planetary science community his former students include R. Stephen Saunders, James W. Head, III, Raymond E. Arvidson, and James B. Garvin. In 1981, NASA administrator Robert Frosch announced that the Viking 1 lander had been renamed the Mutch Memorial Station, and unveiled a stainless steel plaque that is to be placed on the lander, someday, by a team of explorers. The inscription on the plaque reads, "Dedicated to the memory of Tim Mutch, whose imagination, verve, and resolve contributed greatly to the exploration of the Solar System." Located at 0.6°N, 55.3°W, Mutch Crater is about 211 kilometers (131 miles) in diameter. Naming of this crater for Tim Mutch was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1985. The main image is a mosaic of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle images acquired during the MOC Geodesy Campaign [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/5_17_99_geodesy/ ], in May 1999. The white boxes show the location of figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a mosaic of MOC and lower-resolution Mars Odyssey THEMIS VIS images that cover a smaller, unnamed crater located in west-central Mutch Crater. Figure 2 is a portion of the mosaic of the small, unnamed crater, showing landslide deposits formed when material slumped off the crater wall. The source alcoves of the landslides are well defined, as are longitudinal troughs and ridges on the surface of the landslides. These mass movements occurred long after the crater was formed, judging by the difference in the number of small impact craters on their surfaces and on the nearby floor of the crater. The view of the landslides in the northeast corner of the small, unnamed crater in Mutch was acquired by the MGS MOC just a few days ago, on 23 August 2006, to commemorate the 75th birthday of Tim Mutch on 26 August 2006. Noted space writer Andrew Chaikin (http://www.andrewchaikin.com [ http://www.andrewchaikin.com ]), a former Tim Mutch student, suggested the 23 August 2006 MGS MOC image and contributed to the text of this release.
Detailed View of Cliff-face …
PIA01479
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Detailed View of Cliff-face in the North Polar Layered Deposits
Original Caption Released with Image On Earth, geologists use layers of rock to "read" the history of our planet. Where rocks were initially formed as layers of sediment, the historic record of Earth is deciphered by knowing that older layers are found beneath the younger layers. Scientists investigating changes in Earth's climate over the past few million years also use this principle to examine cores of ice from Greenland and Antarctica. Layered rock and layered polar deposits on Mars may also preserve a comparable record of that planet's geologic and environmental history. The martian north and south polar regions are covered by large areas of layered deposits. Since their discovery in the early 1970's, these polar layered deposits have been cited as the best evidence that the martian climate experiences cyclic changes over time. It was proposed that detailed investigation of the polar layers ("e.g.,", by landers and/or human beings) would reveal a climate record of Mars in much the same way that ice cores from Antarctica are used to study past climates on Earth. On January 3, 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 Penetrators will launch on a journey to study the upper layers of these deposits in the martian southern hemisphere. Meanwhile, investigation of the north polar layered deposits has advanced significantly this year with the acquisition of MGS data. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter acquired new topographic profiles over the north polar deposits in June and early July, 1998, and dozens of new high resolution images were taken by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) from mid-July to mid-September, 1998. When it was proposed to NASA in 1985, one of the original objectives of MOC was to determine whether the polar layered deposits--then thought to consist of 10 to 100 layers each between 10 and 100 meters (33 to 330 feet) thick--have more and thinner layers in them. The layers were proposed to have formed by slow accumulation of dust and ice--perhaps only 100 micrometers (0.004 inches) per year. A layer 10 meters (33 feet) thick would take 100,000 years to accumulate, roughly equal to the timescale of climate changes predicted by computer models. The image shown here (right image) was taken at 11:52 p.m. PDT on July 30, 1998, near the start of the 461st orbit of Mars Global Surveyor. The picture shows a slope along the edge of the permanent north polar cap of Mars that has dozens of layers exposed in it. The image shows many more layers than were visible to the Viking Orbiters in the 1970s (left images). The layers appear to have different thicknesses (some thinner than 10 meters (33 feet)) and different physical expressions. Some of the layers form steeper slopes than others, suggesting that they are more resistant to erosion. The more resistant layers might indicate that a cement (possibly ice) is present, making those layers stronger. All of the layers appear to have a rough texture that might be the result of erosion and/or redistribution of sediment and polar ice on the slope surface. The presence of many more layers than were seen by Viking is an important and encouraging clue that suggests that future investigation of polar layered deposits by landers and, perhaps some day, by human explorers, will eventually lead to a better understanding of the of the polar regions and the climate history recorded there. Our view of these deposits will be much improved--starting in late March 1999--when the Mapping Phase of the MGS mission begins, and MOC will be able to obtain images with resolutions of 1.5 meters (5 feet) per pixel. [The Viking Images (left)]: Regional and local context of MOC image 46103. The small figure in the upper right corner is a map of the north polar region, centered on the pole with 0° longitude located in the lower middle of the frame. A small black box within the polar map indicates, the location of the Viking Orbiter 2 image used here for local context. The Viking image, 560b60, was taken in March 1978, toward the end of Northern Spring. The thin strip superposed on the Viking image is MOC image 46103, reduced in size to mark its placement relative to the Viking context image. The black box on the MOC image shows the location of the subframe highlighted here (right image). Illumination is from the left in the Viking image. The 10 kilometer scale bar also represents approximately 6.2 miles. 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.
Mars and Syrtis Major
Title Mars and Syrtis Major
Full Description Taking advantage of Mars's closest approach to Earth in eight years, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have taken the space- based observatory's sharpest views yet of the Red Planet. The telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 snapped these images between April 27 and May 6, when Mars was 54 million miles (87 million kilometers) from Earth. From this distance the telescope could see Martian features as small as 12 miles (19 kilometers) wide. The telescope obtained four images, which, together, show the entire planet. Each view depicts the planet as it completes one quarter of its daily rotation. In these views the north polar cap is tilted toward the Earth and is visible prominently at the top of each picture. The images were taken in the middle of the Martian northern summer, when the polar cap had shrunk to its smallest size. During this season the Sun shines continuously on the polar cap. Previous telescopic and spacecraft observations have shown that this summertime "residual" polar cap is composed of water ice, just like Earth's polar caps. These Hubble telescope snapshots reveal that substantial changes in the bright and dark markings on Mars have occurred in the 20 years since the NASA Viking spacecraft missions first mapped the planet. The Martian surface is dynamic and ever changing. Some regions that were dark 20 years ago are now bright red, some areas that were bright red are now dark. Winds move sand and dust from region to region, often in spectacular dust storms. Over long timescales many of the larger bright and dark markings remain stable, but smaller details come and go as they are covered and then uncovered by sand and dust. The dark feature known as Syrtis Major was first seen telescopically by the astronomer Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century. Many small, dark, circular impact craters can be seen in this region, attesting to the Hubble telescope's ability to reveal fine detail on the planet's surface. To the south of Syrtis is a large circular feature called Hellas. Viking and more recently Mars Global Surveyor have revealed that Hellas is a large and deep impact crater. These Hubble telescope pictures show it to be filled with surface frost and water ice clouds. Along the right limb, late afternoon clouds have formed around the volcano Elysium.
Date 06/30/1999
NASA Center Hubble Space Telescope Center
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars
Full Description This image, acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in May 2000 shows numerous examples of martian gullies that all start--or head--in a specific layer roughly a hundred meters beneath the surface of Mars. These features are located on the south-facing wall of a trough in the Gorgonum Chaos region, an area found to have many examples of gullies proposed to have formed by seepage and runoff of liquid water in recent martian times. The layer from which the gullies emanate has recessed backward to form an overhang beneath a harder layer of rock. The larger gullies have formed an alcove--an area above the overhang from which debris has collapsed to leave a dark-toned scar. Below the layer of seepage is found a dark, narrow channel that runs down the slope to an apron of debris. The small, bright, parallel features at the base of the cliff at the center-right of the picture is a series of large windblown ripples. Although the dark tone of the alcoves and channels in this image is not likely to be the result of wet ground (the contrast in this image has been enhanced), it does suggest that water has seeped out of the ground and moved down the slope quite recently. Sharp contrasts between dark and light areas are hard to maintain on Mars for very long periods of time because dust tends to coat surfaces and reduce brightness differences. To keep dust from settling on a surface, it has to have undergone some process of erosion (wind, landslides, water runoff) relatively recently. There is no way to know how recent this activity was, but educated guesses center between a few to tens of years, and it is entirely possible that the area shown in this image has water seeping out of the ground today. Centered near 37.9S, 170.2W, sunlight illuminates the MOC image from the upper left, north is toward the upper right. The context view above is from the Viking 1 orbiter and was acquired in 1977. The Viking picture is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. The small white box in the context frame shows the location of the high resolution MOC view.
Date 06/22/2000
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
MOC Providing Clues For Futu …
PIA02064
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title MOC Providing Clues For Future Landing Site Selection
Original Caption Released with Image One of the original objectives of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when it was proposed to NASA in 1985 was to take pictures that would be used to assess future spacecraft landing sites. Images obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) MOC since March 1999 provide the highest resolution views (1.5 to 4.5 meters (5-15 ft) per pixel) of the planet ever seen. Over the past several months, MOC science personnel have been examining these new data to develop a general view of what Mars is like at the meter-scale within the general latitude and elevation range that will be accessible to the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/2001/index.html ]. (i.e., about 5°N to 15°S latitude and lower than 2.5 km (1.6 mi) elevation). Because MOC images only cover a tiny fraction of one percent of the surface of Mars, we have been seeking general correlations that exist between what is seen in a MOC high-resolution image and what can be seen in the lower-resolution Viking and Mariner 9 images taken in 1972 and 1976-1980. The most important results thus far are illustrated in the four pictures above. Nearly 70% of the terrain examined follows two very simple, but unexpected "rules" -- (1) If the terrain appears rugged at the hundreds of meters to kilometers scale in a Viking or Mariner image, then it will appear smooth at the meter-scale in a MOC image. (2) If the terrain appears to be smooth in the Viking or Mariner image, it will be rough in the meter-scale MOC image. The image pair above illustrates the second "rule." Areas that appear to be smooth in the Viking and Mariner images--as in MOC2-138a (left)--tend to look quite rough at the meter scale in MOC images like MOC2-138b (right). The rough texture in this particular case was probably cause by wind erosion. The Viking image shown here is illuminated from the upper right, while the MOC image is illuminated from the upper left. The MOC image was taken in April 1999, while the Viking image was obtained in the late 1970s. More details about this work are provided in an extended abstract (in Acrobat® PDF format) by M.C. Malin, K. S. Edgett, and T. J. Parker, "Characterization of terrain in the Mars Surveyor 2001 landing site latitude and elevation region using Mapping Phase Mars Global Surveyor MOC images," [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/6_25_99_landingsites/malin_buffalo_abs.pdf ] presented at the Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, held June 22-23, 1999, in Buffalo, New York. 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.
MOC Providing Clues For Futu …
PIA02064
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title MOC Providing Clues For Future Landing Site Selection
Original Caption Released with Image One of the original objectives of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when it was proposed to NASA in 1985 was to take pictures that would be used to assess future spacecraft landing sites. Images obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) MOC since March 1999 provide the highest resolution views (1.5 to 4.5 meters (5-15 ft) per pixel) of the planet ever seen. Over the past several months, MOC science personnel have been examining these new data to develop a general view of what Mars is like at the meter-scale within the general latitude and elevation range that will be accessible to the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/2001/index.html ]. (i.e., about 5°N to 15°S latitude and lower than 2.5 km (1.6 mi) elevation). Because MOC images only cover a tiny fraction of one percent of the surface of Mars, we have been seeking general correlations that exist between what is seen in a MOC high-resolution image and what can be seen in the lower-resolution Viking and Mariner 9 images taken in 1972 and 1976-1980. The most important results thus far are illustrated in the four pictures above. Nearly 70% of the terrain examined follows two very simple, but unexpected "rules" -- (1) If the terrain appears rugged at the hundreds of meters to kilometers scale in a Viking or Mariner image, then it will appear smooth at the meter-scale in a MOC image. (2) If the terrain appears to be smooth in the Viking or Mariner image, it will be rough in the meter-scale MOC image. The image pair above illustrates the second "rule." Areas that appear to be smooth in the Viking and Mariner images--as in MOC2-138a (left)--tend to look quite rough at the meter scale in MOC images like MOC2-138b (right). The rough texture in this particular case was probably cause by wind erosion. The Viking image shown here is illuminated from the upper right, while the MOC image is illuminated from the upper left. The MOC image was taken in April 1999, while the Viking image was obtained in the late 1970s. More details about this work are provided in an extended abstract (in Acrobat® PDF format) by M.C. Malin, K. S. Edgett, and T. J. Parker, "Characterization of terrain in the Mars Surveyor 2001 landing site latitude and elevation region using Mapping Phase Mars Global Surveyor MOC images," [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/6_25_99_landingsites/malin_buffalo_abs.pdf ] presented at the Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, held June 22-23, 1999, in Buffalo, New York. 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.
The Martian Northern Plains
title The Martian Northern Plains
Description The martian northern plains remain nearly as mysterious today as they seemed 25 years ago during the Viking missions, even though one of those spacecraft--the Viking 2 lander--went to the northern plains. The northern plains are a lowland with fewer impact craters exposed at the surface than the heavily cratered martian southern highlands. Normally, surfaces with fewer craters are considered younger (i.e., they have had less time to accumulate craters). Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) high resolution images have shown that there really are a lot of craters in this region, but most are thinly buried beneath the plains. This low resolution view, covering an area 168 km (104 mi) by 124 km (77 km), shows a few craters at the surface (such as the one at the center of the image), and several circular features that represent craters that are mostly buried beneath the plains. This view was obtained in August 2002, sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems Caption by: K. S. Edgett and M. C. Malin, MSSS
The Martian Northern Plains
PIA04053
Sol (our sun)
Title The Martian Northern Plains
Original Caption Released with Image MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-324, 12 December 2002 The martian northern plains remain nearly as mysterious today as they seemed 25 years ago during the Viking missions, even though one of those spacecraft--the Viking 2 lander--went to the northern plains. The northern plains are a lowland with fewer impact craters exposed at the surface than the heavily cratered martian southern highlands. Normally, surfaces with fewer craters are considered younger (i.e., they have had less time to accumulate craters). Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) high resolution images have shown that there really are a lot of craters in this region, but most are thinly buried beneath the plains. This low resolution view, covering an area 168 km (104 mi) by 124 km (77 km), shows a few craters at the surface (such as the one at the center of the image), and several circular features that represent craters that are mostly buried beneath the plains. This view was obtained in August 2002, sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.
Mars Thermal Inertia
title Mars Thermal Inertia
Description This image shows the global thermal inertia of the Martian surface as measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor. The data were acquired during the first 5000 orbits of the MGS mapping mission. The pattern of inertia variations observed by TES agrees well with the thermal inertia maps made by the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper experiment, but the TES data shown here are at significantly higher spatial resolution (15 km versus 60 km). The TES instrument was built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing and is operated by Philip R. Christensen, of Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Gorgonum Crater Mars Global …
Numerous deep channels desce …
6/29/00
Date 6/29/00
Description Numerous deep channels descending a Martian crater wall, and the debris they left behind, are seen in this mosaic of two images taken by the camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The area shown is the northwestern wall of an approximately 12 kilometer- (7.4 mile-) wide meteor crater east of the Gorgonum Chaos region in the Martian southern hemisphere. These are deep channels and the number of them and the debris they left behind indicate that as many as tens to hundreds of individual events involving the flow of water and debris have occurred here. The channels and the debris areas look sharp and there are no small meteor impact craters on them, suggesting that these features are extremely young relative to the 4.5 billion-year history of Mars. It is possible that these landforms are still being created by water seeping from the layered rock in the crater wall today. This is a mosaic of pictures taken by Mars Global Surveyor on April 26, 2000, and May 22, 2000. The scene covers an area approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide by 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) long. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The image is located near 37.4 degrees South by 168.0 degrees West. The Mars Orbiter camera high-resolution images are taken in black-and- white (grayscale), the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the spacecraft's wide-angle cameras and by the Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. ##### Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Layered Rock in Candor Chasm …
This high-resolution picture …
12/4/00
Date 12/4/00
Description This high-resolution picture from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor was the first received by imaging scientists that began to hint at a larger story of layered sedimentary rock on Mars. These patterns could very well indicate that the materials were deposited in a lake or shallow sea. The picture shows a 1.5 kilometer-by-2.9 kilometer area (.9 mile- by-1.8 mile) in far southwestern Candor Chasma. Based on Mariner 9 and Viking orbiter images, this region was not known to exhibit layers. What is most striking about the picture is the large number and uniformity of the previously unexpected layers, or beds. There are more than 100 beds in this area, and each has about the same thickness (estimated to be about 10 meters, or 11 yards, thick). Each layer has a relatively smooth upper surface and each is hard enough to form steep cliffs at its margins. Layers indicate change. The uniform pattern seen here, with beds of similar properties and thickness repeated more than one hundred times, suggests that the deposition processes that made the layers were interrupted at regular or episodic intervals. Patterns like this, when found on Earth, usually indicate the presence of sediment deposited in dynamic, energetic, underwater environments. However, because these rocks are found on Mars, it is not known for certain that they formed underwater or whether there were once dry, atmospheric depositional processes operating on the planet that could create sedimentary rocks that mimic those formed in water. Mars Global Surveyor is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C., by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the camera system. JPL's industrial partner is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo., which developed and operates the spacecraft. #####
'Happy Face' Crater
title 'Happy Face' Crater
date 03.10.1999
description Mars Global Surveyor was greeted with this view of 'Happy Face Crater' smiling back at its camera from its location on the east side of Argyre Planitia. This crater is officially known as Galle Crater, and it is about 215 kilometers (134 miles) across. The picture was taken by the MOC's red and blue wide angle cameras. The bluish-white tone is caused by wintertime frost. Illumination is from the upper left. For more information and Viking Orbiter views of "Happy Face Crater," see http://www.msss.com/education/happy_face/happy_face.html. *Image Credit*: NASA
MOC Providing Clues For Futu …
PIA02063
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title MOC Providing Clues For Future Landing Site Selection
Original Caption Released with Image One of the original objectives of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when it was proposed to NASA in 1985 was to take pictures that would be used to assess future spacecraft landing sites. Images obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) MOC since March 1999 provide the highest resolution views (1.5 to 4.5 meters (5-15 ft) per pixel) of the planet ever seen. Over the past several months, MOC science personnel have been examining these new data to develop a general view of what Mars is like at the meter-scale within the general latitude and elevation range that will be accessible to the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/2001/index.html ]. (i.e., about 5°N to 15°S latitude and lower than 2.5 km (1.6 mi) elevation). Because MOC images only cover a tiny fraction of one percent of the surface of Mars, we have been seeking general correlations that exist between what is seen in a MOC high-resolution image and what can be seen in the lower-resolution Viking and Mariner 9 images taken in 1972 and 1976-1980. The most important results thus far are illustrated in the four pictures above. Nearly 70% of the terrain examined follows two very simple, but unexpected "rules" -- (1) If the terrain appears rugged at the hundreds of meters to kilometers scale in a Viking or Mariner image, then it will appear smooth at the meter-scale in a MOC image. (2) If the terrain appears to be smooth in the Viking or Mariner image, it will be rough in the meter-scale MOC image. The image pair above illustrates the first "rule." MOC2-137a (left) shows a rugged plain in the martian southern cratered highlands near the Nepenthes Mensae. The small white box indicates the location of the MOC image, which is on the right (MOC2-137b). The MOC image reveals that while the terrain is rough at the large scale, it is quite smooth at the meter-scale. The Viking image shown here is illuminated from the upper right, while the MOC image is illuminated from the upper left. The MOC image was taken in April 1999, while the Viking image was obtained in the late 1970s. More details about this work are provided in an extended abstract (in Acrobat® PDF format) by M.C. Malin, K. S. Edgett, and T. J. Parker, "Characterization of terrain in the Mars Surveyor 2001 landing site latitude and elevation region using Mapping Phase Mars Global Surveyor MOC images," [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/6_25_99_landingsites/malin_buffalo_abs.pdf ], presented at the Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, held June 22-23, 1999, in Buffalo, New York. 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.
MOC Providing Clues For Futu …
PIA02063
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title MOC Providing Clues For Future Landing Site Selection
Original Caption Released with Image One of the original objectives of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when it was proposed to NASA in 1985 was to take pictures that would be used to assess future spacecraft landing sites. Images obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) MOC since March 1999 provide the highest resolution views (1.5 to 4.5 meters (5-15 ft) per pixel) of the planet ever seen. Over the past several months, MOC science personnel have been examining these new data to develop a general view of what Mars is like at the meter-scale within the general latitude and elevation range that will be accessible to the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander [ http://marsweb.jpl.nasa.gov/2001/index.html ]. (i.e., about 5°N to 15°S latitude and lower than 2.5 km (1.6 mi) elevation). Because MOC images only cover a tiny fraction of one percent of the surface of Mars, we have been seeking general correlations that exist between what is seen in a MOC high-resolution image and what can be seen in the lower-resolution Viking and Mariner 9 images taken in 1972 and 1976-1980. The most important results thus far are illustrated in the four pictures above. Nearly 70% of the terrain examined follows two very simple, but unexpected "rules" -- (1) If the terrain appears rugged at the hundreds of meters to kilometers scale in a Viking or Mariner image, then it will appear smooth at the meter-scale in a MOC image. (2) If the terrain appears to be smooth in the Viking or Mariner image, it will be rough in the meter-scale MOC image. The image pair above illustrates the first "rule." MOC2-137a (left) shows a rugged plain in the martian southern cratered highlands near the Nepenthes Mensae. The small white box indicates the location of the MOC image, which is on the right (MOC2-137b). The MOC image reveals that while the terrain is rough at the large scale, it is quite smooth at the meter-scale. The Viking image shown here is illuminated from the upper right, while the MOC image is illuminated from the upper left. The MOC image was taken in April 1999, while the Viking image was obtained in the late 1970s. More details about this work are provided in an extended abstract (in Acrobat® PDF format) by M.C. Malin, K. S. Edgett, and T. J. Parker, "Characterization of terrain in the Mars Surveyor 2001 landing site latitude and elevation region using Mapping Phase Mars Global Surveyor MOC images," [ http://www.msss.com/mars/global_surveyor/camera/images/6_25_99_landingsites/malin_buffalo_abs.pdf ], presented at the Second Mars Surveyor Landing Site Workshop, held June 22-23, 1999, in Buffalo, New York. 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.
Schiaparelli Crater Rim and …
PIA01157
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Schiaparelli Crater Rim and Interior Deposits
Original Caption Released with Image A portion of the rim and interior of the large impact crater Schiaparelli is seen at different resolutions in images acquired October 18, 1997 by the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera (MOC) and by the Viking Orbiter 1 twenty years earlier. The left image is a MOC wide angle camera "context" image showing much of the eastern portion of the crater at roughly 1 km (0.6 mi) per picture element. The image is about 390 by 730 km (240 X 450 miles). Shown within the wide angle image is the outline of a portion of the best Viking image (center, 371S53), acquired at a resolution of about 240 m/pixel (790 feet). The area covered is 144 X 144 km (89 X 89 miles). The right image is the high resolution narrow angle camera view. The area covered is very small--3.9 X 10.2 km (2.4 X 6.33 mi)--but is seen at 63 times higher resolution than the Viking image. The subdued relief and bright surface are attributed to blanketing by dust, many small craters have been completely filled in, and only the most recent (and very small) craters appear sharp and bowl-shaped. Some of the small craters are only 10-12 m (30-35 feet) across. Occasional dark streaks on steeper slopes are small debris slides that have probably occurred in the past few decades. The two prominent, narrow ridges in the center of the image may be related to the adjustment of the crater floor to age or the weight of the material filling the basin. 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.
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.
Mars Orbiter Camera Acquires …
PIA01443
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Mars Orbiter Camera Acquires High Resolution Stereoscopic Images of the Viking One Landing Site
Original Caption Released with Image Two MOC images of the vicinity of the Viking Lander 1 (MOC 23503 and 25403), acquired separately on 12 April 1998 at 08:32 PDT and 21 April 1998 at 13:54 PDT (respectively), are combined here in a stereoscopic anaglyph. The more recent, slightly better quality image is in the red channel, while the earlier image is shown in the blue and green channels. Only the overlap portion of the images is included in the composite. Image 23503 was taken at a viewing angle of 31.6° from vertical, 25403 was taken at an angle of 22.4°, for a difference of 9.4°. Although this is not as large a difference as is typically used in stereo mapping, it is sufficient to provide some indication of relief, at least in locations of high relief. The image shows the raised rims and deep interiors of the larger impact craters in the area (the largest crater is about 650 m/2100 feet across). It shows that the relief on the ridges is very subtle, and that, in general, the Viking landing site is very flat. This result is, of course, expected: the VL-1 site was chosen specifically because it was likely to have low to very low slopes that represented potential hazards to the spacecraft. 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.
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
PIA01033
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Gorgonum Chaos
Original Caption Released with Image The first two pictures (top and above left) are from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and show a series of troughs and layered mesas in the Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. The picture at the top of the page is a portion of the picture on the left above. The Viking view (above right) shows the location of the MOC image in the chaotic terrain. Gullies proposed to have been formed by seeping groundwater emanate from a specific layer near the tops of trough walls, particularly on south-facing slopes (south is toward the bottom of each picture). The presence of so many gullies associated with the same layer in each mesa suggests that this layer is particularly effective in storing and conducting water. Such a layer is called an aquifer, and this one appears to be present less than a few hundred meters (few hundred yards) beneath the surface in this region. The MOC pictures were taken on January 22, 2000. The sample at the top of the page is an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) high. The long view (above left) covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 22.6 km (14 mi) long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. The images are located near 37.5°S, 170.5°W. The context image (above right) was acquired by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1977 and is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. MOC 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. NOTE: A Full Resolution Grayscale view of the release image can be found here.
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
PIA01033
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Gorgonum Chaos
Original Caption Released with Image The first two pictures (top and above left) are from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and show a series of troughs and layered mesas in the Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. The picture at the top of the page is a portion of the picture on the left above. The Viking view (above right) shows the location of the MOC image in the chaotic terrain. Gullies proposed to have been formed by seeping groundwater emanate from a specific layer near the tops of trough walls, particularly on south-facing slopes (south is toward the bottom of each picture). The presence of so many gullies associated with the same layer in each mesa suggests that this layer is particularly effective in storing and conducting water. Such a layer is called an aquifer, and this one appears to be present less than a few hundred meters (few hundred yards) beneath the surface in this region. The MOC pictures were taken on January 22, 2000. The sample at the top of the page is an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) high. The long view (above left) covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 22.6 km (14 mi) long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. The images are located near 37.5°S, 170.5°W. The context image (above right) was acquired by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1977 and is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. MOC 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. NOTE: A Full Resolution Grayscale view of the release image can be found here.
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
PIA01033
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Gorgonum Chaos
Original Caption Released with Image The first two pictures (top and above left) are from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and show a series of troughs and layered mesas in the Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. The picture at the top of the page is a portion of the picture on the left above. The Viking view (above right) shows the location of the MOC image in the chaotic terrain. Gullies proposed to have been formed by seeping groundwater emanate from a specific layer near the tops of trough walls, particularly on south-facing slopes (south is toward the bottom of each picture). The presence of so many gullies associated with the same layer in each mesa suggests that this layer is particularly effective in storing and conducting water. Such a layer is called an aquifer, and this one appears to be present less than a few hundred meters (few hundred yards) beneath the surface in this region. The MOC pictures were taken on January 22, 2000. The sample at the top of the page is an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) high. The long view (above left) covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 22.6 km (14 mi) long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. The images are located near 37.5°S, 170.5°W. The context image (above right) was acquired by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1977 and is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. MOC 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. NOTE: A Full Resolution Grayscale view of the release image can be found here.
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
PIA01033
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Gorgonum Chaos
Original Caption Released with Image The first two pictures (top and above left) are from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and show a series of troughs and layered mesas in the Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. The picture at the top of the page is a portion of the picture on the left above. The Viking view (above right) shows the location of the MOC image in the chaotic terrain. Gullies proposed to have been formed by seeping groundwater emanate from a specific layer near the tops of trough walls, particularly on south-facing slopes (south is toward the bottom of each picture). The presence of so many gullies associated with the same layer in each mesa suggests that this layer is particularly effective in storing and conducting water. Such a layer is called an aquifer, and this one appears to be present less than a few hundred meters (few hundred yards) beneath the surface in this region. The MOC pictures were taken on January 22, 2000. The sample at the top of the page is an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) high. The long view (above left) covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 22.6 km (14 mi) long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. The images are located near 37.5°S, 170.5°W. The context image (above right) was acquired by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1977 and is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. MOC 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. NOTE: A Full Resolution Grayscale view of the release image can be found here.
Evidence for Recent Liquid W …
PIA01033
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Gorgonum Chaos
Original Caption Released with Image The first two pictures (top and above left) are from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and show a series of troughs and layered mesas in the Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. The picture at the top of the page is a portion of the picture on the left above. The Viking view (above right) shows the location of the MOC image in the chaotic terrain. Gullies proposed to have been formed by seeping groundwater emanate from a specific layer near the tops of trough walls, particularly on south-facing slopes (south is toward the bottom of each picture). The presence of so many gullies associated with the same layer in each mesa suggests that this layer is particularly effective in storing and conducting water. Such a layer is called an aquifer, and this one appears to be present less than a few hundred meters (few hundred yards) beneath the surface in this region. The MOC pictures were taken on January 22, 2000. The sample at the top of the page is an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) high. The long view (above left) covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 22.6 km (14 mi) long. Sunlight illuminates each scene from the upper left. The images are located near 37.5°S, 170.5°W. The context image (above right) was acquired by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1977 and is illuminated from the upper right, north is up. MOC 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. NOTE: A Full Resolution Grayscale view of the release image can be found here.
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