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Search Results: All Fields similar to 'Viking' and Where equal to 'California'
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Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. S
…
PIA01882
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 2 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Viking Lander 2 images can be located in the high-resolution camera's image. The polygonal pattern of the surface is typical at these latitudes and may be due to the presence of deep subsurface ice. As chance would have it, this image is blurred in some places due to the abrupt motion associated with the restart of the orbiter's high-gain antenna tracking during the very short image exposure. This is the first time after acquiring hundreds of pictures that a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment image has been unintentionally smeared, overall performance has been excellent. A prime motivation for early viewing of the Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. S
…
PIA01882
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 2 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Viking Lander 2 images can be located in the high-resolution camera's image. The polygonal pattern of the surface is typical at these latitudes and may be due to the presence of deep subsurface ice. As chance would have it, this image is blurred in some places due to the abrupt motion associated with the restart of the orbiter's high-gain antenna tracking during the very short image exposure. This is the first time after acquiring hundreds of pictures that a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment image has been unintentionally smeared, overall performance has been excellent. A prime motivation for early viewing of the Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. S
…
PIA01882
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 2 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Viking Lander 2 images can be located in the high-resolution camera's image. The polygonal pattern of the surface is typical at these latitudes and may be due to the presence of deep subsurface ice. As chance would have it, this image is blurred in some places due to the abrupt motion associated with the restart of the orbiter's high-gain antenna tracking during the very short image exposure. This is the first time after acquiring hundreds of pictures that a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment image has been unintentionally smeared, overall performance has been excellent. A prime motivation for early viewing of the Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. S
…
PIA01882
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 2 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Viking Lander 2 images can be located in the high-resolution camera's image. The polygonal pattern of the surface is typical at these latitudes and may be due to the presence of deep subsurface ice. As chance would have it, this image is blurred in some places due to the abrupt motion associated with the restart of the orbiter's high-gain antenna tracking during the very short image exposure. This is the first time after acquiring hundreds of pictures that a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment image has been unintentionally smeared, overall performance has been excellent. A prime motivation for early viewing of the Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. S
…
PIA01882
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 2 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Viking Lander 2 images can be located in the high-resolution camera's image. The polygonal pattern of the surface is typical at these latitudes and may be due to the presence of deep subsurface ice. As chance would have it, this image is blurred in some places due to the abrupt motion associated with the restart of the orbiter's high-gain antenna tracking during the very short image exposure. This is the first time after acquiring hundreds of pictures that a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment image has been unintentionally smeared, overall performance has been excellent. A prime motivation for early viewing of the Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Martian Dune Field
PIA00393
Sol (our sun)
Camera 1
| Title |
Martian Dune Field |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This spectacular picture of the Martian landscape by the Viking 1 Lander shows a dune field with features remarkably similar to many seen in the deserts of Earth. The dramatic early morning lighting - 7:30 a.m. local Mars time--reveals subtle details and shading. Taken yesterday (August 3) by the Lander s camera #1, the picture covers 100 , looking northeast at left and southeast at right. Viking scientists have studied areas very much like the one in this view in Mexico and in California (Kelso, Death Valley, Yuma). The sharp dune crests indicate the most recent wind storms capable of moving sand over the dunes in the general direction from upper left to lower right. Small deposits downwind of rocks also indicate this wind direction. Large boulder at left is about eight meters (25 feet) from the spacecraft and measures about one by three meters (3 by 10 feet). The meteorology boom, which supports Viking s miniature weather station, cuts through the picture s center. The sun rose two hours earlier and is about 30 above the horizon near the center of the picture. |
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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. |
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Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. M
…
PIA01881
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 1 touched down in western Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield, back shell, and parachute attached to the back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 1 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Lander images can be located in the image. A prime motivation for early viewing of these Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. M
…
PIA01881
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 1 touched down in western Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield, back shell, and parachute attached to the back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 1 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Lander images can be located in the image. A prime motivation for early viewing of these Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. M
…
PIA01881
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 1 touched down in western Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield, back shell, and parachute attached to the back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 1 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Lander images can be located in the image. A prime motivation for early viewing of these Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. M
…
PIA01881
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 1 touched down in western Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield, back shell, and parachute attached to the back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 1 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Lander images can be located in the image. A prime motivation for early viewing of these Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. M
…
PIA01881
Sol (our sun)
HiRISE
| Title |
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version NASA's Viking Lander 1 touched down in western Chryse Planitia on July 20, 1976. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield, back shell, and parachute attached to the back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera's image, which provides an excellent match. Viking Lander 1 was one element of an ambitious mission to study Mars, with a four-spacecraft flotilla consisting of two orbiters and two landers. Four cutouts from this image are shown. The first is an overview showing the relative locations of the lander and candidate back shell and heat shield, and the others are enlargements of each of these components. Large boulders, dunes, and other features visible in Lander images can be located in the image. A prime motivation for early viewing of these Viking sites is to calibrate imagery taken from orbit with the data previously acquired by the landers. In particular, determining what sizes of rocks can be seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter aids the interpretation of data now being taken to characterize sites for future landers, such as the Phoenix Mars Lander mission to be launched in 2007. Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro [ http://www.nasa.gov/mro ] or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu [ http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu ]. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, http://www.nasa.gov [ http://www.nasa.gov ]. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera was built by Ball Aerospace Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. |
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Wind Drifts at Viking 1 Land
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PIA00990
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Wind Drifts at Viking 1 Landing Site |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image is of so-called wind drifts seen at the Viking 1 landing site. These are somewhat different from the features seen at the Pathfinder site in two important ways. 1) These landforms have no apparent slip-or avalanche-face as do both terrestrial dunes and the Pathfinder features, and may represent deposits of sediment falling from the air, as opposed to dune sand, which "hops" or saltates along the ground, 2) these features may indicate erosion on one side, because of the layering and apparent scouring on their right sides. They may, therefore have been deposited by a wind moving left to right, partly or weakly cemented or solidified by surface processes at some later time, then eroded by a second wind (right to left), exposing their internal structure. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
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Mars Orbiter Camera Views th
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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. |
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Crater Wall In Noachis Mars
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Signs of water erosion and d
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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 |
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Martian Dune Field
| title |
Martian Dune Field |
| Description |
This spectacular picture of the Martian landscape by the Viking 1 Lander shows a dune field with features remarkably similar to many seen in the deserts of Earth. The dramatic early morning lighting- - 7:30 a.m. local Mars time--reveals subtle details and shading. Taken yesterday (August 3) by the Lander s camera #1, the picture covers 100° , looking northeast at left and southeast at right. Viking scientists have studied areas very much like the one in this view in Mexico and in California (Kelso, Death Valley, Yuma). The sharp dune crests indicate the most recent wind storms capable of moving sand over the dunes in the general direction from upper left to lower right. Small deposits downwind of rocks also indicate this wind direction. Large boulder at left is about eight meters (25 feet) from the spacecraft and measures about one by three meters (3 by 10 feet). The meteorology boom, which supports Viking's miniature weather station, cuts through the picture's center. The sun rose two hours earlier and is about 30° above the horizon near the center of the picture. |
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Mars Orbiter Camera Views th
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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. |
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Titan Vs. Mars
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
This image compares streaked terrain on Titan and Mars. At left is an image from Cassini of the region where the Huygens probe is expected to land. At right is a picture from NASA's Viking 1 orbiter, showing streaks on Mars caused by winds blowing from right to left. The streaks at the Huygens landing site were formed by some kind of fluid, possibly wind, moving from the upper left to lower right (west to east). The Cassini image was taken on Oct. 26, 2004, by the spacecraft's imaging science subsystem using near-infrared filters. North is 45 degrees to the right of vertical. The scale of this image is 0.83 kilometers (.52 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For the latest news about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini. For more information about the mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Detailed View of Cliff-face
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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. |
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MOC Providing Clues For Futu
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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. |
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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. |
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Viking Lander 2 Anniversary
PIA04023
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 Anniversary |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This portion of a daytime IR image covers the Viking 2 landing site (shown with the X). The second landing on Mars took place September 3, 1976 in Utopia Planitia. The exact location of Lander 2 is not as well established as Lander 1 because there were no clearly identifiable features in the lander images as there were for the site of Lander 1. The Utopia landing site region contains pedestal craters, shallow swales and gentle ridges. The crater Goldstone was named in honor of the Tracking Station in the desert of California. The two Viking Landers operated for over 6 years (nearly four martian years) after landing. This one band IR (band 9 at 12.6 microns) image shows bright and dark textures, which are primarily due to differences in the abundance of rocks on the surface. The relatively cool (dark) regions during the day are rocky or indurated materials, fine sand and dust are warmer (bright). Many of the temperature variations are due to slope effects, with sun-facing slopes warmer than shaded slopes. The dark rings around several of the craters are due to the presence of rocky (cool) material ejected from the crater. These rocks are well below the resolution of any existing Mars camera, but THEMIS can detect the temperature variations they produce. Daytime temperature variations are produced by a combination of topographic (solar heating) and thermophysical (thermal inertia and albedo) effects. Due to topographic heating the surface morphologies seen in THEMIS daytime IR images are similar to those seen in previous imagery and MOLA topography. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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Viking Lander 2 Anniversary
PIA04023
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Viking Lander 2 Anniversary |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This portion of a daytime IR image covers the Viking 2 landing site (shown with the X). The second landing on Mars took place September 3, 1976 in Utopia Planitia. The exact location of Lander 2 is not as well established as Lander 1 because there were no clearly identifiable features in the lander images as there were for the site of Lander 1. The Utopia landing site region contains pedestal craters, shallow swales and gentle ridges. The crater Goldstone was named in honor of the Tracking Station in the desert of California. The two Viking Landers operated for over 6 years (nearly four martian years) after landing. This one band IR (band 9 at 12.6 microns) image shows bright and dark textures, which are primarily due to differences in the abundance of rocks on the surface. The relatively cool (dark) regions during the day are rocky or indurated materials, fine sand and dust are warmer (bright). Many of the temperature variations are due to slope effects, with sun-facing slopes warmer than shaded slopes. The dark rings around several of the craters are due to the presence of rocky (cool) material ejected from the crater. These rocks are well below the resolution of any existing Mars camera, but THEMIS can detect the temperature variations they produce. Daytime temperature variations are produced by a combination of topographic (solar heating) and thermophysical (thermal inertia and albedo) effects. Due to topographic heating the surface morphologies seen in THEMIS daytime IR images are similar to those seen in previous imagery and MOLA topography. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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Gorgonum Crater Mars Global
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Numerous deep channels desce
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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 |
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Layered Rock in Candor Chasm
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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. ##### |
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MOC Providing Clues For Futu
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
|
Proposed Mars Polar Lander L
…
PIA02318
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Proposed Mars Polar Lander Landing Site (Perspective View 3) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This three-dimensional perspective view of the Martian polar layered terrain was created by combining Viking images with Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter measurements of the height of the surface. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. . The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West. Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land. Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface. Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html ] To view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com For additional information on MOLA, please visit our website at: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] |
|
Proposed Mars Polar Lander L
…
PIA02316
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Proposed Mars Polar Lander Landing Site (Perspective View 1) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This three-dimensional perspective view of the Martian polar layered terrain was created by combining Viking images with Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter measurements of the height of the surface. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. . The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West. Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land. Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface. Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html ] To view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com For additional information on MOLA, please visit our website at: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] |
|
Proposed Mars Polar Lander L
…
PIA02315
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Proposed Mars Polar Lander Landing Site (Global Perspective) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A mosaic of 24 images taken on a single northern summer day in April 1999 are stitched together to create a global view of Mars. We rotate the planet to reveal the South Pole. Viking data is used to fill in some of this region which is in darkness during this season. The landing site is located at latitude 76degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land. Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface. Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html ] To view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com For additional information on MOLA, please visit our website at: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] |
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Proposed Mars Polar Lander L
…
PIA02317
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Proposed Mars Polar Lander Landing Site (Perspective View 2) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This three-dimensional perspective view of the Martian polar layered terrain was created by combining Viking images with Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter measurements of the height of the surface. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. . The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West. Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land. Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface. Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html ] To view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com For additional information on MOLA, please visit our website at: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] |
|
Proposed Mars Polar Lander L
…
PIA02314
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Proposed Mars Polar Lander Landing Site (Flat Map) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This map of Mars was created using Viking images. It shows the original landing zone selected for the Mars Polar Lander. A bright blue ellipse indicates the landing location of the landing site. The ellipse is 5 kilometers wide and 90 kilometers long. The landing site is located at latitude 76 degrees South, longitude 195 degrees West. Launched Jan. 3, Mars Polar Lander will set down gently on the Red Planet Dec. 3 for the start of a three-month mission to help scientists study the planet's climate history. Polar Lander was launched toward a Colorado-sized area at about 75 degrees south latitude on Mars. Mission planners have been reviewing images and three-dimensional topographic measurements from NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission to pick a safe and scientifically interesting spot to land. Piggybacking on the Polar Lander are two basketball-sized aeroshells containing the Deep Space 2 microprobes. Part of NASA's New Millennium program, which tests risky new technologies for future science missions, these two grapefruit-sized penetrators will smash into Mars at about 400 mph and search for signs of water ice about 3 feet below the surface. Mars Polar Lander and its companion mission, the Mars Climate Orbiter, make up the second wave of spacecraft in the long-term Mars Surveyor Program, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL's industrial partner in the development and operation of the Mars Global Surveyor, Polar Lander, and Climate Orbiter spacecraft is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For additional information about the Mars Surveyor 1998 Project, please visit our website at:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/launch.html ] To view additional MOC images, please visit the MSSS website at http://www.msss.com For additional information on MOLA, please visit our website at: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] |
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B-57B in flight
| Title |
B-57B in flight |
| Description |
This is a photograph of the Martin B-57 Canberra light bomber in flight. The aircraft has a bare-metal finish. The "V" insignia is from its use in the Viking Mars Lander parachute test program. In the early 1970s, a Martin B-57B Canberra light bomber was used in several NASA joint flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center (now Dryden Flight Research Center) located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The early 1970s showed a growing interest in continuing atmospheric research. The B-57B was at the NASA Flight Research Center for a joint program with NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia and was having a special set of instrumentation installed. Delays in completing the instruments provided an opportunity to support the NASA space program. The B-57B was used in proof-of-concept testing of the Viking Mars landers. The deceleration drop testing part of the program took place at the Joint Parachute Test Facility, El Centro, California. With completion of the Viking parachute tests, the B-57B was flown for measuring and analysis of atmospheric turbulence research in 1974-75 as part of a joint NASA program between the Flight Research Center and Langley Research Center. Additional atmospheric testing provided samples of aerosols for the University of Wyoming and clear-air turbulence data for the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was tested over a span of many years at Edwards Air Force Base by various NASA centers for other types of research. Earlier, in the 1960s, the aircraft was flown at the Flight Research Center by the Lewis Research Center (now the John Glenn Research Center) in support of the newly established NASA Electronics Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, in 1982, the B-57B aircraft returned to the Flight Research Center (then the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility) for more Langley-sponsored turbulence testing. The atmospheric research conducted using the B-57B Canberra provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and clear-air turbulence. |
| Date |
01.01.1971 |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Resul
…
PIA01494
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Ancient Lakes on Mars? Results for Elysium Basin |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) was designed--in part--to test the variety of hypotheses about the history of Mars that have been proposed since the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s. In April 1998, one of the efforts undertaken by the MOC science team was to test two competing ideas about the history of the Elysium Basin--a huge depression that stretches about 3,000 kilometers(1,865 miles) east-to-west in the region south of the Elysium volcanic rise. There were two competing ideas about the Elysium Basin. One hypothesis held that the depression was once the site of a vast lake approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Because the floor of Elysium Basin has very few small, fresh impact craters, it was proposed that this lake dried up relatively recently in martian history--that is, the lake would have been younger than most of the volcanoes, craters, and even the Ares Vallis flood channel in which is located the Mars Pathfinder landing site. At some point, the lake in Elysium Basin was thought to have reached such a depth that it began to spill over arise on its east end. The water spilling out the east end of Elysium Basin was thought to have created Marte Vallis--a channel containing streamlined islands that stretches for hundreds of kilometers (miles)to the northeast. The lake bed and channel, it was proposed, might make good places to land future rovers that could travel around and collect samples that might contain evidence of past martian life. The other hypothesis held that the Elysium Basin floor was covered with flows that were emplaced as extremely fluid lava (molten rock). It was suggested that a lake of water could have been in the basin long, long ago, but that the most recent geologic events had erupted huge volumes of very fluid lava across the basin floor. Some of this lava was proposed to have even poured out of the basin and travelled down Marte Vallis. In this hypothesis, it was assumed that Marte Vallis--named for the Spanish word for "Mars"--was first carved by water, and then was a conduit for lava from volcanic eruptions. The lavas were proposed to have been very fluid--behaving almost limewater. Such fluid lavas are known on Earth to result from molten rock that has a low concentration of silica, a high temperature, and/or a high eruption rate. This MOC image, and MOC images 21904 and23804, of the floor of Elysium Basin taken in April 1998 revealed that the basin floor is covered with lava, not lake sediment. In other words, MOC has found that the Elysium Basin might "not", be a good place to look for evidence of martian life that might have existed in a lake. However, the lava textures that MOC found are striking and indicate something very important about the geologic history of Mars. The surface texture of this lava includes giant plates that appear to have been broken up and floated on the surface of a fluid. In this case, the fluid was molten lava. The implication is that the Elysium Basin was once the site of giant, ponded lava flows that were many hundreds of kilometers (miles) across. With the MOC images in hand, it is now quite easy to understand the older, lower-resolution Viking images ( Elysium Basin and Marte Vallis region,Viking 1 base map from 631st orbit,Viking 1 mosaic of local context)These Viking images showed a surface of dark plates with intervening bright surfaces. But they did not make sense--some thought they could somehow be volcanic, others thought they might be related to differences in the way that wind had eroded a dried lakebed. Now it can be seen that there are many dark plates that once floated on molten lava. When the lava was erupted, the upper surface crusted and cooled. The textures in these lavas indicate that they flowed and became cracked. Some cracks widened, and portions of the surface crust became rafts of solid rock--a few many kilometers (miles) across--that moved in the direction that the lava underneath was flowing. Other Viking and MGS images have shown similar platey lava textures in Marte Vallis, suggesting the possibility that some of the lava spilled into this valley and flowed thousands of kilometers (hundreds of miles) to the northeast. The sparse occurrence of younger impact craters on the platey lava surfaces suggests that the eruptions happened relatively recently in Mars history. These eruptions would be much younger than the youngest of the large martian volcanoes like Ascraeus Mons and Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region, but they would still have occurred many, many millions of years ago ("i.e.," the pictures are "not", evidence that Mars is volcanically active today). The MOC science team is continuing to study the images of Marte Vallis and Elysium Basin. Similar lava textures have been seen elsewhere on the planet, and are leading to some interesting revisions of our understanding of the volcanic and geologic history of the red planet. It should be noted that the observation of a volcanic surface in Elysium basin does not rule out the possibility that the depression was also once the site of a water lake, nor is it clear whether Marte Vallis is the result of volcanism alone, or volcanism that occurred some time after water had been present to carve the channel system. The results of the initial study of the Elysium Basin are given in a paper entitled "Mars Global Surveyor Camera Tests the Elysium Basin Controversy: It's Lava, Not Lake Sediments," by Alfred S. McEwen, K. S. Edgett, M. C. Malin, L. Keszthelyi, and P. Lanagan, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting on October 29, 1998. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
|
Flow Ejecta and Slope Landsl
…
PIA01155
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Flow Ejecta and Slope Landslides in Small Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This high resolution picture of a moderately small impact crater on Mars was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera (MOC) on October 17, 1997 at 4:11:07 PM PST, during MGS orbit 22. The image covers an area 2.9 by 48.4 kilometers (1.8 by 30 miles) at 9.6 m (31.5 feet) per picture element, and is centered at 21.3 degrees N, 179.8 degrees W, near Orcus Patera. The MOC image is a factor of 15X better than pervious Viking views of this particular crater (left, Viking image 545A49). The unnamed crater is one of three closely adjacent impact features that display the ejecta pattern characteristic of one type of "flow-ejecta" crater. Such patterns are considered evidence of fluidized movement of the materials ejected during the cratering event, and are believed to indicate the presence of subsurface ice or liquid water. Long, linear features of different brightness values can be seen on the on the steep slopes inside and outside the crater rim. This type of feature, first identified in Viking Orbiter images acquired over 20 years ago, are more clearly seen in this new view (about 3 times better than the best previous observations). Their most likely explanation is that small land or dirt slides, initiated by seismic or wind action, have flowed down the steep slopes. Initially dark because of the nature of the surface disturbance, these features get lighter with time as the ubiquitous fine, bright dust settles onto them from the martian atmosphere. Based on estimates of the dust fall-out rate, many of these features are probably only a few tens to hundreds of years old. Thus, they are evidence of a process that is active on Mars today. 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. |
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Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A
…
PIA02007
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A New High Resolution View Inside Escalante Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During the year spent waiting to achieve the planned circular, polar Mapping Orbit, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took about 1170pictures that had resolutions in the 2 to 20 meters (7-66 feet) per pixel range. These pictures were obtained between September 1997 and September 1998, and are now archived with NASA and available to the public at NASAPDS--http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ [ http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ ] . Although these pictures were generally a vast improvement in spatial resolution compared to the previous images from Viking and Mariner, the latest pictures from MOC--taken this month (April 1999) from the proper Mapping Orbit--demonstrate the power of the MOC when in focus and operating at the correct altitude (~380 km or 235 miles). The Viking Orbiter picture on the left, above, shows the 83 kilometers-(52 miles)-wide crater, Escalante. Located on the martian equator at 245°W longitude, a portion of this crater's floor was seen by MOC before the mapping mission began, at a resolution of 9.4 meters (31 feet) per pixel as shown in the middle image. The new picture--on the right--peers down into one of the pits seen in the earlier MOC image--only now it is viewed at 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The new high resolution image (right) covers an area only 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles)wide and shows that the crater floor--which appears relatively smooth in the context view on the left--is actually quite rough at the scale that a human being would notice if trying to hike around in this landscape. The latest picture also shows small, bright windblown dunes that were not visible in the earlier MOC image. MOC2-120a is a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images 381s62 and 379s47, and MOC2-120b is a subframe of MGS MOC image SPO-2-382/04. The large white box shows the location of MOC2-120b, and the small white box shows the location of MOC2-120c. In MOC2-120a and MOC2-120b, illumination is from the right/upper right, in MOC2-120c it is from the left. 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. |
|
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A
…
PIA02007
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A New High Resolution View Inside Escalante Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During the year spent waiting to achieve the planned circular, polar Mapping Orbit, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took about 1170pictures that had resolutions in the 2 to 20 meters (7-66 feet) per pixel range. These pictures were obtained between September 1997 and September 1998, and are now archived with NASA and available to the public at NASAPDS--http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ [ http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ ] . Although these pictures were generally a vast improvement in spatial resolution compared to the previous images from Viking and Mariner, the latest pictures from MOC--taken this month (April 1999) from the proper Mapping Orbit--demonstrate the power of the MOC when in focus and operating at the correct altitude (~380 km or 235 miles). The Viking Orbiter picture on the left, above, shows the 83 kilometers-(52 miles)-wide crater, Escalante. Located on the martian equator at 245°W longitude, a portion of this crater's floor was seen by MOC before the mapping mission began, at a resolution of 9.4 meters (31 feet) per pixel as shown in the middle image. The new picture--on the right--peers down into one of the pits seen in the earlier MOC image--only now it is viewed at 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The new high resolution image (right) covers an area only 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles)wide and shows that the crater floor--which appears relatively smooth in the context view on the left--is actually quite rough at the scale that a human being would notice if trying to hike around in this landscape. The latest picture also shows small, bright windblown dunes that were not visible in the earlier MOC image. MOC2-120a is a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images 381s62 and 379s47, and MOC2-120b is a subframe of MGS MOC image SPO-2-382/04. The large white box shows the location of MOC2-120b, and the small white box shows the location of MOC2-120c. In MOC2-120a and MOC2-120b, illumination is from the right/upper right, in MOC2-120c it is from the left. 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. |
|
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A
…
PIA02007
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A New High Resolution View Inside Escalante Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During the year spent waiting to achieve the planned circular, polar Mapping Orbit, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took about 1170pictures that had resolutions in the 2 to 20 meters (7-66 feet) per pixel range. These pictures were obtained between September 1997 and September 1998, and are now archived with NASA and available to the public at NASAPDS--http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ [ http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ ] . Although these pictures were generally a vast improvement in spatial resolution compared to the previous images from Viking and Mariner, the latest pictures from MOC--taken this month (April 1999) from the proper Mapping Orbit--demonstrate the power of the MOC when in focus and operating at the correct altitude (~380 km or 235 miles). The Viking Orbiter picture on the left, above, shows the 83 kilometers-(52 miles)-wide crater, Escalante. Located on the martian equator at 245°W longitude, a portion of this crater's floor was seen by MOC before the mapping mission began, at a resolution of 9.4 meters (31 feet) per pixel as shown in the middle image. The new picture--on the right--peers down into one of the pits seen in the earlier MOC image--only now it is viewed at 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The new high resolution image (right) covers an area only 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles)wide and shows that the crater floor--which appears relatively smooth in the context view on the left--is actually quite rough at the scale that a human being would notice if trying to hike around in this landscape. The latest picture also shows small, bright windblown dunes that were not visible in the earlier MOC image. MOC2-120a is a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images 381s62 and 379s47, and MOC2-120b is a subframe of MGS MOC image SPO-2-382/04. The large white box shows the location of MOC2-120b, and the small white box shows the location of MOC2-120c. In MOC2-120a and MOC2-120b, illumination is from the right/upper right, in MOC2-120c it is from the left. 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. |
|
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A
…
PIA02007
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Once Pitted, Twice Spied: A New High Resolution View Inside Escalante Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During the year spent waiting to achieve the planned circular, polar Mapping Orbit, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took about 1170pictures that had resolutions in the 2 to 20 meters (7-66 feet) per pixel range. These pictures were obtained between September 1997 and September 1998, and are now archived with NASA and available to the public at NASAPDS--http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ [ http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/ ] . Although these pictures were generally a vast improvement in spatial resolution compared to the previous images from Viking and Mariner, the latest pictures from MOC--taken this month (April 1999) from the proper Mapping Orbit--demonstrate the power of the MOC when in focus and operating at the correct altitude (~380 km or 235 miles). The Viking Orbiter picture on the left, above, shows the 83 kilometers-(52 miles)-wide crater, Escalante. Located on the martian equator at 245°W longitude, a portion of this crater's floor was seen by MOC before the mapping mission began, at a resolution of 9.4 meters (31 feet) per pixel as shown in the middle image. The new picture--on the right--peers down into one of the pits seen in the earlier MOC image--only now it is viewed at 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The new high resolution image (right) covers an area only 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles)wide and shows that the crater floor--which appears relatively smooth in the context view on the left--is actually quite rough at the scale that a human being would notice if trying to hike around in this landscape. The latest picture also shows small, bright windblown dunes that were not visible in the earlier MOC image. MOC2-120a is a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images 381s62 and 379s47, and MOC2-120b is a subframe of MGS MOC image SPO-2-382/04. The large white box shows the location of MOC2-120b, and the small white box shows the location of MOC2-120c. In MOC2-120a and MOC2-120b, illumination is from the right/upper right, in MOC2-120c it is from the left. 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. |
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