|
|
The Mountains of Mars
| Title |
The Mountains of Mars |
| Explanation |
Volcanic activity on Mars has produced towering mountains. The largest one, Olympus Mons, is pictured here in this Viking Orbiter [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] image. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano nearly 15 miles high and over 300 miles wide at its base. By comparison, Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, is just over 5 miles high and about 12 miles wide. For more information about volcanic mountains on Mars see Calvin J. Hamilton's Mars page. [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/marsvolc.html ] The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration. [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
The Exploration of Mars
| Title |
The Exploration of Mars |
| Explanation |
Thirty years ago NASA's exploration of Mars began. In July of 1965 the Mariner 4 spacecraft [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/sc_views.html#marin4 ] flew within 6,000 miles of Mars and returned 21 pictures of the mysterious red planet. NASA's continued exploration of Mars has produced detailed views of the red tinged Martian surface like the one shown above which is a composite of 102 images from the Viking missions to Mars [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ]. The composite was constructed by the US Geological Survey. [ http://info.er.usgs.gov/USGSHome.html ] For more information about the picture see the NSSDC Photo Gallery of Mars. [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/PhotoGallery-Mars.html ] The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration. [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
The Grand Canyon of Mars
| Title |
The Grand Canyon of Mars |
| Explanation |
The Mariner Valley, also known as the Valles Marineris canyon system, appears in this mosaic of images from NASA's Viking spacecraft [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] as a huge gouge across the red planet. This "Grand Canyon" of Mars is about 2500 miles long and up to 4 miles deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon is less than 500 miles long and 1 mile deep. For more information about Mars see Calvin J. Hamilton's Mars Page. [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/mars.html ] The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration. [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Dr. William H. Pickering
Dr. William H. Pickering ser
…
| Description |
Dr. William H. Pickering served as the fourth director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, from 1954 to 1976. The period during which he led JPL spanned the eras from JPL's creation of the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, through the formation of NASA, the Ranger, Surveyor and Mariner missions of the 1960s and the Viking mission of the 1970s. |
|
First Image of Mars
| title |
First Image of Mars |
| date |
07.20.1976 |
| description |
The image above is the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars. It was taken by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976. Part of footpad #2 can be seen in the lower right corner, with sand and dust in the center of it, probably deposited during landing. The next day, color photographs were also taken on the Martian surface. The primary objectives of the Viking missions, which was composed of two spacecraft, were to obtain high-resolution images of the Martian surface, characterize the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface, and search for evidence of life on Mars. |
|
Global Mosaic of Mars Center
…
| title |
Global Mosaic of Mars Centered on Valles Marineris |
| date |
02.22.1980 |
| description |
Global mosaic of 102 Viking 1 Orbiter images of Mars taken on orbit 1,334, 22 February 1980. The images are projected into point perspective, representing what a viewer would see from a spacecraft at an altitude of 2,500 km. At center is Valles Marineris, over 3000 km long and up to 8 km deep. Note the channels running up (north) from the central and eastern portions of Valles Marineris to the dark area, Acidalic Planitia, at upper right. At left are the three Tharsis volcanoes and to the south is ancient, heavily impacted terrain. (Viking 1 Orbiter, MG07S078-334SP) *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Uranius Tholus
| title |
Uranius Tholus |
| description |
This Viking orbiter image shows Uranius Tholus, one of the smaller volcanos in the Tharsis region of Mars. It is only 60 kilometers across and 3 kilometers higher than the surrounding plains. In comparison with Olympus Mons, the greater number of impact craters near Uranius Tholus implies that it is substantially older than Olympus Mons. One such crater in the top center of the image has been flooded by lava from the surrounding plains. Because this crater must have formed after the volcano but before the plains, the plains must be younger than the volcano. (This is an example of using superposition relationships to determine the relative age of a series of features by determining which features lie on top of other features.) This area is believed to be more than 3 billion years old. This image was taken by NASA's Viking 1 orbiter in 1977. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Mars Mission, Viking I on Ti
…
| Title |
Mars Mission, Viking I on Titan III Centaur Rocket Launch |
| Description |
Launch of the Mars mission Viking I payload on Titan III Centaur rocket, August 20, 1975. The interplanetary cruise phase of the Viking spacecraft lasted 310 days until Mars orbit insertion. The Viking I orbiter high-gain antenna was put into operation November 12, 1975. The high-gain antenna was repositioned daily to keep the radio beams aimed directly at the Earth. |
| Date |
08.27.1975 |
|
First Color Image From Vikin
…
| title |
First Color Image From Viking Lander 1 |
| Description |
This color picture of Mars was taken July 21--the day following Viking l's successful landing on the planet. The local time on Mars is approximately noon. The view is southeast from the Viking. Orange- red surface materials cover most of the surface, apparently forming a thin veneer over darker bedrock exposed in patches, as in the lower right. The reddish surface materials may be limonite (hydrated ferric oxide). Such weathering products form on Earth in the presence of water and an oxidizing atmosphere. The sky has a reddish cast, probably due to scattering and reflection from reddish sediment suspended in the lower atmosphere. The scene was scanned three times by the spacecraft's camera number 2, through a different color filter each time. To assist in balancing the colors, a second picture was taken of z test chart mounted on the rear of the spacecraft. Color data for these patches were adjusted until the patches were an appropriate color of gray. The same calibration was then used for the entire scene. |
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Colorful Water Clouds Over M
…
| Title |
Colorful Water Clouds Over Mars |
| Explanation |
One place where water can be found on Mars [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html ] is in clouds [ http://www-airs.jpl.nasa.gov/html/edu/clouds/What_are_clouds.html ]. In the above picture [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA03213 ] colorful water clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971013.html ] are visible just after sunrise in and around a maze of canyons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980212.html ] known as Noctis Labyrinthus [ http://ic-www.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/Mars/features/n/noctis_labyrinthus.html ] (the labyrinth of the night). Scientists don't yet know, however, why these clouds formed [ http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?clouds+and+mars ], and why some stick to the canyons [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1997LPI....28.1413T ]. One exciting possibility is that water sometimes condenses [ http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu/w_unit/LESSONS/condensation.html ] in shaded regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980306.html ] of the canyon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950720.html ]s, only to evaporate [ http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozscience/e/187400.html ] into clouds when exposed to the morning Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991110.html ]. Water in any form on the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000514.html ] might be important to sustaining life and possible future human exploration [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/science/human/index.html ]. Viking Orbiter 1 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ], which visited Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/mars.html ] in 1976, took the above picture [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA03213 ]. The region shown is about 100 kilometers across. |
|
Icy Mars
| title |
Icy Mars |
| date |
05.18.1979 |
| description |
This high resolution photo of the surface of Mars was taken by Viking Lander 2 at its Utopia Planitia landing site on May 18, 1979, and relayed to Earth by Orbiter 1 on June 7th. It shows a thin coating of water ice on the rocks and soil. The time of the frost appearance corresponds almost exactly with the build up of frost one Martian year (23 Earth Months) ago. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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South Polar Residual Ice Cap
PIA00301
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem - C
…
| Title |
South Polar Residual Ice Cap |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This mosaic is composed of 18 Viking Orbiter images (6 each in red, green, and violet filters), acquired on September 28, 1977, during revolution 407 of Viking Orbiter 2. The south pole is located just off the lower left edge of the polar cap, and the 0 degree longitude meridian extends toward the top of the mosaic. The large crater near the right edge (named "South") is about 100 km in diameter. These images were acquired during southern summer on Mars (Ls = 341 degrees), the sub-solar declination was 8 degrees S., and the south polar cap was nearing its final stage of retreat just prior to vernal equinox. The south residual cap is approximately 400 km across, and the exposed surface is thought to consist dominantly of carbon-dioxide frost. This is in contrast to the water-ice surface of the north polar residual cap. It is likely that water ice is present in layers that underlie the south polar cap and that comprise the surrounding layered terrains. Near the top of this image, irregular pits with sharp-rimmed cliffs appear "etched", presumably by wind. A series of rugged mountains (extending toward the upper right corner of the image) are of unknown origin. |
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Amphitrites Patera
PIA00410
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Amphitrites Patera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of the Amphitrites Patera region of Mars, north toward top. The scene shows several indistinct ring structures and radial ridges of an old volcano named Amphitrites Patera. A patera (Latin for shallow dish or saucer) is a volcano of broad areal extent with little vertical relief. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 55 degrees S. to 62 degrees S. and from longitude 292 degrees to 311 degrees, Lambert projection. Amphitrites Patera is a 138-km-diameter feature on the south rim of Hellas impact basin and is one of many indistinct ring structures in the area. The location of the paterae in this area of Hellas indicates that their source magma may have been influenced by the transition fractures of the basin. The radial ridges of Amphitrites extend for about 400 km north into the Hellas basin. |
|
Fine Channel Networks
PIA00413
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Fine Channel Networks |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of fine channel networks on Mars, north toward top. The scene shows heavily cratered highlands dissected by dendritic open channel networks that dissect steep slopes of impact crater walls. This image is a composite of Viking high-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 9 degrees S. to 5 degrees S. and from longitude 312 degrees to 320 degrees, Mercator projection. The dendritic pattern of the fine channels and their location on steep slopes leads to the interpretation that these are runoff channels. The restriction of these types of channels to ancient highland rocks suggests that these channels are old and date from a time on Mars when conditions existed for precipitation to actively erode rocks. After the channels reach a low plain, they appear to end. Termination may have resulted from burial by younger deposits or perhaps the flows percolated into the surface materials and continued underground. |
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Elysium
PIA00412
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Elysium |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of the Elysium Region of Mars, north toward top. The scene shows the Elysium Mons volcano (center), Hecates Tholus (to the north), Albor Tholus (to the south), and the depressions of Elysium Fossae. Mons is a Latin term for mountain, the term tholus designates a small mountain or dome. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 16 degrees N. to 35 degrees N. and from longitude 206 degrees to 220 degrees, Mercator projection. The Elysium region contain the second largest volcanic complex on Mars, surpassed in size by only the Tharsis complex. Elysium Mons, whose summit elevation is 16,000 m above the Martian datum, is at the crest of a regional topographic rise that emerges steeply and abruptly from the surrounding plains. The relief of Hecates is about 6,000 m and the relief of Albor is only about 4,000 m, because Hecates is on the edge of the rise whereas Albor is on it. After degradation of ancient cratered terrain within the northern lowlands, volcanic rocks erupted from Elysium Mons, Hecates Tholus, and Albor Tholus in Elysium Planitia. Elysium Fossae are volcano/tectonic troughs that parallel graben in the area. Some troughs are connected with channels to the east indicating an interaction between volcanic and hydrothermal systems. |
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Hadriaca Patera
PIA00415
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Hadriaca Patera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of Hadriaca Patera on the northeast rim of Hellas basin of Mars, north toward top. The scene shows a central circular depression surrounded by low radial ridges and, at the bottom of the image, the channel of Dao Vallis. A patera (Latin for shallow dish or saucer) is a volcano of broad areal extent with little vertical relief. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 27 degrees S. to 37 degrees S. and from longitude 263 degrees to 273 degrees, Mercator projection. Hadriaca Patera is less than 2 km high, has a 60-km-diameter caldera at its center, and is surrounded by a 300-km-wide ring of low ridges. The radial ridges may be lava flows with lava channels at their crests. South of Hadriaca, Dao Vallis begins at a steep-walled depression 40 km across but forms a much shallower channel that extends 800 km southwest into the floor of the Hellas basin. The channel is very likely fluvial in origin, with the release of water being triggered by volcanic activity. |
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'Mister Badger' Pushing Mars
…
PIA00528
Sol (our sun)
Camera 2
| Title |
'Mister Badger' Pushing Mars Rock |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Viking's soil sampler collector arm successfully pushed a rock on the surface of Mars during the afternoon of Friday, October 8. The irregular-shaped rock was pushed several inches by the Lander's collector arm, which displaced the rock to the left of its original position, leaving it cocked slightly upward. Photographs and other information verified the successful rock push. Photo at left shows the soil sampler's collector head pushing against the rock, named 'Mister Badger' by flight controllers. Photo at right shows the displaced rock and the depression whence it came. Part of the soil displacement was caused by the collector s backhoe. A soil sample will be taken from the site Monday night, October 11. It will then be delivered to Viking s organic chemistry instrument for a series of analyses during the next few weeks. The sample is being sought from beneath a rock because scientists believe that, if there are life forms on Mars, they may seek rocks as shelter from the Sun s intense ultraviolet radiation. |
|
Crater Moreux
PIA00420
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Crater Moreux |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Color image of part of the Ismenius Lacus region of Mars (MC-5 quadrangle) containing the impact crater Moreux (right center), north toward top. The scene shows heavily cratered highlands in the south on relatively smooth lowland plains in the north separated by a belt of dissected terrain, containing flat-floored valleys, mesas, and buttes. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 36 degrees N. to 50 degrees N. and from longitude 310 degrees to 340 degrees, Lambert conformal conic projection. The dissected terrain along the highlands/lowlands boundary consists of the flat-floored valleys of Deuteronilus Mensae (on left) and Prontonilus Mensae (on right) and farther north the small, rounded hills of knobby terrain. Flows on the mensae floors contain striae that run parallel to valley walls, where valleys meet, the striae merge, similar to medial moraines on glaciers. Terraces within the valley hills have been interpreted as either layered rocks or wave terraces. The knobby terrain has been interpreted as remnants of the old, densely cratered highland terrain perhaps eroded by mass wasting. |
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Tyrrhena Patera
PIA00421
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Tyrrhena Patera |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of the Tyrrhena Patera Region of Mars, north toward top. The scene shows a central circular depression surrounded by circular fractures and highly dissected horizontal sheets. A patera (Latin for shallow dish or saucer) is a volcano of broad areal extent with little vertical relief. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 17 degrees S. to 25 degrees S. and from longitude 250 degrees to 260 degrees, Mercator projection. Tyrrhena Patera has a 12-km-diameter caldera at its center surrounded by a 45-km-diameter fracture ring. Around the fracture ring, the terrain is highly eroded forming ragged outward-facing cliffs, as though successive flat-lying layers had been eroded back. Cut into the sequence are several flat-floored channels that extend outward as far as 200 km from the center of the volcano. The structure may be composed of highly erodible ash layers and the channels may be fluvial, with the release of water being triggered by volcanic activity (Carr, 1981, The surface of Mars, Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, 232 p.). |
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Scamander Vallis
PIA00419
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Scamander Vallis |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A color image of Scamander Vallis on Mars, north toward top. The scene shows heavily cratered highlands dissected by the slightly sinuous gully of Scamander Vallis. The channel begins by dissecting a steep slope of an impact crater wall and abruptly ends about 180 km north of the crater. This image is a composite of Viking medium-resolution images in black and white and low-resolution images in color. The image extends from latitude 13 degrees N. to 19 degrees N. and from longitude 330 degrees to 332 degrees, Mercator projection. The lack of tributaries, fairly straight path, and steep walls of the channel suggest spring sapping as a mode of origin. The abrupt termination may have resulted from burial by younger deposits or perhaps the flows percolated into the surface materials and continued underground. |
|
Northeast View from Viking L
…
PIA00387
Sol (our sun)
Camera 1
| Title |
Northeast View from Viking Landing Site |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This Mars view looks northeast from Viking 1 and completes the 360 panorama of the landing site begun earlier with the spacecraft's other camera. A layer of haze can be seen in the Martian sky. Large dark boulders dominate the scene. The largest boulder (center) is about 3 meters (10 feet) wide and one meter (3 feet) high. Rocks in the foreground are lighter and appear mottled. The rocks may have been derived from lava flows or stream deposits which are visible on orbiter images. These deposits may have been redistributed by impact craters. The fine material visible between the rocks has dune morphology and appears to have been deposited by wind. |
|
Trench Excavated By Viking 1
…
PIA00389
Sol (our sun)
Camera 1
| Title |
Trench Excavated By Viking 1 Surface Sampler |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image, received today, shows the trench excavated by Viking 1 surface sampler. The trench was dug by extending the surface sampler collection head in a direction from lower right toward the upper left and then withdrawing the surface sampler collector head. Lumpy piles of material at end of trench at lower right was pulled by plowing from trench by the backhoe which will be used to dig trenches later in the mission. Area around trench has ripple marks produced by Martian wind. The trench which was dug early on Sol 8, is about 3 inches wide, 2 inches deep and 6 inches long. Steep dark crater walls show the grains of the Martian surface material stick together (have adhesion). The doming of the surface at far end of the trench show the granular material is dense. The Martian surface material behaves somewhat like moist sand on Earth. Evidence from the trench indicate a sample was collected and delivered to the experiments after repeated tries. The biology experiment level full indicator indicates a sample was received for analysis. The X-Ray fluorescence experiment has no indication to show it received a sample. The GCMS experiment level full indicator suggests no sample was received but this matter is being investigated. |
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Noctis Labyrinthus
PIA03213
Sol (our sun)
Visual Imaging Subsystem
| Title |
Noctis Labyrinthus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As the sun rises over Noctis Labyrinthus (the labyrinth of the night), bright clouds of water ice can be observed in and around the tributary canyons of this high plateau region of Mars. This color composite image, reconstructed through violet, green, and orange filters, vividly shows the distribution of clouds against the rust colored background of this Martian desert. The picture was reconstructed by JPL's Image Processing Laboratory using in-flight calibration data to correct the color balance. Scientists have puzzled why the clouds cling to the canyon areas and, only in certain areas, spill over onto the plateau surface. One possibility is that water which condensed during the previous afternoon in shaded eastern facing slopes of the canyon floor is vaporized as the early morning sun falls on those same slopes. The area covered is about 10,000 square kilometers (4000 square miles), centered at 9 degrees South, 95 degrees West, and the large partial crater at lower right is Oudemans. The picture was taken on Viking Orbiter 1's 40th orbit. |
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Viking Lander's Buried Footp
…
| title |
Viking Lander's Buried Footpad #3 |
| Description |
One of Viking l's three feet, which should be visible in this view, lies buried beneath a cover of loose Martian soil. This picture, taken Sunday (August 1), is the first to show the buried footpad #3. If not buried, the edge of the foot would be seen extending across the picture about midway between top and bottom. The foot sank about five inches, and fine-grained soil slumped into the depression and over the foot. The cracked nature of the surface near the slump area and the small, steep cliff at left indicates that the material is weakly cohesive. The surface material here is very similar mechanically to lunar soil. |
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The Search for Life on Mars
| Title |
The Search for Life on Mars |
| Explanation |
Although images of Mars taken from space revealed the planet to have a barren and cratered surface, scientists did not give up the search for martian life. In 1976 NASA's Viking project [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html ] succeeded in landing two robot probes on the surface of Mars. These landers were able to carry out sophisticated chemical experiments to look for signs of microscopic life in the martian soil. However, the experiments failed to produce any convincing evidence for life on Mars. Cameras onboard the Viking Landers also returned spectacular photos of the rocky martian landscape, like the one above, which showed no sign of martian animal or plant life. For more information about the picture see The NSSDC Mars Photo Gallery [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/PhotoGallery-Mars.html#surface ]. The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration. [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Phobos Over Mars
| Title |
Phobos Over Mars |
| Explanation |
Hurtling through space a mere 3,000 miles above the Martian surface [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/mars_panoramas.html ], the diminutive moon Phobos [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980914.html ] (below and left of center) was imaged against the backdrop of a large shield volcano [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981019.html ] by the Viking 2 Orbiter [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?75-083A ] in 1977. This dramatic picture [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vo2_304b88.html ] looks down from the Orbiter's viewpoint about 8,000 miles above the volcano, Ascraeus Mons. Phobos itself is 5,000 miles below the Orbiter. North is toward the top with the Sun illuminating the scene from the South (black dots are reference marks). For scale, Ascraeus Mons is about 200 miles across at its base while asteroid sized [ http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/ssguide/asteroids.html ] Phobos is about 15 miles in diameter. In this spectacular moon-planet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990311.html ] image, volcanic calderas (craters) are visible at the [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/planet_volcano/mars/Overview.html ] summit of Ascraeus Mons -- while impact craters on the sunlit side of Phobos [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/phobos.html ]' surface can also be seen! |
|
Evidence for Recent Liquid W
…
| Title |
Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars |
| Full Description |
Gullies eroded into the wall of a meteor impact crater in Noachis Terra. This high resolution view (top left) from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) shows channels and associated aprons of debris that are interpreted to have formed by groundwater seepage, surface runoff, and debris flow. The lack of small craters superimposed on the channels and apron deposits indicates that these features are geologically young. It is possible that these gullies indicate that liquid water is present within the martian subsurface today. The MOC image was acquired on September 28, 1999. The scene covers an area approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide by 6.7 km (4.1 mi) high (note, the aspect ratio is 1.5 to 1.0). Sunlight illuminates this area from the upper left. The image is located near 54.8S, 342.5W. The context image (above) shows the location of the MOC image on the south-facing wall of an impact crater approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter. The context picture was obtained by the Viking 1 orbiter in 1980 and is illuminated from the upper left. The large mound on the floor of the crater in the context view is a sand dune field. The Mars Orbiter Camera high resolution images are taken black-and-white (grayscale), the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the MOC wide angle cameras and by the Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s. A brief description of how the color was generated: The MOC narrow angle camera only takes grayscale (black and white) pictures. To create the color versions seen here, we have taken much lower resolution red and blue images acquired by the MOC's wide angle cameras, and by the Viking Orbiter cameras in the 1970s, synthesized a green image by averaging red and blue, and created a pallete of colors that represent the range of colors on Mars. We then use a relationship that correlates color and brightness to assign a color to each gray level. This is only a crude approximation of martian color. It is likely Mars would not look like this to a human observer at Mars. |
| Date |
06/22/2000 |
| NASA Center |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
|
Viking Pre-Launch Test Fligh
…
| Title |
Viking Pre-Launch Test Flight |
| Full Description |
The Titan booster is a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket, with two additional large, solid-propellant rockets attached. It is a member of the Titan family that was used in NASA's Gemini program. The Centaur is a liquid oxygen- liquid hydrogen, high- energy upper stage used on Surveyor flights to the Moon and on Mariner flights to Mars. At liftoff, the solid rockets provide 9.61 million newtons (2.16 million pounds) of thrust. When the solids burn out, the first stage of the Titan booster ignites, and followed by the second-stage ignition as the first stage shuts down. The Centaur ignites on second stage shutdown to inject the spacecraft into orbit. Then after a 30-minute coast around the Earth into position for re-start, the Centaur re-ignites to propel Viking on its Mars trajectory. Once this maneuver is completed the spacecraft separates from the Centaur, which subsequently is deflected away from the flight path to prevent its impact on the surface of Mars. Shortly after separating from the Centaur, the orbiter portion of the combined orbiter-lander spacecraft orients and stabilizes the spacecraft by using the Sun and a very bright star in the southern sky, Canopus, for celestial reference. For more information about Titan and Centaur, please see Chapters 4 and 8, respectively, in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002. |
| Date |
01/20/1974 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
Titan/Centaur Launch for Vik
…
| Name of Image |
Titan/Centaur Launch for Viking I |
| Date of Image |
1975-08-20 |
| Full Description |
The Titan III/Centaur, Viking 1, is sitting on the launch pad ready for blast off. The launch occurred on August 20, 1975. The mission was for the scientific investigation of Mars, and United States? first attempt to soft land a spacecraft on another planet. |
|
If You Could Stand on Mars
| Title |
If You Could Stand on Mars |
| Explanation |
If you could stand on Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960721.html ] - what would you see? Viking 1 robot landers answered this question in 1976 with pictures like the one shown above. The dark rocks, red soil, and green-tinged sky grace this rendition [ http://barsoom.msss.com/mars/pictures/viking_lander/ viking_lander.html ] of a normal Martian [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mars.html ] afternoon. At the bottom corners of the picture are portions of Viking spacecraft. The red color of the rocks is caused by an abundance of iron in the soil. The Martian [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/PhotoGallery-Mars.html ] surface is covered by rocks, huge craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960203.html ], fantastic canyons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950720.html ], and gigantic volcanoes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950719.html ] that dwarf any on Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951216.html ]. No life has been found, but some speculate that since not all spacecraft reaching Mars [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/ ] from Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950824.html ] had been fully decontaminated [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/Exo_Strat/Docs/protection.html ], Earth born microbes [ http://www.discovery.com/DCO/doc/1012/world/nature/deceit/deceit4.1.html ] might live there now [ http://commtechlab.msu.edu/CTLProjects/dlc-me/news/ns1095ap4.html ]. |
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Utopia on Mars
| Title |
Utopia on Mars |
| Explanation |
The Viking 2 spacecraft was launched on the Road to Utopia [ http://ballet.cit.gu.edu.au/M/title-exact?title=Road+to+Utopia ] in September of 1975 (30 years after Bing, Dotty, and Bob). In August of 1976, after making the second successful Martian landing, Viking 2's lander began recording data used to produce this exquisitely detailed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960720.html ] image of the Martian surface [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/marssurf.htm ] in the area of Utopia Planitia (the Plain of Utopia). Visible at the lower right are the protective shroud that covered the lander's soil collector head, ejected after the descent, along with one of the lander's dust covered footpads. Seen near the center are shallow trenches dug by the sampler arm [ http://ceps.nasm.edu:2020/MARS/viking_lab.html#life ]. Mars looks red because its surface is covered with reddish iron oxide dust (rust). This dust, suspended in the thin carbon dioxide atmosphere [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html ], also filters the sunlight causing surface views [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/ photogallery-mars.html#surface ] to take on a reddish tinge. The Vikings made the first successful landings [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/viking_20th.txt ] on Mars 20 years ago [ http://ceps.nasm.edu:2020/MARS/VIKING/CAPTIONS/cap_marsfirst.html ]. What does Mars look like today? [ http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/MarsImages/MarsToday/MarsToday.html ] |
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A Rotating True Color View o
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| Title |
A Rotating True Color View of the Martian South Pole |
| Abstract |
This is one of a series of visualizations showing false-colored renderings of the Martian topography measured by MOLA in the vicinity of the Mars Polar Lander landing site. Blue tones represent elevations of less than 2 kilometers, while reddish tones are greater than about 2.8 kilometers, relative to the mean equatorial height of Mars. The elevation of the landing site is about 2.4 km, midway into the polar layered terrain. The 400 meters (1/4 mile) resolution of the MOLA data gives a smoothed but vertically exaggerated view of the topography. At this scale it is impossible to ascertain the actual roughness at the lander's destination, forcing project directors to make their best guesses based on available data. |
| Completed |
1999-11-22 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars North Pole flyover
| Title |
Mars North Pole flyover |
| Abstract |
MOLA takes elevation data of Mars North Pole combined with Viking colormap. |
| Completed |
2000-03-15 |
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Mars Odyssey: Mars' Northern
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| Title |
Mars Odyssey: Mars' Northern Hemisphere |
| Abstract |
NASA's Mars Odyssey detected water ice in the northern hemisphere. During the winter months, the icy soil is covered by a thick layer of carbon dioxide ('dry ice') frost obscuring the water ice signature.This animation is match-framed to #2779 and #2780. Its purpose is to establish a frame of reference using a true color dataset. In this case, that data is from Viking. |
| Completed |
2003-06-25 |
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Olympus Mons Flyover.
| Title |
Olympus Mons Flyover. |
| Abstract |
This view of Olympus Mons was constructed by combining the Viking color texture with MOLA altimetry data. There is no vertical exaggeration applied to the surface displacement. |
| Completed |
2000-03-09 |
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Olympus Mons Flyover.
| Title |
Olympus Mons Flyover. |
| Abstract |
This view of Olympus Mons was constructed by combining the Viking color texture with MOLA altimetry data. There is no vertical exaggeration applied to the surface displacement. |
| Completed |
2000-03-09 |
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A Comparison of Visible and
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| Title |
A Comparison of Visible and Topographic Data for the Martian South Pole: Version 2 |
| Abstract |
This is one of a series of visualizations showing false-colored renderings of the Martian topography measured by MOLA in the vicinity of the Mars Polar Lander landing site. Blue tones represent elevations of less than 2 kilometers, while reddish tones are greater than about 2.8 kilometers, relative to the mean equatorial height of Mars. The elevation of the landing site is about 2.4 km, midway into the polar layered terrain. The 400 meters (1/4 mile) resolution of the MOLA data gives a smoothed but vertically exaggerated view of the topography. At this scale it is impossible to ascertain the actual roughness at the lander's destination, forcing project directors to make their best guesses based on available data. |
| Completed |
1999-11-22 |
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Earth-Mars Volcano Compariso
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| Title |
Earth-Mars Volcano Comparisons: True Color Mars |
| Abstract |
Despite the 2:1 relative size difference between Earth and Mars, the Martian volcano, Olympus Mons, dwarfs Earth's Mauna Loa, Hawaii volcano. When measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is approximately 10km. high compared to Olympus Mons at 23km. This animation is one element of the Earth-Mars comparison, showing Mars in it's true color beauty. The beginning of this animation is match-framed to animations #2864 through #2872. |
| Completed |
2003-12-18 |
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Flyover of Mars' Valles Mari
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| Title |
Flyover of Mars' Valles Marineris (True Color) |
| Abstract |
Flyover of Mars' Valles Marineris (True Color). The height is based on MOLA data. |
| Completed |
1999-05-24 |
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Ophir Chasma
PIA00425
Sol (our sun)
| Title |
Ophir Chasma |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During its examination of Mars, the Viking 1 spacecraft returned images of Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system 5,000 km long, up to 240 km wide, and 6.5 km deep, whose connected chasma or valleys may have formed from a combination of erosional collapse and structural activity. This synthetic oblique view shows Ophir Chasma, the northern most one of the connected valleys of Valles Marineris, north toward top of frame, for scale, the large impact crater in lower right corner is 30 km (18 miles) wide. This point-perspective, digital image, centered at latitude 4 degrees S., longitude 71 degrees, is a composite of Viking 1 Orbiter high-resolution (about 80 m/pixel or picture element) images in black and white and low-resolution (about 250 m/pixel) images in color, no vertical exaggeration. The Viking 1 craft landed on Mars in July of 1976. Ophir Chasma is a large west-northwest-trending trough about 100 km wide. The Chasma is bordered by 4 km high walled cliffs, most likely faults, that show spur-and-gully morphology and smooth sections. The walls have been dissected by landslides forming reentrants, one area (upper left) on the north wall shows a young landslide about 100 km wide. The volume of the landslide debris is more than 1000 times greater than that from the May 18, 1980 debris avalanche from Mount St. Helens. The longitudinal grooves seen in the foreground are thought to be due to differential shear and lateral spreading at high velocities. The landslide passes between mounds of interior layered deposits on the floor of the chasma. |
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Viking 1 on Mars
| title |
Viking 1 on Mars |
| date |
07.23.1976 |
| description |
Sand dunes and large rocks are revealed in this panoramic image of Mars taken by Viking 1's Camera 1. The horizon is approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) away. The late afternoon sun is high in the sky over the left side of the picture. The support struts of the S-band high-gain antenna extends to the top of the picture. The American flags are located on the two RTG (Radioisotope Thermoeletric Generator) wind screens. In the middle third of the picture the rocky surface is covered by thick deposits of wind-blown material, forming numerous dunes. At the center of the picture on the horizon are two low hills which may be part of the rim of the distant crater. Two very large rocks are visible in the middle ground, the nearer one is 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter and is 8 meters (25 feets) from the spacecraft. A cloud layer is visible halfway between the horizon and the top of the picture. The meterology boom is located right of center. Behind it, the "White Mesa" is visible. In the nearer ground are numerous rocks about 10cm (4 inches) across, with horse-shoe shaped scour marks on their upwind side and wind tails in their lee. The fine grained material in the front of them contains small pits formed by impact of material kicked out by the lander's descent rocket engines. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Earth-Mars Volcano Compariso
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| Title |
Earth-Mars Volcano Comparisons: Mars inside a transparent Earth |
| Abstract |
Despite the 2:1 relative size difference between Earth and Mars, the Martian volcano, Olympus Mons, dwarfs Earth's Mauna Loa, Hawaii volcano. When measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is approximately 10km. high compared to Olympus Mons at 23km. This animation not only shows the relative size differences between Mauna Loa and Olympus Mons, but also shows the size difference between these 2 planets. The equatorial radius of Mars is approximately 3397 km. compared to Earth's equatorial radius of 6378.1 km. This animation is match-framed to animations #2864 through #2872. |
| Completed |
2003-12-18 |
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Mars Cutaway
| Title |
Mars Cutaway |
| Abstract |
Mars Globe showing a cutaway revealing the MOHO data. |
| Completed |
2000-03-01 |
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Earth-Mars Volcano Compariso
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| Title |
Earth-Mars Volcano Comparisons: Final Composite |
| Abstract |
Despite the 2:1 relative size difference between Earth and Mars, the Martian volcano, Olympus Mons, still dwarfs Earth's Mauna Loa, Hawaii volcano. When measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is 10km. high compared to Olympus Mons at 23km. This post-produced animation composite was created using various elements from animations #2865 through #2872. |
| Completed |
2003-12-18 |
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FUSE/MOLA: Mars Once Had Oce
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| Title |
FUSE/MOLA: Mars Once Had Oceans |
| Abstract |
This visualization shows how Mars might look with an ocean at -500m where the lowest point on Mars is about -8000m and the highest point is about 22000m. Data from The FUSE spacecraft and from the Mars Global Surveyor/MOLA instrument where used to support this theory. |
| Completed |
2001-12-04 |
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