Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera

Opportunity's Clouds

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-723, 11 May 2004


NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This composite of 7.5 km (4.7 mi) per pixel daily global images, acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), shows water ice clouds over and to the east (right) of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER-B), Opportunity, landing site in Meridiani Planum. The "+" indicates the location of the rover site. Clouds high in the atmosphere above the Opportunity site have been a common occurrence in the afternoon for the past several weeks. This picture was obtained on 1 May 2004. The scale bar, 120 km (~75 mi), is approximate. North is toward the top/upper right. The bright area to the west (left) of the landing site is sunlight glinting off particles in the atmosphere and on the ground. The sun illuminates the scene from the left.

This and other images of both MER landing sites are featured each week in the MGS weather reports, located online at: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/mer_weather/.

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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, California. 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, California and Denver, Colorado.

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