Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Streamlined "Island"
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-922, 26 November 2004
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
This October 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a streamlined landform in the Mangala Valles region of Mars. An ancient catastrophic flood, probably consisting of water and debris, ran northward (from the bottom toward the top of the image) in this portion of the Mangala Valles system. The high mesa at the south end of the streamlined form may have been above the floodwaters. Its presence as an obstacle to the flow caused erosion and deposition of sediment to create the teardrop-shaped, tapered form in its lee. This feature is located near 15.0°S, 149.3°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper 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, 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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