Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera

This picture of sand dunes in Wirtz Crater was obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in early October 2002. The shape of the dunes indicates that wind has been transporting the sand from the southwest toward the northeast (lower left toward upper right). The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is located near 48.6°S, 25.5°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.

Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Caption by: K. S. Edgett and M. C. Malin, MSSS

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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