Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera

Cliff in Terby Crater

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-436, 29 July 2003


NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Terby Crater was once filled with layered, sedimentary rock. Over time, these materials have been eroded to form a dazzling array of cliffs and layered outcrops. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) picture shows a layered cliff facing toward the northwest (toward upper left). Dark debris has slid down the west-facing slopes of the cliff. A visitor to Terby Crater would be greeted by vistas reminiscent of some of the national parks in the southwestern United States. This March 2003 picture is located near 27.7°S, 285.5°W; it is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across.

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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