Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Wind-Eroded Terrain near Olympus Mons
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-569, 9 December 2003
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows wind-eroded material, possibly sedimentary rock, among the ridges of the Lycus Sulci region west of Olympus Mons. The darker surfaces and the dark-toned ripples on those surfaces indicate there may be windblown sand present in these areas. This October 2003 picture is located near 17.8°N, 143.7°W. The image covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is illuminated from the lower 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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