Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Medusae Sulci Yardangs
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-786, 13 July 2004
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
Erosive winds have removed large volumes of material in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image to form yardang ridges. The most classic yardang shape is that of the inverted boat hull; each of these streamlined hills provides a near-textbook example. The landforms are found in the Medusae Sulci region near 5.7°S, 159.8°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, and is illuminated by sunlight 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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