Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Dunes of Herschel
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-870, 5 October 2004
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 windblown sand dunes in Herschel Basin, a large impact crater in the Terra Cimmeria region of Mars. The dunes of Herschel have grooved surfaces, indicating that their sands are somewhat cemented. Wind has blasted and eroded the cemented sand to form the grooves. This image was acquired in August 2004 and is located near 15.6°S, 228.4°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene 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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