Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
North Polar Scene
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-912, 16 November 2004
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
This 1.6 meters (~5 feet) per pixel Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a typical north polar scarp and associated dark, windblown sand dunes. Layers of material--possibly dust and ice--are exposed by the scarp. The small white patches in the image are remnants of seasonal frost. When this north polar image was acquired in late September 2004, most of the polar frost had sublimed away. This image is located near 85.1°N, 210.8°W. The scene covers an area approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) across, 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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