Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Northern Plains Crater
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-955, 29 December 2004
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
Craters on the northern plains of Mars are not usually found at the surface. Typically, they are filled and buried just beneath it. The crater shown in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image is an example. The crater is located near 50.3°N, 46.7°W. Dark streaks crisscrossing the scene were formed by passing dust devils. The picture 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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