Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Defrosting Terrain
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-1137, 29 June 2005
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 dark spots and streaks formed in seasonal frost covering terrain in the martian south polar region. This springtime image shows the frost, which formed in the previous autumn and winter, as it is starting to change and sublime away. Dark streaks indicate the direction of winds that have moved some of the defrosting material. |
| Location near: 84.7°S, 259.3°W |
| Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) |
| Illumination from: upper left |
| Season: Southern Spring |
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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