Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera
Flows of Ascraeus
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-1211, 11 September 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 heavily-cratered lava flows on the slopes of the martian volcano, Ascraeus Mons. The mountain is a classic shield volcano, similar in many respects to the volcanoes of Hawai'i. Shield volcanoes typically form from silica-, oxygen-, and aluminum-bearing rocks that are enriched in iron and magnesium -- that is, basalt. The lava flows of Ascraeus Mons are most likely basaltic, as are the volcanic rocks in Gusev Crater that were examined by the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, during its first year on the martian surface. |
| Location near: 10.3°N, 103.5°W |
| Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi) |
| Illumination from: lower left |
| Season: Northern Autumn |
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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