PIA02348: Latest Color View of Polar Landing Site


Latest Color View of Polar Landing Site

Caption:

On December 3rd, Mars Polar Lander and the Deep Space 2 Microprobes (Scott and Amundsen) will land somewhere in the picture shown here. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide angle camera view of the polar landing ellipse was taken on November 28, 1999. Dark patches within the ellipse are sand and small fields of windblown sand dunes. The bright patches toward the top of the image are frost. It is late spring in this portion of the martian south polar region, and much of the winter frost has finally sublimed away. The ellipse center is located at 76°S 195°W. In this view, nor this toward the bottom and sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower right. The image covers an area approximately 105 km (65 miles) wide by 335 km (210 miles) long.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Instrument Host Mars Global Surveyor
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Dune
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2000-05-12
Date in Caption 1999-11-28
Image Credit NASA/JPL/MSSS
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02348
Identifier PIA02348