24 June 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a view of some of the circular pits and spectacular buttes and mesas formed in the frozen carbon dioxide of the martian south polar residual cap. The scarps that bound each pit and mesa have been observed by MOC to retreat at an average rate of about 3 meters (~3 yards) during each southern summer season that the spacecraft has been in orbit. A new summer season will start in mid-August 2005.
Location near
: 86.9°S, 5.3°W
Image width
: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from
: upper left
Season
: Southern Spring
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 | Grayscale | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2005-06-24 | |
Date in Caption | 2005-06-24 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03966 | |
Identifier | PIA03966 |