Much of Mars is covered by sand and dust but in some places stacks of sedimentary layers are visible. In this image , exquisite layering is revealed emerging from the sand in southern Holden Crater. Sequences like these offer a window into Mars' complicated geologic history.
Holden Crater was once a candidate landing area for the Mars Science Laboratory, and is still an intriguing choice today.
The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 52.2 centimeters [20.6 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 157 centimeters [61.8 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.
The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) |
Instrument Host | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Curiosity Rover |
Host Type | Orbiter | Rover |
Instrument | High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color, Crater, Dust, Map | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2020-06-02 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23952 | |
Identifier | PIA23952 |