NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Dusty Ejecta Blanket

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Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
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The large crater in this nighttime IR image had its

ejecta emplaced in a semifluidized state, creating an

outer rampart at the distal ends of the ejecta blanket.

This wall can act as a trap for fine wind blown materials.

It is likely that part of the darker/cooler materials

surrounding the crater are wind blown materials such as

dust and sand. This crater is located north of the Meridiani

region of Mars.

[Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA’s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University