NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Small Dusty Volcano
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-1141, 3 July 2005
 NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small, dust-covered, volcano in the Jovis Fossae region of Mars. While Mars is known for its extremely large volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons, many small volcanoes also occur on the red planet, particularly in the Tharsis region. This small volcano is a good example of those. It was originally found by members of the MGS Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) team during the MGS primary mission. The volcano is old, and cratered. Its surface is mantled by dust, and its caldera (summit depression) has some dust-covered wind ripples on its floor. |
Location near: 20.7°N, 111.3°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.
